Beware of the Deceiver in your Garden!!

He was first introduced as the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The man of lawlessness, the son of destruction. He is roaming the earth seeking whom to devour. The deceiver does not come to idlers no! He goes to those that are tending their gardens to discredit them.

God created the Garden of Eden because He had Adam and Eve in thought. Before we were formed, God had us in mind and had a garden prepared specifically for us. Everyone has a purpose he/she was created to fulfill. Every purpose has instructions to be heeded to. Just like the Garden of Eden had precepts to follow.

 Adam and Eve were busy in the garden; their place of purpose.They were tending to their garden. They were in the position that God had placed them. Everything was in perfect order before the serpent came. The man and woman worked their garden in tranquility and in the cool of the day they fellowshipped with God. The man had authority over every living creature, in fact he named them all. He had authority over the animals in the field, the birds of the air, the wild animals and the creatures of the sea. God provided for them. He took care of them while in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve obeyed God’s commands and lived a fulfilled life.

 

When the serpent showed up, he brought chaos into the Garden of Eden. The place where God had made for Adam and Eve. The serpent questioned Eve on God’s rules. Genesis 3:4-5^. The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.” He planted seeds of deceit in her mind that made her question God’s rules. He instilled vile desires in her mind misleading her to disobey God.   Genesis 3:6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. This was the beginning of the fall of man. God had disclosed to them that once they partake of the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil they would die. They became spiritually dead. They couldn’t discern good and evil. They lost God’s presence, their fellowship with God was lost. We all know that only God is All-knowing and no matter what we do as human beings we cannot be like God! Here Eve’s desires changed from pleasing God in their place of purpose to aspiring to be like God.

The deceiver is always roaming around trying to seek whom to devour out of their gardens. Competing with the authority that God has given you. Trying to contradict the instructions laid down for you like he did with Eve. God’s instructions are meant to be followed, not questioned. The deceiver planted seeds of disbelief into Eve’s mind before he finally made her disobey God. He questioned God’s authority and order of doing things. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. The deceiver makes you see his deceptions as truths. He entices you and when you give him a chance, he paints pictures of deceit into your mind so that you can start desiring vile things. When someone starts to question God’s ability in your purpose and tries to beguile you to disobey or question God’s authority, then that is the deceiver’s voice- flee!.

He entraps people to fall into the same trap he did. By deceiving them to compare themselves with the creator. How can creation compare itself with the Creator? This is absolutely impossible! Once you start thinking in this magnitude, you are headed for destruction. This is exactly what the deceiver did. He tried to measure himself with God and tried to take God’s place.                                                                                                  Isaiah 14:12-14
"How you are fallen from heaven, 
O Lucifer, son of the morning! 
How you are cut down to the ground, 
you who weakened the nations! 
For you have said in your heart: 
'I will ascend into heaven, 
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; 
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 
On the farthest sides of the north; 
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 
I will be like the Most High.' 

Hearkening to the counsel of the deceiver has dare consequences. Your business starts to experience hardships, your marriage becomes rocky, and your garden tends to have challenges instead of progressing. Genesis 3:17-19

The ground is [now] under a curse because of you;
In sorrow and toil you shall eat [the fruit] of it
All the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread
Until you return to the ground,
For from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”. This are some of the consequences that faced man and woman because of hearkening to the deceiver. Do not give him an opportunity to discuss your assignment. Focus on your garden.

When God allocated you to that garden, He alone gave you the instructions on how to operate that business, marriage, job or even ministry. So He alone is the one you need to inquire from. He is the one to give you counsel concerning your business, marriage, work, family or ministry. This means any other counsel that is not of God is the deceiver’s voice trying to lure you slowly by slowly out of your garden and place of assignment. Do not seek counsel from the deceiver.

You should be in a place where you are able to weigh and discern whether this counsel is from God or not. Is it creating deluded desires in my mind that do not please God? 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.

God is All knowing; knowing everything that concerns you- knowing the end from the beginning. Do not let vile desires get you out of your place of assignment. Do not let greed destroy your garden; business, work, marriage, career or family. We don't want to operate out of God’s presence.

