Satan’s Original Lie Still Deceives People, Genesis 3:1-5

Buddy looking out through the patio door.

Buddy was unhappy that I wouldn’t allow him to go outside. He stared at me through the patio door, frowning, while observing me washing the glass panes. However, I didn’t permit him to follow me outside in order to protect him. I wasn’t trying to deny him something good.

Adam and Eve believed Satan’s lie that God was holding back, that He didn’t want them to enjoy life fully, when He was actually protecting them. Satan denied God’s goodness and slandered God as a killjoy Who didn’t have the best interests of the first couple in mind.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree from the garden?’

“The woman said to the serpent, ‘From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat of it or touch it, or you shall surely die.”’

“The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”—Genesis 3:1-5

Many people reject Christianity because they believe they’ll be denied the good things in life.

But what most people are doing is falling for the same lies that caused Adam and Eve to reject God’s authority over their lives.

Satan lied, telling Adam and Eve that:

1. “You don’t need to listen to God; do what you want.” But Jesus directly contradicted this, telling Satan, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God, (Matthew 4:4)’” quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. In fact, many Christians claim that we no longer need to read the Old Testament, but Jesus not only extensively quoted from it, but Apostles Peter and Paul both said it was God’s Word and was beneficial for life (2 Peter 1:21, 3:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

2. “You can know good and evil without God.” We’re seeing the result of a generation brought up with zero knowledge about Jesus and the Bible. Politicians and the news media lie, students believe professors and teachers who tell them that Communism is good (100 million or more people murdered), laws and subpoenas are ignored, people loot, kill and slander with no remorse, babies are slaughtered or families abandoned—the list is endless.

In fact, Apostle Paul described what people who rejected God’s authority in the Last Days before Christ’s return would be like: “In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self (Selfie generation!), lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

Most certainly we’re living in such times!

3. “You won’t die if you disobey God.” Basically, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics partially explains why all matter in the universe decays. Every living thing dies, but this was not God’s original plan. “Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).” “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).”

God wants us to fellowship with us and know that He loves us. He wants us to obey Him so that we’ll stop self-sabotaging our lives or harming others. He wants to complete us, filling that empty spot in our souls designed for only Him to occupy. His rules are for our benefit, not our harm.

4. “God doesn’t want your best. He’s holding out.” But King David clearly disagreed, declaring, “Bless the Lord, O’ my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle (Psalm 103:1-5).” And Jesus stated, “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).”

During a televised Billy Graham Crusade, I called the phone number on the screen to speak with one of their counselors. And gave my life to Christ. It’s a decision I’ve never regretted. Life is not easy, as bad things still happen, but I am a much better person than I used to be, am much more at peace in my soul, more hopeful, more joyful, more grateful, and more optimistic. In fact, I’m getting healthier as my mind is no longer continually tormented by bitter, angry, unforgiving and other sinful thoughts—negative thoughts that adversely impact the body. I am somewhat unnerved by events of the past decade or so, yet am hopeful as I know Christ will return in victory one day. And if I die before that time, I’ll be in heaven.

So please don’t buy the enemy’s lies. Satan wants to destroy your life.

Jesus, the Word of Truth, wants to give you abundant life—and hope.

God bless you.

Love from Dawn and Buddy

***

I’m certain of going to heaven one day, not because I’m good, but because God is good. Jesus declared that perfection was the requirement to spend eternity in heaven (Mathew 5:48) because nothing unholy can stand in God’s presence. But no one is perfect. In fact, the longer I am a Christian, the more aware I am of my evil tendencies and behaviors.

But God knows that it’s impossible for people to meet the standard, so He sent Jesus to live a perfect life in our place, as only God in the flesh (Mathew 1:33) could be perfect. Therefore, He could die for the punishment of the sins of the entire world (Hebrews 10:10), because He did not have to die to pay the penalty for His own sin, because He had none. His death substituted for ours.

But, as Pastor Bob George said, it’s like inheriting a million dollars but never going to the bank to claim it. You have to want to accept God as your Lord and admit you’re a sinner, that you cannot be good enough to earn a ticket into heaven. That Jesus died for your sins. You can never do enough good deeds to make up for the fact that you sin and have sinned and will sin in the future.

If you pray the below, it’s not just a statement of belief. Beliefs change. What you’re asking for is a new authority—God and not yourself—and a new heart.

If you want to make this commitment, please pray: “Lord, I’ve sinned and grieved you. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to you. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

If you prayed that prayer sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you in your inner being. He will because He loves you.

