The First Garden
I don’t like snakes, but I know people who do. They like
them because they know how to handle
them. These professionals are the experts
and they know the nature of the reptile and how these creatures behave. They
are not caught off guard by any attacks.
Adam and Eve were placed in a perfect environment. God walked and talked with them and He gave them everything they needed for physical enjoyment and
nourishment. They lacked nothing.
Then a snake appeared.
Subtlety, lies, deception. Whispered words through the
leaves of a tree that held beautiful, tasty food.
The words that went into Eve’s mind caused her to doubt the
words her Creator had said.
She reached out and took the fruit. She saw it, held it, and
believed the lie. She took a bite and mankind fell. They were caught off guard by the attack of doubt.
The Second Garden
Another garden hid a snake. The snake
of doubt that tried to enter the human side of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus travailed in prayer over
what He knew was coming so much that blood came out of His sweat glands. He agonized over the cup
asking if there was any other way that God’s will could be fulfilled, would God
please do it? But He overcame those thoughts by submitting to His
Father’s will and knowing that the cup couldn’t pass away. He had to redeem
mankind by becoming the human sacrifice. He stomped on the devil’s head and
crushed it (Genesis 3:15).
He didn’t give in to the body that wanted comfort, He gave in to the will of the Father who wanted redemption.
The Garden of Gethsemane was a
battleground. The battle for the destiny of mankind. Doubt was the weapon fired
at the Son of God. The sword of God’s Word sliced doubt out of the garden and won.
Our Garden
Our garden is the mind. Thorns of
doubt sneak in and wrap around the mind like a python and squeeze our thoughts
in confusion with every suggestion from the enemy. We will never experience the
same torment our Savior did in Gethsemane, but doubt produces the pain of
unbelief. Unbelief cuts away the intimacy with our Father and we are vulnerable
to temptation.
How can we cut off the head of the
snake of doubt?
- Replace thinking (Philippians 4:8) – We can’t entertain doubtful thoughts and expect to walk in faith. When a thought of doubt enters our minds, we need to immediately replace the thought with what God said. Writing down scripture gives easy and quick access to answers.
- Rehearse promises (Hebrews 6:18) – Know God doesn’t lie, and He keeps His promises. He has kept his promises since the beginning. Any failures have been on the doubts of humans to follow him.
- Renew minds (Romans 12:1-2) – Stay on a steady diet of word. Doubt creeps in when we are weak and hungry. When we are physically hungry, we are physically weak. The same is true in the soulish realm. When we have neglected our Bible study time, we are weak and vulnerable to temptation.
- Revive hearts (John 8:32) – Revive our hearts with the truth about God and we can be set free.
Religious leaders of Jesus’ time
doubted. If they had understood the scriptures, they wouldn’t have crucified
the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8). Their doubt caused their downfall.
Judas listened to that voice of doubt,
but he realized too late what he had done. Peter listened to that voice of
doubt but he repented with bitter tears. Judas was sorry, but guilt
overshadowed what would have set him free from his sin. The voice of doubt won.
Doubt won in Eden but was overcome
in Gethsemane. That same victory belongs to us for our garden, too, when we use
the same weapons Jesus did.
Join the conversation and share
your thoughts.
TWEETABLES
An awesome post!! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support, Terri! Blessings, Barb
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