Thought for the Week - 20th September

Pastor Gareth Watkins

Genesis 2: 16-17

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (NKJV)

When I read these words, I read of these three things, permission, prohibition, and warning. God gave Adam and Eve a beautiful and delightful place to live in happiness, security, and joy. He laid out for them what they were allowed to do, what they were not allowed to do, and gave warnings. Satan, the enemy of the soul of man, came into this place, closer and closer, seeking to dislodge Adam and Eve from God’s goodness and their righteous place of habitation. As long as they obeyed God’s word, they would have been secure, satisfied, and happy in their dwelling with God, but the enemy came to try and take their souls. ‘’The serpent came along more cunning than any beast’’ (Genesis 3:1). The enemy came planting seeds of doubt and whispers of unbelief, trying to undermine all that God has said, lying and leading Eve into unbelief of God’s goodness and ultimately into sin. Satan had won her soul.

Have your eyes ever been caught by desire as Eve’s were? Belief and faith in Christ pushed aside as unbelief sets in? Drive and motivation gone, leaving you vulnerable to that one tactic of the enemy that threatens to pull you under and take you from God’s goodness and put you on the road to hell?

The good news is that we are not bound by the material things of this world. We live by faith and not the ordinances of the world in which we live.

‘’For we walk by faith and not by sight’’ (2Corinthians 5:7)

Faith is how we reaffirm God’s word, position in our lives, and our dependency on Him. Faith is an antidote to unbelief and restores the destruction caused by the fall of Eve. Faith brings about righteous living and reaffirms God’s goodness and desire to give us His best. He made a way for us to live by faith and live by faith we shall.

‘’The just shall live by faith’’ (Romans1:17)

Amen

 

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