YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → How the Enemy Tries to Distract You From God's Plan | Tony Evans Sermon

How the Enemy Tries to Distract You From God's Plan | Tony Evans Sermon — Transcript

by Tony Evans · 6,070 words · 1,028 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00Let's assume that you are
0:04going on a journey. You're going on a
0:06trip.
0:09It's a journey that you have to take.
0:12You You don't have a an option not to go
0:14on this journey.
0:17You are informed when you begin the
0:19process of entering this journey
0:23that this will be a a dangerous trip.
0:28There will be landmines that you will
0:32not be able to see,
0:34explosives
0:36that you will not detect,
0:39quick sand
0:42that will be covered over.
0:45There will be pits
0:47that you'll be able to fall into.
0:50And they are all through this journey,
0:55but they will not be obvious to you, but
0:58they will be there
1:00throughout the journey.
1:04But after being told this disappointing,
1:07discouraging news about this journey you
1:10must take,
1:13the person speaking to you gives you a
1:16map.
1:18And on this map are all the places where
1:22the dangers lie. It's it's it's written
1:25on the map.
1:27It shows you where every landmine is,
1:29where every explosive is, where every uh
1:32pit is, where every
1:35every place that would seek to bring you
1:38harm, do you in destroy your life,
1:41they're all laid out on the map on the
1:43journey you must take.
1:46So the question I want to pose to you
1:48today is how are you going to treat this
1:50map
1:53given the fact of what it has on it and
1:56the journey that you must take?
2:00Uh will you ball it up and put it in
2:03your pocket?
2:05Will you ignore it?
2:08Will you read it once a week?
2:11Will you
2:14reference it occasionally?
2:17Probably not because your life depends
2:20on it
2:23because you got to take this journey
2:26and there are minefields.
2:29So that map is going to become the most
2:31precious thing in your life because you
2:34want to make it to the other side.
2:38We are all on a journey called life.
2:44Once you were born, you started this
2:46journey.
2:48And it's a journey you must take.
2:51You do not have another option.
2:54If you are alive, you've got to take
2:56this journey called life.
2:59In this journey called life, there are
3:02minefields.
3:04There are explosive devices,
3:08pits
3:10with sharp edges at the bottom,
3:13all designed
3:16to destroy your life of from completing
3:18your journey.
3:21God has given you a map,
3:26his word, and his word is designed to
3:29reveal to you the pitfalls so that you
3:32can make the journey.
3:36What you think about the map
3:39will affect how well you do on the
3:41journey.
3:43You might decide to ball it up and put
3:45it in your pocket and ignore that it's
3:48there.
3:50Or you might decide to look at it but
3:52not pay attention to it.
3:54You might decide a weekly visit to it is
3:57once is enough. I'll take my chances the
4:00rest of the week on my own.
4:03Or you can decide that this map is
4:06absolutely essential
4:09because I want to complete this journey
4:11and I don't want to be killed by what's
4:15on the road undetected.
4:18Now I understand that all of us have
4:21faced consequences at some level
4:26that there would be hardly a person in
4:28eel who hasn't made a decision that
4:32turned out to be unwise that you have
4:35paid for or are still paying for.
4:40I've had more than one inquiries. Tell
4:42me what to do
4:46because I'm bleeding with the
4:49consequences of whatever the decision
4:51was.
4:53But I would like to suggest if you will
4:55stay with this,
4:58you will view consequences differently
5:00and more deeply.
5:04You will stay away from future ones
5:09and learn how God meets you in the ones
5:13that you may be dealing with currently.
5:18In Genesis chapter 3,
5:23WE HAVE THE STRATEGY OF THE devil
5:27to bring consequences into your life.
5:30negative consequences.
5:35I've been running into men and the first
5:38con thing that comes up is what?
5:42Football.
5:46That's the buzz now.
5:50And I can assure you, every single team
5:56has been watching game film all week.
6:00They've been watching game film of the
6:02enemy of the team they're going to play.
6:06They want to learn their tendencies.
6:08They want to learn what their uh
6:10movements have been, the personnel. They
6:14want to become fully acquainted with the
6:17group they want to destroy. Satan has
6:20game film on you.
6:24They got game film. You've been assigned
6:25a demon.
6:27And that demon knows your every move. He
6:30knows your every moment. He knows your
6:33orientation. He knows your
6:34sensitivities. He knows your
6:36inclinations.
6:38That demon understands you. And so there
6:41is a report on you.
6:44Me and us.
6:47So there is a tailormade strategy
6:53to do you in
6:57even as a believer to defeat you and to
7:00bring negative consequences into your
7:04life.
7:05You're on tape spiritually speaking.
7:11SO TODAY I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE
7:13strategy
7:15because if you know the strategy
7:18you can better see
7:21the landmine
7:24and handle it more appropriately.
7:28Let me say it in a more raw term.
7:32There is a contract out on you,
7:36me, us
7:40to bring about
7:43your inability
7:45to finish the journey.
