The Use of the Word of God Against Satanic Deception

Part 1

There are two opposing principles in the world, the principle of intercession and that of accusation.

An accusation is a statement by one person asserting that another person or entity has done something improper. The person who makes the accusation is an accuser, while the accused is the subject against whom it is made.

Of Jesus, it is said regarding His posture towards His children, “…He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:22-25).

The Principle of Accusation:

An accusation is a powerful tool in the hand of the enemy. Many lives have been shattered, shaken, and taken because of its power, especially when it is based upon falsehoods.

The scripture is clear that an accusation against an elder should only be received if it is based upon 2-3 credible witnesses (1 Tim 5:19). Naboth was killed by the demonically influenced Queen Jezebel due to the perversion of this biblical principle of utilizing 2-3 witnesses (1 Kings 21:9-10).

Many television shows and newspaper columns garner huge crowds based on gossip and slander. (Many newspapers even include a “gossip column,” the part of a newspaper in which you find stories about the social and private lives of famous people that mixes fact and fiction.) The adage, “ birds of a feather flock together,” rings here as those who gossip and slander love hanging out together. 

Spiritual warfare is always centered upon what you believe about God’s Word.

God said to Adam,

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17).

The serpent (the devil, Rev. 12:9) said to the woman, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely 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…..”(Genesis 3:1-8).

God’s word to Adam and Eve:

He gave them the choice of an abundance of trees and fruit except ONE tree. God named the one tree that would cause them to “surely die” if they ate of its fruit. 

The word of the serpent in accusing God: 

The serpent utilized some truth and combined it with lies. It accurately acknowledged the existence of a particular tree that would grant the knowledge of good and evil after he lied about telling Eve she could not eat ANY of the trees in the garden. However, he backed off and changed the narrative after Eve corrected him regarding the fact that there was ONLY one tree they could not eat of (hence, he cannot stand in the truth. John 8:44 illustrates how important it is to know God’s word accurately.

The serpent then attempted another way to deceive Eve. He contradicted what God said and told her she would not surely die. He changed her perspective regarding “knowing good and evil” as an opportunity to be equal to God. Hence, he promised her autonomy from God and equality with God.

 Consequently, the fall of humankind was initiated when the serpent accused God of having false motives and lying to Eve. The devil tempts believers by placing a seed of doubt in them regarding the reliability of God’s word and the consequences of failing to obey God’s word.

My estimation is that most evangelicals that are “deconstructing” have believed in lies from the devil related to circumstantial challenges that caused them to doubt scripture.

Notice that the allure of the forbidden fruit in this Genesis narrative was not at first dangled before Eve. Rather, he placed a clear doubt put into her ear.

‘Ye shall not surely die” was a perverted twisting of God’s word to cause Eve to think God was trying to keep her from rising to a greater good.

Neither the serpent nor the woman used the title “Yahweh-Elohim” (“LORD God” as translated in most English bibles (Gen.2:15-16)). Instead, they used the impersonal God of creation, Elohim, forgetting that it was Yahweh, the loving personal Being, the one in covenant with Adam, who was the One who had given them life and this command.

The serpent took advantage of the woman’s innate lust for food (the lust of the flesh), her lust for nice-looking things (the craving for emotions), and her lust for forbidden knowledge (the pride of life). Referring back to man’s original sin and temptation, John the apostle warned believers not to lust after the desires of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). Consequently, this narrative illustrates that an atmosphere of doubting God’s Word leads to crossing forbidden boundaries that lead to self-destruction.

Despite his brilliance in naming all the animals on the earth, Adam lacked the fear of the Lord, which caused him to lack discernment (Proverbs 1:9).

In the Genesis narrative, Satan got his way by accusing the character of God of Eve. Not only does Satan bring accusations against God, but he also accuses us of God, as we see in the Job narrative.

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