September 29

Did God Really Say?

[The serpent] said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7

Song: “Trust and Obey”

I’ve never heard such an emphatic answer from God. Laid off a job and finding no work, I asked if I would compromise His plans if I sought temporary employment. His resounding “Yes!” stopped me in my job-searching tracks.

Why does God want me to wait when I’m running out of money? I wondered. When I told a Christian friend what God had told me, she stared at me as if to say, “Are you sure?” Momentarily, I questioned the wisdom of waiting, but still held on.

Two weeks after that prayer time, my dream job came along— one God had been preparing for me. Had I ignored His voice and found other employment, I would have missed His best for me.

God has given more serious directives in His Word, not just to guide our steps but to steer us clear of sin. He spoke one to Adam and Eve: Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16, 17). But once the serpent cast a doubt in her mind, Eve fell to ruin, and then Adam.

It’s easy to question what God has told us clearly to do or not to do. If we don’t heed His words, we undermine His authority and bring disaster on ourselves. We receive God’s best only when we obey no matter what.

Dear Father, I want to know Your voice so I can distinguish the voice of the enemy. Help me to obey You, even when it doesn’t make sense. In Christ’s name, amen.