Genesis 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when 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, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
The serpent's deception was subtle but powerful: "don't be content with what you have, you're missing out on a great pleasure." Eve was faced with a choice: trust that God did know and desire what was best for her, or doubt God and thus take for herself what she wanted. Sexual fantasies offer basically the same thing: the tantalizing claim that we are missing out on some great pleasure, and that we are being held back from enjoying this ecstasy by our old-fashioned and restrictive morals. But the cold hard truth is that Satan cannot offer us a better life than God can. Adam and Eve did not attain what they desired, and neither do we when we indulge in sexual sin.
Lord, it is easy for me to proclaim that You are good, but hard for me to really trust Your goodness. I confess to not trusting You, to trying to take control and experience what I want. But You are good, and You do know what is best. So help me to trust You in all areas of my life.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when 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, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
The serpent's deception was subtle but powerful: "don't be content with what you have, you're missing out on a great pleasure." Eve was faced with a choice: trust that God did know and desire what was best for her, or doubt God and thus take for herself what she wanted. Sexual fantasies offer basically the same thing: the tantalizing claim that we are missing out on some great pleasure, and that we are being held back from enjoying this ecstasy by our old-fashioned and restrictive morals. But the cold hard truth is that Satan cannot offer us a better life than God can. Adam and Eve did not attain what they desired, and neither do we when we indulge in sexual sin.
Lord, it is easy for me to proclaim that You are good, but hard for me to really trust Your goodness. I confess to not trusting You, to trying to take control and experience what I want. But You are good, and You do know what is best. So help me to trust You in all areas of my life.