Genesis 3:4-5 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The devil really is crafty, as it says in verse one. However, he is certainly and fundamentally a liar, as Jesus said. (John 8:44) He starts with the big lie of directly contradicting God. Anyone who is paying attention realizes that people are doing that all the time these days, even in such fundamental things as “male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Then the devil takes a true statement and twists it. Adam and Eve’s eyes were indeed opened to know good and evil, but that certainly didn’t make them any more “like God” than they were the moment He created them. After all, going back to the verse about male and female, it specifies that humans were created in God’s image. The most damaging thing here, though, is the implication that God doesn’t want us to be like Him, that He is somehow jealous of His status. On the contrary, God wants and intends us to be more and more like Him. That’s what spiritual growth is all about! (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18) The two sides of the lesson here are that the devil is indeed devious and persistent in his lies, and that it’s very dangerous to swallow them. As he did in his direct encounter with Jesus, he will even quote Scripture to us, (Luke 4:9-10) so we need the constant help of the Holy Spirit as a filter for all the junk, regardless of how it’s presented to us. The encouraging thing here is what James said: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) The devil is frankly smarter and stronger than we are, but he’s no match for the Holy Spirit in us. (1 John 4:4)

This is of course as much an issue for me as it is for anyone. The devil has used flattery against me, saying things like, “You’re smart enough to figure that out on your own. You don’t need to check and see what God has said about it, or what He wants now.” The moment I recognize he’s saying that I know I’ve got to seek God’s face urgently! The longer I live the more strongly I am aware that I both need to listen to the Holy Spirit and resist the devil, seeing through his lies by the light of the Spirit. I know that I don’t have accurate discernment without the Spirit! However, I don’t have to be anxious about it, because as again James said, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for helping me recognize some of the lies the devil is telling Cathy so that I can counter them with Your truth, pointing out how Your healing is indeed being manifested in her body, despite the fact that she’s not as she was 10 years ago. I ask Your patience for her as she walks through the process of healing, so that she may receive all the benefits You have for her, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!