The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’” 

“No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; 

How many times had she looked at that tree? Walked past it? She was well aware of the presence of that tree in her garden home. What was it about this day?

A lie was spoken and a lie was believed and then the woman saw. 

 Things look different through the lens of a lie.

If you believe that gratifying your lust is natural, and doesn’t hurt anyone, then pornography will look harmless.

If you believe that the life of the unborn is expendable and of less value than your own life, then abortion will look like a right.

If you believe that your happiness is what matters most, then being faithful in your marriage will look optional.

If you believe that certain people are superior to others, or that a victim mentality is yours by right, then racism will look justified.

The enemy knows one thing very well.

The best way to make something deadly look good, is to lie about it.

We all have lies that have been whispered in our ear. Lies about God, about other people, and about ourselves.

But the power is not in the lie that we hear, it is in the lie we believe.

If Eve had heard the lie but chose to trust God’s word over satan’s, things would have been much different.

We have the same choice.

So now I’m asking God to show me my lies, because, you know. The lies sound true and the tree still looks good, know what I mean?

I have to be willing to ask:

What have I believed about God, about others, and about myself that cannot be supported by His Word?

And then I have to choose truth, no matter how hard it is. No matter what it costs me. No matter how wrong it will make me look. No matter how much humble pie I have to eat. No matter how much it will force me to forgive someone, including myself. No matter how much I will have to repent. No matter how addicted I am to self-loathing. No matter how right my victim attitude feels. No matter what I will have to let go, stop doing, stop thinking, stop saying. No. matter. what.

I must choose truth if I am going to choose life.