Obedience

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” 1 Timothy 2:14 NKJV

Eve was deceived. That means the enemy thoroughly duped her, and she was led astray. Adam, however, was not. He made a conscious decision to eat the forbidden fruit. When he sinned against God, his eyes were wide-open. He knew the fruit of that tree was off the menu. Scripture confirms Adam had clear instructions from God.  “And the LORD God commanded the man, [Adam] saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’ ” (Genesis 2:16-17) NKJV.

We’ve all done it. We deliberately went the wrong way, did the wrong thing, engaged in the wrong practice, or made the wrong choice. We fell into temptation and violated God’s divine law - we sinned. Sin is defined as “any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.” I believe all sin begins with temptation; at least in my life it has. What tempts us? Whatever the eye sees that leads to lust. Generally speaking, we lust in three areas: possessions (all the trinkets the world offers); passions (all sexual sins and lewd acts); and positions (coveting power or influence). Once Eve saw the apple was pleasing in her sight, she had to have it. Nothing else would do. So, she ate of it, to attain wisdom. Then, she delighted to share it with her husband. Adam, knowingly, ate the forbidden fruit. They sinned. We face temptations daily. Even Jesus was tempted, but unlike us, He remained sinless. His temptation occurred on the heels of a spiritual victory, which was the launch of His ministry and His baptism in the Jordan.

What’s our takeaway? We must submit to God’s authority and obey Him. Biblical faith is confident obedience to God’s word, despite the circumstances or consequences. People of great faith obey God!

Prayer: Mighty and gracious Lord, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from the evil one. Help us stay the course. Lord, hold us close and keep us vigilant. Amen.