Guess I’ll Go Eat Worms

We used to have a pastor that would sometimes drive a point home of being too inwardly focused by emphasizing his previous statement with the little children’s self-deprecating diddy, “Nobody likes me.  Everybody hates me.  Guess I’ll go eat worms.”  And, if we’re honest, most of us have experienced this sentiment at least once in our lives.  Although, none of us would find a diet of consuming worms desirable at all.

Maybe you’ve found yourself thinking, “I’m not good enough; Nobody likes me; I’m too much, everybody always leaves;” or even, “Everything I do is wrong”.  If so, you’re not alone.  I’ve struggled with some of those thoughts.  Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, insecurity and false identity can plague Believers, as well as those that are not following Christ.

It’s not a new scheme of the devil.  In fact, it’s been around almost since the beginning of creation.  Remember the story in Genesis in the Garden of Eden?  God established a place and authority over it, but Satan questioned what God established through His word and instruction.

Here’s a quick review.  God creates everything from the void including Adam, and then Eve.  After God creates Eve, she and Adam have the privilege of unhindered access to the Lord.  They enjoy the beauty and ease of the provision of the Garden.  He delights in their company, too, but He instructs Adam, and presumably Adam catches Eve up on those instructions, of what they are and are not permitted to do in the Garden.  While there was a plentiful “Get to do” list, the list of “Not to do” was really short; “Don’t eat from this tree.”

Genesis 2:16-17, ESV says, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  

There were actually two trees that God established as being significantly different from the others in the Garden.  We find out about the second one, the tree of life, in Genesis 2:9 and 3:22.

These trees can represent identity; whether true or false.  

Because Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God and sin, He imposed a consequence.  The effects of that consequence have been visited on all mankind and still exist today.  However, if one looks deeper, the fact that God expelled them from the Garden meant they could not access a life state that would be eternal separation.  

The awakening of the awareness of both kingdoms brought about by choosing to sin would become a permanent state endured for infinity, or eternity, if they also subsequently partook of the tree of life.  In God’s goodness, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross later became an upgrade compared to the original tree of life in the Garden, replacing it and granting our spirit beings everlasting life with the benefit of reconciliation through Christ. 

Satan has challenged people to question God’s instructions for a very long time.  “Has God really said….?” was the line the serpent used on Eve.  Eve then in turn suggests to Adam that he should consume the fruit.  But before we get too hard on Adam and Eve, please recognize that we still do this today.  

Satan whispers in our ear, sometimes he does so in such a subtle way that it sounds like our own internal voice.  Sometimes we hear that internal voice and then project it onto others. “Did God really say…? It seems to me that He didn’t since this is so hard for you.”  Or maybe it sounds like, “Did God really say you should be the leader of this project, ministry, church, vision?  It seems unlikely since you don’t display any of the normal traits we would look for in a leader.”  And the sad thing is, we partner with the enemy; either by reinforcing doubt or by agreeing to the assessment by other men and women.  The problem is, agreement with these negative thoughts puts us under the constraints of a false identity that God did not establish over us.  

Back to Genesis.  Remember when God goes to walk with them and calls out to them, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9)  The exchange paraphrased is, “We were afraid and hid.”  God then responds with, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:10-11)

The knowledge that they had sinned brought with it self condemnation and shame.  These new emotional states created a fallen and false identity which was less than what God created Adam and Eve to be when they were walking blameless in His image.

The two set apart trees had very different fruit.  The tree of life continued to supply life in connection with God and His abundance; good fruit and true God-breathed identity.  In contrast,  the tree of the knowledge of good and evil bears the fruit of sinful behavior, false identity, and separation from God.  So, what false identity have you agreed to by consuming the fruit of erroneous thoughts and evaluations of other people?  Who told you that you were _______________ (a victim, unable to amount to anything, unqualified, undesirable, etc.)?  Receive God’s covering and true identity being seen through the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus, and start walking in the fullness of who He created you to be and still says you are.