Study Subtle Shifts
Don't Get it Twisted (Day 3) // Prayer365
“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’?” The woman said 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.’ ” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 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. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” - Genesis 3:1-7 NIV
The theme for this week is "Don’t Get it Twisted!” Declare it aloud today by saying, “Self, don’t get it twisted!” The word twist is another word for pervert. I believe it’s Satan’s most powerful tool he uses and it’s one he’s been using since the beginning of all creation. It’s his desire, the devil that is, to twist the original purpose, meaning and will of God. He wants to twist everything about you — your identity, your calling, your perspective. He wants to take what’s good and twist it.
On Day 1 we were encouraged to resist the twist and this requires acknowledgement that the twist exists. Yesterday (Day 2), we saw that before we can successfully resist the twist, we must forty’s submit to God, which led us to the question of "Who’s King in your life?” Because whomever you allow to have rulership in your life, determines who has kingship in your life. And we have declared it is God who’s King in our life! Today, as we continue in this theme titled “Don’t Get it Twisted” I want to encourage you to Study Subtle Shifts. In order for us to not get it twisted or to untwist successfully, we’ve got to study subtle shifts.
For many of us by the time we realize that something has become twisted (internally or externally), it’s already done extensive damage to its environment. It could be years, even decades before you realize that something is terribly wrong. The reason why is that perversion, or the twisting of a thing, is not always obvious in the beginning. Instead it begins and is comprised of a series subtle shifts.
We saw this in our text (Genesis 3:1-7) where Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden. Eve finds herself in this conversation with the serpent which is being possessed by Satan, himself, and he asks her a question. Before we get to that question, I want to identify how the word describes the serpent. In the New International Version (NIV) it says the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals that God made. In the King James Version, it uses the word subtle, meaning you won’t notice him as easily as others. Something subtle is not obvious, not easily identifiable. It’s something that we can even say is insidious or gradual. Satan has used this particular animal to speak to the woman.
He says to her, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said 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.’” I want us to see something that I didn’t highlight on Sunday: this shows us that the devil did not initiate the twist, he just simply brought it to light. I hope you can see this. He didn’t twist her directly, instead he brought out the twist that was already inside of the woman. You see when she went to quote what God said, she misquoted him. In the prior chapter, God gave the instruction that man should not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which is in the middle of the garden. That the day they eat of the fruit the would surely die. But she added to this by saying that we should not touch it… her understanding was twisted. The devil saw this as an opportunity as he recognized the internal twist within the woman and he says in v.4 “You will not certainly die.” Now he’s taking the existing twist within her and twisting it even further. He says, “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” I want you to look at this false promise he made to her, the said, “you will be like God.” He’s telling her that she would be like Him when God had already created to be like Him, they were formed in God’s image and likeness, leaving no need to become who they already were. Understand that the devil desires to twist what God intended, but he does it subtly.
We must pay attention to the subtle shifts in our lives — study them! When you see something that’s a little off, even if it’s within yourself, don’t ignore it, don’t just skip over it. If it doesn’t align with the will, purpose or word of God, you’ve got to address it and confront it in that moment by saying “God, investigate my life! Search me oh Lord!” as David did in the 139th Psalm (MSG). We’ve got to confront those areas in our lives, anything that’s subtle because something so subtle turned into this mess of a world that we live in today. It was something subtle that led to the first sin, the twisting of God’s command.
Friend, understand we cannot afford to ignore it, we’ve got to pay attention! Watch the little things! Remember in the Songs of Solomon where it says “It’s the small fox that spoils the vine.” It’s the subtle shifts, the little things. Don’t say "it’s nothing" or “that’s peanuts.” Not that’s not true! It’s something little that can grow insidiously, it can gradually cause you to become more and more twisted. Cause your perspective and your outlook to become more and more twisted. Your identity and your purpose to become more and more twisted. Twisted so much that you cannot even recognize yourself.
Study the subtle shifts in your relationships, your finances, your spirit man, in your health. You recognize when something isn’t right, don’t wait until something isn’t right. Don’t wait to find what’s wrong! Study it! Confront it! Do it immediately! That way you won’t get it twisted. God wants you to be able to flow in the rhythms of His grace, He does not want there to be anything in you that is stopped or hindered, he wants you to flow. And in order to do that, while He’s untwisting us, we must also make sure we don’t get twisted again. We’ve got to study the subtle shifts.
Subtle shifts can have damaging effects over time. In a car, a subtle shift out of alignment can destroy brand new tires over time. In the earth, a subtle shift in the earths crust can cause earthquakes that violently destroy! But it starts subtly.
