*Ephesians 1:15-18* - “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 *that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him*, 18 *the eyes of your understanding being enlightened*; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 

 

*Genesis 3:4-6* - “Then *the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die*. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it *your eyes will be opened*, and *you will be like God, knowing good and evil*.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and *a tree desirable to make one wise*, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

 

*Genesis 3:22-23* - “Then *the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil*. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.”

 

 

*Reflections*

1. Satan entered into discourse with Eve when she was alone. Had she kept close to the side out of which she was lately taken, she would not have been so much exposed. There are many temptations, to which solitude gives great advantage; but the communion of saints contributes much to their strength and safety. 

 

2. Satan took advantage by finding Eve near the forbidden tree, and probably gazing upon the fruit of it, only to satisfy her curiosity. 

 

*Those that would not eat the forbidden fruit must not come near the forbidden tree*

 

3. Satan tempted Eve, that by her he might tempt Adam; so he tempted Job by his wife, and Christ by Peter. It is his policy to send temptations by unsuspected hands, and those that have most interest in us and influence upon us.

 

*Spirit of Wisdom*

1. Eve was *willing to access a form of wisdom* devoid of absolute dependence on God, even if this meant disobeying His instructions.

 

2. Man’s disobedience caused his spiritual eyes to go dark (Satan withheld this intel), and the eyes of his conscience to be opened. Subsequently, Adam and Eve’s hearts smote them for what they had done. Now too late, they saw the folly of eating the forbidden fruit. They saw the happiness they had fallen from, and the misery they had fallen into. They saw a loving God provoked, his grace and favour forfeited, his likeness and image lost, dominion over the creatures gone. They saw their natures corrupted and depraved, and felt a disorder in their own spirits of which they had never before been conscious. They saw a law in their members warring against the law of their minds, and captivating them both to sin and wrath.

 

3. Hence, considering God’s plan of man’s redemption in Christ, the first part of Paul’s prayer emphasised that God will give believers in Ephesus the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

 

Father, I thank you for the working of the spirit of wisdom and the revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ in me. I declare that I’ll trust you with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways, I acknowledge You and submit to Your leadership.

 

Knowledge of the Trinity is powerful and profound. However, understanding of the Godhead is a mystery that can only be revealed by the Holy Spirit.

 

1. It is imperative to understand what was lost in the garden of Eden and what was restored due to our redemption in Jesus Christ. You cannot avail yourself of what you are unaware of.

 

2. To deceive, Satan can outrightly lie (“You will not surely die”), provide half-truth (“Your eyes will be opened”), or tell a truth under a wrong premise with intent to mislead (“You will be like God, knowing good and evil”).

 

*Prayer Point 2*

Father, I thank You for flooding the eyes of my understanding with Your light. I receive illumination in areas I’m still ignorant of Your word thereby experiencing stagnation and confusion IJN.

 

The Scripture tells us that they saw that they were naked, that is:

1. That they were stripped, deprived of all the honours and joys of their paradise-state, and exposed to all the miseries that might justly be expected from God. They were disarmed; their defence had departed from them. 

 

2. That they were shamed, for ever shamed, before God and angels. They saw themselves disrobed of all their ornaments and ensigns of honour, degraded from their dignity and disgraced in the highest degree, laid open to the contempt and reproach of heaven, and earth, and their own consciences.

 

*Prayer Point 3*

Father, I thank You for restoring the riches and glory you ordained for me. Due to my redemption in Jesus Christ and by faith, I begin to activate and possess all my blessings in Christ Jesus. Declare your blessings [         ].