7:51Understanding this however will help
7:54you, me, us
7:56to move forward differently than we
8:00perhaps have come to this point
8:03because there's no use in continuing to
8:07step on landmines that you don't have
8:09to.
8:15So let's look
8:18and see how
8:21the enemy to your journey is working
8:25in verse one. Now the serpent was more
8:28crafty than any beast of the field which
8:31the Lord God had made.
8:35Crafty means sneaky.
8:40Crafty means clever or shrewd.
8:46The snake, the serpent, was more crafty,
8:51sneaky, slithery than
8:55any of the other creatures God had made.
9:00SO WHEN SATAN WANTED TO MAKE HIS MOVE,
9:05he chose something that would be
9:08consistent with what he wanted to
9:11achieve.
9:12He wanted to achieve craftiness, so he
9:16chose a crafty creature.
9:22SATAN KNOWS WHAT to choose
9:25and who to choose
9:28to slither into your world
9:33in order
9:35to get your undivided attention. He
9:37knows how to maneuver
9:41slick. KNOWS HOW TO
9:44WHINE AND DINE IN ORDER to
9:49cause you to have a conversation with
9:50him.
9:54Has it ever BOTHERED YOU THAT THIS WOMAN
9:55IS TALKING TO A talking snake?
10:01WE GOT A TALKING SNAKE. NOT ONLY DO WE
10:03HAVE A TALKING SNAKE, WE GOT A talking
10:05walking snake.
10:07Because the snake now is walking because
10:09the curse was that from then on it would
10:11have to crawl on its belly which means
10:13it didn't have to crawl on its belly
10:14prior to that. So we have a walking
10:17talking snake
10:19and this walking talking snake
10:23IS NOT A SHOCK TO THIS WOMAN IS SHE'S
10:25CARRYING ON A NORMAL CONVERSATION.
10:30THE VERY FIRST CONVERSATION
10:33BETWEEN A HUMAN BEING and a person is
10:37about God
10:41kind of sort of because we read in verse
10:44one that
10:48the serpent was more crafty and the
10:50serpent said INDEED HAS GOD said you
10:54shall not eat from any tree of the
10:57garden. Please notice
11:00a missing word.
11:02The serpent was more slithery than any
11:06other BEAST THE LORD GOD HAD MADE. But
11:08then THE SERPENT SAID, "HATH GOD SAID,
11:11NOT HATH THE LORD GOD."
11:13That missing word is on purpose.
11:17THE WORD GOD, ELOHIM, DEALS WITH GOD'S
11:20POWER. The word Lord deals with our
11:23covenantal relationship with God. So the
11:26serpent is basically SAYING LET'S TALK
11:29ABOUT GOD BUT LET'S LEAVE OUT
11:31RELATIONSHIP.
11:34We can be religious but not be
11:35relational.
11:38SO THE FIRST CONVERSATION BETWEEN a
11:41snake
11:43and a human being
11:46wants to bring up religion but leave out
11:49relationship.
11:51LET ME EXPLAIN SOMETHING. THE DEVIL
11:53DOESN'T MIND THAT YOU IN CHURCH.
11:55As long as you don't have a relationship
11:57with the Lord, he don't mind
12:00GOD TALK. HE DOESN'T MIND invocations
12:03and benedictions. As long as there's no
12:06relationship with God in between, he
12:08doesn't doesn't mind that.
12:13The creature that Satan used
12:18to bring
12:20death and consequences
12:23to Eve and then Adam and then the human
12:25race
12:27was a creature
12:29over whom man and woman were to rule.
12:34And watch this. And the creature was
12:36good.
12:38Because the BIBLE SAYS WHATEVER GOD
12:40CREATED IN CHAPTER one was good.
12:44So at this point, THE SNAKE'S NOT BAD,
12:49which means
12:51THAT THE STRATEGY IS TO USE SOMETHING
12:54good to create something bad.
12:58HE DOESN'T GO FIND SOMETHING BAD BECAUSE
13:00THERE'S NOTHING BAD TO FIND OTHER THAN
13:02HIM. SO SATAN FINDS SOMETHING GOOD THAT
13:04MEN AND women should have been over and
13:06he uses something good to bring
13:09something bad. Yes.
13:11And isn't that HOW IT WORKS IN OUR
13:13LIVES? IT STARTS OFF looking good.
13:17But once infiltrated with his purposes,
13:22then what was good, even that included
13:25God, became bad.
13:28So his strategy, FIRST of all, is for
13:32you to miss him.
13:34So if YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WITH
13:36HORNS, A RED JUMPSUIT, and a pitchfork,
13:43You're looking for the wrong creature.
13:46He's going to use something
13:49that is good
13:52to create something that is bad so that
13:55you can have consequences,
13:59negative repercussions.
14:02Like an illusionist at a magic show.
14:07SOME OF THESE THINGS THESE GUYS CAN do
14:09are just spectacular.
14:11And one of the main reasons that they
14:13are able to cause us to go, "Ah, wow."
