Many people believe that freedom to act as they choose gives them the opportunity to have control over their own lives. In the Garden of Eden story in the Bible, the real reason the first man and woman were deceived into eating the fruit was that they believed the knowledge of right and wrong would make them like God with the ability to control their own destiny. How wrong they were and how vulnerable we are when we believe this lie.
The fear of the Lord (respect, awe & submission to God) is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7 NKJV)
The devil will tempt us with something appealing to our flesh and then give us reasons why it’s not so bad or why we deserve it. He may even remind us that God will forgive us for any wrong doing, so why not just go ahead and do it. The devil always twists the truth for his motive is to destroy us. He wants us to obey him, and by doing so, disobey God.
He deceives us with things that are appealing in the moment but will never give us the satisfaction we desire.
Temptation isn’t just offering us something that we want in the moment. The appealing core of temptation is the lie that free from God, we can figure out what is morally good for us and tell ourselves that it “doesn’t hurt anyone else”. Unfortunately, there is no human effort or wisdom that can keep us from harming ourselves and others when we determinedly act on self-will. We will self-destruct in one way or another unless we acknowledge that God made us and knows what is best for us, and then choose to surrender to His ways.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)
Prayer: Loving God, help me be aware of the promptings of your Holy Spirit as I sort truth from lies. Give me the strength to surrender my will and my life to Your care and acknowledge that You alone are God and know all things, including what is best for me. Amen
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