In Spite of One’s Better Judgement

Why do people give in to certain temptations? Temptation is a desire to do something wrong or unwise. A thing or course of action that attracts or tempts someone. It is also known as: desire, urge, itch, impulse, inclination, allurement, enticement, seduction, attraction, draw, pull, appeal, fasceination. Temptation is usually an act with negative connotations that tends to lead someone to regret the action. “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives to death.” (James 1:15) 

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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. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! 
You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; 
he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. 
Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food 
until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:1-24) Since the beginning of time Satan has continually used this tactic with all of us.

I have contemplated many times, and have been angry just as many, how Adam and Eve could have been so stupid to have thrown away all the wonders God had given them. “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3) I have come to a realization that I most certainly would have fallen for Satan’s tactic, as I have done so in the past. Now with God’s amor and strength I am better protected and more wise to the devil’s ways.

I hear a lot of people say, “God is tempting me.” In James 1:13 we see this is not true, “When tempted, no one should say ‘God is tempting me.’ For God can not be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” ( James 1:13) Temptation comes from Satan as Jesus speaks about this, “He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’ ( Mark 8:32-33)

In the Gospels of Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13, is the accounting of Jesus’ temptation. After 40 days without food, Jesus was hungry and weak. Ahead of Him loomed the cross. But all He had to do was listen to the devil to change all that. Before Him was a golden opportunity to satisfy His body and avoid the torment of crucifixion. But He didn’t give in. Jesus having refused each temptation, the devil departed and angels came and brought nourishment to Jesus. He showed how important it is to see some situations as temptations to be resisted rather than opportunities to be seized.

We learn from Jesus’ temptation that when we have an occasion to sin, God will provide a way for us to escape or He will give us the strength to resist it. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13). By relying on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as Jesus did, we can resist temptation.

Temptation wears a disguise when it slithers into our lives. Satan uses the same tactics today as he did way back at the beginning of time. Satan is the ultimate source of temptation in our lives. “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 fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it, or you will die.” (Genesis 3:1) “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) God’s Word warns us, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).

As Christians we must be vigilant to prevent such a crafty deceiver from sneaking into our lives. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) We need to be watchful so that we can evade temptations.

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• That looks tempting. (akinjideojo.wordpress.com)
• Chapter 3 – The Sin that changed it all (candylehnen.com)
• The Temptations of Jesus (brakeman1.wordpress.com)
• Aftermath: Rebellion and Hope (lifereference.wordpress.com)