I want to bring it back all the way to Adam and particularly Eve. I was reading in Genesis 3the other day, when the Lord showed me an important factor to living the abundant life that is available for everyone. He shined a whole new light and a whole new perspective on this story for me. In verse 1 it proceeds to say:
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, “You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
And verse 6 says- “The woman was CONVINCED….. and I want to stop it there!
You see, Eve started out with a word from God. She knew exactly what God had told her to do and exactly what he thought about this situation. Not only did she know what the way of the Lord was in this situation, she knew the consequences of what would happen if she chose to disobey the command of the Lord. We see that in just four verses Eve had been convinced into taking a path that wasn’t meant for her to travel. She was convinced. This is the main point that I want to get at. The word convince means to literally bring (as by argument) to belief, consent, or a course of action.
Despite the word from the Lord that Eve had, she still was able to be convinced otherwise. This to me resembles so many people in today’s society. They have become walking human beings of only what others have convinced them that they are. Some have been convinced into believing that they are nothing but a depressed little girl in a lonely world full of hopelessness. Some are convinced that they are nothing but a trampled rose that no one will ever love. Some are convinced that they are a homosexual and will always lived confused. Some are convinced that they are the sinner that is too far gone for God. Some are convinced that they have no value and therefore would rather take their own life. Some are convinced that they are ugly and will never amount to anything. Some are convinced that they will never be good enough and will never succeed. Some are convinced that the only thing that takes the pain away is drugs, alcohol, or sex. Some are convinced that hope is foreign and peace doesn’t exist. Some are convinced that their identity is found in other people. Some people are convinced that life is nothing but a fairytale with no happy ending.
No matter what you believe, there is a reason behind it. And let me tell you, that if the reason behind what you believe is anything other than the word of God – then it’s probably just a reality your choosing to live in, and being convinced that that’s who you are. We have a culture that loves to create a young generation through convincing them to believe things that are totally not from the Word of God. I can’t help but to wonder...”What if Eve would’ve stuck to what the Lord had told her? What if she wouldn’t have allowed Satan to convince her?” I honestly have to say that I believe the story would have played out a complete and totally different way. But because she was convinced, she became naked and ashamed.
This is our youth in a nutshell. Ashamed of themselves for the lie they have believed themselves to be. When your reality is the lie of Satan and not the truth of God – you will always be ashamed. You can’t ever feel satisfied playing a roll of something you’ve been convinced to play, when the one who made you didn’t make you that way. It’s impossible. I believe that if this generation would rise up and take a stand to all of the lies that Satan has tried to convince us, the world would be a different place. I’m reminded of the scripture in Psalm 119:9. It says, “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.” If we would read the word, to figure out who we are there would be no convincing.
For a silly example, I am fully aware that I am a girl. If someone were try to convince me for the rest of my life that I was a boy, there would NEVER BE A DAY that I would actually believe that. I want to get that way with who God says I am. When the enemy wants to tell me I’m a failure, I won’t ever be able to believe it because it word says in Phil. 4:!3 that I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives me strength. When he says that I’m ugly and I have to live in insecurity all of my life, I can say I was made perfectly and wonderfully in the image of Christ!!! This is my goal and my prayer for everyone. That we would be so caught up and grounded in the word of God and who it says we are that nothing can ever CONVINCE us of anything otherwise.
I urge you to evaluate your life and your actions. Who are you and why are you that? Is it because someone has filled your identity with lies and convinced you that you are something you’re not. Or maybe something tragic has happened to you and their actions told you were something your not. Whatever it may be, I pray that you make sure it’s what God has to say about you. If not, It’s not true. Although, it may be your reality, it doesn’t have to be. You can be one choice away from living the abundant life that he has called you to live and being who he has created you to be.
- Natalie Hallford
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