Before we can fully comprehend the workings of fear and the gravity of what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, we need to understand the most sophisticated temptation of all time. God clearly told Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:16-17 Evidently, many trees in the garden were good for food and pleasing to the eye, but only one tree, called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was forbidden. This particular tree was the only thing that God did not want for Adam and Eve and was the only thing that Satan would use to bring about their destruction. 

Interestingly, Satan did not come to Adam to bring about the demise of man, but rather to Eve. Let’s look at it closely. 

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” Genesis 3:1-5 1 

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

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

I want to submit to you that this was not only a temptation for Adam and Eve; it is still the hideous and most dangerous temptation that Satan uses against you today. Yes, this lie of all lies and sin of all sins is still in effect today and has put a stranglehold on the majority of the world. Here is a breakdown of the temptation of Satan: 

1. Did God really say? 

2. You will not certainly die. 

3. Your eyes will be opened. 

4. You will be like God. 

5. You will know good and evil. 

The first thing that the enemy will do to bring about destruction in your life is to get you to question the word of God. The life of fear begins with questioning what God has spoken. The enemy wants you to question the character of God and the love of God. He wants to tempt you to think thoughts like these: Is the Bible really true? Does God actually love me? Is God really for me? Does God want what’s best for me? 

My dear partner in Christ, the answer to all those questions is a resounding, YES! The enemy tries to get you to question the reality of God and his love for you because if he can get you to doubt those two things, he has trapped you into a life that is dependent upon self and personal performance. A person whose trust is in self is a person who is bound to fear. Fear is not for you! God has called you to walk by faith and not by sight! So many exciting truths are yet ahead! I’m looking forward to tomorrow as we dive deeper into the enemy’s strategies for… 

THE GREAT TEMPTATION 

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