08/08/2026
Have you ever thought about how the first recorded temptation in Scripture began?
It wasn't an invitation to murder, to steal, or to lie. It began with a question. "Did God really say...?" (Genesis 3:1) That one question opened the door to everything that followed.
The serpent didn't start by openly rejecting God's Word. He first planted doubt about it. Then he twisted it. Finally, he contradicted it outright: "You will surely not die" (Genesis 3:4).
Has anything really changed?
Most attacks on our faith still begin the same way.
"Did God really mean that command?"
"Surely He doesn't expect people to keep that today."
"That was only for Israel."
"Paul changed it."
Before long, what God plainly said is replaced with what feels more reasonable.
Yeshua faced the same enemy in the wilderness, but His response was completely different. He didn't argue with philosophy or feelings. Three times He answered, "It is written..." (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). And every quotation came from the Torah.
That should make us stop and think.
When the Son of God was tempted, He stood on the written Word of God. He didn't treat it as outdated or optional. He trusted it completely.
I'm convinced the greatest danger for believers isn't always open rebellion. Sometimes it's becoming comfortable asking, "Did God really say?" instead of asking, "What did God actually say?"
The Bereans were called noble because they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether what they were hearing was true (Acts 17:11). They didn't measure God's Word by tradition. They measured tradition by God's Word.
So don't let anyone, including me, become your final authority. Open your Bible. Read it carefully. And when God's Word is clear, hold onto it, even when the world, tradition, or popular theology tells you to let it go.
