Since the time of Adam, the devil has always fought to divert man to serve, worship, and adore him. To achieve this diversion, he always approaches leaders in subtle ways to plant doubt about God’s word and make people disbelieve God and believe his lies instead.
When God created man, He blessed him and gave him dominion over every living creature. He only required men to keep one commandment. Then the devil came and accused God before Eve and made her enter into an unprofitable argument, which later caused Eve and Adam to doubt God. They looked greedily at the forbidden fruit and desired what God prohibited. Eventually, they ended up not only touching but also eating forbidden fruit.
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And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.
Genesis 2:16, 17; 3:1-4
Doubting the word of God and taking disobedient actions against God’s word are open doors to idolatry that lead to enmity with God and friendship with the devil. Unfortunately, the highest self-deceit in life is to think that the devil can be your friend. It was what cost Adam and Eve their paradise in the first place. God has already established a permanent and irreversible enmity between you and the devil.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15
Opening your door to idolatry begins by listening and actually paying attention to Satan’s lies, thinking and planning against God’s word, doubting Him and desiring to do what He prohibits, and sinning against God. Esau opened the door to idolatry and destroyed the future of his born and yet-to-be-born children when he sold his birth right and thereby missed his blessings. He did not repent with humility and patience. He refused to wait for his day of dominion so he could break his brother’s yoke that was on his neck because no condition is permanent. Instead, he went into a carnal rather than spiritual battle and hated his brother, Jacob.
And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
Genesis 27:40-41
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Both Moab’s kings and princes were involved in the days of evil sacrifices, idolatrous worship, occultism, divinations, bewitchments, and witchcraft. Through the altars of sin and evil counsel, the children of Israel committed whoredom (harlotry) with the daughters of Moab. They ate things sacrificed to the devil and even bowed down to their gods.
Idol worship causes poverty and limitations, making its victims to struggle without making significant progress, blessings without suffering. Victims of idol worship experience failure at the edge of breakthrough, an inability to complete good things on time, and poor finishing. They are the victims of constant demonic attacks, periodic problems, constant failure, backwardness, and phony prosperity as a result of the devil’s deception.
No matter how powerful you may be now as a sinner practicing idolatry, how protected, rich, and famous you may be, there will be a visitation of God’s judgment on the ungodly, the stiff-necked, and the rebellious. Sinners are like chaff, and they can neither survive the judgment of God nor be spared when the time comes. You may be having your feast days now, but if you fail to repent before your judgment day, there will be no safe haven for you. You have only one choice left for you now, and that choice is for you to turn away from sin now or burn in hell forever.