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INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE



We know from the first article that Eve added to, subtracted from, and changed the word of God, among other things.

As I continually grow in God's word, I have identified at least 8 different interlocking layers of truth in the fall of man, each one deeper than the next. The profound truths of the Word of God never fail to amaze, heal, strengthen and enlighten. I will be sharing these in the future as time and resources permit.

The phrase “O ye of little faith” [little believing] is used 4 times in the gospel of Matthew.

If we have any of these 4 kinds of weak believing, it can prevent us from carrying out God’s revelation, whether written or by way of the 9 manifestations of holy spirit.

How Eve handled the fall of man is woven throughout the article.

Teaching Outline:

1. What is believing?
2. The 4 ways the world attacks our believing and how to overcome them
      a) Anxiety
      b) Fear
      c) Doubt
      d) Confused wavering reasoning
3. Love
4. Hope
5. 22 Point Summary

3 out of the 4 types of unbelief [that's 75%!] involve the general concept of mental division and wavering [anxiety, doubt, & confused wavering reasoning].


Look how great God is!

He's telling us our opponent's [Satan] methods of attack in advance so we can be prepared for it in order to defeat him right off the bat.

Imagine playing football and knowing in advance what play your opponent is going to do next?

How valuable would that be?!

WHAT IS BELIEVING?

Definition of "believe" from dictionary.com:

verb (used without object), believed, believing.
1. to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

verb (used with object), believed, believing.
2. to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.

3. to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).

4. to have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in a given action or involved in a given situation: The fugitive is believed to be headed for the Mexican border.

5. to suppose or assume; understand (usually followed by a noun clause): I believe that he has left town.

Countless teachings could be taught on the subject of believing, so we're just scratching the surface of this vast and important issue.

Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear [reverence] the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

The concept of the just living by their faith [believing] is only mentioned 4 times in the bible.

4 is the number of the world and it is only by our believing that we can overcome the world.


I John 5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [believing].
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

The first usage of living by our believing is in Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith [believing].

The most fundamental belief is to believe to be born again of God's spirit and become a son of God.

Romans 10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Verse 9 - definition of "confess":
Strong's Concordance #3670
homologeó: to speak the same, to agree
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (hom-ol-og-eh'-o)
Definition: (a) I promise, agree, (b) I confess, (c) I publicly declare, (d) a Hebraism, I praise, celebrate.

HELPS Word-studies
3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse).

You do not get saved by confessing your sins. That is old testament and gospel doctrine that was directly to the Judeans.

From the day of Pentecost in 28A.D., and afterwards, we are saved by grace, not works [Ephesians 2:8-10].


Jesus Christ taught the principle of believing as well:

Matthew 21
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith [believing], and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Matthew 8
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith [believing], no, not in Israel.

Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith [believing]: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Romans 4:20
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith [believing], giving glory to God;

Romans 5:2
By whom also we have access by faith [believing] into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Hebrews 11:1 [amplified bible]
1 Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
2 For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.

I John 5
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

If we don't believe God's word, then it is impossible to receive anything from God.

This is why the devil, as God of this world, tries so hard to break down our believing.


II Corinthians 2:11 [amplified bible]
To keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Once we know Satan's methodologies, then we can prepare and defeat him.

That is the purpose of this section on believing [and 4 sub-sections - fear, anxiety, doubt, and confused wavering reasoning], so we can recognize and defeat Satan's attacks against us.

ANXIETY
Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].

Definition of peace:
Greek word eirene [Strong's #1515]; "to join, tie together into a whole") – wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God's gift of wholeness).

Ephesians 4:3
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Your mind can't be peaceful if it's divided against itself, if it's not unified together.


This is why the world will try to get you to be full of anxiety: to get your mind to be divided against itself.

Matthew 12
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

How does the first usage of "O ye of little faith [believing]?" relate to Romans 15:13?

Matthew 6:30
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith [believing]?

The command to “take no thought” is used 6 times in Matthew 6 alone. 6 is the number of man as he is influenced by the adversary.