Prayer Focus: That your eyes would be opened so that you can see the subtle shifts in your life.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
The theme for this week is "Don’t Get it Twisted!” Declare it aloud today by saying, “Self, don’t get it twisted!” The word twist is another word for pervert. I believe it’s Satan’s most powerful tool he uses and it’s one he’s been using since the beginning of all creation. It’s his desire, the devil that is, to twist the original purpose, meaning and will of God. He wants to twist everything about you — your identity, your calling, your perspective. He wants to take what’s good and twist it.
On Day 1 we were encouraged to resist the twist and this requires acknowledgement that the twist exists. Yesterday (Day 2), we saw that before we can successfully resist the twist, we must forty’s submit to God, which led us to the question of "Who’s King in your life?” Because whomever you allow to have rulership in your life, determines who has kingship in your life. And we have declared it is God who’s King in our life! Today, as we continue in this theme titled “Don’t Get it Twisted” I want to encourage you to Study Subtle Shifts. In order for us to not get it twisted or to untwist successfully, we’ve got to study subtle shifts.
For many of us by the time we realize that something has become twisted (internally or externally), it’s already done extensive damage to its environment. It could be years, even decades before you realize that something is terribly wrong. The reason why is that perversion, or the twisting of a thing, is not always obvious in the beginning. Instead it begins and is comprised of a series subtle shifts.
We saw this in our text (Genesis 3:1-7) where Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden. Eve finds herself in this conversation with the serpent which is being possessed by Satan, himself, and he asks her a question. Before we get to that question, I want to identify how the word describes the serpent. In the New International Version (NIV) it says the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals that God made. In the King James Version, it uses the word subtle, meaning you won’t notice him as easily as others. Something subtle is not obvious, not easily identifiable. It’s something that we can even say is insidious or gradual. Satan has used this particular animal to speak to the woman.
He says to her, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said 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.’” I want us to see something that I didn’t highlight on Sunday: this shows us that the devil did not initiate the twist, he just simply brought it to light. I hope you can see this. He didn’t twist her directly, instead he brought out the twist that was already inside of the woman. You see when she went to quote what God said, she misquoted him. In the prior chapter, God gave the instruction that man should not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which is in the middle of the garden. That the day they eat of the fruit the would surely die. But she added to this by saying that we should not touch it… her understanding was twisted. The devil saw this as an opportunity as he recognized the internal twist within the woman and he says in v.4 “You will not certainly die.” Now he’s taking the existing twist within her and twisting it even further. He says, “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” I want you to look at this false promise he made to her, the said, “you will be like God.” He’s telling her that she would be like Him when God had already created to be like Him, they were formed in God’s image and likeness, leaving no need to become who they already were. Understand that the devil desires to twist what God intended, but he does it subtly.
We must pay attention to the subtle shifts in our lives — study them! When you see something that’s a little off, even if it’s within yourself, don’t ignore it, don’t just skip over it. If it doesn’t align with the will, purpose or word of God, you’ve got to address it and confront it in that moment by saying “God, investigate my life! Search me oh Lord!” as David did in the 139th Psalm (MSG). We’ve got to confront those areas in our lives, anything that’s subtle because something so subtle turned into this mess of a world that we live in today. It was something subtle that led to the first sin, the twisting of God’s command.
Friend, understand we cannot afford to ignore it, we’ve got to pay attention! Watch the little things! Remember in the Songs of Solomon where it says “It’s the small fox that spoils the vine.” It’s the subtle shifts, the little things. Don’t say "it’s nothing" or “that’s peanuts.” Not that’s not true! It’s something little that can grow insidiously, it can gradually cause you to become more and more twisted. Cause your perspective and your outlook to become more and more twisted. Your identity and your purpose to become more and more twisted. Twisted so much that you cannot even recognize yourself.
Study the subtle shifts in your relationships, your finances, your spirit man, in your health. You recognize when something isn’t right, don’t wait until something isn’t right. Don’t wait to find what’s wrong! Study it! Confront it! Do it immediately! That way you won’t get it twisted. God wants you to be able to flow in the rhythms of His grace, He does not want there to be anything in you that is stopped or hindered, he wants you to flow. And in order to do that, while He’s untwisting us, we must also make sure we don’t get twisted again. We’ve got to study the subtle shifts.
Subtle shifts can have damaging effects over time. In a car, a subtle shift out of alignment can destroy brand new tires over time. In the earth, a subtle shift in the earths crust can cause earthquakes that violently destroy! But it starts subtly.
Prayer Focus: That your eyes would be opened so that you can see the subtle shifts in your life.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
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