Learn to discern

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent….  –Genesis 3:1-2a (NIV)
 
The strategy was simple: Set a false premise in the form of a question, call God a liar by contradicting part of the answer, then attribute a false motive to make it appear as if the “lie” was perpetrated to deny His children something good. But why did Eve continue to engage the serpent at all? Once she saw where the conversation was going, why not just walk away?
 
I would submit that Eve was lacking discernment. Different from knowledge or wisdom, discernment is defined as the ability to perceive, understand, and judge things clearly, especially those that are not obvious or straightforward. 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon was quoted as saying, “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
 
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  –Genesis 3:6 (NIV)
 
And what of Adam? If he was present, he went silent during the exchange between Eve and the enemy. If he was absent, where was he? And once made aware, why not immediately invoke the aid of the only One who could make a difference? Instead, he followed his wife into sin. Next came the shame, then the blame. After that, nothing was ever the same.
 
It’s inevitable. Expect it. We’re called upon to face the enemy. How will we respond? Eve’s oblivious conversation with the serpent, on his terms, unable to recognize and challenge his false narrative, proved disastrous. Adam’s passive approach, abdicating his role as spiritual shepherd of his household and hoping for the best, was just as bad. Satan’s methods haven’t changed. How do we do better than these two?
 
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  –2Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
 
Don’t walk into those encounters unprepared. We must learn discernment, informing our minds and hearts to recognize and counter the lies that would destroy us by immersing ourselves in the truth of God’s Word. As we enter the new year, I urge us all to commit to active and intentional daily Bible study. Make this a non-negotiable; there is no substitute and there are no shortcuts.
 
I’m reminded of how banks used to train their tellers to recognize counterfeit bills. Instead of tracking the latest techniques for creating and passing bad currency, they had the staff examine and handle and smell thousands upon thousands of pieces of real money. They became so familiar with the real thing that they were always able to instantly spot a bogus bill.
 
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.  –Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)