GENESIS 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

KEYWORD: Whenever thoughts begin to challenge God’s truth and draw you away from obedience, be discerning. The enemy seeks to gain access through the doorway of the mind because such thoughts can ultimately lead to disobedience.

The thoughts that come into your mind and push you toward disobedience to God’s voice and instructions are not always originating from you. Sometimes they are suggestions that have been presented to your mind. Thoughts that tell you that you are worthless, that you cannot amount to anything great in life, that you are not beautiful, handsome, or attractive, and that no one will want to be with you are contrary to what God says about you. Such thoughts seek to reduce who you are as God’s beloved creation, made in His image and likeness. To crown it all, God has placed His greatest gift within you, His power source, the person of the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!

One of the strategies of the devil is to make his voice sound like your own thoughts so that you assume you are simply thinking to yourself, whereas in reality you are listening to suggestions that can lead you away from God’s will if you are not careful or grounded in Scripture. Many preachers teach about who the devil is and what he can do, but not many teach believers how he seeks to influence the minds of men. One of his most dangerous strategies is getting people to question the Word of God, just as he did with Eve.

The serpent approached Eve by casting doubt upon what God had said. Instead of holding firmly to God’s instruction, she entertained the conversation and became vulnerable to deception. How are people deceived? Through ignorance, lack of understanding, carelessness, and failure to remain rooted in God’s Word. Satan introduces thoughts that challenge the authority and truth of God’s Word, and when those thoughts are entertained, they can eventually lead to disobedience.

All of a sudden, a person who was once comfortable with God’s instructions begins to ask, “Why must I obey this?” or “Why would God require this of me?” Brothers and sisters, whenever thoughts begin to challenge God’s truth and draw you away from obedience, be discerning. The enemy seeks to gain access through the doorway of the mind because such thoughts can ultimately lead to disobedience.

John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Satan is the father of lies. When he wants a person to believe a lie, he introduces thoughts of deception, wrong ideologies, fear, low self worth, hatred, and many other things that are contrary to God’s truth. When you begin to entertain, meditate upon, and dialogue with such thoughts without measuring them against God’s Word, you place yourself in a vulnerable position just as Eve did. He wants you to question God’s instructions so that your faith is weakened and your response to God’s Word is hindered. Therefore, be watchful and wise at all times. Praise God!

PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word which gives me understanding and teaches me to recognize the enemy’s devices. I refuse to be ignorant of Satan’s strategies. Help me to guard my heart and mind with Your truth. Let every thought be brought into obedience to Christ, and let Your Word remain the final authority in my life. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:
2 CORINTHIANS 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

2 CORINTHIANS 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”