Good Morning All,
Genesis
3:1; “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?”
“You
talkin’ to me?” If you are a movie buff,
you know that line. Robert De Niro in “Taxi
Driver” utters one of those lines that live far beyond and completely beyond
the movie. It gets used often, it is
parodied often; it is one of the lines that gets quoted often. I wonder, why Eve didn’t say this to the
serpent? Probably because the serpent
was more crafty than any other beast.
The serpent was crafty, he was slick as
could be. He could slither his way up to
Eve and begin a conversation with her that she didn’t want to have. So he asked and she pondered. He asked and she questioned. He asked and she doubted God’s Word. He asked and she sinned. He asked and she lost her faith. So what happens when he asks you?
The devil asks this same question to you
every day. “Did God actually say…?” Did God actually say that you would have
eternal life? Did God actually say that ALL
your sins are forgiven? Did God actually
promise to be with you? “Did God actually
say…?” He slithers up to us when we are
most vulnerable. Maybe we are stressed
about a doctor’s test or worse, when the doctor says “I don’t know what is
wrong.” Did God actually say, my strength
is made perfect in your weakness?” Maybe
you and your spouse had a fight and you feel unwanted and unloved; “Did God
actually say, I love you?”
Maybe you fail to see what is ahead and all
you see is pain and confusion, “Did God actually say, I know the plans I have
for you?” Maybe you feel all alone; did
God really say, I won’t abandon you? So
when the devil asks us this question, how do we answer? It is always interesting to me that Eve went
into a long description. When we get
asked these questions, our answers are easy, we say “yes.” We say, Yes God said this and more than that
God promised. So we can see that faith
tells us the answer is “yes.” Faith is
saying that “yes” God said these things and means them. I trust God’s Word. God said it was so. “Did God actually say…?” “Yes, he did.” Pau writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20; “For
all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through
him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory”. Jesus is the reason for our “yes!” We can shout it from the mountain top or we can
quietly cling to it while waiting in the doctor’s office. It is what will calm our fears when faced
with the unknown. God said “yes” so we
can say “yes.” Did God actually say,
come into my kingdom? Yes he does!
Father
in heaven, in you we find “yes”. You
give to us eternal life. You give to us
the answer to the devil’s question. Give
us the faith to respond with a resounding “yes!” Be with those who are battling the slithers
of the devil; those who doubt the answer to the devil’s challenge. Help them to know the certainty of your “yes”
so that they can find theirs. In the
precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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