January 1, 2009
I’d be Happy If…, Part 1
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
“The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” John 10:10 (DARBY).
Friend to Friend
I’d be happy if… If you begin a sentence with those words, then beware. Those little words of discontentment are the very words that Satan uses to draw us into his deceitful traps. I’d be happy if I were married. I’d be happy if I had children. I’d be happy if I had a different husband. I’d be happy if I had more money. All these thoughts take our focus away from the blessings that we do have.
And it’s nothing new. This is the same old story that began in the Garden of Eden with the same antagonist deceiving the leading lady. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the very beginning.
Five days after time began, the Creator of the Universe gazed at all He had made and was not completely satisfied. Yes, as the sun set on each of the first five days on God’s kingdom calendar, He said, “It is good.” But there was something missing. Something more. Someone more.
The stage was set for Act 6. The curtain rose. Everything had to be perfect for God’s grand finale. The angels gathered round as God announced the final scene on the grand drama of “In the Beginning.”
God began with an announcement…”Let us make man in Our own image.” This being will be different from all the rest. With body, soul, and spirit, man will enter into a relationship with the Creator on a personal and intimate level. He will be just a little lower than the angels and rule over the animals that creep on the earth, the fowl that soar in the sky, and the fish that swim in the sea. Man will be God’s friend.
So God knelt on the ground and gathered a handful of dirt. He spat on the dust and began forming the most magnificent creation to date. With His very fingertips, God fashioned man’s inward parts: capillaries, nerve endings, brain cells, hair follicles, eyelashes, taste buds. Meticulously and deliberately, the Artist created a masterpiece of divine design.
And as the lifeless form lay before the celestial audience, God placed His mouth upon the nostrils of man and breathed life into his waiting lungs. A collective gasp ran through the crowd as man’s lungs filled with holy oxygen and he took his first breath. As if God flipped the breaker switch of life, man’s heart began beating, the lungs began expanding, and the eyes began fluttering open to see. And the curtain began to fall on this, the sixth day of creation.
“Wait!” the Creator cried. “My work is not done. It is not good for man to be alone! I will create a helper suitable for him. A companion like him, but yet, oh so different.”
So, mid-air, the curtain rises to expose the day, and God – the Us, the Three-In-One, began to fashion the grand finale…woman.
Can’t you just see it now? Can’t you sense the excitement of the angels as they hovered low? From the very beginning of time, man was set apart. He was uniquely designed for a specific purpose as God’s image bearer to rule the earth.
But there was one among the onlookers that day who watched with evil intent. Yes, he was among the created angelic beings, one of the most beautiful, in fact. But he wasn’t happy with God’s creation. Earlier, this angelic being decided he didn’t particularly like his position in the heavenly order. He wanted to elevate himself above God. And while he had been created to be a light-bearer, his rebellion resulted in being thrown to the earth to become known as the Prince of Darkness.
Now there were these…humans…created in God’s image. The enemy was not pleased. As soon as Adam and Eve stood on the stage, the Prince of Darkness began to devise their demise. If he was going down, he was going to take as many of these image bearers with him as possible.
Join me tomorrow as we look at the enemy’s plan then and now.
Let’s Pray
Dear LORD, I know that the enemy wants me to fail and fall. I also know that You want me to have abundant life filled with peace and joy. Help me to listen to Your voice and turn a deaf ear to the enemy’s taunting. I stand on the truth of Who You are and Who I am in You…more than a conqueror.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Adam and Eve had it all…and they threw it away for a piece of fruit.
Have you ever known someone who has thrown away the abundant life for a mere piece of forbidden fruit?
What can we learn from Adam and Eve’s example? What would have been her response had she combated Satan with God’s truth?
More from the Girlfriends
Sometimes it is easy to read about Adam and Eve and not see ourselves. But we fight the same enemy with the same tactics. If you would like to learn more about how to recognize the lies, reject the lies, and replace the lies with truth, see Sharon’s new book, I’m Not Good Enough…and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves. It is packed with 72 common lies women believe and the truth that sets us free
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Originally published Thursday, 01 January 2009.
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