The only way to overcome the deceiver is by putting on the whole armor of God so as to stand against his wiles. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. God’s word reveals light onto our lives. Let it guide you. 

Don’t worry-Just Praise!

In life's predicaments, it can be challenging at times to lift up a praise and glorify God.
Some tend to do it as a sign of thanksgiving to God for something that He has done. E.g. a breakthrough, business, provision or healing which is really good.
But God admonishes us to praise Him in all circumstances. That means whether you have received that breakthrough or not, whether the business proposal has been accepted or not, whether in plenty or not, in all things! 

Hebrews 13:15

Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Praise should be done wittingly regardless of what you are facing. Choose to focus on who God is preferably than magnifying the situation at hand.
Praise enables you fuel your energy to God rather than being derailed by the situation at hand.
Gives you hope that God is still in control of your life and that a bright future is His plan for you.

Praise empowers you to lift your focus from self to God, the creator of the universe. From the pains and the headaches to faith on the redeemer, from the problem to the solution giver. When we praise, our thoughts and attitudes are aligned to God’s word.

Daniel 2:23

“I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the solution to the king’s matter.”

This is when King Nebuchadnezzar dreamt but could not remember the dream and he sought for all the wise men, enchanters, magicians, soothsayers to tell him of the dream and its interpretation but none could. So he declared destruction upon all the wise men together with their households. But when Daniel heard of this he informed his friends. He was not terrified of the king’s verdict because he knew His God.

God reveals his secrets to praisers. He does not allow his praisers to be stranded. If God did not provide a solution to Daniel, then he, his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego together with the enchanters, magicians, soothsayers and all the wise men of the nation would perish by the king’s decree.

Praise bolts out voices that say it's impossible for things to change and releases possibilities.
Praise does not mean you are ignorant of the situation, but it acknowledges that you put your trust in the one that changes situations. Resting your case on His hands.

Praise opens doors that had been shut for long and accelerates your testimony.

Joshua 6:20

So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout and the wall of Jericho fell down, so that the sons of Israel went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they overthrew the city.

 The walls of Jericho stood before the children of Israel for long. They posed as a barrier for them, but when they lifted up a praise the walls came down.

Do you feel as if there has been a stumbling block hindering you? I would challenge you to lift up a praise and watch God give you a mighty testimony.

Praise brings Restoration

Jeremiah 33:11

the sound of the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the song-filled voice of those who say, “Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good; For His steadfast lovingkindness mercy endures forever”; and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.

Praise creates an atmosphere for the miracle. Hence invokes the blessing.

Mark 6:41

Taking the five loaves and two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing of praise and thanksgiving to the Father. Then He broke the loaves and repeatedly gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and He divided up the two fish among them all.

Praise opens doors for a channel of blessings. When we look at this scripture we see that it was after Jesus gave praise and thanks that God multiplied what they had. One man's meal was able to feed 5,000 men together with the disciples who had been preaching all day having barely eaten anything and they had twelve basketfuls left over to carry home.

Praise alters situations because we give God a chance to fight our battles. We needlessly fight battles; fill our minds with fears, worries and insecurities when all we need to do is lift up  a  praise on to God. When you do this, He melts them away and fills your life with joy.

Psalm 22:3

He inhabits in the praise of His people.

2 Chronicles 20:22

"And when they began to sing and to praise, Jehovah set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir that were come against Judah; and they were smitten."

2 Samuel 22:4

“I call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.- King  David was a praiser and because of this God fought his battles including Saul who sought to slay him. He experienced God’s victories.

Praise discards the possibility of doubt in one's mind and ascertains that nothing is impossible with God. It changes our mind sets on various issues. Allows us to flee our minds from the situation and hope in the fulfillment of the promise. When you feel frustrated or when you feel the heat and you cannot take it anymore, look for a ground and praise Him that makes all things beautiful.

The more you magnify God, the lesser the situation seems. Do not allow your sentiment be so much on what’s happening on the outside but rather choose to focus on the power of Christ living in the inside of you, that changes all things.