Read: Genesis 3:1-7
Memory Verse: 1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Satan promised Eve “that her “eyes would be opened… knowing good and evil”. Knowledge is good. God admonishes us in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” God has provided us with everything we need to know through His word.
There are some things that we don’t need to experience to know they are not good for us. I don’t have to experience drugs to know that they are harmful. God gives us commandments to protect us. Experiencing those things doesn’t make us like God, but will separate us from God.
The three lies of Satan correspond to the sources of temptation listed in I John 2:15-16. In Genesis 3:6 Eve saw that the “tree was good for food” (the lust of the flesh), it was “pleasant to the eyes” (the lust of the eyes), and it was “to be desired to make one wise” (The pride of life).
The pride of life tells you “I can handle it. I’m different. It won’t happen to me.” These are all lies of the devil when we think that we can be the god of our own lives and not obey the God who created us.
All temptation comes from one of these three sources in our lives. When we sin it is because Satan has tempted us in one or more of these areas. Don’t give in to these temptations and believe the lies of the devil.
Meditation for the Day: How can understanding the lies of the devil and the sources of temptation help me to do right?
Assignment: Make a list of sins you struggle with and identify the source of that temptation. How can you overcome them?
For Fun: What are some lies that you have believed? Did you believe in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy? How about as you got older?