July 27, 2021
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
~II Corinthians 11:3~
Times shifting and moving, we hear this idea of "back to normal." That just isn't the case my friends. Things change everyday. We witness truth and we witness fraud. The Lord warned us about becoming too comfortable in the things of the world; "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (I John 2:15)
We are sent here to be in the world, not of it.
I have noticed the closer I get to Jesus the more I cringe at the things around me. That feeling comes with being in the Spirit. For spiritual things become more real when we know the Lord closely. The things of this world almost seems like a movie playing out until it is over. Now don't get me wrong, I am blessed and honored to be a part of it, however I am not making myself too comfortable in it. All too often we see people in the church using the gospel when they feel they need it and other days they tend to forget, putting them in a vulnerable state of deception. This verse is a warning from Paul, if we are taking the Lord's Name lightly and using it when we "need something," we may be thrown completely off guard when the devil sneaks in as we will least expect it. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden personally; they were extremely close to Him, we spoke of this yesterday, yet so quickly they became deceived in a sudden moment. How is it that someone who knew God so closely was still quick to turn away and listen to the enemy? Do we believe God actually left them alone? I sure dont. God gave instruction to them and the serpent arrived to question that instruction; "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
(Genesis 3:1)
Do we find ourselves being questioned of God's word either through another or through our own minds? The enemy seeks to destroy truth and make us doubt so that we may willingly slip away. This is what happened with Eve and this can still happen today. If we are not 100% filled with the Lord's word, Holy Spirit and discernment; we are at risk of becoming deceived by the cunning serpent himself. Each moment we are to abide in Jesus Christ. Before we move on anything, we should pray on it first asking
Him whether we should or should not. It only takes a quick moment to give into the enemies schemes. Eve allowed the devil to make her doubt in God's simple commandment. She allowed him to twist the word of God and make it fit her comfortable lifestyle. "You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous."
(Deuteronomy 16:19)
Remember when satan used scripture against Jesus in the wilderness? He twisted it to make it contrary to the actual meaning behind it; "For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
(Luke 4:10-11)
Jesus stayed true to the word and recited it back at the enemy. Eve fell into a trap and got too comfortable in the garden God gave her. Are we getting a little too comfortable Church? It's time to wake up and understand there is more to this journey then we even understand. We will not be "left alone" when we follow Jesus closely, in fact the closer we become to Him the more the devil comes after us to try and make us slip. He is relentless but we can be too! Jesus disarmed satan however his presence still exists in this world. It's not completely over yet. We are here to join the Lord's army and follow His commands only. "The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?"
(Joel 2:11)
If we take our eyes off Jesus for a moment and get too comfortable in the gospel, we are in for a wild ride. We carry power in Him; this means we are to stay in Him each day, reading His word, praying like we have never prayed before, trusting in Holy Spirit only for guidance and glorifying Jesus in all that we do. Without this we may become a bit too comfortable as Eve did and there is one lurking and waiting for us to be caught off guard; "For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." (Galatians 6:3)
We need more of God; less of our possessions, our opinions, our boasting and our comfortable lifestyles. If we are not willing to lose ourselves for Jesus, we are not on the right track.
Prayer:
Lord God Almighty, thank you for the mercy You bring even after we allowed sin to enter in this world. You had a better plan all along with Your Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for Him and for Holy Spirit leading me. Without Your instruction, I would make my own fleshly decisions and may become trapped as Eve did. I don't wish to become too comfortable in this world, I want to be used for Your glory to be seen. Lord please open the eyes of the blind and unstop the deafened ears to things that have kept the gospel too comfortable for them. I pray for increased sensitivity to things of the Spirit so I may always be in Your will as my Lord was. Show me what I need to do today and lead me in the way of righteousness. Im declaring this day to be Yours and commanding all evil to stay away from me as I testify the Blood of the Lamb over me and my family. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.