The Bible is your spiritual food. I recommend starting with the book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Always ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. And please join a Bible-based church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, these are my three favorite ministries, although there are other good ones out there: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net

And please note: It’s not about trying harder to be good; it’s about loving Jesus and resting in His love, so that you’re enabled to truly love others.

God bless. Buddy and I will see you in heaven.

We Are All Dependent Upon God, Psalm 57:2-3

Buddy

Buddy likes to guard me when I’m at my most vulnerable, lying nearby and watching the door when I’m in the bathroom. At only 19.5 pounds, he doesn’t realize that he’s actually dependent upon me for protection. I feed, wash, groom and walk Buddy; take him to the vet, for rides in the car, even provide him with supplements to ensure he’s healthy. At his adoption, I assumed total responsibility for his well-being.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and confess that He rose bodily from the dead (Romans 10:9), we become a child of God. Adopted into His family, He assumes responsibility for our welfare. Rescued from the domain of darkness (Ephesians 2:1-2), we are no longer under satan’s rule and authority, but Jesus’.

Therefore, because Jesus is our advocate before God’s throne, we can have confidence that He hears our prayers: “I will cry to God Most High, to God Who accomplishes ALL things for me. He will send from heaven and save me (Psalm 57:2-3, emphasis mine.)”

God is all powerful. There is no problem large or small that He cannot help you with.

ALL things…

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all (Psalm 103:19.”

In fact, I’ve discovered that Jesus loves us so much, that I can bring even my smallest concerns to Him. He wants an intimate relationship with us, not just a superficial one.

“He who is faithful in a very little thing, is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10).”

I used to apply that verse just to my own behavior, that if I wasn’t doing what was right in inconsequential matters, then how could I expect to resist temptation and be faithful in more serious matters with bigger consequences. But I finally realized that it applies to God too: He proves that He can be trusted to handle the big things in life that concern us, by doing little favors for us. Being a scatterbrained creative, I often misplace things and the Holy Spirit helps me find it. Or when I’m praying, He reminds me of something I’ve forgotten and need to take care of.

When I was a teenager, I’d walk my poor poodle for hours, pouring my heart out to God. (You know how melodramatic teenage girls can be.) But when I came to Christ and became aware of how sinful I was, particularly in relation to a holy God, I stopped pouring my heart out to Him and began “praying to Him.” You know, the big prayers: for people’s salvation, for safety of family and friends, for surgeries, for nations, for putting on spiritual armor—basically, praying to God but not speaking to Him like a friend and caring Father. After all, why would the Big Guy Who created the vast universe care about my petty issues?

When I got saved, I really struggled with my self worth. Was I only important to Him for being useful in helping and serving others? That I, myself, had no value?

No wonder my relationship seemed stale for so many years.

But He does care. I think He finally got me to realize that my relationship with Him is not just about praying for, or serving others, or trying to be good to expand His kingdom—but about realizing how much He really loves and cares for me, too.

“Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 5:7).”

Hope this post was helpful.

Pour out your heart to Him.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

God loves us all so much that He provides food, air, life, talent, intelligence, status and prosperity even to people who hate or ignore Him. But to have your prayers heard, you need Jesus as your advocate before His throne. It is Jesus Who shed His blood to pay for the sins of all humanity so that we could fellowship with the Father.

But we have to accept Jesus as Lord and confess that He was raised from the dead to be saved to become His child with the right to be heard. (Romans 10:9, Hebrews 7:25, John 1:12).

If you’re ready to be adopted into God’s family and have the right to have your prayers answered, please pray the following: “Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. I give my life to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible (recommend starting with the book of Mathew) and find a Bible-based church to fellowship with other Christians and grow in your faith. If that’s not possible right now, these three ministries are my favorites and also have apps: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net.

God loves you and wants to hear from you. See you in heaven!

God Still Parts The Red Sea, Psalm 103:19

Buddy

Though Buddy has been my pal for nearly eleven years now, he still perplexes me. At times I have no clue what he is trying to communicate.

Today I thought he was demanding attention because I had left him for two hours to have lunch with my mother. I held him and danced about my living room, giving him quality time. Then tried to play “chase the biscuit.” As you can see above, he didn’t want to play “chase the biscuit.” He kept looking at me like, “Are you nuts?”

Sometimes we are just clueless at what God is doing in our lives. Like the Israelites fleeing Egyptian slavery, we find ourselves trapped by a Red Sea, unable to move forward while our enemies draw nearer. Or confronted by a mammoth giant like Goliath, who taunts us for our weakness while we are immobile with fear. Or like ancient Jerusalem, surrounded by the armies of three nations, bent upon their destruction, despite being led by a godly King, wondering what we could have done wrong to find ourselves in such a dilemma or big mess.

