Shame On You

One of the most devastating tools Satan uses is shame. A stroll through Genesis gives us the first example of Satan's evil deception, where he asked three questions:

Did God really say?

Did God really mean?

Will God really do?

As Satan twisted and turned Eve's answers into what would become his wicked web of shame,

God had already provided specific instructions on eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve knew and understood they were not to eat the fruit from that one tree. How did Satan manage to pull off such a task? He simply denied there was any truth to everything God told them.

"Awww surely you will not die! God would not punish you for eating from that tree, God knows you will be like Him!" The bait was taken, Satan's task was complete and we were given the death penalty. Immediately after indulging in eating the tasty fruit, Adam and Eve knew they were naked. Shame entered into their once-perfect world.

What was their response? Adam and Eve responded the very same way that we respond to this day, they hid from God. Shame and blame became the excuse for them and for us to run and hide, to not confront our own sin. In the garden, Adam and Eve are asked by God where they were and they respond: "We hid ourselves because we were naked", and "Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from the tree in the middle of the garden?"

Adam immediately implicated Eve, his beautiful bride, his helpmate, and the future mother of his children. She immediately became the "fall guy". He replies to God "The woman YOU GAVE ME, gave me the fruit to eat." There is so much packed into these verses! One, I believe we totally underestimate the power of Satan to persuade us to do wrong and to participate in every kind of evil.

Just like our first parents, we blame others for our behavior, hide in shame, and run farther and farther away from God. You know what's crazy about that? God can still see us and the deeper into sin we dive, the more we believe we can hide from God. As we wallow in our guilt, sin, shame, and blame, Satan is sitting back patting himself on the back, laughing at a job well done.

And Satan... well He continues to be successful in lying to us, whispering "A loving God won't send you to hell, God won't forgive you, Jesus can't save you, and the cross didn't happen." You know, all the lies he has surely whispered in your ears recently. Dear friend, God said exactly what He wanted us to know in the Bible. As any good father, God offers us love, forgiveness, discipline, and most important, redemption. Because of our first parents, God sent us a Savior, His son Jesus who died for our sins, so we would not go to hell but live an eternity with Him.

If you haven't already, won't you accept God's son Jesus? After all, he is the only person who can truly save us from ourselves, Satan, and hell.

S Surrender your heart

A Admit you are a sinner

V Victory over your sin

E Eternity with God