DAY 66 - BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE FALL & THE FLOOD
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.
Genesis 3: 1
Reading: Genesis 3: 4; James 1: 14; 2 Corinthians 10: 5
Welcome back to the Big Picture in a Year. We’re looking at The Fall that we read about in Genesis 3. Over the last few days, we’ve been discussing the devil. Because he was involved in the fall of mankind, it’s important that we understand who he is and how he works.
Quite apart from being highly intelligent and organised and having a determination to oppose God and His people, Satan is also a master of disguise. He doesn't show up in his true persona. This is mostly how he manages to entrap God's people.
How does he disguise himself?
1. As something good
Note how he pointed out all the benefits of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Don't be unaware..examine the 'good' things that pop up in your life carefully.
2. As your idol
This relates back to point 1. Satan knows the idols you are hiding in your heart - the desires for fame, prestige, power, control over others, money, a meaningful relationship. He then shows up as the very answer to that desire. Watch out - he ONLY has your destruction in mind. Be a steward of your own life - root out every ungodly idol that is lurking in your heart and give the devil no room to move.
3. As your thoughts
Perhaps his favourite and most effective disguise is to show up as your thoughts. Ask the Holy Spirit to expose the thoughts you think regularly, or as pop-ups, that are not your thoughts but are injected into your thoughts from Satan. You will be amazed at how many thoughts you accept because you think they are your thoughts. The minute you discern that Satan is trying to worm in on your thoughts patterns, reject and renounce those thoughts immediately. If you own them, he's won the day.
The disturbing news is that the devil is the master of disguise. The good news is, it is possible to grow in discernment, through the coaching of the Holy Spirit, so that you are almost always one step ahead of him. When Jesus said "the devil has nothing in me" he meant that he knew God's Word and so could discern good from evil, he had no ungodly idols in his heart and he was able to distinguish his thoughts from the devil's suggestions. As his disciple and God's child, you too can walk in this way.
Prayer
Dear God, help me to walk as Jesus did - knowing good from evil, free of any idols and growing in discernment.
For the family
It's important that children too know how to walk free of the devil's trickery. Explain this devotion in an age-appropriate way.