Eve Was Deceived Are YOU?? - Ellie DeAnda
Eve was the first woman to believe the lies of Satan. As a result, there were consequences and those consequences weren’t pretty! They destroyed, weakened, warped, cursed, divided, distracted, controlled, paralyzed, punished, hurt....
Life isn’t always easy, should we just blame Eve and live a fruitless life? No way!! That’s how our worst enemy wants us to live out our days. He wants us defeated, weak, controlled, distracted, powerless, etc. The serpent, the father of all lies, uses all types of lies to defeat our purpose.
I asked a handful of godly ladies whom I admire the following question, “Throughout your years of being a Christian have there been any lies the devil had you believe but God eventually opened your eyes to the truth? If so, in what area of your life?“
I only had time to concentrate on 4 of their responses. See if you’ve fallen prey to any of them. I certainly have!
1. Lie: You have no value to those around you or to this world.
The devil wants you to believe that you have no value or that you are of little value. I believe, the devil knows that in God’s eyes you are extremely valuable and important. If your biggest enemy can get you to think that you have nothing to offer this world, then guess what?! You will live defeated. You will no longer try nor have the confidence to make a difference in this world nor for eternity. I once heard a preacher say, “The devil doesn’t come to steal what you don’t have!”. My conclusion is, he obviously knows how valuable you are to the kingdom of God! So remind yourself today of this truth: You DO NOT belong to this earth. You belong to the most HIGH GOD! Do not turn a listening ear to the lies of Satan. Let’s remember what happened to Eve, the first woman to ever taste of his lies.
WE must always combat lies with truth. And there is no greater place to look for truth than in the Word of God.
Truth: Psalms 139:13-18,
“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”
Because of who HE is, you are fearfully and wonderfully made!! Never forget that! I know the days are sometimes rough. I know all about the wrinkles that weren’t there yesterday, the hormones, the stretch marks, the varicose veins, the aches, the failures, the pain of a child breaking your heart, the struggle is real. But always remember that the struggle is strengthening-if you allow it! So I ask you today, how much do you believe the verses you just read? Read it. Live it! Believe it! Show it! Because it’s true!! You are valuable! The truth will always set us free. Free to live in such a way that through HIM you can make a difference.
Truth: We were so valuable and worth it that He sent His Son to die for us and give us His unmeasurable mercy!!
*Ephesians 2:4-9, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Truth: We are HIS CREATION! Since we are HIS CREATION, that makes us valuable!!
*Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
The Bible tells us that He created us in His likeness and in His image and then He said, "IT IS GOOD"! We are valuable because of WHO it is that is saying we are valuable. If a king or a president or one of your most admired heroes told you that you were valuable, wouldn’t that make you feel worthwhile? Yet the Creator of the universe, the KING of KINGS is saying you are valuable, you are special! You are a valuable member of His family!! *I John 3:1 says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:…” You belong to the family of God, NEVER forget that you BELONG! You are of much Value!!
If we were the daughters of an earthly king we would be called a princess or a queen, an heir to the throne. We would be entitled to all the protection the kingdom had to offer and ALL the riches! (Who’s your daddy??) Since we are the daughters of the Creator of the Universe, not only are we valuable, but we are VERY valuable!! We are each individually important to God!! Don't ever doubt for a minute that you’re not important! Christ teaches in His word that not one sparrow falls from the sky the He does not see. He cares for even the lilies of the field. Christ said the Father knows us so well that the very hairs of our heads are numbered! Not how many hairs, but that each hair has its own number.(This always makes me think of my dad, he is completely bald, my children call him Grandpa Bald Eagle. He makes God’s job at counting/numbering very easy!) God thought of you before you were even born and He choose you! He wanted YOU! He is our good Shepherd, and he calls us by name! We are valuable enough to Him that he gets individually involved in our lives! He says we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world- so never forget that you are valuable and you have the ability to bring flavor to a bland life. You have the ability to preserve life that is being spoiled by Satan. You have the ability to shine the light of Jesus into the dark places of our world. You are very, VERY VALUABLE!!
2. LIE: You are too hormonal and irritable to love others in an impactful way!
Truth: The Bible says,* I John 4:15-17 “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
Don’t listen to the lies you hear, because we all hear them from time to time, at least I do. Read those verses one more time. Wow! I’m in love with those words and that truth! There is something that happens when we deny ourselves and choose to be found in Him! I can’t find myself when I’m absorbed with myself. As I lean into God, He reveals Himself to me! So because of who He is, you are who He says you are. He is love so you can be loving. HE is able, so you are capable of loving others the way HE wants you to love others. His love drives out our pride. We are no longer slaves to self, we are free to love others genuinely when we understand how much He loves us.
The Bible is very clear— if you are a believer then God is your Father. That makes you HIS daughter! Which means you have a perfect Father that loves you perfectly. He loved you long before you ever turned His direction. Do you realize you have the greatest lover as your Father? Your Father can help and teach you to better love others, spite your hormones and emotions. So turn to Him today, because He will reveal Himself to you.
PS I’m not a doctor but I do know that hormonal imbalances occur in women sooner or later in life, but a lot of symptoms caused by hormones can be fixed naturally. Your health is important! Do what you can to live life to the fullest! There’s help, if you need it!
*Make it a goal to memorize the above verses.
3. Lie: God is mad at you and doesn’t like you.
The Bible is full stories about sinners- of every kind! One of my favorite Bible characters is Moses. If you know anything about Mo, you and I can both say, he failed MISERABLY at times! Yet he found forgiveness, love, and mercy from God! Which in turn, empowered Moses to do great things for God! And guess what? That forgiveness, love and mercy was absolutely free! Of course, God never approves of sin, but He sure does love the sinner! (Thank you, Jesus!) He works with us and helps us to make the changes we need to make. God hates sin because He knows that sin separates, but He doesn’t hate the sinner! As you look back over your past, you may feel that you have failed and because of that failure you believe God is angry with you. Satan always wants to remind you of your worst failures and biggest let-downs. As he reminds you of these things, you may hear the lie that you will never have a great relationship with God because He is mad at you or disappointed.
