ESOCS Devotional 11 February 2023
TEXT: GENESIS 3:1-24
MEMORY VERSE: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yeah, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1
Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her sin against God. He has been in the business of getting people to sin ever since. He also tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11); but Jesus did not sin!
Why does he tempt us? It is his invitation to give in to his kind of life (sin) and give up on God’s kind of life (righteousness and holiness); and suffer damnation with him instead of inheriting the kingdom of God. He wants to populate his kingdom and get associates for himself who will suffer with him for eternity. He knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12).
Could Eve have resisted Satan? Yes; by obeying God’s command knowing the consequence (Genesis 2:16, 17). Doubt, discouragement, diversion and defeat are his strong weapons.
We are not insulated from his temptation. He can tempt us on any area of life. We are warned concerning the lust of the flesh, of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
But we can resist him. First, we must realize that being tempted is not a sin. We have not sinned until we give in to the temptation. To resist him, we must continually pray for strength to resist. We must read the Bible always so that the word of God can dwell richly in us (Colossians 3:16).
So, resist his invitation now and always, and he will flee from you.
- The realities of the world today present so many hidden temptations.
- God, give me the ability to know when I am tempted and the spiritual power to resist and overcome.
FURTHER READING: 1 John 2:15-17; James 1:13-16.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 11 February 2023
