Did God REALLY say that?!?
Hey Hey, everybody!
Happy March! Happy 2023!
I missed you guys but it felt so good to unplug for a while.
But I’m rested, recharged and ready to hit the ground running.
I hope that 2023 is off to a good start for you. You are smashing your goals and well on your way to the best you! I am excited about what this year will bring for all of us.
Thanks for joining me for today’s blog. Let’s jump right in.
Today’s lesson is entitled “The Eve Complex” and it will be a 4-part series. Today is part 1 with a subtitle of “Did God REALLY say that?”
The garden of Eden is where Eve and her hubby, Adam, were hanging out. They were living their best life and had it made in the shade, but it didn’t last long because ONE of the creatures in the garden…posed one question to Eve that led to ONE bite and the rest is history.
Has curiosity ever gotten the best of you…so you just did a thing to see what would happen but ended up regretting it? I certainly have!
But I have come to find that God will not bless our sacrifice…meaning doing what we want to do versus what He is telling us to do. He blesses our obedience.
God’s way is always better than ours, took me a long time to learn that but His truth, if we apply it, sets us free.
Our anchor scriptures for this 4 part series will be Genesis 2:15-17 and Genesis 3: 1-19. I have included several important scriptures for today’s lesson at the end of this blog, please take time to read them.
God placed Adam in the garden and gave very clear instructions of what to do and what not to do. Now although Eve wasn’t present at the time….(she actually wasn’t created until verses 21 and 22 of Chapter 2). We’ll see in a moment in Genesis Chapter 3, where she told the serpent exactly what God said even though she had not been created when he said it.
So how did Eve know that she was not supposed to eat of that particular tree? It’s because she was inside of Adam all along, remember she was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, so she heard the same thing he did.
I titled this series the Eve Complex for a reason.
When we think of someone having a complex….let’s say for example, a superiority complex. This means that the person has an inflated sense of themselves…. a big ego, it’s all about them. You often hear people describe this type of person by saying that “they’ve let success go to their head or their head is so big they can’t get it through the door.” I guess that’s the reason our parents/grandparents often reminded us to “not get the big head.”
When it comes to the complex that Eve had, she relied on her own intellect to make a decision that went against everything God told her not to do. She chose to override His instruction and let her flesh take control. Her biggest and most costly mistake was curiosity and thinking God was hiding something good from her.
Being overly curious and feeling that we are smarter than God will never end well. Eve’s ONE bad decision had a trickle-down effect and those consequences are still with us to this day.
In the garden, the serpent was subtle, he didn’t approach Eve and say, “I am here to trick you, to get you to eat this fruit from a tree that you’re not supposed to be touching because I want to see you lose access to the garden and suffer for disobeying God.”
Nope, that trickster put just a little bit of doubt into Eve’s mind about what God said. He wanted to make her think that she didn’t hear God correctly and that once she took a bite, God’s best kept secret would finally be revealed.
The devil is a truth twister….a flat out liar…he’s a counterfeit. If it sounds too good to be true, you best believe it is. He will entice you, paint a pretty picture and once you give in, he’ll stand back and laugh as you self-destruct.
God give me this lesson to share with believers, those that profess salvation, name His name, say they know him… but have an Eve complex when it comes to being loyal to God. We want God but we want our idols too. We have somehow convinced ourselves that the God we vowed to love is no longer enough so we start looking for a substitute.
Just like adultery in a marriage is the ultimate betrayal and one of the most painful experiences a couple can face, so is idolatry towards God.
So, what is idol worship?
Basically, it’s anything or anyone that we place above our relationship with God and our obedience to Him.
God is very clear, there is no gray area. We are to serve Him only. There should be no other gods in place of Him or in addition to Him. God understands that we will fall short, sin, miss the mark and not get it right all the time….that’s what His forgiveness is for….but idol worship is something that He won’t tolerate under any circumstances.
Just like with Eve, the enemy will use our sense of inquisitiveness to cause us to search outside of God for answers, wisdom, direction or to get our needs met.
