Foundation #2: You have an enemy...
'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?' - Genesis 3:1
Every direction we look we see someone trying to convince us of something. Internet advertisements, highway billboards, and Television commercials all want to convince you that if you just get what they offer you will have what you need to be happy and fulfilled in life. And if that is not enough to derail us from focusing on what is most important there is also an enemy bent on convincing us God is an oppressor we need to be liberated from.
Many of us buy-in to the seeds of doubt Satan throws our way.
'Did God really say you can't do this? Did God really say you can't do that? He must want to keep you experiencing life to the fullest.'
If we consistently listen to this twisting of God's word we will eventually view God's wisdom as chains to be freed from rather than what it truly is; a life free from the bondage of sin and destruction.
The truth is that we will be free from something and we will serve something. We will either be free from God's ways and a slave to our own desires or we will be free from our own sinful desires to serve God as a beloved child. Thankfully, God assures us our greatest joy and freedom are found in knowing and following him:
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. - Romans 6:16-18
'For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.' - Galatians 5:1
The question we have to answer when we face the fork in the road is this: Do we know what is best or does God? Do we trust our life experiences and knowledge enough to make the best decisions for our eternal joy? Or do we believe God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, knows what dangers we should watch out for and what traps lie ahead?
I pray for us to see God for who he truly is, a loving father who understands life better than we do therefore is worthy of our trust. May we inspect our lives and turn away from any deceptions that have derailed us. And may we experience the truth freedom God has designed us to live.
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