Genesis 3:1-7
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 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.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
It all began with a question:
“Did God really say…?”
The serpent didn’t start with a direct lie. He began by planting doubt—doubt about what God had said, and more deeply, doubt about God’s goodness. In a garden full of abundance, beauty, freedom, and a perfect relationship with God, it suddenly seemed like something was missing.
The enemy made Eve feel that God was hiding something from her, that she needed more, that she couldn’t fully trust the One who had given her everything. And so, wanting to be like God, she reached for what had been forbidden.
This is how sin entered the world—not through hatred, but through a lie. The lie that God is not good, that He cannot be trusted.
That same strategy remains effective today. The enemy continues to plant lies in our hearts and minds about who God is, His love, His generosity, and His goodness. He makes us feel as if God has held something back from us. But that is not true.
God is not a God who withholds. He is the Giver of life, of joy, and of purpose. And He is still seeking us, just as He sought Adam and Eve in the garden.
Let us pray:
God, open my eyes to see Your goodness once again. Help me to recognize the lies that pull me away from You. May Your grace begin to heal and restore the image I have of You and what sin has broken in me. Amen.