14:17is because they do something over here
14:19to get our attention while they're doing
14:22something else over there. IN OTHER
14:24WORDS, THEY DISTRACT US FROM WHAT
14:26THEY'RE REALLY ABOUT.
14:29Satan is NOT GOING TO TELL YOU UPFRONT,
14:31"I'M HERE TO DESTROY YOUR FUTURE."
14:34He not He not going to tell you that.
14:38He's going to be crafty, sneaky,
14:40slithery,
14:42and we we know what that means. So, a
14:45subordinate CREATURE, THE BIBLE CALLS
14:46SATAN a counterfeit. It says he has
14:49counterfeit doctrine, counterfeit
14:51miracles, counterfeit spirits,
14:52counterfeit teachers
14:55in ORDER TO DO ONE THING, DECEIVE.
15:01We know what that looks like to have
15:03been duped, tricked because it didn't
15:05look like deception. Some of some of you
15:08have gotten what I've recently gotten in
15:10my mail
15:12from a credit card company.
15:14Congratulations.
15:17Congratulations.
15:21You have been awarded
15:23A $5,000 INCREASE ON your credit limit.
15:28you are now cuz they want to make you
15:30feel good. Platinum.
15:33Who who doesn't want to be platinum? Who
15:35doesn't want to feel platinumish?
15:42AND YOU ARE A PREFERRED CUSTOMER.
15:45So they've made me they made me feel
15:48good about me. They tell me that I'm
15:50worthy
15:52to have a higher credit limit.
15:56But behind all that,
15:59behind all that,
16:02AND THE REASON I KNOW WHAT'S BEHIND IT
16:04IS BECAUSE I PAY CONSEQUENCES.
16:09Some of you know what it is to be PAYING
16:12ON SOMETHING MINIMUM AMOUNT,
16:15YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER DECADE AFTER
16:17DECADE AFTER DECADE. ALL CUZ THEY MADE
16:20YOU FEEL GOOD.
16:22Gave you a platinum SENSE OF YOURSELF.
16:26YOU STARTED SMELLING YOURSELF.
16:33So
16:36he wants you to miss him.
16:40And so he uses something
16:43that's crafty but slithery
16:48and will make even God part of the
16:50conversation.
16:53What's the second thing he does? That's
16:55in verse one, two.
16:57Indeed, has God said you should not eat
17:00from any tree of the garden?
17:10He wants you to think God is holding out
17:12on you.
17:16He never references
17:19all the trees she could eat from.
17:23He wants to talk about the one tree that
17:27you got a no no on.
17:31HE DOESN'T TALK ABOUT ALL THE FREEDOM
17:33THAT YOU HAVE. From every tree of the
17:34garden you may freely eat. He wants to
17:37talk about well let's let's TALK ABOUT
17:39WHAT GOD said relative to what you can't
17:43do. He says you shall NOT EAT.
17:49HE WANTS TO PAINT GOD AS A GOD WHO'S
17:52trying to keep you from having a good
17:54time.
17:58And he does it oh magnificently. He
18:01reduces a command and makes it a
18:04question.
18:06See when we started God said I command
18:09you not to eat. He says can let me let
18:12me just ask you a question. Tell me what
18:15you think about this.
18:17See, WHEN WE REDUCE GOD'S COMMAND and
18:19turn it into a question, we've lessened
18:21its impact. Because you did, he just
18:23asked me a question.
18:26Can somebody ask me a question?
18:32God's nos are so we can enjoy his yeses.
18:38Did you hear that? God's nos don't eat
18:41from that tree, is so that you can eat
18:43from all the other trees.
18:45What they're going to find out is when
18:47you eat from that one tree, you lose all
18:48the other trees.
18:52His nos are to protect his yeses.
18:55Every tree of the garden YOU MAY FREELY
18:57EAT. GOD IS A BIG BIG god on freedom.
18:59Big on freedom.
19:02But when he puts that know in a lot of
19:05he tells he tells singles, "Okay, I
19:06don't want you to have sex outside of
19:07marriage." Okay, that's what he tells
19:09singles.
19:13And Satan says, "God holding out on
19:16you." AND IT LOOKS LIKE GOD IS NOT FAIR.
19:19HE'S DONE A NUMBER on us. AND SO WHAT HE
19:22DOES IN DOING that is to not only bring
19:25consequences, but keep us from ever
19:27getting around to all the stuff.
19:31That's the free benefits that he wants
19:33to bring into your life by getting you
19:35stuck in this one tree.
19:39In fact, you let the New Testament tell
19:41it. 1 Corinthians 7, the single SHOULD
19:44BE A LOT HAPPIER THAN THE MARRIED FOLK.
19:52That That's what Paul says.
19:56Paul says singles should be singles
19:57should be shouting.
20:00IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, ASK THE MARRIED
20:02FOLK YOU'RE SITTING NEXT TO.
