Over the years, I have heard the argument that God created evil and have heard some compelling arguments but, truth be told, the arguments fall short of the truth. Take a read through Genesis at the very beginning and you will see that when God created, it was followed with “and it was good”. In fact, when God had finished creating everything, He stated in Genesis 1:31 (NLT) “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good”. God was pleased because that which He had created was perfect. We do not know when evil slithered its way into the Garden, we don’t know how it even existed in the Garden but we do know this for a fact, the first temptation in the Garden was cast by means of doubt.
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
The temptation went even further and finally the doubt got the better of Eve and she succumbed to the temptation to know it all. The rest is history (read Genesis 3). There is the example of falling to temptation and it is not the last in scripture. Today, the temptation is even more powerful and it is not so secretive, in fact advertising companies thrive on developing it. “If you buy this, you will never have another issue for the rest of your life”. Temptation to the dark side is always there and the powers of evil want you to focus on the doubt, focus on the desires, focus on self, and not on the perfect answer. You see, the devil wants you to be distracted because he knows that we have an unlimited source of power to repel evil intentions through the Holy Spirit. We need only to remember God’s prayer from Matthew 6:13 NLT:
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
When you are feeling tempted by the devil, visit the Lord’s prayer and claim the power of the Holy Spirit over the evils of temptation. Get thee behind me Satan, your power is nothing compared to my Lord and Saviour. Don’t let evil fool you into doubting God and turning to the darkness, God loves you so much that He will give you the strength.
This Sunday, Pastor Todd continues the series on the “Will of God” by looking at temptation. Our service is at 10:30 AM both online and in person. The service will be broadcast online on our website (https://www.mainavefellowship.ca/socialplatforms), or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessings,
Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”
