The enemy’s attacks don’t usually come as loud threats. They come as whispers. Subtle, strategic, steady steps that draw us away from God’s truth. In Genesis 3, the serpent distracted Eve, distorted God’s Word, sowed doubt and stirred distrust.

The same schemes work today. But the story also reminds us: even in our failure, God’s grace comes looking for us. We are not defenseless, and we are never alone. Jesus is still the answer.

3 Takeaways

1. The enemy is strategic.
   Satan works step by step—through distraction, distortion, doubt, distrust, desolation, deception and despair. Awareness is our first defense.
2. Desire is the battleground.
   The enemy will seek to twist and exploit God-given longings enticing us to fulfill them outside of God’s Word and way. Discernment keeps us anchored in truth.
3. God’s grace is greater.
   We can learn to discern the schemes of the enemy. And, even when we stumble, God covers us in love, provides a way of escape, and strengthens us to stand.

If You Only Have a Moment
Take a breath and pray this truth today:

Inhale: Lord, open my eyes
Exhale: I will not fall for the enemy’s lies

Full Sermon Manuscript  (Estimated reading time: ~24 minutes)

Genesis 3:1–3
By Pastor Tammy Long

“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?” Sometimes we have to dig deep and declare that truth even when there are shadows and knocks in the dark, even when there are whispers that try to drag us down. This is from David’s Psalm 27, and he definitely knew about battles seen and unseen.

In his novel Piercing the Darkness, Frank Perreti paints that picture for us in story form. And the battles in the seen and unseen realms are mounting for all of the main characters and story plotlines. For the church school that is being sued because Principal Tom cast a demon out of a little girl, emotions are high and trust is frayed The battle we can see is heating up and so is the one we can’t see.

On the surface, it just looks like a church school conflict. Parents are frustrated. A pastor weary. A community divided. But when the curtain is pulled back, we see the truth: this isn’t just about people. It’s being fanned by a battle in the unseen realm. And that’s why our
anchor scripture for this series Ephesians 6:10-12 matters so much.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (NIV)

Family, this verse reminds us: the spiritual battle is broad. The whole world is under the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Paul explains in Ephesians 2 that this battle shows up in three dimensions: our fallen nature, the dark systems of this world, and the evil spiritual forces working to influence us from the heavenly realms.
And here’s what we need to keep in mind. Our spiritual enemy is not random. He is intentional, organized and strategic. He looks for opportunity and entry points in our fallen nature, and through people he infiltrates systems for his purposes.

Peretti’s novel isn’t just a work of fiction, it’s a snapshot of our reality. The enemy’s strategies may adapt to the times, but his purpose has always been the same — to disrupt and destroy God’s plan for his own aggrandizement. Although his playbook is old, it still works. It has much to teach us for standing strong against his evil schemes. So, I want to go back to where it all began. Genesis 3:1-7 (NLT)

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?’

‘Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, “You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.”’”

‘You won’t die!’ the serpent replied to the woman. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.’ The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.

So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”

Picture the garden with me. It was paradise. Nothing was broken yet. Adam and Eve were living in innocence — With no shame, no fear, no conflict. Everything around them was good, just as God declared.

But innocence is not the same as ignorance. They were not ignorant, because God had given them everything they needed to know. His word was clear: according to Genesis 2 God said, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Gen. 2:16–17).

They had God’s provision. They had His presence. They had protection, in that He’d given them boundaries for their good.

Now, because love requires freedom, there was also choice. Evil was present there, too, even if it had not yet been chosen. The serpent as Satan would not have been able to do what he did if choice was not an option.

So, into paradise, into that freedom slithers the serpent. Not with force, or a shout, or a plea to persuade his case, but with a question. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” In and off itself, the question sounds harmless, but knowing the nature of the Evil One, and his schemes we recognize the question is loaded, subtle and strategic.

So first, the serpent engages Eve with distraction. Through his question He redirects Eve’s eyes off the abundance of God’s provision and narrows her focus onto the one forbidden tree.

He attempts to reframe God’s generosity by making it appear stingy. It was a distortion God’s words

Eve is drawn in and responds to him but notice what she says: “‘Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,’ the woman replied. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. . God said, “You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.”’”

Now let’s pause for a moment and recall what God actually said. She leaves out God’s generosity where He says they “may freely eat from any tree except…”  God focused on the many, and she now, through the serpent’s distraction she is led to focus on the one.  And she adds something God never said — “you must not touch it.” It’s a small change, but a significant one because it adds a layer of harshness that further fans the distortion. The enemy twists God’s words, and Eve doesn’t appear to be holding God’s word firmly either.

The serpent then presses further. “You will not certainly die,” he contends which is a flat-out contradiction.  This now sows doubt in her mind by challenging the truth of what God has already said

And then comes the serpent’s deeper dagger, he says “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The enemy is stirring distrust. He is making God sound petty, as though He’s holding something back. The protection God had given for their benefit is now twisted into God wanting to control them and keep them from a benefit.

Step by step, Eve is drawn in. The conversation itself is a trap of half-truths and lies And soon, what began as doubt puts Eve on the path of desolation she is beginning to take steps away from God in her mind and heart even before taking any action

Then, in rapid-fire verbs, she makes a decision. She took. She ate. She gave. He ate. And immediately Eve and Adam’s eyes are opened — but not in the way they expected. They’ve been duped

No longer innocent, they feel shame for the first time. Satan’s deception is complete. Instead joyful freedom in paradise, they are hiding in despair.