[Matt: 6:25; 6:27; 6:28; 6:31; 6:34 2x;]

Matthew 6:25
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment [clothing]?

Definition of "take no thought" = the Greek word merimnao [Strong's #3309]

anxiety; drawn in opposite directions; "divided into parts" (figuratively) "to go to pieces" because pulled apart (in different directions), like the force exerted by sinful anxiety (worry).

Dictionary.com definition of anxiety:
noun, plural anxieties.
1. distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune: He felt anxiety about the possible loss of his job.
2. earnest but tense desire; eagerness: He had a keen anxiety to succeed in his work.
3. Psychiatry. a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder.

Antonyms
1. certainty, serenity, tranquility.

Peace: when all essential parts are joined together
Anxiety: drawn in opposite directions; "divided into parts"

Anxiety contradicts God's peace, a critical component of believing.


How do we overcome anxiety?

No worries, Mate!

As we keep the Lord first, then he will take care of us and will fill all our needs.

Matthew 6
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought [don't be anxious] for the morrow [tomorrow]: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Philippians 4 [amplified bible]
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

19 And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Certainty:
Luke 1
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

Our level of certainty in God's word will certainly increase as we prove the truth of God's word daily by speaking in tongues, one of the many infallible proofs of the word of God.


Acts 1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Peace:
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Isaiah 26:3 [amplified bible]
You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].

FEAR
Matthew 8:26
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith [believing]? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Definition of "fearful":
HELPS Word-studies
1169 deilós (an adjective derived from deidō, "fear-driven") – properly, dreadful, describing a person who loses their "moral gumption (fortitude)" that is needed to follow the Lord.

1169 /deilós ("fearful of losses") refers to an excessive fear (dread) of "losing," causing someone to be fainthearted (cowardly) – hence, to fall short in following Christ as Lord.

dictionary.com definition of fear:
noun
1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

Synonyms: foreboding, apprehension, consternation, dismay, dread, terror, fright, panic, horror, trepidation, qualm.
Antonyms: courage, security, calm, intrepidity.

2 reasons why fear is so bad:

ONE:

I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Definition of torment:
Strong's Concordance #2851
kolasis: correction
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (kol'-as-is)
Definition: chastisement, punishment, torment, perhaps with the idea of deprivation.

HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 2851 kólasis (from kolaphos, "a buffeting, a blow") – properly, punishment that "fits" (matches) the one punished (R. Trench); torment from living in the dread of upcoming judgment from shirking one's duty (cf. WS at 1 Jn 4:18).

Definition of torment from www.dictionary.com:

verb (used with object)
1. to afflict with great bodily or mental suffering; pain: to be tormented with violent headaches.
2. to worry or annoy excessively: to torment one with questions.
3. to throw into commotion; stir up; disturb.

noun
4. a state of great bodily or mental suffering; agony; misery.
5. something that causes great bodily or mental pain or suffering.
6. a source of much trouble, worry, or annoyance.
7. an instrument of torture, as the rack or the thumbscrew.
8. the infliction of torture by means of such an instrument or the torture so inflicted.

If you have fear, you don't have peace and therefore, you can't believe God's word.


Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [holy spirit].

I John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

The order of the words in God's word are perfect.

The reason I John 4:18 comes before I John 5 is because we must be Free of Fear First in order to believe God's word.


I John 5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith [believing].
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

TWO:

Job 3
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

How do we get rid of fear?

Nobody wants more negatives in their lives and fear is a magnet for them.

Acts 28
15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage - emboldened by the Lord working within (used only in Ac 28:15).
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Definition of confidence:
"a proverb or statement quoted with resolve," L-S) – properly, confidence (bold resolve), leaving a witness that something deserves to be remembered (taken seriously).

Ephesians 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith [believing] of him.

Psalms 34 [amplified bible]
4 I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant; Their faces will never blush in shame or confusion.

