The serpent wasn't a stranger. He was someone they knew, someone who belonged in God's house. This familiarity became the doorway to humanity's fall. The rebellion didn't announce itself with threats or obvious evil. It came through a familiar voice, through words that sounded almost true. But half-truths are always simply full lies.
The serpent didn't invent a new story. He did something far more insidious: he took God's true words and twisted them just enough to plant doubt. "Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" He reframed reality, mixing fragments of truth with subtle lies.
This is the essence of spiritual warfare. The most deceptive and powerful tactics of spiritual warfare present half-truths as full truths when they are nothing but a full lie. The serpent reframes what is real by distorting reality to present what he wanted Adam and Eve to believe was true.3
Eve and Adam faced a choice in Eden. It was a choice that required them to discern what was true and what was almost true. Remember, in the middle of the Garden of Eden were two trees.
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. — Genesis 2:8–9, NIV, emphasis mine
The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Later in Genesis 3, we are told that it was routine for God to come in the cool of the evening breeze to walk with Adam and Eve. Think about that! How amazing to have a daily "date" with Yahweh Himself to simply walk with God. Which, by the way, may be the best definition of experiencing true life — walking and talking with the creator God. Now, imagine what they would walk and talk about. Probably all that they experienced, learned, and had questions about during that day. In other words, Adam and Eve were perfectly situated to grow in knowledge in conversation with God, who would teach and direct them in wisdom.
Now comes the deception of the serpent. The serpent points Eve (and Adam, who was with her) to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. There is a pattern here that is really important. It is at the core of most of the spiritual warfare we experience today.
Eve saw the fruit. She desired it. She took it. This pattern — see, desire, and take — becomes the signature of spiritual warfare and rebellion throughout Scripture. In fact, the Hebrew words for "saw" [ra'ah] and "took" [laqah] are repeated throughout Scripture, which creates a pattern that we should be keenly aware of.
Genesis 12:14–15 (CSB):
When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw [ra'ah] that the woman was very beautiful. Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken [laqah] to Pharaoh's household.
Genesis 34:2 (CSB):
When Shechem — son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the region's chieftain — saw [ra'ah] her, he took [laqah] her and raped her.
In 2 Samuel 11, we find the same pattern with King David. David saw [ra'ah] Bathsheba and then took [laqah] her. As a result, David has Uriah killed.
If we did a deep dive into each of these passages, we find a failure of discernment.
Notice that each of these issues of discernment are spiritual issues that invade and impact our earthly and physical reality. Abram compromises his wife. Shechem is ruled by lust. David abandons his responsibility and devastates lives. In every case, spiritual failure spills into physical reality.
The enemy still uses the same playbook. There is nothing new under the sun. Just fancy new packaging to cover up the same ancient vices that the enemy of our souls loves to exploit. Ultimately, to separate us from the flourishing life that the Lord desires for all His children to have.
This is why we need discernment. Discernment helps us to regain spiritual sight. It helps us recognize deception, expose our own vulnerabilities, and follow the leading of the Spirit. Discernment isn't about paranoia or seeing demons everywhere. It's about learning to test every voice, every message, every cultural moment against the truth of God's Word.
Spiritual warfare is a daily reality. Which means discernment must be a daily decision.
The path of wisdom is to anchor ourselves so deeply in Scripture that we recognize subtle distortions. To test every spirit. To choose truth even when lies wear the mask of familiarity.
The unseen battle is real. So we cling to the words of Christ and depend on the Spirit of God to guide us daily in discernment.
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