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In Genesis 3:4-5, Satan planted in Eve's mind the first lie he ever told mankind. This lethal lie led mankind on a treacherous path that set its members against their loving Creator, separated them from His perfect wisdom, and brought sin and death into the world. Ever since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden, the majority of mankind, even many believers in Christ, have continued to embrace this lie despite its only reward being a prideful attitude, fruitless pursuits, and destructive consequences. As believers, if we earnestly desire to serve God and receive Christ's abundant life, we must understand what this lie is, what its consequences are, and how to reject it.
To understand this lie, we must examine its origins in Genesis 3:1-5. Here, Satan began by questioning God's command to avoid the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is among Satan's most powerful tactics, for when we begin to question God's Word, goodness, and wisdom, we open our minds to receive ungodly, destructive ideas. Once this seed of doubt was planted in Eve's mind, Satan then convinced her to partake of the forbidden fruit by claiming that God's warning about death was a lie and that He was selfishly withholding knowledge of good and evil from her. The lie Satan told here is that God does not want what is best for us and that we can make better decisions for ourselves and others than Him. As the rest of Genesis 3 reveals, the results of such rebellious thinking can only lead to sin, separation from God, and ultimately death, as seen during the Fall of Man.
These consequences and more can be seen throughout the accounts of people in Scripture who believed the lie and made decisions apart from God's Word and guidance. Few accounts better represent this than King Saul's. Although he was initially successful and filled with the Spirit, Saul's life began to fall apart when he fell to the lie. This began in 1 Samuel 13, where Saul, while battling the Philistines, disobeyed God's command to wait for Samuel to offer a sacrifice. Instead of obediently waiting, Saul caved to his circumstances and unlawfully offered the sacrifice himself, believing he knew what was better for his situation than God. Saul's reward, however, was a stern rebuke from Samuel, who noted Saul's disobedience and God's promise to end his kingdom. Despite this discipline, Saul would continue to embrace the lie for the rest of his life, as seen by him disobediently sparing the Amalekites' king and sheep (1 Sa. 15), striving to murder David, and even consulting a medium over repenting and restoring his relationship with God. Through these sinful decisions and actions, Saul lived a tormented, unfruitful, and godless life that ended with him killing himself amid a losing battle. As Saul's account clearly demonstrates, nothing truly good comes from believing the lie that our decisions and wisdom exceed and should take precedence over God's.
Fortunately, the Scriptures reveal how we can avoid this attitude in every decision we make. First, we must surrender to the full authority of God's Word. Satan usually starts his attacks with tempting us to question specific truths in the Bible. If he can convince us to disagree with its truths concerning marriage, Creation, and other topics, he is given a foothold to lead us towards rejecting all of Scripture. To avoid this lethal thinking, we must stand in agreement with 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Matthew 4:4, trusting that every word in the Bible is from God and is therefore true, relevant, and for our daily application. After doing this, we must seek God's will in every situation and decision we face. Proverbs 3:5-6 warn us to avoid living according to our own wisdom and desires, for that manner of life leads us to disobey Him through believing we know better than Him. In every decision we face, no matter how major or minor they are, we must always seek God's will. Finally, we must make a habit of obeying God's Word and will. Luke 11:28 stresses the importance of not only hearing God's Word, but also responding to it in obedience. If we, through complete dependence on the Holy Spirit's strength and mental renewal, continually choose obedience to God, we will live according to the truth that His knowledge and ways exceed ours. This life of surrendering to God's Word, seeking His will, and obeying them is how we avoid falling to the lie.
Contrary to the lie, we as finite, fallible human beings can never possess a knowledge, belief, or desire that exceeds God's, for His are always perfect and always have His best for us in mind. As Saul's life demonstrates, believing otherwise in any predicament or decision can only result in a fruitless life marred by sin, separation from God, and death. Conversely, a blessed life able to worship and serve God is awarded to those who surrender to every truth of God's Word, seek His will for every decision, and obey Him through complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.
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