  1. Face
  2. Everything
  3. And
  4. Rise
  1. False
  2. Evidence
  3. Appearing
  4. Real
  1. Feeling
  2. Excited
  3. And
  4. Ready
  1. Freakin
  2. Everybody's
  3. Adrenaline
  4. Rocks!
  1. From
  2. Eve
  3. Adam
  4. Recovered
DOUBT
Matthew 14
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith [believing], wherefore didst thou doubt?

Biblical definition of doubt: it's the Greek word distazo [Strong's #1365] = “to stand in two ways, be uncertain as to which to take”.

Very appropriately it's only used twice in the bible - the meaning of the number 2 in the bible is division!!

Dictionary definition of "uncertain":
adjective
1. not definitely ascertainable or fixed, as in time of occurrence, number, dimensions, or quality.
2. not confident, assured, or free from hesitancy>>this contradicts Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith [believing] of him.
3. not clearly or precisely determined; indefinite; unknown: a manuscript of uncertain origin, [which is an exact description of the books of the apocrypha!] >>this contradicts Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading>>the definition of uncertain [weak wavering believing] is of the same essence of vague understanding, one of the very weak doctrinal support structures of purgatory!
4. vague; indistinct; not perfectly apprehended>>this contradicts Luke 1:1-4
5. subject to change; variable; capricious; unstable>>this contradicts Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not...and also Isaiah 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear [reverence] of the Lord is his treasure

James 1
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

[amplified bible] If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith [believing], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Eve wavered between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world, causing one of the most catastrophic events in human history.
James 3

6. ambiguous; unreliable; undependable: Her loyalties are uncertain.
7. dependent on chance or unpredictable factors; doubtful; of unforeseeable outcome or effect>>this contradicts Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all>>chance means to be beseiged with chaos!
8. unsteady or flickering, as light; of changing intensity or quality. [Its interesting to note that the constellation scorpio the scorpion, has 99 variable stars in it! The biblical meaning of the number 9 is that of finality and judgment, so since scorpio has 99 variable stars, that's two 9's in a row = judgment established!

Antares is a variable red giant star and is the brightest star in that constellation and represents the heart of the scorpion [representing the devil], so the unsteadiness or flickering light of the heart of a weak, wavering and confused soul ultimately comes from negative influences of Satan.

Another angle to this is that 99 is also 9 x 11!

From E.W. Bullinger's number in scripture book:
If ten is the number which marks the perfection of Divine order, then eleven is an addition to it, subversive of and undoing that order. If twelve is the number which marks the perfection of Divine government, then eleven falls short of it. So that whether we regard it as being 10 + 1, or 12 - 1, it is the number which marks disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration].

Based upon the definitions of doubt and uncertain, Eve had confused, wavering reasoning = her second sign of weak believing.

She wavered and was confused between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of Satan.

Genesis 3
1 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?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 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.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 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.

In verse 1, Satan said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

This is where Satan plants a doubt in Eve's mind, getting her to question and DOUBT the integrity of God's word.

This is how we know that Satan first attacks Eve's believing because doubt, in Matthew 14:31, is a sign of "little faith" [weak believing].

Genesis 3:1 contains the figure of speech erotesis.

The definition of erotesis, from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English: "A figure of speech by which a strong affirmation of the contrary is implied under the form of an earnest interrogation".

We must remember that the purpose of figures of speech in the bible are to emphasize certain words or concepts; to tell us what is most important in God's word.

From a grammatical point of view, the first attack against Eve was a contradiction against God's word by implication.


Implication is the name of another kind of figure of speech called Hypocatastasis. It is implied resemblance calculated to arouse the mind and attract and excite the attention to the greatest degree.

This is why it was so effective against Eve.

So by asking Eve the question, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?", Satan was strongly implying that the exact opposite was true - Ye shall eat of every tree of the garden! [implying that there will be no consequences, which was false].

This caused Eve to doubt the precision and trustworthiness of God's word, her first sign of weak believing.

Genesis 2
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 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.

So how do we counteract wavering on an issue?

