“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
— Genesis 3:4-5
Hello, Friends. Some of us may remember the TV game show, Let’s Make A Deal. Prizes were given to the person(s) who came the closest to guessing the actual amount of priced items displayed by the game show host. It was good and fun entertainment to watch.
But … today’s exhortation is of another type of let’s make a deal which is not fun but dreadful and deadly …and… it starts when you have a conversation with a devil that shifts from a normal business talk to let’s make a deal about your salvation. You’ll be in deep trouble unless you end the discussion, immediately!
Let’s begin….
It is safe to say that Adam and the woman did not find it strange to talk with the creatures. If it were so the devil would have used a different method to deceive the woman to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden of Eden.
In case you did not know, the woman was not ignorant according to stupidity even though she was knowledgeable of the consequences for disobeying a direct order—death! She did not know the ripple effect.
Folks, from the beginning with Adam and Eve even unto this day, no one (but God) knows the full impact of the ripple effect up front …and… once it starts only God knows the completion of its destruction. It is a matter of life and death that we strive to know God’s directives and obey them, continually. Live obediently … the criticality of disobedience can/will cost us our lives.
Consider the general truth of the matter. We either talk to devils, or at least see and/or hear them, periodically.
For instance, devils are—family members, neighbors, employers, employees, peers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, insurance agents, news casters, actors on TV, movies, etc., public officials, cashiers, drivers, church folks, etc.
We talk business at work; medical issues with doctors; grocery prices and suchlike at stores and supermarkets; insurance policies with agents; the list goes on and on—and the vast majority of these people are … children of the devil.
But, as soon as they make an attempt to change the business talk to the things which pertains to God, end the conversation, immediately! Why? You will lose what you possess as a person played for the fool by a master con. We have learned that the master con’s victory begins at the point when their subject considers what they offer … from that point it becomes a matter of time to reel the person in to commit to the con’s ploy.
It was the case in our key scripture, “Ye shall not surely die…” vs. 4 — a subject change was used to take the woman off track of what God said, “…in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) … and it worked. It was the phase of the discussion that changed the woman’s active decision-making from obedience to disobedience when the serpent made his move to see how she’d respond. If she had rebuked him the exchange would not have occurred. But, when she considered his offer (being deceived), he reeled her in for the kill — to exchange life for death which is a deceptive move of false prophets.
Consider what false prophets say:
- God is doing a new thing … let’s make a deal;
- Live your best life now … let’s make a deal;
- Nobody is perfect … let’s make a deal;
- Baptism is not necessary … let’s make a deal;
- You don’t have to live holy—God made you holy … let’s make a deal;
- Serve God your own way … let’s make a deal;
- Jesus Christ is not God … let’s make a deal….
Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
You see, the woman being deceived was in the transgression… (1 Timothy 2:14). Adam was disobedient, because he hearkened unto the voice of his wife, and eaten of the tree… (Genesis 3:17). As we can see, it was not stupid ignorance on her part but the deadly violation—not to obey a direct order. She chose rather to ignore the directive sent by God to her husband to save the household from death through submission to the serpent to be deceived to commit the first transgression!
It is the same with many, today. If we consider to do what we are commanded not to do, the devil will make a deal with us and it will be a matter of time before the lust conceived (from our own desire to do wrong with the thought to try to get away with it) will be committed and death will be the finished point. Therefore, abort the proposed “deal” before it’s too late—or you will suffer—a just recompense of reward.
Moreover, the devil is authorized to take captive at his will those who oppose themselves because they decided to stand against the Lord and His anointed servant; and for this cause, they are taken captive at the devil’s will until they acknowledge the truth, so that they may recover themselves out of his snare (2 Timothy 2:25-26).
Consider what the Psalmist wrote:
- (Psalm 51:8) Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
- (Psalm 32:3) When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
- (Psalm 31:9-10) Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
When the righteous sin, their soul and conscience are violated and tormented. It is similar to a woman after being raped, or one who suffered loss by thieves and/or robbers.
First and foremost, the righteous HATES SIN AND ERROR!!! And, it is especially realized after sin is committed regardless to whatever level or degree. The seed of God is in us and we CANNOT practice sin (1 John 3:9), nor do we find ANY delight in the commision of sin; there is a direct pain with sin committed by the righteous because of sin’s contaminant nature—it effects the purity of our new nature in God.
God cannot come into contact with sin—it will effect His nature. He had to put on human flesh, shed His own innocent blood (for the remission of sin) and died, so that we might live and come boldly before Him without contamination. His blood is between us and Himself. He is the Propitiator for our sins—He made it possible for us to come boldly before His throne of grace so that we may find mercy and grace to help in time of need. He gave access to those who believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. His blood cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness.
John wrote, if we sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous! — 1 John 2:1
But, we do not have a license to sin.
Consider what Paul wrote:
Romans 7:15-25, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
When Paul wrote, “If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.” He did not say that he consented unto the law that sin was good, but that the law was good.
The law is the word of God:
- (Titus 2:12) …Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…
- (Psalm 45:7) Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
- (Hebrews 1:9) Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
- (James 2:23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Here, we see what Paul meant—he hated sin but loved righteousness and it was reflected by his ongoing battle to fight against what he hated … sin. This also confirmed that he was a Friend of God as Abraham who is the father of our faith (Romans 4:12). Only true friends of God love righteousness and hate sin and the commission of it. The world and worldly-minded church folks are comrades with the law of sin; they do not fight against sin—but they fight against God and His anointed.
Those of us who delight in the law of God after the inward man have the same attitude as Paul and the Psalmist — WE HATE ALL SIN!!! We also hate every false way but delight in understanding the precepts of God, (Psalm 119:104).
So remember, there are no deals to be made with any devil under any circumstance! Step away from the lying tongue….
—Be advised
In Christ We Do Remain
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