20:05[Applause]
20:10[Music]
20:16IT'S
20:16LIKE THE CHILD THAT COMPLAINS at
20:19Christmas ABOUT THE ONE TOY THEY DIDN'T
20:21GET SO THEY DON'T EVEN GET to enjoy the
20:23toys that they did have.
20:29SATAN IS SAYING GOD IS TRYING TO HOLD
20:30OUT ON YOU. HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO HE
20:32DOESN'T WANT YOU TO ENJOY EVERYTHING
20:34THAT'S OUT THERE TO be enjoyed.
20:37Now, let me explain something at this
20:38point
20:41that a lot of people are confused. I I
20:42know uh Flip Wilson made it famous, "The
20:46devil made me do it."
20:49So, let's get something corrected.
20:52The devil cannot make you sin.
20:55He He doesn't have He doesn't have that
20:57kind of juice.
20:58He can't He can't make you sin. Why?
21:01Because Colossians 2 says that the death
21:03of Christ defeated him.
21:06So he cannot force you to sin.
21:09Since he can't force you to sin, he
21:12makes you want to.
21:16Because he can't impose sin on you, he
21:19starts messing with your mind.
21:24And so the way he does that is deceiving
21:27the thought pattern
21:29so that you begin to think differently.
21:31We begin to think differently than we
21:34ought to. SO IT BECOMES OUR DECISION
21:37INFLUENCED BY HIM, NOT ENFORCED by him.
21:43So that means we can't blame the devil
21:45any longer.
21:48Not from the force standpoint.
21:51What he does is he plants his thought
21:54into your mind until it becomes your
21:56thought.
21:58And so then it influences your action,
22:01my action, our action.
22:05SO THE SECOND ONE IS GOD IS HOLDING OUT
22:07ON YOU. He's keeping that tree from you
22:13when God's whole point of restriction
22:16was to enhance freedom.
22:21The third strategy,
22:29the woman responds,
22:32"From the fruit of the trees of the
22:33garden, we may eat, but from the fruit
22:36of the tree, verse three, which is in
22:37the middle of the garden, God said, you
22:38shall not eat it or touch it, or you're
22:41going to die."
22:44He said to the woman, "You surely will
22:46not die." Okay? there will be no
22:49consequences.
22:52So what is he getting at here? What God
22:55said is not going to happen. I know God
22:58told you that, but don't buy it.
23:02Strategy. God's word cannot be trusted.
23:06You can't believe that Bible. You can't
23:09act on that Bible. You can't you can't
23:11trust that. That that was written 2,000
23:14years ago, 4,000 years ago. If you're
23:16going into the Old Testament, they they
23:18don't know what you're dealing with.
23:19They they didn't have all this
23:20technology. They God, you can't buy
23:23that.
23:25God's word cannot be trusted.
23:34THE BIBLE SAYS IN ROMANS 3:4, "Let God
23:37be true and every man a liar."
23:42Let God be true and EVERYBODY WHO
23:45DISAGREES WITH him is lying.
23:48Even if they a good liar.
23:52The Bible says in John 8:44, "Satan is a
23:55liar and he's the father of liars."
23:57Well, there's a couple of things there.
23:59Number one, he's a born liar. Anybody
24:02know any born liars? They just
24:05Okay, born liar. They've been lying
24:06since not only not only
24:11is he a born liar, BUT HE'S THE FATHER
24:14OF LIES, WHICH MEAN HE GOT CHILLINS.
24:19If you're a father, you got children.
24:22SO HE SPAWNS DECEPTION. HE HE replicates
24:25deception.
24:30He says, "GOD'S WORD CANNOT BE TRUSTED
24:33LIKE DON CORNELIUS and the soul train
24:37scramble board."
24:42HE GETS ALL THE WORDS OUT OF ORDER and
24:45you CAN'T YOU CAN'T BUY THAT. IT'S ALL
24:48YOU CAN'T BUY THAT. THAT'S NOT REAL and
24:50right for the day. So skip his no
24:53trespassing sign.
24:57You're not going to die. This is not
25:00going to hurt you. You're not going to
25:02get into trouble. You're not going to
25:04catch a disease. You're not going to
25:06live a lifetime in debt.
25:10You're not going to become emotionally
25:11unstable. You're not You're not You're
25:14not It's okay.
25:17You got to check out whoever's talking
25:19to you whether they're a child of the
25:21father of liars.
25:29Don't worry, it's it's not going to be
25:32that bad.
25:34There probably enough folk in the
25:35audience today who know, yeah, it can be
25:37that bad.
25:40It really can be that bad.
25:47You talk about deception, it reminds me
25:49of the story of the banker who was uh
25:52duck hunting. The banker was duck
25:54hunting. The banker, this duck comes
25:55across. The banker takes up a gun. Bam.
25:58Shoots the duck out the sky. The duck
26:00falls into
26:03a farmer's land. The banker who was on
26:06doing the duck hunting goes to get the
26:07duck, but the farmer's standing out
26:09there. The farmer said, "That ain't your
26:12duck.