I Corinthians 15
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Ephesians 3
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith [believing]; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

Colossians 1:23
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Hebrews 6
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

How to avoid wavering and regret - make successful decisions with God's wisdom!
CONFUSED WAVERING REASONING
Matthew 16:8
Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith [believing], why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

Definition of "reason":
HELPS Word-studies
[Strong's # 1260] Verb; dialogízomai (from 1223 /diá, "thoroughly," which intensifies 3049 /logízomai, "reckon, add up") – properly, go back-and-forth when evaluating, in a way that typically leads to a confused conclusion. The term implies one confused mind interacting with other confused minds, each further reinforcing the original confusion.

By definition, we can see that "reason" has the basic elements of doubt [wavering; "go back-and-forth when evaluating"; (1 of the 4 types of unbelief)], + confusion, which is ungodly.

Confusion is not being able to distinguish 2 or more elements that are all mixed up together.

Wavering confusion.

4 STRATEGIES OF SATAN AGAINST CHRISTIAN'S BELIEVING
Strategy definition: an elaborate and systematic plan of action
LEVEL SATAN'S STRATEGIES
1 Make a psychological & spiritual weapon to use against Christians
2 Get you to doubt [waver & weaken] in your believing
3 Confuse you so that you cannot stand against him in the spiritual competition
4 Prevent you from overcoming Satan and the world he runs [II Corinthians 4:4; I John 5:4 & 5]


I Corinthians 14
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Biblical definition of wiles:
Greek word methodeia [Strong's #3180]
scheming, craftiness, deceit; a predictable (pre-set) method used in organized evil-doing (well-crafted trickery).

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand [Greek word anthistémi, Strong's #436] in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith [believing], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Biblical definition of confusion from I Corinthians 14:33
Strong's Concordance #181
akatastasia definition: instability>>just the opposite effect of God's wisdom in Isaiah 33:6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear [reverence] of the Lord is his treasure

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-at-as-tah-see'-ah)
Usage: disturbance, upheaval, revolution, almost anarchy, first in the political, and thence in the moral sphere.

HELPS Word-studies
181 akatastasía (from 1 /A "not," 2596 /katá, "down" and stasis, "status, standing," cf. 2476 /hístēmi) – properly, can not stand (remain steady); unsettled, unstable (in tumult); (figuratively) instability bringing on disorder (disturbance).

181 /akatastasía ("commotion") generates confusion (things being "out of control"), i.e. when "up for grabs." This uncertainty and tumult inevitably generates more instability.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Biblical definition of resist:
Strong's Concordance #436
anthistémi definition: to set against, i.e. withstand
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (anth-is'-tay-mee)
Usage: I set against; I withstand, resist, oppose.

HELPS Word-studies
436 anthístēmi (from 473 /antí, "opposite/against" and 2476 /hístēmi, "to stand") – properly, take a complete stand against, i.e. a "180 degree, contrary position"; (figuratively) to establish one's position publicly by conspicuously "holding one's ground," i.e. refusing to be moved ("pushed back").

I Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

436 /anthístēmi ("oppose fully") means to forcefully declare one's personal conviction (where they unswervingly stand); to keep one's possession; ardently withstand, without giving up (letting go).

[436 (anthístēmi) was a military term in classical Greek (used by Thucydides, etc.) meaning "to strongly resist an opponent" ("take a firm stand against")].

So this word "resist" in James 4:7 is the exact same Greek word used in Ephesians 6:13 translated "to withstand"!!

Mark 3:25
And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

The word stand is the Greek root word histémi [Strong's #2476] and is the exact same Greek root word used in Ephesians 6:11, 13 & 14!!

This exactly corroborates the definition of confusion in I Corinthians 14:33!

Back to James 4:7>>The word "flee" is the Greek word pheugó [Strong's #5343] and Thayer's Greek Lexicon defines it as meaning "to flee away, seek safety by flight".

The punchline is that this Greek word is used 29 times in the NT!

According to E.W. Bullinger's number in scripture book, 20 is the number of expectation in the bible and 9 is the number of finality and judgment.

When we resist the devil he has to flee and he is expecting God's divine judgment in the future.

