ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

receiving it. Rest assured, Satan is at the root of all the doubts that plague us. Given that truth, let’s move on to the scope of doubt, examin- ing first the confusion Eve displayed by misquoting God after being questioned by the serpent. She claimed God said “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die,” (Genesis 3:3), when nothing was said about touching (see Genesis 2:17). To this day, confusion causes people to deny, grow stagnant in, and even fall away from the faith. Millions have grown up in the church without being grounded in the truth. False teachings flourish because far too many people don’t know what they believe; they know just enough of the Bible to be dangerous, and, like Eve, they misquote or take it out of context. James records this valuable kingdom principle, addressing prayer specifically, “Ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect he will receive anything from the Lord, being a dou- ble-minded man, unstable in all his way” (James 1:6-8). Doubt puts peo- ple in a position of instability and vulnerability, making them more susceptible to false teaching and trendy, shallow spirituality. In Eve’s case, her confusion gave way to temptation. While her ears took in the serpent’s falsehoods, her eyes focused on the forbidden fruit, finding it to be a “delight to the eyes” (3:6). According to Jesus, “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). Sadly, dark- ness and doubt flood in to our minds when we take our eyes off of a desirable God and shift them to the dangerous things of the world. King David provides a prime example of this. Once, while walking around the roof of his palace, he saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing (2 Samuel 11:3).Though she was married, he wanted her for himself, a forbidden desire which led to adultery, murder, and a dysfunctional family. Moses warned the Israelites that if they were disobedient

3