Read: Genesis 3:1-2

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Reflect:

Goals and Tactics.  A plan requires both long term goals as well as strategies or tactics that help you attain it, right?

When we read the Genesis account of the fall of mankind, we discover both. Satan’s goal was and is simple. Destruction. He wants to destroy us or neutralize our effectiveness for God.

But his strategies are not so simple. The father of lies looks for an appealing portion of truth and then builds a complicated lie. But it is still a lie.

Consider his question in the verses above – “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

There is some truth in his question, but the strategy was to undermine God’s authority. It was a subtle way to plant a seed of doubt. How does that happen today? Take a couple of minutes to read and then think about the ways Satan misleads us and our culture. How do you see his strategy played out in your life and in our world today?

Respond:

While we can’t shift our responsibilities to  Eve’s “the devil made me do it”, but maybe his schemes are something we need to factor into our struggles with temptation and in our difficulties in relationships and in marriage and in our families.

Remember his goal is ultimately destruction, but God’s desire is for our good, today and every day.