Satan caused Eve to question God’s care for her even while she was surrounded by the goodness of the garden. He directed her attention to the one thing that God prohibited her from partaking in. He was able to implant this familiar idea:

“God is withholding from you. There’s good that you could have if you would just reach out and grasp it for yourself.”

We know that believing this lie didn’t work out well for her, but we often forget the damage it causes in our own lives. Living by this lie makes us anxious, greedy, and focused on building our own kingdom, but we don’t have to submit to this lie.

Here are four ways we can fight believing the lie that God is withholding good from us:

Learn Truth

Jesus himself confronted Satan’s lies with God’s word. Reading and memorizing scripture makes us ready to challenge Satan’s lies with the truth. If you struggle with trying to keep up with the Jones’, you could memorize Jesus’ words in Luke 12:15, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Or, maybe you’re experiencing discontent and need the reminder that God will only give us his very best, as Jesus says in Matthew 7:9-11.

Pursue Contentment

When Satan directs our eyes to something we don’t have, we need to refocus on what we’ve already been given. For some of us, a break from social media or window shopping could help. As we learn to appreciate what we have, our longing for more will diminish. Let’s learn how to say along with Paul, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (Phil. 4:12)” or, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that (1 Timothy 6:8).”

Express Gratitude

Gratitude redirects our focus from the gift to the Giver himself. Everything we have is a gift from God, so it should be no surprise that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Maybe at the start of each morning or end of each day, you can thank God for three good gifts he has given you to remind yourself of his generosity.

Practice Generosity

Jesus reminds us not to store up for ourselves because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Giving generously to others is a tangible way we can fight the lie that we must take care of ourselves. We can give generously with the knowledge that God provides for us. Jesus encourages us to look to the birds and the flowers to help us remember that God cares for his creation, including you and me. We don’t need to be anxious or greedy because our Father knows what we need (Matthew 6:25-33).