Do you see the progression? The serpent didn’t storm in with force; he gently eased his way with a whisper. And each whisper led to a step further and further away from God. Distraction, Distortion, Doubt, Distrust, Desolation, Decision, Deception and Despair. Subtle, steady, strategic.

Friends, this is the same old scheme and battle plan Satan uses today. But here’s the good news, it’s never a done deal. At any point, once we recognize we’re in the web of the enemy we can turn back. We can reject Satan’s lie, cling to God’s truth, with the Sword of the Spirit, and stay in the fight. Because as long as we keep fighting in Christ, the enemy can’t win

But there’s one more part of Eve’s story that’s key in understanding the schemes of the enemy so we can stand strong. Beneath all of his strategies lies another “D” — the battleground where the serpent presses in the most

That battleground is desire.

Often when we hear Eve’s story, her desire to be like God is presented as sinful pride, as if she was reaching for something evil from the start. Now, on this side of her decision which ushered evil into the very nature of humanity. It’s true that our desires get tangled with selfishness and pride. James reminds us that evil desires give birth to sin. But in Genesis 3, Eve had not yet fallen. Her desire could not have been tainted by sin.

The serpent said, “When you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Now actually this was twisted half truth

Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom.

So, what if her desire to learn, to be wise, to be curious, even to enjoy beauty and food was part of her God-given nature? The problem wasn’t the desire The problem was the serpent’s twisted half-truth, offering a path that wasn’t God’s Word or way. And in that moment her desire became her Achilles heel exploited by the enemy’s scheme.

Family, that’s why awareness of the enemy’s schemes matters. And why we need to be honest recognize our desires and keep them before Jesus so when the twisted lies and half-truths coming from the enemy are presented to us, we can see through his strategy, cling to God’s truth, and stay in the light

We see this same battleground played out again and again in Scripture —

Think about Abraham and Sarah. God had promised Abraham a son, and that he would be the father of many generations outnumbering the stars and the sand. But after years of waiting, they reasoned their own plan and Abraham fathered a child through Hagar. Their desire for God’s promise to be fulfilled was real, but outside of God’s timing it led to jealousy and division that is still being played out between nations today. The enemy’s scheme worked.

Or take Jacob and Rebekah. God had told Rebekah that Jacob would rise above his brother. But, instead of trusting God to bring it about, Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac. Jacob got the blessing, but it fractured the family and drove him into exile. The enemy’s scheme worked because deception won over truth.

And look at Peter in the New Testament. Out of love and loyalty for Jesus, he drew his sword to defend Jesus and cut off the ear of one of the guards. His desire to protect was real, noble even but his zeal was distorted by a failure to follow Jesus’ plan. And the enemy was glad — because even good intentions can be twisted when they aren’t surrendered to God’s way.

Different people. Different settings. But the same story: Same enemy play book, working out his schemes within us and around us often using legitimate desires twisted out of shape.

The schemes still work pulling God’s people away from His word and His way, causing division, confusion, strife, animosity, torment, trials and tribulations; and every time the enemy gains ground to move forward. The more we recognize what’s really going on, the better we’re able to stand against the Devil’s schemes and fight battles in Jesus’ name

Now friends, when we look at Eve’s story now, we can see what she could not. Hindsight is 20/20. My parents have frequently told me “I’m telling you this so you don’t make the same mistake I made.” I wonder if Eve would say the same to us.

What if she could speak to us today? What might she say? I believe she’d give us insights that we can learn from.  Drawing from her own experience, Eve would say…

 “Don’t let the enemy distract you, keep your eyes on God and all He has already done.” That’s where gratitude can impact your attitude.  God is aware of your needs and your desires, and He says my grace is all you need. I’ve got you.

Eve would say - “Don’t let the enemy distort God’s Word — know what His Word actually says.” This speaks to last week’s message about wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. We have to keep learning and studying. The enemy can quote God’s Word, too and can change it just enough to sound good.  He’s a master of half-truths and lies, but as we study and trust the Holy Spirit, we can learn to discern and test the spirits

Eve would say - “Don’t let the enemy plant doubt or fear — God’s warnings are for your protection, not to rob you.” God has not given us a spirit of fear – so we know that’s a false spirit. God is always out for our good

And then Eve would say - “Don’t let the enemy’s lies and half-truths lead you to distrust. God isn’t holding out on you; He’s holding you close.” Closer than you know, and in ways you may never know. Trust him.

Then I believe she’d add this important memory, she’d say, “ Friends, even after Adam and I failed, God came looking for us. He reached for us in our failure and clothed us with His love. Yes, there were consequences — but there was also grace.”

Family, that’s our hope and assurance, too. Yes, Satan has a battle strategy. But God has the master strategy and he won’t be defeated. Paul wrote, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV)

Jesus knows the battlefield of human desire. Hebrews tells us He understands every temptation and weakness, every whisper, every struggle, and every desire, but He stood firm. He overcame the forces of evil in this world and tells us we can do the same because he overcame the world.

And the good news is this, His Spirit now lives in us, giving us strength, sharpening our discernment, and training us to recognize the enemy’s schemes. We are not defenseless. And we are not alone. We have the power of Christ within us.

So, stay in the fight, cling to God’s truth, and hold your ground. Because in every battle, big or small, the answer is the same. Jesus is the answer. Always.