A Small Doubt

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?' " (Gen. 3:1)

Here is how it starts. It is rather amazing that the method of temptation used here is essentially the same method that our adversary Satan uses even to this day. It begins with doubt about what it is that God says. He plants doubt by twisting what the Word actually is. In this case, the serpent, who is Satan's mouthpiece, both questions what God said and distorts what the actual command was. The command was that the man and woman may eat of any tree except one. The serpent knew full well that he was not quoting God correctly. But he also knew that he was quoting God closely. That is how we also get set up for temptation. The enemy started out by casting doubt upon God and His Word. In point of fact, Satan was also casting doubt upon God's goodness and His care for the man and woman. We have the same kind of doubt thrown at us. Doubt that says "God isn't really there." Or we hear the whisper, "If God is there, He doesn't care about you." Or perhaps this one, "God may be there, and He may even care, but He can't do anything about your pain and hurt and sin and guilt." All of those falsehoods and lies are cast our way, but they all start with a slight doubt in the form of "Did God really say...?"

Your Joyfully Loquacious Believer,
LEE