A few days ago I wrote about how God offers us love, acceptance and approval. We explored each and know that it's only out of the mercy of Christ and his work on the Cross that we can know these three gifts from God. I'd like to take some time and go over the three focuses Satan uses to mess with all of humanity leading so many astray. Those three elements are: manipulation, control and secrecy. Those three have stolen so much from mankind and doomed to destruction so many who have bought into them as their way of life. Choices like these have their origination when Satan rebelled against God and was thrown out of Heaven. Satan wanted to be God. Not much different from us when we want to be the god of our own world. The fall from Heaven precipitated the event in the garden when Satan had his meeting with Eve. You remember the story. "Surely you won't die." manipulation, "God doesn't want you to have knowledge." control, and "when God came walking in the garden Adam and Eve hid themselves because they were afraid." secrecy. Instead of love, acceptance and approval Eve first and then Adam chose manipulation, control and secrecy. They in turn threw away the innocence of mankind in the process leaving all of mankind vulnerable to the sin they committed. We became a fallen creation in the Garden and still are.
On a continuum manipulation can be extremely subtle to outright blatant. Manipulation often incorporates use of guilt, gullibility and guile. Nothing good is to be found in the manipulation mankind uses. We manipulate the truth, lies and everything in between just so we can get, gain or gloat. Okay, I'll stop with the "g" words. However, we do just that. We teach out children to do just that. Then we teach our grandchildren to do the same thing. All the while we are praying for a different outcome on everyone's behalf. Manipulation is disrespectful of the person God has created. When we manipulate someone we in turn play god in their lives. We rationalize and justify our choices and actions in order to defer our sin to others or make it a "non-sin" issue. Manipulation is a selfish action by our sin nature that seeks to maintain our sin nature.
Control is all around us. In fact, mankind through the years has brought more and more control and regulation into our lives. That's what was present in the garden. Satan convinced Eve, who convinced Adam, that the fruit was just fruit meant for good. We don't know what the fruit was. We just know that Satan controlled the situation in such a manner that Eve threw away the very life that God had created for and granted to she and Adam. Once the control chain reaction had begun, that reaction needed an outlet. Eve brought a piece of fruit to Adam (wherever he had been). He was faced with a choice. Stand join Eve or be separate from Eve. What would have happened if Adam had said no? What would happen if we were to say no to sin? Control always affects someone or something else. In this case we've been thrown out of the Garden with Eve's choice and Adam's subsequent choice to join her.
The Bible tells us that their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked. Transparent is a good word. Seen for who and what they were and had done. So, they sought to cover up the act. They thought (wrong choice) about their nakedness and chose fearfulness of God as motivation for hiding from him when he came walking in the Garden. What were they thinking? Hiding from the God of all creation who knows all, sees all and is all powerful. Not exactly rocket science knowing that God would know what was going on, find them and confront them. Satan's manipulation, control and secrecy was exposed and God's love acceptance and approval remained. God clothed them. God loved on them. God set boundaries for them. God showed them how they must live now. God gave them choices. Just as he does today. It's my choice. It's your choice.
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