Faith on the Go: Ep1 Exploring the Deceit in Genesis 3: Walking in Spiritual Vigilance

0:00 Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast with our Faith on the Go series, where faith meets everyday challenges. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and today we're embarking on a journey to understand one of the most pivotal moments in the Bible, the moment when deceit enters human history. This episode from our new series, Breaking the Deceit, Walking in Spiritual Vigilance, It's titled, Exploring the Deceit in Genesis 3. And we'll be focusing on the first recorded instance of deception in human history, the fall of Adam and Eve.

0:43 Deception has been a tool of the enemy from the very beginning. And it remains a significant threat in our spiritual walk today. So I want to teach you today and for the next three series on how to walk in spiritual vigilance so that you will not be deceived. So if you have your Bible, you can go with me to Genesis 3. So go ahead and get ready. And so by exploring Genesis 3, we'll uncover how deceit works, how it tempts us away from God's truth, and most importantly, how we can guard ourselves against it.

1:25 You know, you hear different stories how people say, when I get to heaven, I want to have a talk with Eve. And I think when you get to heaven, I think Eve might want to have a talk with you. So let's open this up in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you today seeking wisdom and discernment as we explore the story of deception in the Garden of Eden. We ask that you open our hearts and minds to your truth, help us to recognize deception in our own lives, and equip us with the tools to stand firm in your word. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Genesis 3 is a familiar passage, but it holds profound truth about how easy it is to be deceived when we stray from God's word.

2:13 Now, we can stray from God's written word. And when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, you know, so those different ways that we can stray. And then the chapter, this chapter introduces us to a serpent. The Bible says that he's the most cunning of all God's creatures who deceives Eve into doubting God's commands. This moment of deception sets the stage for humanity's fall and illustrates the far reaching consequences of disobedience. So as we dive into the scripture, I'll explain the subtle ways in which deceit, we call it deceit, creeps into our lives and how it disorders God's truth and the steps we can take to guard ourselves against it.

3:03 So let's go to Genesis 3 verses 1 through 5. It's the serpent's deception. Now, the serpent was more cunning, more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord had made. He said to the woman, did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden? How many times have that crossed your mind? Automatically God tells you to do something. And immediately that little crafty voice comes up and gets you to doubt what God has told you to do, or even what God has told you to say.

3:45 And a lot of times what I would say to you is that when God says it, a lot of times we have phones with apps on it, or we have a piece of paper, go ahead and write down what God says and say, Lord, where is that in the scripture? If he gives you a scripture, write that verse down. I have what you call an app on my phone. And sometimes I'll stop and I'll write it down and he'll continue to talk to me about, if you give him your full attention, then he will begin to give you more explanation about what he wants you to do. And even if you stop and say, Lord, it right. Okay. I get this. I got it. Let me get this done. I'm at work, you know, and I'm going to finish it, write it down and then go say, Lord, I want to finish this in prayer.

4:30 And God would tell you what he wants you to do, but I would say immediately write it down. And if it's something you can do right away, because usually if he's talking to you that urgently, it's probably something you need to do right away. Go ahead and do it. And then that little crafty voice doesn't have any space to get you to walk in deceit. So the first thing about breaking deceit is to do it immediately so you don't get in disobedience. Let's go. The serpent begins by sowing doubt in Eve's mind. He doesn't begin the next day. He begins immediately. Did God really say? Now, you know the voice of the Lord.

5:11 You can find it in the scripture. You write it down when he speaks to you. And so right away, he starts sowing doubt in Eve's mind, twisting God's word. This is often how deceit enters our lives, through doubt and subtle manipulation of the truth. Did God really say? Deceit often starts with a question that challenges what we know to be true. The serpent doesn't outright lie at first. He plants seeds of doubt. This is the nature of deception. It can be subtle and seemly harmless, but it can lead us away from the certainty of God's truth.

6:00 Ask yourself, where in your life might you be questioning what God has spoken over you? Are there areas where doubt has crept in and making you vulnerable to deception? We must stay grounded in God's word to guard against doubt. The other morning as I was, you know how you wake up in the morning and your alarm went off and you just kind of lay there just for a few minutes. And while I was laying there just for a few minutes, the Lord began to speak to me about just some things he wanted me to separate myself from. I need you to separate yourself. And it was a couple of people from these people. And in your own mind, you go, yeah, I can see why this person, but the other one, I didn't see why, why this person? I didn't ask questions.

6:47 I just wrote it down in my journal and I said, okay, I got to separate from this person and definitely separate from this person. Well, this person was on my calendar to have an event. I was going to go, we were going to do something. It was on my schedule to meet with this person. So I didn't see why... Why that was a big deal, right? But at that moment, the Lord said, I need you to just, these are the two people I need you to separate from for a season. And so when you start to doubt what God says, see how quick that started to play in your head? You start to say, I don't see why that person I see. You start to analyze what God's word says to you.

