Friend to Friend

“I am enough because of God.” -Eve, before the fall

“I am not enough.” -Eve, when the serpent tempted her (read Genesis 3)

A cool breeze brushes Eve’s cheek as she walks through the Garden of Eden with her husband and her God. All around her, trees and flowers bloom in brilliant colors. Animals peacefully rest in the shade. She breathes in a deep sigh of contentment. Life is good. She feels no self-consciousness, worry, or fear. Everything is as it should be. She is loved. She is content. She is safe.

The next day she hears an unfamiliar voice as she picks fruit from a group of trees. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). She furrows her brow and turns to reply. No one has ever questioned God before! She says to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’” (Genesis 3:2–3).

Perhaps she expects this explanation to satisfy this snake in the grass. But he continues, “You will not certainly die . . . For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4–5). We know how the rest of the story goes. Eve eats and paradise is lost. But what lie entrapped her heart? What did she believe?

When I read this story, one phrase jumps out at me: You will be like God. In other words, you’re not enough as you are. And with that lie comes a sinister implication: God is holding out on you. Ironically, it’s the same reason the serpent fell. Not content with his identity or position in heaven, he grasped for all of God’s glory and lost everything. But even then he didn’t learn his lesson. He’s still trying to drag God’s daughters down with him.

When I talk with women as an author, counselor, life coach, and friend, I hear the lie Eve believed repeated so often. And I’ve heard it in my own heart as well. The enemy has not changed his tactics much since the beginning of time. That one lie has a variety of versions . . .

You’re not lovable enough.

You’re not good enough.

You’re not beautiful enough.

You’re not smart enough.

You’re not cool enough.

You’re not successful enough.

But all of those expressions have the same message. Somehow, in some way, we must be lacking. Who God has made us and what He has given us are not really adequate. That can seem true because we were once all sinners in need of a Savior. But once we give Jesus our lives, He restores all that was lost in the fall. We live in a post-paradise world, but our identities in God’s eyes are post-cross perfect. We are enough because Jesus is enough in us.

When the enemy tries to convince our hearts that’s not true, what can we say in response? He started his temptation of Eve with, “Did God really say . . . ” I believe we defeat him by answering with “Here’s what God really does say . . .” That’s the tactic Jesus used when the devil tempted Him.

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Mark 4:1–4).

The devil tempted Jesus two more times after that, and our Savior always responded with Scripture. We can follow His example when the enemy tries to ensnare us as well. For example, when we hear the lie, “You are not enough,” we can answer with what God says to us through Scriptures like these:

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. (2 Peter 1:3)

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

The only weapon that’s part of the armor of God is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The enemy took advantage of Eve, and she acted as if she were defenseless. But we don’t have to do the same.

You are a woman.

You are a warrior.

You wield God’s truth, and it cannot be overcome.

Let’s Pray

Lord, thank You so much that You declare I am enough in You and because of You. When the lies in my life and heart get loud, help me listen to Your voice of truth instead. I’m so grateful that I belong to You, and that You alone have the final word on my identity and destiny.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Talk with God about the lies you battle and ask Him to reveal what’s true. Listen for His loving voice in your heart, look to His Word, and be honest about what you’re feeling.

Here are a few questions you can ponder today:

• What’s a lie I’ve battled? (Example: I’m not enough.)
• How do I need to be healed from the ways this lie has wounded me? Write a prayer sharing honestly with God about how this lie has hurt you and asking Him to heal your heart.
• What’s the truth that will defeat this lie in my life? (Example: I am enough because of God.) Ask God what’s really true, and take time to listen for His answer. It may come from today’s Scriptures, the devotional, encouraging words from someone in your life, or His still small voice within your heart.

More from the Girlfriends

This devotion is an exclusive excerpt from Holley Gerth’s newest devotional, Do You Know You’re Already Amazing?. If you’ve read her bestselling book You’re Already Amazing, you already know this devotional is full of truths that will set your heart free so you can become all you were made to be! Holley often says she’s an author, a life coach, a speaker and a friend to YOU! She would love to connect with you on social media at @HolleyGerth or on her blog.