For me, one of the biggest lies I believed until recently was that my value to God came from how much work I did for Him. (i.e. how much Bible I read, how many verses I was memorizing, how many souls I had won that month, etc) I guess, I believed that the more I did, the more God would bless me or the more He would accept me and love me. If I forgot to read my Bible or I didn't have much time to serve the church that particular week or to go soul winning, then God didn't love me as much as He would if I had. Somehow our relationship was strained- my communication with God was broken until I “did” more. The lie I believed was that He was mad at me because I wasn't doing enough. But the truth is, when I wake up in the morning and bow desperately before Him, that is an act of expressing my absolute need for Him, not to win His favor! When I open my Bible to hear His voice, I’m not doing it for His acceptance but to walk in fellowship with Him! Maybe I was trying to impress God. I realize now that God doesn’t want our relationship based on guilt, shame, or fear. He desires my heart more than sacrifice.
Maybe you are facing a difficulty in your life and Satan has whispered in your ear that God is punishing you. Or maybe vice versa, you see that your sister in Christ is suffering and you think, "Hmmmm wonder why God is punishing her?! What has she done to deserve this punishment from God?? (Job's friends did the same thing to him) What we really should be believing is that God often allows or sends hard things in our lives to stretch us and to make us more like Him!! We are not subject to our past. Don't believe the lies of Satan because it will only diminish your potential to do great things for God and others!
Truth: Look at what Jesus say in His Word, 2 Timothy 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”
Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Rom 3:27-28, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.."
Psalms 103:8 & 11, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. ...For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.”
I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from *ALL* unrighteousness.
Psalms 51:10, 16-17, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Satan uses discouragement and shame as a weapon against you. Just this week Satan used this trick on me. Someone close to me let me down, it hurt, but I felt like it was my fault! I felt so low, I felt like a complete failure, I felt like a useless soul. I begged God to help me see what He wanted me to see. I begged Him to help me be what He wanted me to be through this challenging situation. I knew my worst enemy wanted me to give up and look past my Power source! The Holy Spirit guided me to truth, and I know He and I will get through this together!
If we believe the lie that God is mad at us because of our past failures or let downs, we will distance ourselves away from the One who loves us most. That’s the goal of our enemy, because He knows we will direct our attention and interests to something else other than that of our Savior. If the devil can get us lukewarm then I think he is happy, because then our faith in God becomes deflated. If you are a Child of the King, and have repented, then all those past failures are washed away by the blood of Jesus. Don’t allow Satan to use false guilt in your life- all he’s doing is pointing to something that is no longer on your account! God is faithful and just to forgive you! He is your friend! Sure you make mistakes and stumble along the way, but isn’t grace the good news of the gospel? Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Maybe I don't deserve all the good things I have in this life, but John 10:10 tells us that Jesus has come to give us life- abundantly. If you read the beginning of that verse though- you will be reminded that it is the devil who wants to destroy us, rob us of our joy, and KILL all that we are doing for God.
Truth:
John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
4. Lie: Your words don’t matter.
Too often we throw words around like they have no value or significance. We talk when we have nothing to say or we allow our emotions to speak rather than allowing God’s spirit to flow through our words and actions. Satan wants you to believe that your words are only words and have no power or effect. When you believe this lie, you will more easily gossip, slander, lie, complain, and grumble.
Growing up my mom would always tell me that my words were an indicator of my heart. If my words were negative it was indicating that something negative was going on inside of my heart. Our words are so important! Words are a gift from God because he used words as a tool to communicate His love towards us.How do you use your words? Do you use your words to slander others? Galations 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” If we sow angry words what are we going to reap? According to the Bible, we’re going to reap angry words. If we sow gossip and slander, we will reap the same. What do the people around us need more than anything? What do our spouses need more than anything? What do our children need more than anything? They need God—the love of God, the patience of God, the justice of God, the Words of God.
The book of James teaches us some pretty important things about our words. James tells us—1. Be fast to listen 2. Be slow to speak 3. Be slow to get angry. But when my hormones are raging this is my order— 1. Quick to get angry, 2. Quick to talk 3. Listen last. I don’t think that is what James was trying to teach me! Lol. We would rather yell and not listen, even when the other person wants to talk. That’s when anger steps in. And James tells us that the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. So when everyone is mad at each other, we can know God’s not working His magic in that situation. We just messed up His magic, all because we didn’t follow His guide.
I ask myself these questions often, “Who loves my children more than I do?” “Who loves my husband more than I do?” (I talk to myself a lot!) My answer is always “God”! They don’t need MY opinion of them, they need God’s opinion of who they are! I want to speak words to my family and friends that come from God! Here are a few verses that can teach us a lot about words:
Truth: James 1:19-20, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
Matthew 12:36- 37, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
Proverbs 18:21, " Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 16:24, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.."
Proverbs 15:4, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.”
I Peter 3:10, “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:”
Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Matthew 15:11, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
Proverbs 31:10, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Psalms 141:3, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”
There are basically two voices in the world today. One is the lying voice of Satan and the other is the voice speaking truth through the Scriptures. In this new year 2020- choose to believe the truths that Jesus spoke about you and not the lies of Satan. We must know the difference between the enemies’ lies and God’s truth! Which leads me to say, we must know God’s Word! We must hide His word in our hearts!! The Bible clearly states that the Truth will set us free but we must have that Truth in our hearts and minds. We must combate lies with Truth. The truth is found in God's holy word....Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Eve was deceived are
you?