Opposition

“Now 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”?'” Gen 3:1 (NIV)

God created a perfect world that sin infected. We now live on a broken planet with broken people who are fallen and flawed. Without Divine intervention, our situation is hopeless.

We have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The serpent, known as Lucifer or the devil, is a created being once in right relationship with God and had authority to serve God. However, Lucifer sought to “de-throne” God.

12 How you have fallen from heaven,
     O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
     you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
     “I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
     above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
     on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
     I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the grave,
     to the depths of the pit.
Isaiah 14:12-15 (NIV)

The sin of pride adversely affected Lucifer’s relationship to God. He sought to de-throne God and God responded by casting Lucifer out of heaven. Ever since that moment, the enemy has been a mission to disrupt and to contaminate all that God has made.

Spend time today contemplating the presence of evil in our society. See if you can identify the source of the sinful behavior that permeates our earthly existence.

Let me pray with you. “Father, we acknowledge Your authority and Your sovereignty. You are infinite and we are finite. You are perfect and we are imperfect. You are holy, pure, and undefiled. We are desperate for You. Display Your glory throughout the earth today. Make Your Name great among the nations. Help us to walk in the light You have given. We submit to You in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care