Blinded

 A new Bible study is starting for our ladies group.  We are reading "Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free" by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.   I started the first chapter and I already saw a truth that I had never seen before.

2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Notice something here:  We are susceptible to being blinded by Satan when we don't believe.  Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, when we stop believing what God says and Who He is, we open the door to being lied to, blinded and taken captive by Satan.  

We all know how important it is to truly believe God, His Word and trust in His character.  It brings us peace, joy and victory over sin.  But do we truly see the danger of not believing?  We can be captured by Satan, become a prisoner of his lies and sin.  

1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  It's so important to stay alert.  It's easy to fall into disbelief when we are physically tired, or when we are spiritually lazy.  

We have a weapon!  God, Himself provides us with a defense against Satan's lies and attacks. Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

Belief in Who God is, what He says and the love in His heart for us is paramount to staying out of Satan's clutches. James tells us without faith we become like an unstable wave.  James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Also, when we live in unbelief we are not pleasing God.  Almost like we besmirch His character...I've done that way, way too often in my heart and mind.  Hebrews 1: 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

I love the way God brings a verse to life!  

Genesis 3:1-13  The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”  2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”  4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”  6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.  8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”  10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”  11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”  12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”  13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”  “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”