26:13What do you mean? It's not my duck. I
26:15shot the duck." Yeah, but it fell on my
26:17property,
26:18so that's my duck.
26:21Oh, the banker said, "Oh, no, it's not.
26:23I shot the duck. That's my duck." Farmer
26:25said, "Oh, no it's not. That duck is on
26:27my property. This is private property.
26:29You can't have that duck." Banker said,
26:32"Well, I tell you what, let there's a
26:34way we can resolve this.
26:37I'mma let you hit me as hard as you can.
26:40You hit me as hard as you can. Fall your
26:43fist and hit me. Then you let me hit you
26:46as hard as I can.
26:49And whoever screams the least gets the
26:53duck. Of course, the banker's younger
26:56than the farmer and you know he's in
26:58shape. So he feels like this going to be
27:00my duck cuz cuz I'mma hurt this man. So
27:05farmer, you go first.
27:08Farmer back.
27:10Bam.
27:12Hits the banker. The banker falls to the
27:14ground with a little groan.
27:19Farmer gets up after a moment, gets
27:22himself together.
27:25Okay,
27:27now it's my turn.
27:30Farmer says, "That's okay. You can have
27:31a D.
27:34[Applause]
27:46Satan just wants to hurt us.
27:56You're not going to die. One one of the
27:58things most of us have learned on some
27:59level is when we play with sin, then sin
28:02winds up playing with us.
28:07You're in charge of it one moment and
28:09then it's in charge of you the next
28:11moment, months, years, decades.
28:18And it is a challenge because we are
28:20being bombarded
28:22in our world today on every level.
28:27This leads him to another strategy.
28:31Verse five, for God knows that in the
28:34day you eat from it, your eyes will be
28:37open and you will be like YOU WILL BE
28:39LIKE GOD. He says, "Look, let me explain
28:44why God does not want you to eat from
28:47this tree.
28:49God is selfish.
28:52God doesn't want anybody to be like him
28:54but him."
28:56And because God is selfish and knows if
28:58you eat this tree, you going to know as
29:00much as God knows, be as smart as God
29:03is.
29:05He wants to keep you from being like
29:07him. He doesn't want you to be his equal
29:09when he knows you could be his equal. Of
29:11course, that was Satan's whole goal to
29:13be God's equal in Isaiah 14.
29:16So, God doesn't want you to be his
29:17equal. And to keep you from being his
29:19equal, he doesn't want you to get that
29:21tree cuz then you won't need him anymore
29:25cuz you going to know it all yourself.
29:31You will be like God.
29:36And what was the one thing Satan wanted
29:39more than anything else when he rebelled
29:41against God? He wanted his independence.
29:46HE DID NOT WANT TO HAVE to answer to God
29:49anymore.
29:51And our rebellion is a desire for our
29:55independence.
29:57Cuz if I'm like you and if I'm equal to
30:00you, I don't have to submit to you. If
30:03we on the same level at work, you don't
30:05get the boss me. Not if we on the same
30:08level.
30:10If you can become LIKE GOD,
30:13IF MAN can become like God. If
30:16governments can become like God, they
30:19don't have to answer to God because they
30:21are like him.
30:25God doesn't want you to. He don't want
30:26anybody to BE LIKE HIM.
30:28YOU ALL remember during Michael Jordan's
30:31heyday,
30:34everybody wanted the commercials. You
30:36want to be like Mike. Remember,
30:38everybody want to be like Mike.
30:41Superstar Michael Jordan.
30:45So folks wanting to be like Mike went
30:48out and bought
30:50Jordans.
30:52Say Jordans.
30:56Parents went into debt
30:59to get their kids Jordans
31:04cuz
31:06they want to be like Mike.
31:08BY JERSEY NUMBER 23
31:12cuz THEY WANT TO BE LIKE MIKE. I got
31:15news for you.
31:18Putting on Jordans don't make you like
31:20Mike.
31:22WEARING A JERSEY WITH NUMBER 23
31:26doesn't make you fly.
31:29YOU DON'T BECOME LIKE JORDAN SIMPLY
31:31BECAUSE YOU GOT A phrase
31:34or you like basketball.
31:36There must be an ability that matches
31:39your shoes.
31:42You just can't look the part and be like
31:44Mike.
31:47AND YOU JUST CAN'T ACT THE PART and be
31:49God.
31:51HE IS IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF AND HE WILL
31:54ALWAYS RESIST anybody who seeks to be
31:58independent of him WITH THE CONSEQUENCES
32:01OF YOUR REBELLION.
32:06GOD SO MUCH DOESN'T want man
32:10to TRY TO BE LIKE HIM, which he could
32:12never be. BUT EVEN TO CARRY THAT
32:14THOUGHT, HE TOLD ISRAEL, "You can't even
32:18take a picture of me.
32:20You you can't take a picture OF ME, MAKE
32:23NO GRAVEN IMAGE IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
32:26OF ME. DON'T YOU CREATE SOMETHING YOU
32:28THINK MIGHT could look like me.
