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We live in a world overflowing with advice.

Spend five minutes online and you will hear competing opinions about almost everything.

Want to eat healthier?

  • One voice says: "Cut carbs.”
  • Another says: “Carbs are not the problem.”
  • One expert says: “Avoid fat.”
  • Another says: “Healthy fats are essential.”
  • Some swear by eating meat and protein.
  • Others insist plant-based eating is the better path.
  • One person recommends intermittent fasting while someone else argues six small meals a day are the key to health.

At some point, most of us end up thinking: Who am I supposed to listen to?

And of course, the confusion does not stop with food. We hear voices telling us how to think about relationships, identity, sexuality, morality, happiness, success, anxiety, parenting, politics, and purpose.

  • Culture says one thing.
  • Friends say another.
  • Social media says something else.
  • Our emotions often speak loudly too.
  • Fear has a voice.
  • Temptation has a voice.
  • Past experiences shape what sounds believable.
  • Everybody seems to claim authority.

And underneath all of this sits a deeper question: How do I know who to trust?

Surprisingly, the Bible says this is not a modern problem. In Genesis 3, the opening pages of Scripture, we find humanity wrestling with the same question. But to understand why the story matters, we need to back up. Before Genesis 3 comes Genesis 1 and 2. Before deception entered the story, God had already spoken.

Genesis describes a world that was formless and empty (Genesis 1:2). There was no order, no life, no rhythm, no flourishing. And then God spoke: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

Again and again through creation, the pattern repeats: God said … And something good followed.

  • Light entered darkness.
  • Order replaced chaos.
  • Land appeared.
  • Life flourished.
  • The sun and moon gave rhythm to time.
  • Human beings were created with dignity and purpose.

And after each act of creation, God declared what He had made to be good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).

That's an important detail.  Because before humanity ever faced temptation, God had already demonstrated something important about Himself: His voice could be trusted.  

Think about it.

  • Everything Adam and Eve knew about life, goodness, beauty, provision, and truth came from God.
  • The Garden of Eden itself stood as evidence of His care.
  • God had provided abundantly.

In fact, when God gave instructions about the Garden, His command began with generosity: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden…” (Genesis 2:16)  Notice the emphasis: freedom, provision, and abundance.

Only then came a boundary: “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…” (Genesis 2:17)

Why the boundary? Many people assume boundaries exist because God wants to take something away. But healthy boundaries are often expressions of care. A parent tells a child not to run into traffic not because they hate joy, but because they love protection. In the same way, God’s boundaries in Eden existed within a relationship of trust and provision.

Then another voice entered the story. Genesis says: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field…” (Genesis 3:1) And the serpent begins with a question: “Did God actually say…?” (Genesis 3:1)

Notice what is happening. The serpent does not begin by attacking behavior. He attacks trust... 

  • Can God really be trusted?
  • Did God really mean what He said?
  • Is God holding something back?

The strategy is subtle. God had emphasized abundance: “You may surely eat of every tree…” The serpent shifts attention to restriction. And suddenly the conversation becomes about what God prohibited instead of everything God provided. 

Eve responds by remembering what God said, but imperfectly (Genesis 3:2–3). Already, the command begins to sound slightly distorted. That reveals something deeply human: It is possible to remember truth vaguely while slowly misunderstanding it. And that still happens today. Many people reject a version of Christianity they were never taught accurately. Others build beliefs on half-remembered verses, internet opinions, cultural assumptions, or emotional reactions.

We say things like:

  • “I think God probably wants me to be happy.”
  • "Surely God understands.”
  • “Times have changed.”

But the deeper question remains: What has God actually said?

This is why it is important to know Scripture.  Compare the voices.  God’s voice brought life, order, truth, provision, and flourishing. The serpent promised wisdom and freedom, but delivered shame, fear, hiding, and brokenness.

  • One voice created trust, the other created confusion.
  • One voice gave life, the other distorted reality.

That does not mean every difficult moment disappears when we follow God. But Genesis brings up an honest question: Which voice has proven trustworthy?

And here is where the story becomes hopeful.  Even after Adam and Eve listened to the wrong voice, God did not abandon them. Genesis says: “The LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9)  God knew exactly where Adam was. The question was not for information. It was an invitation. God still pursued relationship.

Christians believe this moment points toward a much larger story that was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Even in Genesis 3, God begins speaking hope, promising that evil will not have the final word (Genesis 3:15).

So perhaps the question for us is simple: Whose voice is getting authority in your life?

  • Before fear becomes your guide, ask: What has God said? And Scripture answers: God says, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).
  • Before culture becomes your compass, ask: What has God said? God says that truth is not invented by us but revealed by Him, and that His ways lead to life (Psalm 119:105; John 14:6).
  • Before temptation, anxiety, or emotion gets the final word, stop and ask: What has God said? God says He is near to the anxious, provides a way through temptation, and calls us to trust Him rather than ourselves (Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Proverbs 3:5–6).

Because in a world full of competing voices, learning to hear—and trust—the voice of God still changes stories.