God planned for Adam and Eve to “rule” over our world as the stewards of God’s created works (Genesis 1:26). But because they broke faith with God and, by default, chose the devil as their new leader, the couple lost their jurisdiction. That was the first critical step that eventually led to a planet in rebellion against God. Today the devil claims the world as his turf and tries his best to enslave its people.

There are many times when we find ourselves doing something selfish or even cruel when we really want to do the opposite. Why? Because there is an evil force at work in our world. The invisible enemy, the devil, works to make people fail morally. Many of the senseless, vicious crimes we read about with dismay are the result of individuals who’ve consciously or unconsciously given themselves over to the control of this evil power and who find themselves doing things they could not have imagined before.

As you read chapter 3 of Genesis, you will discover that sin caused Adam and Eve to hide from God in fear. Sin affected all of creation adversely. It was like throwing a wrench in a smoothly running machine. Thorns appeared along with the flowers. The soil suffered from drought and labor became a burden. Disease began to strike at random. Jealousy and animosity, suspicion and greed started multiplying human miseries. Most terrible of all, with sin came death!