32:32CUZ ANYTHING YOU COME UP WITH IS GOING
32:34TO BE A BAD PHOTOGRAPH.
32:37YOU REMEMBER HOW THEY USED TO HAVE THOSE
32:38PHOTOGRAPH MACHINES IN THE mall and you
32:41go put your little money in and you sit
32:42in that seat, you pull that curtain and
32:45you sit down and then they take a
32:47picture and four little pictures come
32:48out
32:49and you TAKE THOSE PICTURES. DON'T SHOW
32:51NOBODY THEM PICTURES.
32:56Them some ugly pictures.
33:01IN FACT, WE APOLOGIZE FOR OUR PICTURE.
33:03THAT'S NOT A GOOD THAT'S NOT A GOOD
33:04picture of me.
33:06Yeah, it is. YOU JUST DON'T LIKE IT. BUT
33:10GOD SAID, "DON'T PHOTOGRAPH ME. DON'T
33:12CREATE AN IMAGE OF ME." WHY? Cuz I'm in
33:14a class by myself, AND ANYTHING YOU COME
33:16UP WITH IS going to make me look bad.
33:20So, he says, "I am who I am. I'm not who
33:23you want me to be."
33:26God is selfish.
33:32Okay, let me let me let me let me talk a
33:34minute now.
33:37about this tree. God knows if you eat
33:39from this tree,
33:42you will have the knowledge of good and
33:44evil. Okay? So, let's let's let's look
33:47at this tree. This tree has two things
33:49on it. Good and evil. Okay? But it's a
33:53Google tree. It's a Google tree because
33:56it's information knowledge. The
33:59knowledge of good and evil. So, you will
34:01be able to Google
34:05all the information necessary
34:08for you to know what God knows
34:11because you're going to be like God. So
34:12you have this comprehensive knowledge
34:17without God.
34:20Okay, stick with me here.
34:24You will be like God, but you won't need
34:27God.
34:30You will be able to determine and
34:33discover good and evil, but you can
34:37LEAVE GOD OUT OF THE EQUATION of the
34:40discovery.
34:47There is good and evil information,
34:51BUT EVIL HAS NOT ENTERED into the world
34:54yet other than the presence of Satan.
34:57there is no evil. SO WHAT HE IS SAYING
35:01IS THERE IS AN INFORMATION BASE OF
35:03KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL DISCUSS THINGS YOU
35:06DON'T KNOW anything about and you can
35:08get that without God because you will
35:12have become your own God because you
35:14WILL BE LIKE GOD. Therefore you won't
35:16need God to discover your own truth.
35:23As I tell you often, many of you living
35:26with with people who want to be like you
35:29parent
35:30they call teenagers
35:35who think they know what they're talking
35:36about.
35:38They talk like professionals.
35:42They talk like experts.
35:47THE REASON WHY YOU'VE GOT THIS TEENAGE
35:49STRIFE IN YOUR HOME OR YOU MAY HAVE HAD
35:51IT, GAVE IT TO YOUR PARENTS or given it
35:53TO YOUR PARENTS. YOU HAD THAT STRIFE
35:56is because they want to be like you.
35:59They want to be parent. So there's a
36:02conflict.
36:05YOU SAY IN A MOMENT THEY AIN'T BUT BUT
36:07TWO GROWN folk in this house.
36:10You create a distinction right away.
36:14The problem is they want their
36:16independence while still depending.
36:19Oh,
36:22you you ain't missed that.
36:25SEE, THEY WANT THEIR INDEPENDENCE. DON'T
36:27TELL ME WHAT TO DO. Just feed me.
36:31Don't tell me what to do, but you got to
36:33get me some clothes. Don't tell me what
36:35TO DO, BUT YOU GOT TO TAKE ME WHERE I
36:36NEED TO GO CUZ I don't got my driver's
36:37LICENSE YET. SO, I WANT TO BE
36:39INDEPENDENT,
36:42but I still want you to cover me.
36:47No, you want to be that independent.
36:49Why don't you cover yourself and see how
36:51that goes?
36:54See, what we're doing is is we're living
36:56in a world now who has insisted on
36:58independence and God has said, "You got
37:01it."
37:03And the result of consequences.
37:08What was the consequence? He says,
37:10"You're going to die." Because remember,
37:11death is not secession of life,
37:13sessation of life. Death is a
37:15illegitimate separation. So when a body
37:18dies, the is only dead because the soul
37:20left. There was a separation which made
37:23the body inactive.
37:26There's economic death, social death,
37:27environmental death, relational death.
37:29There's all kind of deaths.
37:31So we a lot of US IN HERE ARE DYING OR
37:34DEAD IN A CERTAIN category
37:39because we ate from the independence
37:41tree.
37:42I want my data without God and I will
37:46determine truth right and wrong and I
37:49will do it independently of God because
37:51I want to be like God. I want to be my
37:53own God.
37:56Reminds me of Muhammad Ali.
