Distrust

Lessons from the Lives of Adam and Eve (Part III)

Leave a Comment / Contentment, Distrust, Doubt / By

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3: 8-13

Adam and Eve fell into sin, and now they have a problem. How are they going to face the Lord? Will Adam miss his appointment with the Lord since he walked with Him regularly? Will Adam try to avoid the issue altogether and act like everything is okay?

Well, Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. That was not a good decision. Since Adam and the Lord had such a good relationship, he should have taken the step of telling Him the truth. The reality is that you can’t hide anything from the Lord. He knows everything.

Hiding from the truth is never a good idea. We can’t cover things up, ignore, or dismiss them and think that they will go away on their own. Just like our relationships with others require communication, honesty, and vulnerability, we need to have a similar relationship with the Lord. We need to address any breakdowns in the relationship and work on restoring it rather than ignoring it.

Praise God that the Lord came to find Adam and Eve. He is the seeker and the initiator of the relationship, and we get to respond to Him.

When the Lord confronted Adam, Adam said that he hid himself because he was naked. I wonder when Adam realized that he was naked. It was probably soon after they sinned. Sin is an open door to shame and feeling not good enough.

Isn’t it amazing that when we are tempted to sin, the enemy tempts us with all the things we get to enjoy and have if we give in to sin? However,  on the other side of sin, he is waiting to make us feel ashamed and not good enough anymore. Interestingly, the Lord asked who told them about their nakedness. You see, God had seen them naked all along and did not think anything of it. It wasn’t that they were naked that made them feel ashamed but the fact that they had caught the virus of sin that made them operate with the lens of shame and guilt in how they saw themselves and others.

In the past, Adam and Eve saw everything as good, and they were secure in their relationships with God, themselves, and each other. Now, they had received the knowledge of evil that they did not have before. Their lens changed. Because their relationship with the Lord died, their security began to shift to their environment and the natural things they could see and touch. They began to depend on how they could change or improve themselves or what others could do for them.

Are there areas that you feel not good enough, ashamed, or guilty? What doors have been opened that need to be closed? Is there anything you need to talk to the Lord and face the facts about?

Image by Alberto Adán from Pixabay

 

 

The Dangers of Envy (Part II)

2 Comments / Distress, Distrust, Envy, Torment / By

A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. Proverbs 14:30

The Bible tells us much about envy and its danger to the person and those around them. The above scripture  tells us that envy brings destruction to the body. People can experience various mental, emotional, and physical issues because they allow themselves to be envious and bitter in their hearts. The fact is that regardless of what others have done, envy does not change anything. It only infects the person who has come into agreement with it. They’re the ones suffering and paying the price for it. In addition, the person remains carnal and inhibits their own growth as I shared in the last devotional. We’re called to guard our hearts from envy. When we keep our hearts sound, our perception and our body remains healthy and whole as well.  

So the women sang as they danced, and said:

“Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.”

Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward.

And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 1 Samuel 18:7-10

Saul became Jealous of David and his popularity among people. His envy brought about a distressing spirit that tormented him. At times, David was invited to play music for him, so he could be relieved from this anxiety. The truth is that David would not have been even in the picture if Saul had done what God told him to do. When Saul disobeyed the Lord, God rejected him and chose David to be the future king.

David was anointed by God and he wasn’t the one after Saul’s position. He was just trying to live his life and be a good shepherd boy for his father. He had no ambitions to take Saul’s place. It was Saul’s insecurity and his own disobedience that opened the door to distressing spirit and torment. One of the dangers of envy is that it pollutes our perception, and it causes distrust of others. The envious person may get paranoid and  think that others are out to get them.  Others’ Actions are interpreted as a personal attack and how it might take the envious person out of their position.

As David was trying to be all God had called him to be, Saul interpreted those actions as a plan to take his throne. Saul’s envy made David’s life very difficult, yet it did not thwart God’s plan for his life. The fruit of envy was distress and depression for Saul. Are there people that you are envious of? Can you trust God with your future? Do you believe that as long as you are walking with God and pleasing Him nothing could stop God’s plan for your life?

 

 

 

Image by Sebastian Šoška from Pixabay