The noun form of reason [dialogismos Strong's #1261] is used in Romans 1:21, translated "imaginations":

Romans 1:21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

We must remember that Romans 1:21 is in the context of idolatry, homosexuality, and a trainload of other negatives.

How do we overcome wavering confused reasoning?

Since confusion is not being able to distinguish 2 or more elements that are all mixed up together, the antidote is the opposite; i.e. clearly distinguishing blended elements; certainty; understanding; conviction.

Nehemiah 8:8
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

If we don't have a deep, distinct and memorable understanding of the sound logic of God's word, we will lose in the heat of the spiritual competition.


Notice that unbelief is uncertain, but the word of God gives us certainty.

Luke 1
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

In verse 4, the word "that" indicates purpose, so we can see there are 3 ingredients of having certainty:
  1. Thorough investigation
  2. Exact & precise information
  3. Orderly sequence

Biblical definition of "understanding" from verse 3:
Strong's Concordance #3877
parakoloutheó definition: to follow closely, to investigate
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (par-ak-ol-oo-theh'-o)
Usage: I accompany, follow closely, characterize, both literally and metaphorically.; I investigate.

HELPS Word-studies
3877 parakolouthéō (from 3844 /pará, "from close-beside" and 190 /akolouthéō, "follow") – properly, follow closely, especially through a detailed comparing; follow after closely to resemble (illustrate, play out) what leads.

This reminds me of the theme verse for my entire website:

Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Confuse, disconcert and embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind.


Just a few of the antonyms of confuse are:
  1. Comfort
  2. Encourage
  3. Enlighten
  4. Order
The word of God supplies all of these and more!

COMFORT:

Operating the manifestations of holy spirit can provide great relief from confusion:

I Corinthians 14:3
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

II Corinthians 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

ENCOURAGEMENT:

Deuteronomy 3:28
But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.

We can get more encouragement from:
  1. The rightly-divided word of God
  2. The family of God
  3. Operating the manifestations appropriately and in order with the love of God
ENLIGHTENMENT:

When we keep God first, he will enlighten our path.

Psalm 18:28
For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

Ephesians 1:18
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

ORDER:

Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

1 Corinthians 14:40
Let all things be done decently and in order.

If we keep our thoughts, actions, beliefs, material things and finances in order, God can bless us even more.

If we can handle the physical realm properly, then we can handle the spiritual realm as well.

Look what Jesus Christ did!

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Jesus Christ had JOY and PEACE, which enabled him to believe the word and will of God to overcome the world.

When we get born again of God's spirit, we get Christ in us, the hope of glory, so we can overcome the world too!

HOW MANY FORMS OF WEAK BELIEVING DID EVE HAVE?
  1. Satan interrogated Eve with a question which contradicted God's word by implication, which was 2 figures of speech in action: erotesis and hypocatastasis. This caused Eve to question, doubt and waver on God's word, the first form of weak believing.

  2. Then Eve responded in Genesis 3:2 to what Satan said in Genesis 3:1 - And the woman said unto the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden”. She obviously considered what Satan said before answering him. She was reasoning with him.

    As she wavered between the wisdom of God and the wisdom from Satan, Eve became confused in a go back-and-forth reasoning & evaluation of them, which is the second form of weak believing.

  3. By considering and wavering between opposite forms of wisdom, she was double-minded, with each part of her mind divided against each other.

    With mounting pressure to make a decision and potentially the entire future of mankind hanging on her every thought, anxiety [being drawn in opposite directions] set in. This is the third type of weak believing.

    British Dictionary definitions for anxiety
    1. a state of uneasiness or tension caused by apprehension of possible future misfortune, danger, etc; worry
    2. intense desire; eagerness
    3. (psychology) a state of intense apprehension or worry often accompanied by physical symptoms such as shaking, intense feelings in the gut, etc, common in mental illness or after a very distressing experience See also angst

  4. With Satan's momentum on his side, Eve's anxiety increased to the point of fear. Fear is the forth type of weak believing and this resulted in unbelief.

    Thus, Satan's attack against Eve's believing was complete because she had all 4 types of weak believing listed in the gospel of Matthew!