37:59He's on an airplane. True story.
38:01Muhammad Ali is on the airplane during
38:02his heyday. He's sitting on the plane.
38:04The stewardis comes back and says by and
38:06says, "Mr. Ali, will you buckle your
38:08seatelt? We we're getting ready to take
38:09off." She comes back down the aisle. Ali
38:12has not buckled his seat belt. Said,
38:14"Mr. Ali, I really do need you to buckle
38:16your seat belt. We we need to take off."
38:19Muhammad Ali says,
38:21"Superman don't need no seat belt."
38:27Steuart said, "Superman don't need no
38:29plane. You need to buckle your seat
38:30belt.
38:34You ain't all that.
38:38I don't care how much education you
38:39have, what degrees you have, what
38:41notoriety you have, what success you
38:43have, what money you have, where you
38:46live, what car you drive, what car, what
38:48clothes YOU WEAR. YOU CANNOT BE LIKE
38:50HIM.
38:52HE IS IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF. AND YOU ARE
38:54TO SUBMIT ALL OF THOSE CATEGORIES TO
38:57HIM. AMEN.
39:01When you don't
39:05consequences
39:08says you're going to die.
39:10And so so many of us are dying.
39:14Dying with regret,
39:17dying with debt,
39:20dying with
39:22relationships. We just dying,
39:25not knowing that's a consequence.
39:29It's not just something that happened
39:30bad luck. No, it's a consequence of sin
39:36which we've all faced on various levels.
39:38Finally,
39:41verse six,
39:45his final move.
39:48It says, "When the woman saw that the
39:50tree was good for food, and that it was
39:52a delight to the eyes, and that the tree
39:54was desirable to make one wise, she took
39:56from its fruit and ate, and she gave
39:58also to her husband with her, and he
40:01ate.
40:04If it feels good, do it."
40:09When she saw that the tree was good for
40:10food,
40:13that tree was always good for food.
40:16That's why he told him, "I eat it.
40:19But here's what he did.
40:22He let her see the tree through his
40:24eyes.
40:26Cuz she's now looking at this tree
40:27different than when she talked about it
40:29earlier. When she saw the tree was good,
40:31she'd been passing that tree in the
40:32middle of the living room of their house
40:34every day. But when she saw the tree was
40:36good for food, why did she look at the
40:38tree differently? Because now evil has
40:40been dropped from the conversation.
40:42See, it was the tree of the knowledge of
40:44good and evil. But now she's only seeing
40:46the good part of the tree. And isn't
40:47that how deception works?
40:49You only see the good part.
40:53You don't see the outcome.
40:57If they told you that hit with that
40:59marijuana or that crack
41:01is going to a few years from now
41:05have you an addict
41:08needing to get the monkey off your back.
41:12If you could see you in that condition
41:15with the evil, it would change how good
41:17that hit is up front.
41:21If you could see yourself with three
41:24children out of wedlock and a single
41:26parent on welfare trying to make it. IF
41:30YOU COULD SEE THAT IN ADVANCE, THEN all
41:32of a sudden
41:36SEX WASN'T THAT WASN'T ALL THAT.
41:41THERE WASN'T ALL THAT.
41:43[Applause]
41:47If you could see the evil, but what he
41:49wants TO DO IS ERASE THE EVIL AND YOU
41:51JUST FALL IN love with the good. Isn't
41:53that so good?
41:57So, he increases her
42:00physical appetite. When she saw the tree
42:02was good for food,
42:03physical appetite. Then on top of
42:06increasing her physical appetite,
42:12he increases her
42:15emotional appetite. It was desirable.
42:18That's what it said. It was desirable.
42:21She was feeling that tree. She feeling
42:23the tree. That tree done got in a
42:26gizzard.
42:27She She feeling that tree.
42:31Then he increased her intellectual
42:33appetite.
42:35Her intellectual appetite.
42:39It it can make one wise.
42:42I can really be smart.
42:47The danger of so many of us and we have
42:49a fairly educated constituency here is
42:52that you have allowed your degrees to
42:55rule over the word of God.
43:01YOU'VE ALLOWED HUMAN WISDOM AND
43:03intellect and all truth IS GOD'S TRUTH.
43:05THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH GETTING
43:07EDUCATED and becoming more skillful. BUT
43:09WHENEVER THAT TRUTH CONFLICTS WITH
43:12DIVINE REVELATION, YOU ARE IGNORANT.
43:16The Bible calls it fool. Bible calls
43:20that a fool. BUT THAT IS THE KNOWLEDGE
43:23OF A FOOL. When you're smarter than God,
43:26it's like Nichi who great made his great
43:28philosophical statement because man has
43:30become so educated AND PHILOSOPHICALLY
43:32ASTUTE. GOD IS DEAD. SIGN NICHI.
43:37Few years later, Nichi died.
43:41Somebody wrote the sign. NICHI IS DEAD.
43:44SIGN GOD.
43:46[Applause]
43:51That's why. That's why. Okay, hold on.
