Staying Within the Boundaries

Genesis 3 : 2 – 5, 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

Why did Eve find it necessary to partake of the very tree that God warned Adam about? What would cause us to fall prey, like Eve did, to Satan’s devices when we know that Jesus warns us in John 10 : 10 that the thief comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy? There are some truths that the Lord has directed me to share with you that may shed light on this issue.

First of all, Eve didn’t have or exercise faith in God and His Word, or she would not have listened to the serpent’s lies. Secondly, the serpent basically told her that she was a victim of God. He did this by telling Eve that God knew she wouldn’t die if she ate from the tree of knowledge; instead, she would become like Him, knowing good and evil.

Before Satan can sway us to go against God’s Word or His will, he has to make his lies believable to us. We fall prey to Satan’s lies the very moment we start to justify an action that is contradictory to God’s Word. Since the serpent persuaded Eve that God was withholding something good (being like God) from her, it made her feel like a victim of God’s actions. It was also this argument that led Eve to act in rebellion. Beware of any thought that enters your mind that would lead you to justify doing something you know is wrong.

The victim mindset is a very powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal. Remember, we don’t war with flesh and blood as Christians; our war is spiritual. Although it was a physical serpent that seduced and deceived Eve, it was Satan who used him. This mindset will open the door of our hearts to Satan’s lies, and perhaps lead us into sin when others have wronged us, as it did with Eve.

When someone hurts you, do you struggle to obey God’s Word or His will because you feel justified in getting revenge? This trap of Satan will hold us in bondage to him if we go down the path of getting vengeance on someone because they’ve hurt us.

The victim mindset offers excuses and justification so that you let your guard down spiritually and give place to the Devil to respond incorrectly. You may feel better after you’ve gotten vengeance, but when you sin against the Lord, you place yourself in bondage to Satan, like Eve did.

The best way to reject and overcome taking on the victim mindset is to trust God and His Word, always. Eve failed to do this, and it has cost all of us, dearly. If we will trust the Lord, and stand on His Word, He will empower us to overcome the Devil and his tactics.

Furthermore, we must allow God to fight our battles so that we don’t give place to the victim mindset and then to sin. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. God will show you the way that’s best.