“It’s a lie”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to Eve. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from evil.”…”The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” Genesis 3:4 & 13

Verse Reflections:  Every day Satan lies to me.  Every day he tells me “that won’t hurt you”, “just one”, he takes the truth and weaves it to his advantage.  Adam and Eve did not physically die but their innocence died that day.  Their purity disappeared.  They began to hide themselves, their bodies and their actions from God.  Someone in a Sunday School class that I taught asked me why I thought my bulimia was a sin.  I explained that sin is anything that separates us from God.  When I overeat to the point of misery, when I overindulge and then peamuff I am definitely separating myself from God.  Those of you reading this book can probably relate.  There will be others in your lives that cannot relate.  For those of us who do not have a problem with alcohol, we can have a glass or two of wine and it is amazing, pure, Jesus is right there with us having a nice evening.  For the alcoholic, the drink separates Him from God because for him it is a sin.  For the food addict, there are invisible lines we have drawn in the sand that no one else can see.  When we cross them we feel separated from God.  Part of my problem is that I have drawn the lines in the sand where no lines have to exist.  God does not separate himself from us, we separate ourselves from Him.  Satan is deceiving us, telling us in one ear that it is okay and then he throws the guilt at us and tells us that we have crossed the line in the other ear.  God just waits and loves us.  We must stop listening to Satan’s deceit.  We can eat God’s foods and change our patterns.  We can even eat other foods and be okay.  We can protect our lives, erase the lines by starting our day out with God.  His word will protect us.  God’s word is our sword , faith in Him is our shield that will protect us from Satan’s fiery arrows of deceit.  When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, He quoted scripture back to Satan.  When we start our day with God’s word we are not vulnerable to his deceit.  God shines light in the darkness.

Prayer:  Lord, protect my ears from Satan’s words, Satan’s temptations.  I know Satan was the most intelligent angel in heaven so he has a vast array of tools in His backpack.  But I know You are omnipotent, omniscient.  You can protect me, Your word is my sword to cut any temptation to shreds.  I lift up my life to You today and ask that You protect me Father.  I claim truth and the power in truth.  “The truth shall set you free”.  Yes Lord, I want to be free today, free from food temptations, free from food addiction, free from cravings, free from guilt associated with overeating.  I want to close my ears to words of deceit.  I want to close my eyes to lusts of foods that I walk past.  I want to close my sense of smell to the lure of beautiful creations coming from the oven.  I love You more than my own life and yet, I am often not disciplined enough to listen to Your instructions.  Today I come to You knowing I need Your truth, Your power to set me free.  I love You.  Have a great day.  Together we have this.