43:54You are to respect all people. The Bible
43:56says, "Give honor to whom honor is due."
43:59If people have accomplished something,
44:00if they've done great things, you ought
44:02to honor that.
44:05But what you are not to do is turn them
44:08into an American idol.
44:13Cuz they ain't all that.
44:15Yes, they have achieved. You respect it.
44:17You recognize it. But you got to
44:19understand there are a lot of fools out
44:22there who've eaten from the tree of the
44:23knowledge of good and evil that we are
44:25impressed with.
44:28We are impressed with.
44:31Never mind they they they popping pills
44:33to to survive. Never mind that they
44:35strung out on drugs. Never mind that
44:37they can't stay married. NEVER MIND
44:38THAT. NEVER MIND ALL THAT. THEY JUST CAN
44:41SING
44:43OR RAP OR OR OR OR THEY'RE SMART WITH A
44:46DEGREE. NEVER MIND ALL THAT.
44:49We We getting pressed with the wrong
44:51folk.
44:54Honor it. Recognize it. But don't turn
44:56it into an American idol.
45:00Cuz just like you, they going to die.
45:10There is a way that seems right to man.
45:14Proverbs 14:12 says, "But the end
45:17thereof is death."
45:24Proverbs
45:26Proverbs says in in Proverbs chapter uh
45:303:18,
45:32it says, "You are to eat from the tree
45:34of life,
45:36WHICH WILL give you wisdom."
45:38Because you know our biggest problem
45:40today, all of us on varying levels, our
45:43biggest problem is our lack of
45:45discernment.
45:48If
45:48if I would boil it down to our biggest
45:50problem,
45:52we are not able to discern.
45:54So we get impressed with the front stuff
45:57that looks impressive cuz we haven't
46:00discerned the back stuff. That's the end
46:02of the story. So we we lack discernment
46:05and that is the one thing that spiritual
46:07people have according to Hebrews 5
46:1011-14. Spiritual people know how to
46:13discern. It says between good and evil.
46:17THEY'RE NOT FAKED OUT cuz it looks good
46:20up front.
46:21They are able to see
46:24good and evil. Why? Because they eaten
46:26not from the tree of independence.
46:28They're eating from the tree of life
46:29which gains wisdom.
46:36And so
46:38James 1 sums it up.
46:42In James chapter 1,
46:45we read these verses. In verses 13- 16,
46:49let no one say when he is tempted, I am
46:51being tempted of God. For God cannot be
46:53tempted by evil, and he himself does not
46:55attempt anyone. Each one is tempted when
46:59he is carried away and enticed by his
47:01own lust.
47:03Then when lust has conceived, it gives
47:05birth to sin. And when sin is
47:08accomplished, it brings forth what?
47:10Death. It doesn't mean you're going to
47:11drop dead physically. Means something's
47:13going to die. There will be an
47:15illegitimate separation.
47:20So Satan's strategy can be boiled down
47:22to one word, deception. Well, that that
47:25sum the whole thing up is he deceives
47:27us.
47:28And you know, we're not picking on
47:30anybody because everybody been tripped
47:32up at some level.
47:35But when you find where a trap is, you
47:38don't keep walking over it.
47:41[Applause]
47:43You got to you got to address that trap
47:46and then you got to you got to move on.
47:47But you don't just keep walk. You ever
47:48seen people go over the same thing over
47:51and over again? They doing the same
47:52thing over and over, over and over, over
47:54and over, over and over.
47:59Two mischievous boys one day went into a
48:01department store and they were they
48:03wanted to be mischievous. And so what
48:05they did was they they took the tags off
48:07of the couture expensive garments and
48:10put the price tags on cheap garments.
48:13Then they took the tags off of the cheap
48:15garments and put those tags on the
48:16expensive garments.
48:19So the expensive garments had cheap tags
48:21and the cheap garments had expensive
48:23tags on them.
48:25So when folks came into the store,
48:29THEY WERE BUYING EXPENSIVE things for
48:32low cost and buying inexpensive things
48:36for high cost cuz
48:39the tags have been switched.
48:43What Satan has DONE IS HE SWITCHED THE
48:45tags on us.
48:49AND HE'S GOT us
48:52spending
48:54a LOT OF OUR LIVES AND OUR TIME ON OUR
48:58AND our energy on cheap stuff
49:04cuz HE DONE SWITCHED THE TAGS.
49:09NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT GOD HAS PROVIDED
49:12FOR US FREE OF CHARGE
49:15BECAUSE HE SWITCHED THE TAGS.
49:22So the question on the floor is
49:25do you want to avoid any future
49:27consequences
49:28and do you want to see as much mercy as
49:31God can give you for carrying
49:32consequences?
49:35Because if you're tired of consequences,
49:40you qualify
49:43for God's abundant grace.

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of How the Enemy Tries to Distract You From God's Plan | Tony Evans Sermon by Tony Evans, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 6,070 words across 1,028 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.