Why Is It So Easy To Believe The Lie?

I have been thinking a lot about the Garden of Eden. As a woman, I think about how blessed Eve was to have a perfect home. An abundance of the the very best food. The most perfect man on earth for a husband.  The confidence of knowing she was the most beautiful woman on earth! (Just ponder that in light of the messages young women hear daily today)

Interacting daily, face to face with God.  Not by prayer. Not by written word. Daily face to face with God.

Security is a woman's number one need. Eve had no lack of security. She had everything a woman could ever want in life.

So the question I have, and I know many others do too, WHY WAS IT SO EASY TO BELIEVE THE LIE?

The following comes from Genesis 3. The conversation went like this:

Satan: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?"
Eve: “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,  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.’”
Satan: “You will not certainly die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

You know the end, Eve believed Satan, and disobeyed God.
She believed the lie!
Why? Why didn't she just call out and ask God? Why didn't she just ask her husband? Why oh why did she just believe the lie?

Now before I am so hard on Eve, are we not the same way today, at least some of the time?  Someone tells us something, and we believe it, without checking the facts, without asking the other person, we just simply believe what was said. Or we choose not to believe what is written in God's word. God tells us to trust Him, and we go on ahead and do what we want. That is believing the lie that we know more than God. Hmm sound familiar?

As I looked at this passage and tried to figure out why she so easily believed the lie, this is what I found;

Satan is behind every lie. He is called the Father of Lies.(John 8:44) So whether it was Eve or someone today, if a lie is being told, Satan is where the lie originates.

The lie may have some truth in it, but it is still a lie."‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’"  .
That was not what God said. He said they could eat from all the trees except one.
(Genesis 2: 16-17)
 He twisted the truth enough to get her interest.

A lie is almost always entertained in a situation you shouldn't be in to start with. With Eve, why was she hanging near that tree she knew was off limits, and without the support of her husband? For us, why are we asking this person, this question at this moment? Do we want to hear the juicy stuff? Have we forgotten, that is gossip?

We almost always answer a lie with a half truth. In other words, a lie. 
"and you must not touch it" was not what God said. (Genesis 2:16-17) God just said not to eat it. Now she has chosen to twist the truth. A slippery slope has begun a downhill journey for Eve.
Have you ever found yourself saying " Well you know, I always wondered about that. What you say makes sense. I saw............." after you have listened to something someone has said? Have you ever twisted even a little bit of the truth in an answer you give in reply? Beware, it is a warning flag!

So what made Eve believe the lie? What makes us believe the lie?

There is always something selfish for us in a lie we believe.  Maybe it is power. The power of being "in the know". 
Eve could be "just like God". The lie.
The truth, she was as close to God as she could ever be in her current state.

Sometimes it is power over someone else. If we can destroy them with a lie, we can feel better about the position we are in ourselves.
Satan knew he had already been in trouble with God. His lie to Eve brought her down to his level.

Maybe we believe the lie simply because the in doing so we justify the fulfillment of a desire we have, even if it is wrong.  We want it, believing the lie gives it to us, so it is easier to believe it.

It always is based in selfishness. Each time we choose to believe the lie, there is something selfish rearing its ugly head in our heart.

I can hear it now. "What if I am unsure if it is a lie or the truth?"

Put it to the test:
Does it go against God's word? Are you wanting something that God has said "No" or "wait" to? Walk away, you are being tempted by a lie.

Why is the person telling you what they are telling you? What are their motives? If it is about someone else, have they done the Biblical thing and gone to that person one on one? ( Matthew 18; 15-17) And no skipping steps or insisting on being part of an attacking mob. One on one. If they haven't, you walk away, a lie is coming.

Just because several people say something, does not make it true. Could it be that they have been misled?

If you do hear something, weigh it against what you know about that person. Does it match up? If it does not, walk away a lie is coming. If you think it might, then Galatians 6:1 applies.
 
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 


If the reason someone is telling you something is to destroy someone not restore them to God, walk away, a lie is coming.


Eve believed the lie, and it cost her one of her sons in death.  It cost her the security of the garden. It cost her the face to face relationship with God.
Eve was called the mother of all the living people. Her believing the lie hurt all who would come after her. I am looking forward to hearing what she has to say about it some day in heaven. One thing I am sure of, if Eve could be here today, she would scream at the top of her lungs

DON"T BELIEVE THE LIE!

If we will but look in God's word for answers, seek restoration for everyone, and put our selfish hearts aside for what is in the best interest for everyone, the father of lies won't get a foothold. 
We won't get caught believing the lie!

I want to chase after God's heart, I can only do that while walking in the truth!

Chasing After their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson