Though the devil has many devices, he is not very creative. It's always the same old tired lie: "God is withholding something good from you."
Genesis 2 (NIV)
¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."
The devil has been lying from the beginning. He first deceived himself with the delusion that he could somehow unseat God. LIE! Then he thought He could thwart God's plans by deceiving Eve with the accusation that "God was blocking her blessing." LIE! Now days, disguised in the tempting morsel of greed, the devil continues to use the same recycled lie against the world at large. The lie is designed to cause man to "flip the script" on himself by rebelling against God; thereby blocking his own blessings. And again, satan sits back and laughs at man. So, no wonder that those who counsel in deception, are quick to accuse God's prophets and prophetesses of "blocking blessings." But God's instructions and warnings must not be seen as blessing blockers, but rather as protection from the consequences of our own willful disobedience, which always seems to be rooted in greed.
Genesis 2 (NIV)
¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."
The devil has been lying from the beginning. He first deceived himself with the delusion that he could somehow unseat God. LIE! Then he thought He could thwart God's plans by deceiving Eve with the accusation that "God was blocking her blessing." LIE! Now days, disguised in the tempting morsel of greed, the devil continues to use the same recycled lie against the world at large. The lie is designed to cause man to "flip the script" on himself by rebelling against God; thereby blocking his own blessings. And again, satan sits back and laughs at man. So, no wonder that those who counsel in deception, are quick to accuse God's prophets and prophetesses of "blocking blessings." But God's instructions and warnings must not be seen as blessing blockers, but rather as protection from the consequences of our own willful disobedience, which always seems to be rooted in greed.
"GREED IS IDOLATRY"
Idolatry is the blessing blocker
Matthew 16:26 (NLT)
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
The following is partly my own assessment of the story of Adam and Eve.
1. Envy: The snake was already in the garden before God created Adam: Genesis 1:26 (NIV) Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." It's like you have seniority on your job, but somebody new is hired and given charge over you. So, there was quite possibly a bit of jealousy on the part of that crafty serpent, aka satan. You see, God gave Adam the power and authority that the snake must've felt he should've been given: after all, he had been "walking" in the garden before Adam was even created. So yes, that slimy interferer felt some kind of way.
2. Messenger: Eve had not yet been created, still she had to be aware of God's instructions. Because she rehearsed them to the snake, verbatim. Therefore, the instructions were given to her, not directly from God, but via His messenger, Adam.
3. On Break. Again?!: God did not blame Eve for the fall of mankind, He blamed Adam. Though he knew better, Adam listened to the woman, who had listened to the interferer. But, Adam was the one who removed his hand from the plow. We still don't know where he was, or what he was doing, once he discovered his nakedness
. Perhaps he was on break.Search engine query:
Question: Did the snake basically tell Eve that God was blocking her blessing?
Ai Overview
Yes. In Genesis 3, the serpent, often interpreted as a manifestation of satan, implies that God's commandment is not truly for Eve's benefit, but rather to keep her from a "blessing" of knowledge and likeness to God.
Here's how the serpent's words suggest this:
Questioning God's command: The serpent starts by asking, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?". This subtle questioning casts doubt on God's word and authority.
Contradicting God's warning: Eve responds by clarifying God's command regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent then directly contradicts God's warning, saying, "You will not surely die."
Suggesting that God has selfish motives: The serpent then implies that God is withholding something good from Eve, saying, "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This suggests that God is blocking her access to a valuable experience that would make her "like God."
Essentially, the serpent plays on Eve's desires for wisdom and autonomy, framing God's prohibition not as protection, but as a limitation on her potential growth and development. This line of reasoning leads Eve to distrust God and ultimately disobey Him."
End of search engine results
So basically, the snake convinced Eve that God didn't want her to "be fabulous," or to "live her best life."
Just tell the people that someone is trying to block their blessings, and they're off, running around circles, in an uproar. But, the devil didn't win back then, and he won't win now.
Contradicting God's warning: Eve responds by clarifying God's command regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent then directly contradicts God's warning, saying, "You will not surely die."
Suggesting that God has selfish motives: The serpent then implies that God is withholding something good from Eve, saying, "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This suggests that God is blocking her access to a valuable experience that would make her "like God."
Essentially, the serpent plays on Eve's desires for wisdom and autonomy, framing God's prohibition not as protection, but as a limitation on her potential growth and development. This line of reasoning leads Eve to distrust God and ultimately disobey Him."
End of search engine results
So basically, the snake convinced Eve that God didn't want her to "be fabulous," or to "live her best life."
Just tell the people that someone is trying to block their blessings, and they're off, running around circles, in an uproar. But, the devil didn't win back then, and he won't win now.
