Lie #1: The Devil Doesn’t Exist
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made.
Here’s a statistic that’s going to blow you away. The respected researchers, the Barna Group in the US, discovered that whilst 78% of Americans believe in the existence of an all-loving, all–powerful God, almost the same number, 77%, don’t believe in or, aren’t sure of, the existence of the devil.
Now that’s a statistic that that does my head in. Let’s just run through it again. Basically, the same number of people who believe that God exists, believe that the devil doesn’t.
Does that surprise you? Well, perhaps. But really, it shouldn’t.
When you start talking about the devil, a whole bunch of people are going to start thinking that you’ve lost your mind; that you’re crazy. If you don’t believe me, try it. Go to work, or talk to your friends, and start asking them: “Do you believe in the existence of the devil?” … and you’re going to get some funny looks and incredulous reactions.
And if you tell them that you actually do believe in the existence of the devil, most of them are just going to shake their heads and walk away. And the next time they see you, they’re going to give you a wide berth.
It seems to me, that the devil’s number one lie isn’t so much that God doesn’t exist. That would be too hard – it’s too much of a stretch. He’d have to swim against the tide, because most people do believe the existence of God. No, no, much easier to convince us that he, the devil himself, doesn’t exist. Because if he can deceive us, then like a sniper in the forest, he can sit there completely undetected, taking pot shots at us and ruining our lives. And as it turns out, he’s a very good shot.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. (Genesis 3:1)
When he confronted Adam and Eve, he didn’t go with a full-on, full–frontal assault. No, he simply cast doubt in their minds.
He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Eve replied, no, that’s not what God said. He said that:
We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
You see? Deception. And that … that’s what he’s been doing ever since.
Make no mistake about it. The devil is after your soul.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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