Temptation: January 23, 2011

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 21, 2011

TEMPTATION

DEFINITION:

An inducement; enticement; allurement to sin or doing wrong.

SCRIPTURE:

Then the serpent (the devil) said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 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.” Genesis 3: 4-5.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the third chapter of Genesis we read about the first recorded temptation and the fall of man. Satan’s devious enticement of Eve in the Garden of Eden reminds us that we cannot be forced to sin. Eve had a choice and her choice was to fall for the temptation of Satan. Each of us is just as vulnerable to temptation today as Eve was many years ago.

Consider what Satan did to Eve and be aware that he can do the same to us today. In Genesis 3:1, he first misrepresented God’s Word. He twisted what God said in Genesis 2:16-17. He planted the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind by saying, “Did God really say that you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?”

What Satan was saying to Eve was do you really believe God would put these trees in this beautiful garden and then say to you that you can’t eat the fruit of all of them? Satan made Eve think that God was withholding something from them and caused her to doubt God’s goodness. Eve knew the truth and she tried to set the record straight by telling Satan that it was just one tree that they were forbidden to eat from, but that if they did eat of it they would surely die.

Then Satan denied (Genesis 3:4) the truth of what God had said to her and told her a lie --- surely she would not die if she ate from that tree. Finally, Satan questioned God’s motives (Genesis 3:5) by saying to Eve that God knows that the day you eat of the tree your eyes will be opened and you shall be like God.

Satan had accomplished his goal. Eve’s confidence in God was under minded. Eve relied on what seemed desirable to her physical senses and what seemed desirable to her human understanding (Genesis 3:6) and thus sinned. She knew God’s truth but chose Satan’s lies.

Satan is a liar and with his lies he always promises a beneficial result. Be assured that Satan’s benefits are not for our benefit. Satan makes us think that sin is good, pleasureful and desirable. That is Satan’s lie. God’s truth is that sin leads to our destruction and death.

Satan’s temptations are always attractive. We can’t always prevent Satan from tempting us but we can overcome the temptation that he sends to us. To overcome temptation in our lives today we must know God’s Word accurately, trust God’s judgment completely and obey God with the full assurance that what God chooses for us is both right and the best for us. Like Eve, we have the choice to choose God’s truth or Satan’s lies.

As long as Adam and Eve knew only good they remained innocent with no sin, choosing and experiencing only what was right in God’s sight. They did not ever see opportunities to do wrong. When Satan tempted them and they fell they were introduced to their new capacity to see evil choices as well as good ones and with it the desire to try both good and bad. In their new knowledge was that they now knew shame and guilt. Gone was their inner peace of innocence.

Do you spend time in your home discussing the temptations that come your way? Spouses need to communicate so they can pray with one another about their weaknesses and temptations and ask God together for strength to resist them. Parents must teach children first of all what temptation is and then how to deal with it. Families break apart because they do not communicate. Take a look today as to how you communicate with your family concerning the temptations that come your way and hinder your relationship with the Lord and with each other.

LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:17.

“For God did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

PRAYER:

Help our family to learn by reading the account in Genesis of how Satan tempted Adam and Eve. Help us to learn through this how Satan tempts us daily. Give our family the knowledge of Your Word and the strength of Your presence within us to live each day honoring You.