Listen to today’s devo!

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked. (Gen. 3:7)

It was simple really. God had intentionally created all they would need and more, wrapped it in beauty and purpose, and used his creation to be in perfect relationship with them. Adam and Eve knew freedom and value, and understood what God wanted for them and from them. They knew the giver of truth in living color.

And yet, somehow their knowing was undone. In a single conversation, it was dismantled right before their eyes, as they gazed on that perfect tree and decided God was withholding something from them. They knew, and then they didn’t. They believed, and then they stopped. And this undoing undid their freedom.

It was not that they were suddenly naked. They always had been. Their nakedness was a transparency and vulnerability before the Lord and each other that was unparalleled. But in their undoing, their eyes were “opened” to something incorrect. What they perceived now was a concoction of mistruth. They assumed shame that was never meant for them and they fell into captivity. Their realization was less about finally seeing something that was always there and more about being convinced by something new that had entered creation and wanted to swallow them whole. Deception assures us that things are the reverse of what they really are, and it leads us to believe that what is for our good will cause us harm.

Seek to align your perception of your identity with God’s Word.

Elizabeth Rhyno is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, worship pastor, and advocate for the wholeness and restoration God generously gives.

© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.