Do not be fooled by the devil.

Don't be deceived by Satan's temptations. He promises happiness and peace if we'll only follow him — but his promises are a lie.

We can be so dazzled by the supernatural. If someone does a miracle, the assumption is they must be from God. But are they? Should we believe anyone who can do a miracle?

Satan has his counterfeit Christians. He probably operates by the old adage that says, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” He loves to counterfeit the genuine. Whatever you have in the Christian life, you will have a devilish counterfeit somewhere else in this world.

There are people who will lie and say that something is a miracle when it really is not a miracle at all. Then there are miracles that can be done by the hand of the devil. The Bible warns us about lying signs and wonders that will be brought about by the Antichrist and the false prophet who will work in connection with him in the last days. So we don’t want to believe someone just because they supposedly have a “miracle” ministry.

In addition to counterfeit miracles, there are counterfeit believers and a counterfeit gospel. The apostle Paul wrote, “I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not” (2 Corinthians 11:26). And writing to the believers in Galatia he said, “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ” (Galatians 1:6–7).

How do you know if someone is from God? Listen to what they are saying. And if what they are saying does not correlate to what is taught in the Bible, don’t listen to them.

Satan is God’s enemy but by no means his equal. He is no match for God, but he is more than a match for us.

The greatest way Satan can seek to bring harm to God is by harming the ones who are made in God’s image — human beings. There was a new TV show called “Lucifer.” The show portrays him in a way that makes the devil seem charming, compassionate and even a little kind.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus said, “the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). We see his plan for humanity in the original temptation of man and woman in the third chapter of Genesis. He is portrayed as a wily and crafty serpent. His power lies in his trickery and deception of the human mind and heart. We see in Genesis 3 the he throws his deadly D’s at us.

He begins with DOUBT. When he first approached the woman, he asked her, “Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” His question was meant to place doubt in her. Are you sure that is what God said?

Satan does everything he can to cause us to doubt God’s truth. The enemy will do all he can to distort, attack, and twist the truth of God’s word. If he can place doubt in our hearts, then he can begin to get us to rationalize all sorts of things.

Next, he leads us into DECEIT. The woman replied to Satan, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Genesis 3:2,3).

Satan responded with a bold face lie: “You will not surely die.” He was basically saying that there are no consequences for disobedience to God. You can rebel and do what you want and God will not do anything about it.

The enemy is full of deceit. He will list all the benefits of an affair, an addiction, or some other action, but he will never tell you the cost. He will not tell you about broken relationships.

After lying to you, he brings you to a place of DELIGHT. The woman saw the fruit of the tree “was good for food and pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 3:6). He made it look fun and inviting. He always knows just the right bait to lure us in. Usually at the delight stage we still have a chance to bail. If not, it is too late. We will find ourselves moving to the next stage — DESIRE.

When desire sets in, it is over. The woman saw that the food was not only “pleasing to the eye,” but it was also “desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6). This is where the hook is set in, and you can’t turn back.

Have you ever been there? You were so tempted by something or someone that you just couldn’t stop yourself even though you knew it was sinful and wrong. Satan makes a little beach-head in our hearts and minds, and brings us to the point where we finally DECIDE.

The woman “took some (of the fruit) and she ate it. She also gave some to her husband.” Even though they knew it was against God’s will, they made a decision that would damage their lives.

Ultimately, they were left in DEFEAT and DESPAIR. Immediately they felt guilty. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, and they ran from God. Satan took them on a trip that they regretted — all the way from doubt to defeat.

God told them their sin and disobedience would cost them, but the enemy and temptation never tell you that. The enemy offers you the world, then sucker punches you when you least expect it.

Make no mistake, he is not a compassionate friend. Are you being tempted? Watch out.

And that’s the Word.