The Garden

Chapter 6Distort and Discourage

Mr. Erwin grabbed another piece of fruit from the forbidden tree and continued, “The enemy creates doubt by lying to us. He distorts truth with lies. As I told you the other day, the truth was Adam and Eve were made in God's image and the enemy convinced them they weren't. The truth was if they ate from the forbidden tree God said they would die, and the enemy said God was lying and they would not die. The enemy made it seem like God was trying to keep them from becoming like Him, when in fact God told them not to eat from the tree so they could continue to be like him. The enemy lied to them, and he continues to lie to us.

“Those negative thoughts we talked about the other day. They are lies you would never choose to think yourself. The enemy is a liar, and he's always trying to fill your mind with lies.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Kay. “Jay and I were talking about this the other day and it sure feels like those negative thoughts are coming from us. They are in our head, after all.”

“I know it does,” Mr. Erwin said as he threw the piece of fruit towards the back of the yard. “But that's how deceptive the enemy is. I don't know how it works but I know the thought comes in so fast that you think it's from you. The lie is in your head and you believe it. Then you reinforce it by repeating it to yourself. You identify with it, and it becomes a part of your identity. You may even reinforce it further by telling others. Then you feel discouraged. That's ...