BUT IT LOOKS SO GOOD!

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it". -1 Cor. 10:13

Viruses have been rampant over the past years, getting more and more sophisticated and even harder to detect.  However, if you would look closely, it's all the same, only packaged and named differently. However, the attacks and damage it does is getting more lethal each time.  The virus hasn't changed, only the strategy.

Same goes with temptation. It's like an infectious virus that when left alone, becomes lethal in itself.  And when we are victorious the first time, it comes back with a new strategy infecting us once again. What Satan used to tempt Eve in the Garden of Eden is no different from what we experience today.  Let's take a look at how the Serpent was able to succeed in tempting Eve in Gen. 3:1-6,  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." (emphasis mine)

You may reason also that Adam and Eve had no idea what "SIN" or "EVIL" was at that time.  But they were created in the image of God.  It meant that they had the wisdom of God and the free will to choose to obey or disobey the commandment of God.  And the commandment was very clear to them in Genesis 2:17 "but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  And note that Adam, who knew the commandment more than anyone else was beside her (v.6).  The moment we start to reason with ourselves, we fall into sin.

Then, Eve added to the Word of God (v.3) "...and you must not touch it."  The original command didn't include this.  Next, she began to dwell on the fruit and how it can benefit her and began to feel pride. Alas! she was taken over by her flesh.  And where was Adam in all of these?  He was beside her, hearing every single word of the Serpent and probably thinking and feeling the very same thing.


If we look closely at this story, and put it in our modern day setting, it all makes sense that the same temptation from the time of Adam and Eve are still in effect today.  Say for instance you see a sexy young woman pass by.  At first you will notice her, then, you will start reasoning with yourself, "there's nothing wrong with admiring beauty", then you start playing back the images in your mind and one thing will lead to another and then BAM!  You fall into sin. 
 
When you are faced with temptation, change your thought pattern right away and repent before the Lord.  Fill your thoughts with pure things.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.- Phil. 4:8


"Temptation is part of our lives, whether we are Born-Again Christians or not."

"Don't tell temptation to flee you, tell yourself to flee temptation."


"Don't ever think you are alone.  There are countless others out there battling the same temptation or even far greater than yours and are victorious!"