7:31 When you heard clearly, because he gave you boom, boom, you know, gave you what you're not supposed to do, but we're so quick. We're thinking that that's us, but that's the enemy getting you to not obey what God has told you to do. And so we need to stay grounded in God's word, his written word. And when he speaks to us through the Holy Spirit so that we can guard against doubt, because in an emergency, because we're wrapping up, God is wrapping up this, The world is getting kind of crazy and he will need us to move when he tells us to move. And so while you're sitting there playing this play in your head about why you shouldn't do something, you could end up being a statistic, right?

8:13 And you could be vulnerable, open yourself up to be vulnerable to deception. The Bible says that many will be deceived. And now you can see how deception can sneak in because we think we know better when God says, just you're quiet in your bed and you're not even thinking about the day. But God is thinking about your day. He has your day already organized and he's giving you your plan. And then you have the nerve to say, well, I don't think that one. I can just do that and start to replay the plan that God has for you. And so let's not do that. When God has spoken some words to you, write it down.

8:57 And if you can do it right away and then go ahead and obey. Don't be walking in disobedience. Let's go on to Genesis 3, 6, Eve's decision. When the woman saw that the fruit of, this is so good to me. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Now she got all that information from being disobedient. She thought the food was good. Of course it's going to be good. God made it.

9:38 Of course it's going to look good. Why? Because God made it. Of course it's going to give you wisdom because God made it. But God said, don't touch that. So that means it's not for you at this time. How many times have we talked ourselves into something that wasn't for us at that time? And you know, when we start, oh, you know, I bought this because it was on sale, because you don't look good because I got an interview. And when God said, no, get in your closet, shop something out of your closet. I want you to save that money for something else. Oh, no, that guy ain't for you. That girl ain't for you. That job ain't for you. I know I'm using ain't, but that job is not for you.

10:23 That's how we get deceived. Eve, we started talking ourself into some things. We know it looks good because God made it. Come on now. We know it's pleasing to the eye because it was created by a God who makes all things good, right? And a desirable for gaining wisdom, right? God doesn't make any junk, but she took it anyway and she ate it. So Eve's decision was influenced by what? Her desire, her physical desire for the fruit. his aesthetic appeal, and the temptation to gain wisdom. Deception often plays on our desires, making harmful things appear attractive.

11:07 Come on now, how many have been in some bad relationships because that guy or that girl appeared attractive, but it was deceptive to the eyes? Or something simple, you apply for a job and you walked in and you knew that job. Something about it before you even walked in the office gave you a bad feeling, but the job looked good and you end up getting the job, but it was the worst job ever because you was not paying attention to what the Lord says. I had an interview. It was a job I saw. It was beautiful. It was something I said, oh, I can change the world with this.

11:48 It's like everything about the job was something I really wanted to do. Walked right in line with my skillset. I went to the interview and I looked into the office, I was like, okay, the color, it was something off, right? So you go into a room, something was off, you know, your discernment kicks in. Sometimes we can't figure out what that discernment is. But the night before I couldn't even sleep because the Lord was telling me, Connie, this is a systemic problem. They do not want it to be fixed. This is systemic. I hear hearing that over and over the systemic problem. They don't want it to be fixed. I won't give you too much detail and you'll figure out the job, but just say, for instance, God started telling you insights about a position you apply for.

12:35 And he says, this is systemic. It's not going to be fixed. And then you get there and everything that he told you, you see it right before your eyes. And so there was like many different steps. I could just say, no, I could have canceled before I got there. I could have canceled because they were late getting to the interview part because they had another meeting. That was two things I could have stepped out. Three, when they said, this is how much we're going to pay you. Three different times I could have walked out of that interview and not wasted their time. But I continued on pressing on because it was pleasing to the eye. It was desirable to gain wisdom. But then when I got home, the Lord didn't let me go. He was like, Connie, you know, this is not for you.

13:22 This is not for you. And kept pressing in. And so that Saturday morning, I just end up writing a note to the person interviewed. Thank you how you write a thank you note for the interview. Well, I wrote a thank you note for the interview, but then I asked him to withdraw my name from the application process. Because God knew in the long run that job was not going to be for me. It wasn't gonna be all the things that they promised. So sometimes we just have to pay attention to what God is saying and not get so caught up by what something looks like and how much wisdom you're going to gain from it so that you don't get deceived into working.

14:04 Can I say this like a Hebrew slave for something God wants to bless you with that doesn't require all that work? So they might appear attractive, but it's going to cost you like all that overtime and working hard to just maintain it. So deception is most often appeared when it appears to your desire. So watch your desires. The serpent made the forbidden fruit seem desirable and wise and life to see. Come on now, often masquerades as something good or beneficial. Beneficial or like you're going to do a beneficial thing. I just use a job. I never thought of that one. The Lord just dropped that.