Hard times and just the pressure of life happens to all of us. When we are overwhelmed, the worst thing we can do is turn to something or someone other than God for comfort or a solution.
When we start feeling like our life is missing something, we are tired of waiting, the answer isn’t coming quick enough or it’s not the answer we wanted, we’re disappointed with God, we feel disconnected from Him, it’s easy to take matters into our own hands, and veer down a path of idol worship.
Deception doesn’t start out being obvious. It’s subliminal and under the radar. It will seem like this “new thing” is working but once you become a prisoner to it and have been lulled to sleep, the gradual destruction begins.
Idols come in many shapes and forms. Most Christians will be quick to say that they don’t worship idols because they view idol worship solely as bowing to a carved image or statue. But idol worship goes much deeper than a carved piece of wood. There are many forms of idol worship that we think are innocent and harmless.
When we worship anything or anyone other than God the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit…. it’s an ungodly mixture.
Let me give you a practical example. Say for instance I’m making a pound cake and I have all of the ingredients but I decide to substitute the buttermilk for bleach. If I add bleach to the batter, it’s now ruined and would more than likely make me sick if I ate it. The same goes with worshipping idols, it’s like consuming poison. As the scriptures says, a little leaven leavens the whole lump, just a little bit of the wrong thing messes up the whole thing. One ungodly practice will affect your entire life.
One of the biggest forms of idol worship that is accepted and even incorporated into some of our churches is New Age. The name alone is a tale tale sign that it’s idolatry because there is nothing new under the sun.
Some common New Age Practices are: energy healing, clearing your chakras, consulting mediums, using crystals for healing, horoscopes, law of attraction, meditating without including God, psychic readings, Reiki healers, burning sage to get rid of bad energy, tarot card readings, referring to God as the universe, witchcraft and zodiac signs.
There are quite a few more that I didn’t mention but anything that you turn to instead of God for healing, guidance, protection, revelation, to find out who you are, or wisdom is idol worship.
New Age is a gateway to the demonic. It is not packaged like that, it seems harmless but will lead you into a realm of darkness that only God can bring you back from.
If you say you’re a Christian but have a statue in your house that you pray to, a lucky charm that you wear for protection, sage that you are burning to get rid of “bad energy”, crystals that you use or wear for prosperity, peace or healing, you believe in your zodiac sign, you plan your life by your horoscope, you’re getting your palms read, or you consult with a medium, ALL of this is idol worship and very very dangerous territory.
With these New Age practices, you will not become like God, you are not going to uncover some mystery that no one else knows about, you won’t know something about God that others don’t, there is no deeper revelation or higher level of consciousness that you will find, it’s all lies and rooted in deception by the enemy of your soul.
If you are worshiping anything or anyone that was created and has a date of origin, it’s idol worship. Before jumping on the bandwagon with these New Age practices, consult God, do your research and you will find that God’s word is clearly against it.
God is the ONLY, life giving force.
He has no beginning.
He IS the beginning.
You may be saying, this doesn’t apply to me because I don’t engage in New Age rituals, that’s wonderful BUT idolatry comes in other forms too! Remember it’s anything that we value and hold in high regard above God. Whomever or whatever carries more weight in our lives or takes precedence over God is an idol.
Some examples of idols in our lives that may not be so obvious are:
- Greed
- Our Family
- Our Relationships/Marriage
- Our Career
- Chasing Wealth, Fame or Success
- Being wrapped up in our appearance or identity
- Worshipping the talents/gifts God has given us and being puffed up in who we think we are
Let’s talk about the idol of greed for a moment. Greed demands more and more and more. It never has enough of anything.
A good example of greed is the parable of the rich man in Luke chapter 12. He had a huge crop of grain that he harvested. It was so plentiful that he didn’t have anywhere to store it all, so he got this bright idea to tear down the barn he had and build a bigger one to store all of his surplus. He then planned to sit back and chill for a few years and enjoy life. So, he thought but God called his decision foolish and he ended up losing his life.
