Understanding How You Will Be Tempted Today

January 02, 2017

Temptation is not sin, but it is the foyer. Sin finds its genesis there and it’s appropriate that the beginning chapters of Genesis give the foundational illustration of how temptation and sin occurs.

To be unaware about a deadly poisonous snake, aggressively approaching you every day would be deadly. Why would you not give daily attention to Satan’s temptations and your responses?

Satan brings a crafty temptation to doubt God's Word.

Now the serpent was more crafty ... and he said to the woman, ""Indeed, has God said ..."" (Genesis 3:1)

Satan lies to us about the effects of sin, promising what he can never deliver.

The serpent said to the woman, ""You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."" (vs. 4-5)

We are tempted, often on multiple levels.

When the woman saw the tree was good for food (physical temptation), and it was a delight to the eyes (emotional temptation), and that the tree was desirable to make one wise (mental temptation) ... (vs. 6)

We act on the temptation, making a disastrous choice.

She took of its fruit and ate ... (vs. 6)

We may invite others to join us, seeking to make us feel better about our sin.

And she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (vs. 6)

We feel the immediate and deadly effects of our choice to sin.

• Innocence is lost: then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked (vs. 7)

• Honest transparency is lost: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God (vs. 8)

• Fear enters: I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid ... (vs. 10)

• Blaming and self-preservation begins: The man said, ""The woman who YOU gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."" (vs. 12) … And the woman said, ""The serpent deceived me and I ate."" (vs. 13)

• Paradise is lost: Therefore, the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden ... So He drove the man out ... (vs. 23-24)

If you are unthinking about the nature of temptation you will be doomed to fail. And to fail here is destructive for sin always brings spiritual and emotional death.

Arm yourself! Be ready to deal with the serpent’s attack. He is still slithering and he will be speaking to you, tempting you to doubt God’s word, before the day is out.

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