2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

 

What is five letters, starts with a “d” and can prevent Christians from operating in our God-given authority? The word is doubt.  This crippling, emotional divide, encased in five letters is one of the biggest weapons the enemy uses to cause believers to question the promises of God.  One of the best examples of how deceptive the enemy can be in creating doubt is in Genesis 3:1-5.

 

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said to the woman, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (NKJV).

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Satan, acting through the serpent, engages Eve into an unwise, and unhealthy conversation.  Gaining access to her ear, the devil begins his scheme to beguile and tempt Eve with promises of equality with God.  With enticing questions and statements, the devil challenges Eve’s understanding of God’s word by rewording what God had said.  Opening the door to doubt, Adam and Eve, the real first family, falls prey to sin.  Hungry for an apple, they both ate of the forbidden fruit, thereby resulting in spiritual death.

 

There are several lessons that we can learn from this exchange.  Whenever the enemy tries to tempt us with doubt concerning God’s word, remember these lessons from our real first family. We must:

 

1. Hide the word of God in our heart (Psalm 119:11

2. Stand on the word of God (Isaiah 40:8).

3. Ask God for the gift of discernment (1

4. Recognize the enemy and his tactics (Ephesians 6:10-12).

5. Guard our thoughts and our mind (Philippians 4:8).

 

So, as Christian women, let me ask you this question.  “Whose voice has your ear?”  Regarding God’s word, “where has the door of doubt been opened?”  According to 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God…” Because the devil can appear as an “angel of light,” we cannot allow everybody to speak into our lives.  Therefore, we must ask God to give us spiritual discernment, godly counsel, and wisdom that we may recognize truth from error, and serve Him faithfully.