Furtick-In*fin*8 series-Part 1: Satan's vs. God's Questions to you.

I was recently introduced to Steven Furtick's (Elevation Church) In-Fin-8 series.
Well, all I can say is that his teaching spoke deeply into my season and naturally I took notes!

CRAFTY

Part 1: Summary from site:
There is a very real and present Enemy lurking in our lives. He wants to destroy us and our relationship with God. But Satan is crafty in his deception. Instead of showing us how he wants to ruin us, he asks us questions that cause us to doubt the instructions, intentions, and promises of God. In this first part of our series IN•FIN•8, Pastor Steven looks at the story of Adam & Eve to help us understand the questions Satan asks us - and the questions God asks us in return. 

Yes, Satan's  strategy is never obvious. He's crafty. He poses a question first, one that introduces doubt; doubt about God's intention, character, ability; doubt that leads to disobedience; doubt that launches you into Satan's ingenious plan to rob, kill and destroy God's original plan for you.

Genesis 3(ESV):Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said...

Furtick says every dysfunction in our life goes back to an incorrect response to that question of doubt. Eve should have walked away from that snake. 

If we look back at our lives where God has placed promises, we might see that Satan has posted a doubt:

 - when we lost a job and the bank account is empty: The truth: God is our Provider. The doubt: Is He still?

 - when in a fog of despair, we cried out and there was no answer: The truth: I will never leave you. The doubt: Has God turned His back on me?

 - when too many crises prevail: The truth: I have loved you with an everlasting love. The doubt: How can He love me and allow all this?
So KNOW God's Word and what He said. 
What He said IS. Period.

COVERED AND CLOTHED

^Gen.3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
When Adam and Eve realized their sin, their first thought was to cover it up. They made themselves a cover. We cover our sins with legalism, self-righteousness, political correctness, rationalizations.
Our disobedience dislocates us from God. When God called out to Adam, "Where are you?", it was not because He did not know but he wanted Adam to ponder, to know.
Our Lord God calls out to us individually: "Where are you, Sita? Who do you believe? Am I still Who I Am?"

But He does not leave us unequipped.
^Gen.4:1 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
God clothed them. God covers us with grace. He clothes us with the righteousness of Jesus.
Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

So no need to hide in shame anymore.

He, our Lord God, calls out and wants to wash and cleanse and clothe you.

Amen.