Genesis 3:1-7 (NKJV)
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, ’You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ’You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ "
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
This morning I want to begin the series entitled “It’s Time to Attack.” I was praying and meditating on God’s Word a couple of weeks ago and I felt in my spirit God say… “My people need to quit living on the defensive and begin living on the offensive.
They need to stop waiting for the enemy to attack and begin attacking the enemy on all fronts.” In other words… Stop waiting for your children to get attacked and instead go on the attack against their enemy. Stop sitting back being reactive to an attack against your marriage and instead be proactive. Stop waiting for your finances to get attacked and instead attack your enemy with your finances. When Jesus came into this world He came in attacking the enemy. He gave us an example of constantly being on the offensive and keeping the devil off balance. God is not raising up an army to only defend positions but He is raising up an army that will not be afraid and that will not allow themselves to be sidetracked but will pull down strongholds and storm the darkest places of the world around them. He is raising up a last day army with people that are sick and tired of being sick and tired. And they have a made up mind that they are not giving in and they are not giving up. Through their trials they have acquired the strength of Samson, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Daniel, the determination of Ruth and the fire of Elijah. Because of what they have been through they also have great unshakable faith, faith that can either move the mountain, scale the mountain, tunnel through the mountain or jump over the mountain. It is a faith that cannot be shaken nor wrestled out of their hearts because it’s rooted deep into their spirit man. It is the same kind of faith that Abraham had when he left his home and went looking for a city whose builder and Maker is God. It is the same kind of faith that Daniel had when he was thrown into the lion’s den.
It is the same kind of faith that Job had when he said… "Though He slay me yet will I serve Him." It is the same kind of faith that Peter had when he jumped out of his sinking boat and walked on water. It is the same kind of faith that the widow woman had when she threw her last pennies into the offering plate. It is the same kind of faith that the centurion had when his servant was sick and he said…. Jesus, if You will just speak the Word, I know my servant will be alright. It is the same kind of faith that the Apostle Paul had when he ran to the chopping block and said… I have fought a good fight and I have kept the faith. That’s the kind of army God’s raising up because in order to accomplish what He wants to accomplish He needs people that have strong faith. He’s raising up people that are not afraid of failing economies and crashing markets. He’s raising up men and women that refuse to be paralyzed by what’s taking place around them. He’s raising up young people that know what the truth is and are willing to take a stand for the truth no matter what it costs them. He’s raising up husbands and wives that stand together instead of standing apart. He’s raising up young warriors, middle aged warriors and older warriors. He’s raising up single warriors, married warriors and single again warriors. He’s raising up people that have lost everything they had only to find out that in Him they have everything they need. He’s raising up an army that knows the power of prayer and knows the voice of God. And it is an army that is on the attack. /
Now what I want to do this morning for the next few minutes is give us the first step to moving from a defensive mentality into an offensive mentality. If you are going to go on the attack you must recognize who your enemy is. I want you to say this with me… “A snake is a snake.”
** There was a tragedy in Florida not too long ago…
I am unsure if the baby Burmese python came with a warning.
If not, it should have. The Oxford, Florida family that brought the serpent home as a pet would live to regret allowing such a creature in the house. Earlier this year the snake, now 12 feet long, broke out of the glass aquarium during the night. It silently slithered into the bedroom of a 2-year old girl, wrapped itself around her defenseless body, and strangled her to death. A horrible, yet entirely preventable tragedy. I want to tell you that satan that old serpent works tirelessly to get us to believe that allowing him in the house is no real danger. After all, we know how to restrain him behind the "aquarium glass." We know how to control him. But can I tell you that a snake is a snake.
The scriptures that we read earlier give us a good picture of what happens when we fail to recognize the enemy. First of all the Garden of Eden was more than just a Garden it was the actual home of Adam and Eve. It was there place of abode. When the serpent came into the Garden he was in reality invading their home.