Another example is the rich young ruler in Luke chapter 10. He wanted eternal life but when Jesus told him what was required to receive it, his feelings were hurt. He walked away sad and pretty much said, no thank you. He was rich rich and couldn’t imaging giving up his wealth in exchange for eternal life.
Society will have you believe that God and His word is outdated and no longer applies today. Well let me set the record straight.
God doesn’t need to be modernized, refurbished, or reinvented to fit into our framework of thinking.
He doesn’t need anything added to Him to maintain His position as God or keep his power.
He was God, He is God and He will always be God, yesterday, today and forever. He doesn’t need any help!
He’s not going to change, we have change. If we’ve been worshiping anyone but Him or in addition to him. It’s past time that we change that.
As the old folks used to say, we can’t straddle the fence. Today we want God, tomorrow we want our idols…. we must choose and stick with the choice we’ve made.
If you’re involved in idol worship of any kind, all is not lost. We have a patient and loving Heavenly Father who offers forgiveness and mercy. He extended it to me and He’s eager to do the same for you.
You may be wondering, how do I get rid of my idols? Where do I even start. You know I’ve got you covered. Here’s a 4 step process for you:
Step 1.
Recognize it: see it for what it really is, it’s not something that is harmless and no big deal, that we can just brush off, it’s the most disrespectful and dishonorable thing we can do towards God. It’s total rebellion and if not addressed it will separate us from Him. Once we call it what it is, now we’re ready for step 2 which is repentance.
Step 2.
Repent for worshipping idols: saying I’m sorry won’t cut it, crocodile tears don’t move God, we have to ask Him to forgive us AND we must stop the behavior associated with worshiping our idols. We have to remember that God knows the sincerity of our heart.
In Psalm 51 verse 17, David’s heart was crushed, because he realized that he sinned against God by committing adultery with Bathsheba. We too must be remorseful, Godly sorrowful, by feeling the pain of how we’ve treated God, how much our actions hurt him, then and only then can true repentance take place. But once we repent, God is more than willing to wash away our sins, give us a clean heart and a renewed spirit.
Step 3.
Renounce the idols in our lives: completely and totally disconnect from them, flat out refuse to engage any longer, put a hard stop on participating in any rituals, and get rid of EVERY thing that would keep us tied to them. Our confession and actions have to match.
And Step 4.
Recommit your life to Christ: make Him your one and only, your top priority, don’t let nothing or no one separate you from his love ever again. God is so willing to reconcile with his children. He doesn’t want any of us to perish, even though we’ve dishonored him in the most hurtful way. He loves us just that much!
In closing….
Adam and Eve found out the hard way that God really meant what He said and we would be wise to learn from their terrible decision and the consequences that came with it.
We must want God for who He is, not for a blessing or what we want Him to do.
If we truly love Him…His way, His word and His plan for our lives will be enough.
Living life God’s way will feel restrictive to our flesh, like the overbearing parent that doesn’t want us to experience life and have fun. But we have to remember, God knows what we don’t. As a loving Father, He’s trying to protect us from deception, destroying our lives and missing out on the abundant life He planned for us.
God pulled out all the stops to prove how much He loved us and although we’ll never be able to repay him….removing the idols from our lives and serving him faithfully and wholeheartedly….come what may…. is the best place to start!
After all, I can’t think of anyone else who is worthy of our love and unwavering devotion…but HIM.
Don’t you agree?? ????
Please feel free to leave a comment if this blog resonates with you. I would love to hear your thoughts!.
Thanks for coming back and hanging out with me. I love it when you do! I’ll chat with you in April.
You are celebrated and appreciated my fellow Party of ONE!
God’s best always,
Leslie
Genesis 2:15-17 (NLT)
15. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
17. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis: 3 1-4 (NLT version)
1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2. The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3. but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4. “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Exodus 20:3-6 (NLT)
3.“You must not have any other god but me.
4. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
5. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
6. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Matthew 6:24 (AMP)
24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
13. Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses AND renounces them finds mercy.
2 Peter 3:9 (AMP)
9. The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