We wonder: Does God care? Does He see what’s going on? Why is He delaying?

I like what Dr. Charles Stanley, a pastor with In Touch Ministries, wrote about King Jehoshaphat who was a godly king: “Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, faced an enormous challenge as three nations simultaneously threatened to attack. The king immediately sought the Lord’s help. Notice that the bulk of his prayer (2 Chronicles 20:6-12) focused on God’s greatness—acknowledging His almighty power, authority over all nations, past acts of faithfulness on Israel’s behalf, and willingness to hear the prayers of His people when they cry out to Him. (In Touch, Daily Readings For Devoted Living, June 2021, June 17th.)”

When I visited the Bozeman Natural History Museum (Museum of the Rockies) to see their T-Rex during my last road trip to Montana, I decided I may as well view their IMAX presentation of the Hubble telescope, featuring some of the images this mighty machine captured of our universe. I was awestruck. Outer space is far more magnificent and massive than I could possibly comprehend.

Yet, what does the Psalmist, King David, tell us: “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens and His sovereignty rules over all (Psalm 103:19).”

Or as Apostle Matthew, former tax collector, quoted the Lord Jesus saying: “With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).”

Jesus knows what you’re facing. You’re not alone.

God still parts Red Seas, defeats giants and mighty armies.

Please hang in there.

God bless you. Love from Dawn and Buddy.

***

Knowing Jesus doesn’t necessarily make life easier. But you’ll stop self-sabotaging yourself with ungodly behaviors that used to trip you up with unnecessary troubles. Some people change overnight while others of us, like myself, make incremental positive improvements in our personalities as the Holy Spirit works within us, guiding us along His path of “righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”

Maybe COVID19 has got you wondering if you need a change in your life. You haven’t been able to keep as busy, quarantined at home, realizing that there is an inner emptiness that you’ve been trying to ignore.

We’re all born incomplete. We were created to be triune beings—body, soul, and Holy Spirit, but after Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority, His Spirit left the human race. As a result, as descendants of this infamous couple, we’re all born just body and soul, with an empty spot where God’s Spirit is meant to dwell.

People find all sorts of ways to fill this hole: shopping, reading, entertainment, partying, drugs, alcohol, food, even doing good deeds: but nothing but God can fill that emptiness.

If you’d like to become born again—meaning that the Lord God transforms your heart when you invite the Holy Spirit into your life to guide, counsel and encourage you, please pray the prayer below:

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask the Lord Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins. I want to live for You and get to know You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to live for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you sincerely prayed that prayer, congratulations, you are born again. Please find a Bible-based church to attend or a Bible Study group to fellowship with fellow believers and grow in the knowledge of Hod. Also, please start reading the Bible. I recommend starting with the book of Matthew in the New Testament.

If that’s not possible, please check out these three ministries. There are others, but these are my favorites. They also have apps to listen to: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net.

When you give your life to Christ, it’s the first step in an eternal journey. You won’t understand it all at first. It takes a lifetime to truly comprehend that “you’re saved by grace through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9).”

God bless you. Buddy and I will see you in heaven.

PS. I do believe there are animals in heaven. I’ll do a few blogs in the future about that.

Are You Good Enough? A Meditation On The First Passover, Exodus 12:21-23

When I first met Buddy, he was in a cage at the dog festival in Enumclaw, Washington. I had no feelings for him, only a desire to have a Silky terrier in my life and to give a rescue dog a forever home. I thought, “I’ll learn to love you,” when looking at those sad, scared eyes.

My desire to adopt and protect him had zero to do with how good, special or personable Buddy was. It was based solely on my desire to have a Silky in my life, to have a companion dog.

When the nation of Israel was in bondage to Egyptian slavery, God desired to rescue them from His final judgment on the Egyptian nation and its false gods, known popularly as the Tenth Plague: “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. (Exodus 12:12).”

And what would save each Hebrew family from this plague? A seemingly odd request: “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.

“You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

“For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your house to smite you (Exodus 12:21-23).”

I have a black and white illustration of this event, with the blood on the lintel and doorposts colored in red. It is a daily reminder to me that, just as the blood around the doors of the ancient homes saved the Hebrew families from God’s wrath, so the blood of Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God—is on the lintel and doorposts of my own heart, protecting me from God’s punishment for sin.