When reading this story we must remember that Adam was familiar with all of God’s creatures. So when this serpent showed up it was nothing out of the ordinary. However, this time when this serpent came in to their home, he began to speak contrary to what God had spoken. You would think that would be a big red flag to Adam, but no, he allowed the serpent to keep speaking. You see God had given Adam authority over every single animal including the serpent. But when he refused to take authority over the serpent he placed himself in a reactive position instead of a proactive position. In other words… he refused to attack an enemy and because he refused to attack he found himself reacting to an attack and it cost him and all of creation dearly. Now listen, you might be sitting here saying… well, that’s me, I’ve done the same thing Adam did. Don’t worry, join the crowd, we all have. But just because we made that mistake in the past doesn’t mean we have to keep making the same mistake in the present. Today God is saying… recognize who your enemy is and call a snake a snake. There are 2900 species of snakes in this world. And they range in size from 4” to 30’ in length. They come in all colors and they come poisonous and non-poisonous. But I don’t care if it is only 4” long and it’s as beautiful as a rainbow, a snake is a snake. Can I tell you, the devil comes in all shapes and sizes too? Sometimes he comes with a rainbow of colors and sometimes he comes as an angel of light. Sometimes he comes loud and other times he comes silent.
Sometimes he comes boldly and other times he comes sneaky. Sometimes he comes in like a flood and other times he comes in like a soft summer breeze. But what we have to remember is whenever he comes and whatever shape he comes in, a snake is a snake. I don’t care if a person wraps himself up in education and calls himself a professor. If he challenges the divinity of Jesus Christ and tries to make you doubt God… a snake is a snake. She might be a beautiful woman with a pleasing personality. But if she tries to come in between you and your wife, a snake is a snake. Young ladies he might come wrapped up in Abercrombie and Fitch, have muscles on his earlobes and drive a 2009 black convertible Mustang. But if he’s trying to get you in the back seat, a snake is snake. Young man, she might be hotter than the sun and able turn the head of every guy she walks by but if she’s trying to get you to compromise your moral standards, a snake is a snake. They might seem like harmless friends and they’re for sure fun to hang around. But when they start pulling you in a different direction than what you know is right…. You better look around because there’s a snake somewhere in the mix. All of you married couples listen up… you might be telling yourselves… we’re just going through a hard time and we need a little time away from each other and absence will make the heart grow fonder. You better listen closely because there’s a hissing in the shadows. I’m just talking to you from my heart this morning.
We need to understand that a snake is snake and if we are going to live lives that are pleasing to God, and if we are going to live in the promises of God and if we are going to be over-comers, we’re going to have to recognize the enemy for who he is and refuse him to give him entrance into our lives.
This message is all about recognizing the serpent. You might ask… how do I know if it’s the devil or not? You have two sources… The Bible and the Holy Spirit. Both will lead you into the truth. I want to go back to the Garden for just a moment. Adam was familiar with this serpent, he was called a beast of the field, just another part of Adams life. And because he was familiar with it, he didn’t see the danger behind the words that it spoke. Do you know what he failed to do… he failed to uphold the Word of God. God had already spoken concerning this conversation. Now, up until this point the serpent was an innocent animal but on this day there was a snake behind the serpent. (Slide/evil snake)
Now I want to close by asking you this question… If you woke up in the middle of the night to find a snake lying next to you in your bed, how would you respond? Let’s say it’s not a 30 foot Anaconda or even a 6 ft rattler… it’s just a little 2 foot long garden snake that somehow squeezed under the door and climbed up and under your covers. “There’s a snake in the house, what are you going to do about it?” Here’s what God does with a snake… (Slide/Rev. 20:1-3) It’s time to attack…
Characteristics of Satan
1. Created by God, and not equal to God (Prov 16:4)
2. Defies God and despises truth (John 8:44)
3. Was given limited power (Job 1:8-12)
4. Was defeated at Calvary (Eph. 1:20-23)
5. Rules the masses outside God’s protection (Eph. 2:1-3)
6. Commands a hierarchy of demons (Eph. 6:10-12)
7. Came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10)
8. Masquerades as "an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11:14-15)
9. Tries to hide the actual truth about our God.
10. Twists the meaning of Scriptures to fit his purposes. (Gen. 3:1-5)
11. Offers counterfeit promises he can’t fulfill
12. Always seeks an "opportune time" to tempt us (Luke 4:13
