Devotion

Theme: Misled
Text: Genesis 3:1-7

3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 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.’ ”  4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 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.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make 
one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

To be misled, is to be made to have a wrong idea or impression about something. Many people have been misled by their parents, siblings, family, friends and people they so look up to for better days. The impression created looks good and appealing that it is difficult sometimes to spot the evil behind the veil. We are very familiar with the garden of Eden fall and we will be looking at some things that went wrong.

The serpent, became cunny asking questions which are false. Knowing too well the woman isn't well vexed with the command, it came out to ask, "Has God indeed said, you shall not eat of EVERY TREE OF THE GARDEN? In Genesis 2:9, the Lord God made the vegetation which is so pleasant for the eyes and eating.
 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God never pronounced they shouldn't eat of every tree. The instruction was, "15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17). God never said it shouldn't be touched rather do not eat of it. Lack of knowledge indeed leads to perish. Eve, couldn't give the true response to the question posted by the serpent. Likewise if you fail to apply wisdom in your decisions, you could easily be misled or taken advantage over by someone who knows you have little or no knowledge about the subject matter. Be mindful of your responses.

What are you been enticed with?  Does it please God or promote the message of salvation? If the positive side has been given, do ask of the negative effect. The serpent mentioned what will pleased the woman but never mentioned the ugly side of eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

The woman ate and didn't have any reaction so she gave it to her husband. Unfortunately, their eyes were open to see their very nakedness. Adam knew and understand the instruction better than Eve. Our nakedness is exposed when we fail to walk in the will of the Lord.  Though the knowledge came to cover themselves with fig leaves, that won't protect them from the weather. They had knowledge but it was very shallow. The knowledge gain outside of God's will is limited. Take hold of the Word of God and apply it in your life. The Holy Spirit is full of truth and cannot mislead you. Allow Him to Direct your life.

Prayer:  Spirit of the Living God, take control over my life and lead me to an expected end that the glory of God will be revealed in Jesus name. AMEN!!