A 7-Day Devotional on Purpose, Loss, and Restoration
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
2 Corinthians 11:3
For the one who once walked in God’s purpose, but now feels the ache of distance and the sting of lost ground, there is a way back.
Introduction
A Garden, a Serpent, and the Way Back
In the beginning, there was a garden. It was beautiful, bountiful, and bursting with purpose. Eden wasn’t just a paradise, it was a place of partnership, where God walked with man, where identity was clear, and where everything that was needed had already been provided. But lurking just beyond the leaves was a voice, subtle, cunning, and divisive. The predator had entered paradise.
The serpent didn’t tear Eden down with force. He unraveled it with a question: “Hath God said…?” What followed was not simply disobedience, it was a surrender of dominion, a breach in trust, and a fracture in fellowship. One moment of compromise led to a legacy of separation.
And yet, woven even into Eden’s fall is a thread of hope.
This 7-day devotional, Predator in Paradise, explores how God places us in good places with good purpose, but how the enemy aims to divide, deceive, and destroy. You’ll walk through Eden’s tragedy and Christ’s triumph. You’ll see how what was lost in Adam is restored in Jesus. And you’ll be invited to return to the presence, power, and purpose that God still offers.
The same God who called out, “Where art thou?” is still calling today, not in wrath, but in mercy.
There is a way back. And it begins with a step toward Him.
Predator in Paradise
Day 1 – Paradise with Purpose
Day 2 – The Predator’s Question
Day 3 – Separation by Seduction
Day 4 – Eyes Opened, Glory Lost
Day 5 – When We Lose Dominion
Day 6 – Hidden from Presence, Stripped of Power
Day 7 – The Way Back
Epilogue – From Lost to Restored
Predator in Paradise is a seven day devotional based on the message preached by Rev. Shad McDowell Wednesday morning June 25th, 2025 during the camp meeting at Savannah Holy Church of God in Savannah Ga.
Please note that this weekly devotional series is currently available only by download at this time.
