It was toward the evening when God came walking in the garden. I have no idea what time of day the serpent presented himself and began his mission of destruction, but scripture does tell us, that it was toward evening when God came walking. I suppose that God knew where they were hiding anyway, but he paid the courtesy of calling out to Adam. “Where are you?”
Adam came out from his hiding place and told his creator that he did hear him, and hid. ” I was afraid because I was naked.” The next words from the mouth of God? “Who told you that you were naked?”
Since that time, more fear, mistrust, grief, sorrow and death has happened because our enemies’ goal is to seek, kill and destroy God’s children. He is our enemy. He has a strategy. He speaks things that are not true. He is a liar and the truth is not in him.
He is a smooth operator. A con man. He is very subtle in his approach. “So,did God really say….” His goal is to get our eyes and minds off what we know to be the truth of what God says about us, and tell us things to cause issues of unrest, fear and chaos.
He will tell us anything that will destroy our confidence and our willpower. He gets us to start thinking and behaving in a way that is destructive not only to us but to our families as well. Speaking from sixty-six years of experience here are just a few. You are a failure. You are ill. You are worthless. You are not loved. You married the wrong person. You are a bad person, bad mother, bad father, brother, sister, daughter, child, grandchild and friend. You are overweight and will never be the size you desire. You are alone in this world. Nobody cares about you. You are in a hopeless situation. You have made wrong choices. God is not concerned with what is happening in your life. The enemy is disarming us on the battlefield of our minds.
If that is not enough to make for a bad day, he also tries to put as much distance between us and God as possible. It goes something like this. You are entirely too busy to spend time in prayer. Too busy to take time to read your Bible. You certainly don’t have time to go worship in God’s house. You are too tired, too busy, too burdened to give up one more minute of your time to anyone…even, God.
If we pray, read our Bible and spend time worshiping God, we begin to understand where our problems, our fears, our depression are actually coming from. Perhaps toward the end of a grueling day, God also calls out to us, ” Who told you these things?”
Jesus came and died to give us another voice to listen to. Another choice option from a loving Father. His voice is the only voice that matters. He shed His perfect blood so that believing in Him we have forgiveness. Those things the enemy says we are, are just distractions. Listen for the voice of the One who knows us well. He will walk us through the valleys of life and cheer for us when we realize victories. He will encourage us and guide us to make right decisions concerning our lives.
He calls us, friend, His treasure, sons and daughters, beloved, His chosen, His workmanship, His heir, blameless and holy, the apple of His eye and redeemed. That is just a few. When we first hear that deceiving voice, is the time to call back to him, all that God has told us we are. We were worth so much to God that He sent Jesus to give us a way to forgiveness and eternal life. A way back to Him from that garden experience. That is who we are, because God has made it very clear all throughout His word.
Put on the full armor of God today and go out into the world confident of who you are!! Be the head and not the tail. Listen to the voice that loves you. Let your light shine!!
~Scripture For Today~
Genesis 3:8-11
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” 11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” (NLT)
2 Corinthians 6:18
18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (NLT)
~Prayer For Today~
Hello Father! Thank You for Your love for us. Sometimes our minds become a battlefield of thoughts that attempt to quinch our spirit and lead us down the wrong road. Teach us, through Your word, how to arm ourselves so that we know who we are in Your eyes not who the enemy says we are. Walk with us today. We pray for a day of excellence in whatever task You have given us to do. We desire to let our light shine for Jesus in all things. Forgive us of our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
©2015 Kathy Ledbetter. All Rights Reserved.