Day 7: You Have Power Over the Serpent

Hope for Your Marriage

Key points to remember as we navigate our way through today’s teaching: 

1.     Adam abandoned his authority. 

2.     Eve failed to submit to authority. 

If we can listen to the word of our God and submit to our husbands, we can avoid the temptation of the serpent. Read on to see how you already have the power in you to bring you closer to God and to know the truth in your marriage. 

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does, it prospers.”
Psalm 1:1-3

Two Pathways to Knowledge

The garden was a perfect paradise. A locale that was lush and fruitful in every way. Not only fruitful in the vegetation that it produced, but fruitful in the peaceful environment that was available for Adam and Eve to inhibit and enjoy. This place was beyond our imaginations. 

Now, consider the garden. In the middle of the garden, God planted two trees. One tree was the tree of life and the second tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I want you to understand that in calling something the tree of life, or in calling the other tree the knowledge of good and evil, the essence of those two trees was being put on display. For more on naming, please click here. 

These two trees represented two distinctly different pathways. One tree fostered everlasting life, and the other gave way to the knowledge of good and evil through disobedience. God certainly wanted Adam and Eve to possess knowledge, but not in the way in which they obtained it. He wanted the couple to continue to acquire knowledge through obedience to Him. This obedience came with unthinkable nearness to God. 

Eve’s Temptation & Adam’s Misstep

When our crafty serpent inexplicably entered the scene, he was aware of what was going on. He knew exactly what to say and who to say it to for him to get the results he desired. He did not go to Adam, the one in charge. He went to Eve and instantly threw chaos into existence. Eve’s responsibility was simple: she was called to look to her husband and inquire of God’s instructions. In response to the serpent, Adam could have stepped in and taken over the conversation. But he did not. In Genesis 1:28, God uttered, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” How quickly our first couple forgot that they had been given authority over creatures, most specifically those that move along the earth—like serpents! Thus, they could have simply trusted their Creator and saw themselves as the Potter’s clay and could have uttered the words, “Be gone, Satan!” from Matthew 4:10. They did not have to converse with him at all. They had all power over Satan. 

Embrace Your Power & Authority

And you do too my friend. If you have repented and trusted in Christ alone for salvation, you have power and authority over Satan. So what lies are the enemy feeding you about your marriage? Is he saying, “Your problem is too big for God, or you don’t have to forgive?” Perhaps he is saying, “Your husband has committed the ultimate sin and you could never forgive him.” Whatever it is, he’s lying. He is the father of lies. For we know, nothing is too hard for our God. 

Remain encouraged, dear sister. We will spend a few more weeks unpacking the fall of man and I pray you continue to follow along. God bless you!