14:47 It keeps coming up. So I'm just going to use it as an example, but I never thought that that would be, we think it's always for girls. We always want to look cute with shoes and boots and always cute. But as you get older, the clothes don't really matter anymore. You need to use a lot of wisdom, being at the right place at the right time. But its true nature is harmful. So what looks good and beneficial can actually be harmful for you. So reflect on your desires. Are there things in your life that appears good on the surface? Come on now. Good on the surface, but can lead you away from God's will. Seek God's wisdom to discern between what is truly good and what is deceptively attractive. Things can be deceptively attractive.

15:39 Why? Because Eve was full because it was pleasing to the eye. So don't get tricked up. Let's go to Genesis 3 verses 7 to 13. There's always consequences of deception. So let's read it. It said, then the eyes of both of them were open. What? Both of them? So Eve wasn't by herself in this and they realized they were naked. it. So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

16:20 So Eve, remember Eve was deceived, Adam disobeyed. So I always thought that at any time, Adam could have just knocked the fruit out of Eve's hand. I know that's something kind of violent, but you living in paradise. It's worth maybe a little finger injury to get to paradise by. And then using his authority, demand the snake to leave eaten or man to man, snatch the snake out of the tree and put his foot on his neck just for even coming into the garden. You know, just being a man thing.

17:02 So after falling for the serpent's deception, Adam and Eve immediately feel shame and guilt, and their innocence was lost, and they hid from God. So they had a lot to lose. A lot of times we don't realize what we have to lose when we are disobedient from God. Now, the Holy Spirit is very persistent in keeping you safe. But sometimes when we just totally ignore the Holy Spirit, you ever notice he, I don't know what that feels like, but I haven't had that happen, that he will not keep bothering you. And then he allow you to go through these consequences. I'm quite sure Eve felt some like, no, don't do that. But Eve was persistent, right?

17:45 So the consequences of deception are far reaching. What may seem like a small lie or a minor deviation from the truth can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and a broken relationship with God. The question is, is it worth it? Think about areas in your life where deception had led to guilt or shame. How has it affected your relationship with God or others? Consider how you can seek restoration through repentance and embracing God's truth. That's what he said, the small lie or minor deviation. The small lie or minor deviation.

18:31 The story of Adam and Eve's fall is a cautionary tale about the dangers of deceit. But it also provides hope. Even after their disobedience, God didn't abandon them. Though they faced consequences, he provided them with coverings and continued to work out his plan for salvation. As believers, we are called to live in truth. but that requires vigilance. Deception can come in many forms and an enemy is always looking for ways to twist God's word and lead us astray. The best defense against deceit is to know God's word intimately, even to know his voice.

19:20 So when doubt or manipulation arises, we can stand firm in the truth. I love that. I just want to say that again. The best deceit is to know God's word and his voice intimately. So when doubt or manipulation arise, we can stand firm in the truth. A lot of times you can know that it's doubt or manipulation because you feel like you have to do it now. You feel rushed. When God tells you to do something, you just, you do, okay, you go, I'm going to do it. If it's good, I'm doing it. If it's bad, you know not to do anything bad. You know God's voice.

20:03 Let that guy go. Let that girl go. Stop doing that. Stop doing that. Just begin to do things instantly and watch how you are blessed. Let's do this decree against deception. I decree that I am protected against the lies and subtle deceits of the enemy. I hold fast to God's truth, and I'm equipped with wisdom to discern lies from the truth. I'm going to say that again. I decree that I'm protected against the lies and subtle deceits of the enemy. I hold fast to God's truth, and I'm equipped with wisdom to discern lies from the truth.

20:45 The Bible says if we ask for wisdom, he gives it to us liberally. So we're never without wisdom. So we can say, is that you, Lord? Is that truth? Then you can know that that's truth and that's wisdom and you follow wisdom. So by declaring this over your life, you're committed. You are committing to walk in the light of God's word and resist the enemy's attempt to deceive you. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word and the lessons we've learned from the fall of Adam and Eve. We ask for the discernment and wisdom in recognizing deceit in our lives. Help us to stand firm in your truth and guard our hearts against the enemy's lies.

21:29 We seek your guidance today and we trust in your protection. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. I'd like to thank you for joining me today with Faith on the Go, the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. Hope this episode has opened your eyes to the subtle ways in which deceit can enter our lives and how we can guard ourselves against it. Stay tuned for the next episode where we'll explore God's desire for truth and his will for our lives based on 1 Timothy 2.4. So until next time, keep walking in truth and spiritual vigilance.