LOVE

What is the love of God?

Deuteronomy 11:1
Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.

Matthew 22
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I John 5:3
1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

So the basic truth here is that the love of God is to do what God says for us to do.

What are the characteristics of God's love?

I Corinthians 13
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.



Was Eve doing the will of God during the fall of man?

Nope.

How do we know?

From part 1, we know that Eve:
  1. added a word to God's word [touch]
  2. subtracted a word from God's word [freely]
  3. changed a word in God's word [she changed God's command from an absolute to a perhaps]
What are God's commandments regarding adding to his word and subtracting from his word?

Deuteronomy 4:2
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Revelation 22
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

That's very clear and emphatic, is it not?

Based upon God's definition of love above, Eve was not walking in the love of God.


Matthew 24
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax [grow] cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The old testament and gospels were written for our learning.

The new testament sheds light upon the old testament.

In verse 12, the definition of "cold":
Strong's Concordance #5594
psucho: to breathe, blow, to make cool
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (psoo'-kho)
Definition: I cool, pass: I grow cold.

HELPS Word-studies
(figuratively) "to breathe cool by blowing, to grow cold, 'spiritual energy blighted or chilled by a malign or poisonous wind' " (M. Vincent), used only in Mt 24:12.

This is another reason that Eve's love for God went cold - Satan's poisonous winds of wrong doctrine temporarily blew out her candle for God. She no longer had a mind that was renewed on the will of God.

How do we overcome the world when it attacks our love for God?

As athletes of the Spirit, we can quench all the fiery arrows of the devil because of the perfect accomplishments of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad [poured out] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

When we get born again, we get God's love in our heart.

Galatians 5:6
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith [believing] which worketh [is energized] by love.

If we keep the love of God in our minds, it energizes our believing.

Then our believing can overcome the world.


Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith [believing], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Since Ephesians is based upon Romans, we need to hang onto our 5 sonship rights as a prerequisite to quenching the fiery darts of the wicked.
  1. Redemption
  2. Justification
  3. Righteousness
  4. Sanctification
  5. Word and ministry of reconciliation
Romans 13:12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

God's light dispels Satan's darkness.

First Satan deceived Eve into not believing God. Grammatically, "believing" is a verb and verbs imply action. What actions did Eve take? By changing God's word in various ways, Eve contradicted God's will.

Second, Satan got Eve to violate God's will, killing her love for God.

Hope is next.

HOPE

Definition of hope:

noun
1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.
2. a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.
3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.
4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered: The medicine was her last hope.
5. something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.

verb (used with object), hoped, hoping.
6. to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.
7. to believe, desire, or trust: I hope that my work will be satisfactory.

verb (used without object), hoped, hoping.
8. to feel that something desired may happen: We hope for an early spring.
9. Archaic. to place trust; rely (usually followed by in).

Romans 8
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Hebrews 6
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Hope is the anchor of our soul. Without it, we are not sure or stedfast.

A boat in a bad storm in the middle of the ocean, without an anchor, loses control.

Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Genesis 3:4
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Shall is in the future, contingent upon Eve fulfilling Satan's condition.

If Eve fulfills the condition, then she will not surely die.

This is a blatant contradiction to God's command!

God:       thou shalt surely die
Satan: Ye shall not surely die

All doctrines of life after death are based upon Satan's lie in Genesis 3:4, "Ye shall not surely die".


Satan's promise of eternal life, "Ye shall not surely die"; enlightenment - "then your eyes shall be opened" and wisdom - "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" were false because they never came to pass.

The purpose of Satan's false hope is to make you think that you are going to live again after you die, so you have no motivation to get born again and gain eternal life through God and his son Jesus Christ.

There are only 3 hopes in the bible:
  1. The one true hope of Christ's coming [old testament] or return [new testament]
  2. False hope
  3. No hope
The true hope was from God; false hope and no hope are from the world.

I Corinthians 13 is all about the 14 characteristics of the love of God in the context of the 9 manifestations of holy spirit in chapters 12 & 14 of I Corinthians.

