"It Is Written"

From the Pastor: Dr. M. J. Seymour, Sr.



“…then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Gen. 3:5 –6)

In every generation there are men, women, and “secret societies” that have miraculously discovered the ancient secrets to make one “healthy, wealthy, and wise.” The deception is that they actually have no idea just how ancient their “secrets” in fact are. God disclosed to us how Satan used them in the Garden of Eden. Of course, there is one major difference; God reveals them to be sins not secrets. The secret is that the Serpent of the Garden hopes one does not discern this truth until it is too late. They are simply the sins of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But, Lucifer sweetened the pot by adding “ye shall be as gods,” which meant they would have superiority over others who lacked these traits.

Satan used the same temptations on our Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness when he presumed our Lord to be too weak to resist. The old Serpent challenges the Lord’s superiority with “IF thou be the Son of God,” and “All these things will I give thee,” suggesting he was superior over Jesus. The Son of God may have been weakened in the flesh but he never diminished one speck in His mighty spirit. The Lord dashes to pieces Satan’s offer with the words “It is written” and then quotes the Holy Scriptures of old, the very Word of God.

Satan has never changed his methods of temptations; he may transform their outward appearances, but they are forever the same. The serpent always begins with the thought of “superiority to others”; then he dresses the allurements to fit the character of the one being tempted. He uses things like money, possessions, outward appearances, success, control over others, romance, prestige, intelligence, popularity, etc. The problem is they are all temporal pleasures, empty, and full of vainglory. Their appetites are never full.

The believers’ answer to all of Satan’s temptations must ever be “It is written.” Eternal life and the forgiveness of sins are in the superiority and riches of God’s grace and mercies. Praise His Name!!!