Reading: “…But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'” Genesis 3:3
Surrounded by hostile savages with death staring him in the face, David Livingstone clung to the words of God in Scripture “Lo, I am with you alway…”  When the danger from without began to threaten his emotional and spiritual state, he strengthened his mind with the thought that has now become famous; “It is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honour, so there’s an end of it!”
Eve knew what God had said, she told Satan, but she did not arm herself with resolve to stand firm on God’s word. When a talking snake comes into our garden, whether it is the Roman Catholic Magisterium, a Charismatic prophet, an “evangelical” charlatan, or our own fanciful dreams, let us resolve that the Word of God stands as the ONLY and sufficient authority.
This is what we go back to, this is the solid rock, the immovable foundation and the sufficient and only authority against all temptation. Let us bring scripture to every situation and say with Livingstone; “It is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honour, so there’s an end of it!”