The love of God:
I Corinthians 13:7
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Since Eve was no longer walking in the love of God, she no longer had true hope in her mind, nor could she endure the pressure.

Ephesians 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith [believing]; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Colossians 1:23
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Since Eve was no longer rooted and grounded in the love of God, she was moved away from the hope of the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 1:3
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith [believing], and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

The word "patience" is the Greek word hupomone [Strong's #5281] and means "remaining under, endurance; steadfastness, especially as God enables the believer to "remain (endure) under" the challenges of life.

Under all the stress of doubt, wavering confusion, anxiety, and fear, not rooted or grounded in love, without any true hope, Eve was moved away from hope. The anchor of her soul was broken. She lost control in the perfect psychological and spiritual storm from Satan.

She had no endurance left and finally caved in under the pressure.

By definition, false hope never appears.

She was hopeless.

Genesis 3
6 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.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

So there you have it:
  1. Satan stole Eve's believing in God
  2. Satan killed Eve's love for God
  3. Satan destroyed Eve's hope in God
Nevertheless, God gave them and all of mankind a true hope immediately after the fall of man.

Genesis 3:15
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.

This was not a false hope because Jesus Christ did come and legally conquered the devil, whose days are numbered.

SUMMARY

  1. There are many different layers of truth in the record of the fall of man which never fail to amaze, heal, strengthen and enlighten.

  2. The phrase “O ye of little faith” [little believing] is used 4 times in the gospel of Matthew.

  3. The 4 types of weak believing are: doubt, wavering confused reasoning, anxiety and fear.

  4. 3 out of the 4 types of unbelief involve the general concept of mental division and wavering [anxiety, doubt, & confused wavering reasoning].

  5. If we have any of these 4 kinds of weak believing, it can prevent us from carrying out God’s revelation, whether written or by way of the 9 manifestations of holy spirit.

  6. To believe is to have confidence in the truth; to trust in God's word instead of the lies of the world

  7. The concept of the just living by their faith [believing] is only mentioned 4 times in the bible. 4 is the number of the world and it is only by our believing that we can overcome the world.

  8. You do not get saved by confessing your sins. That is old testament and gospel doctrine that was directly to the Judeans. From the day of Pentecost in 28A.D., and afterwards, we are saved by grace, not works [Ephesians 2:8-10].

  9. If we don't believe God's word, then it is impossible to receive anything from God. This is why the devil, as God of this world, tries so hard to break down our believing.

  10. Your mind can't be peaceful if it's divided against itself, if it's not unified together.

  11. Anxiety contradicts God's peace, a critical component of believing.

  12. If you have fear, you don't have peace and therefore, you can't believe God's word.

  13. The order of the words in God's word are perfect. The reason I John 4:18 comes before I John 5 is because we must be Free of Fear First in order to believe God's word.

  14. In the book of James, double-mindedness [in the context of wisdom] is in chapter 1 and both types of wisdom [devilish vs Godly] are in chapter 3. This reveals the truth that we waver between devilish & Godly wisdom because of doubt and confusion. This is what Eve did [Genesis 3:6 "... a tree to be desired to make one wise"...].

  15. From a grammatical point of view, the first attack against Eve was a contradiction against God's word by implication.

  16. If we don't have a deep, distinct and memorable understanding of the sound logic of God's word, we will lose in the heat of the spiritual competition.

  17. Confuse, disconcert and embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind.

  18. Just a few of the antonyms of confuse are Comfort, Encourage, Enlighten, and Order. This is how to overcome confusion.

  19. Satan's attack against Eve's believing was complete because she had all 4 types of weak believing listed in the gospel of Matthew!

  20. Eve was not walking in the love of God. That is why she violated the word of God by corrupting it.

  21. God: thou shalt surely die; Satan: Ye shall not surely die. All forms of life after death are based upon Satan's lie in Genesis 3:4, "Ye shall not surely die".

  22. Satan stole Eve's believing in God; Satan killed Eve's love for God; Satan destroyed Eve's hope in God