Adam and Eve were tempted and fell into sin with the natural things in the world, and we can learn valuable lessons from their lives on what not to do.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 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.’”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Genesis 3:1-6
Doubt led to question God’s Integrity
In verse 4, the serpent lies to Eve by telling her that she will not die if she eats the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, thereby declaring God to be a liar. By now, Eve had moved from a place of trust to thinking that God was trying to withhold something good from her. The serpent made her believe that if she ate it, she would become like God, creating competition with Him.
How many times have you thoughts that God is withholding something good from you? How many times have you tried to make something happen when you knew that the Lord had not authorized it?
Distrust takes away established boundaries
In verse 6, the scripture tells us that Eve saw the tree. Perhaps she had tried to avoid that area to ensure she wouldn’t be tempted. Maybe she had not focused on it because she knew it was harmful to her. However, now she took a good look at the tree, and it looked good, and she desired to taste it. She was also curious to find out its supposed magical potency for wisdom that she thought she was missing out on. The only reason she thought she was missing out was because she started distrusting God.
When we are resolved to be obedient, we don’t entertain the idea of how to disobey. However, when the heart wants to rebel and doesn’t trust anymore, the boundaries are taken off, and we become open to the possibility of sin.
This is a lesson in what not to do. When we open the door to doubt, while it may seem innocent in the beginning, it will take us to places we would never have wanted to be. That’s why it is very important to be alert and watchful with those who speak into our lives, recognizing their character, and their own history of relationships with others. We can only gain wisdom from those who live a life of wisdom. Eve lost the opportunity to have the greatest wisdom, which was the fear of the Lord, when she distrusted God’s authority. This made her take things into her own hands, thinking she might miss out on something, including wisdom!
Let’s be watchful and intentional about who we allow to speak into our lives. For a believer, every conversation needs to be guarded and protected by the leading of the Lord. We can’t afford to be casual about this!
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