Just like the ancient Israelites, I’m not protected by how good I am or how well I perform each day. God did not demand that the Jewish people clean up their act or obey certain moral rules to escape punishment; they only had to obey one request, apply the blood of an innocent lamb to their home’s entrance.

God loves and accepts me, not because I perform well each day—I don’t—but because He offered to love me and adopt me into His family, taking me into His eternal home one day. I accepted His invitation—that the blood of Jesus was shed for the payment and forgiveness of my sin.

And because of the blood of the Holy Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, I am loved and accepted.

God’s acceptance of me is not based upon my own performance, but the perfect life of Jesus, His performance under the Law of God.

Please consider how the First Passover illuminates God’s love and acceptance of you as a child of the living God. He loves you because you accepted His love, not because He expects you to be perfect.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

You don’t have to clean up your act first to come into a relationship with the Living God. You just need to humble yourself, acknowledging that it’s impossible to be good enough to enter Heaven on your own merits, and accept that He alone is God and has the right to rule your life, as your Creator.

If you’re willing to enter into a personal love relationship with the holy, Triune God, please repeat the following prayer. It’s not about being good enough, but about admitting you need His love, protection and guidance.

Dear Holy Father, I call on Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Reveal Yourself to me. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations: You are a child of God, adopted into His family. “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”—Apostle Peter, Acts 2:21

Please find a Bible-based church to fellowship and grow in a knowledge of God. If that’s not possible right now, these are three ministries that I recommend. Though there are others, these are my favorites: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net. All three also have apps.

God bless you! See you in Heaven!

Thank you for reading!

Buddy and I thank you for liking our blog. Time is precious, so we appreciate your spending some of your time with us. Have a lovely week. Love from Dawn and Buddy

Heaven is not segregated—and neither is Hell, Joel 2:28, 32

Buddy is always keeping an eye on what I’m doing. But since he only has a balcony, and no yard to run around in, he really doesn’t have much else to look at. I cannot deceive myself that I’m really that interesting as there is not much competition in our home for Buddy’s attention.

During tonight’s church service I watched a middle-aged African American male hold the arm of an elderly white woman to ensure that she did not stumble as they approached the communion table. Arm-in-arm they walked up to the wafers and wine to commentate Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of ALL humankind. Christ died “once for all (Hebrews 10:10)”.

“It will come after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;…And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered (Joel 2:28,32)”.

Famously, the apostle John recorded Jesus echoing that God saves everyone who chooses to believe in Him: There is no consideration of ethnicity or skin color. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16-17).”

In Heaven, there will be people rejoicing before God from all races and times: “For You (Jesus) were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).” Enoch and Abraham, Moses and the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar from ancient times, to Christ’s apostles, to the Ethiopian eunuch converted by Apostle Philip from the court of Queen Candace, to Coptic Christians from Egypt, brothers and sisters from China and Taiwan today—you get the point. People from every nation and tribal identity throughout history will be standing before God’s throne, rejoicing in their salvation and God’s mercy and goodness.

Conversely, we grieve to watch recent newscasts of people beating each other up because of their skin color or ethnicity. But what did Jesus also say?

“He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).”

It doesn’t matter what nationality or skin color a person has—their eternal destiny is determined by their acceptance of Christ as their Savior or not. Hateful bigots are going to have a horrible shock when they discover they’re sharing forever together—if they don’t repent.

God sees only two groups of people—those who acknowledge their sinfulness and need for a Savior to guide their lives or those who refuse His offer to spend eternity with Him, wanting to be their own god and remain spiritually dead for eternity.

Only two groups of people.

Each group identified by their rejection or acceptance of Jesus.

“For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).”

Which group are you in?

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus warned that “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it (Matthew 7:13).” But no one has to walk that path. Jesus came to earth to die for everyone’s sins—no matter how awful—because only a perfect person could die to take the punishment a sinful person deserves. As God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), Jesus was perfect. He took God’s wrath on the Cross, died, and rose bodily from the grave because it was impossible for a sinless being to remain out of fellowship in the Trinity.

That may not make total sense now. But if you’d like to become born again, become spiritually alive, please pray the following: “Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to you. In the name of Jesus, amen.”

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations. You’ve just joined the biggest family in history, with brothers and sisters of all nations and times. But you need help to grow in your Christian faith. Please start reading the Bible, preferably starting with the New Testament about Jesus. And join a Bible-based church. If that’s not possible right now, these are three great ministries (which also have apps, if you prefer): http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net. There are other great ministries, but these are my three favorites.

God bless you. See you in heaven.

Dawn