Do you think Satan realized that God had given Adam and Eve the prerogative to pick and choose how they would act and react in the garden? Or how they might feel about things that happened there? It seems Satan knew they had the ability to choose between right and wrong…and good and evil. Else why would Satan cunningly go to such length to tempt Eve – trying to trick her into deciding that she could/should choose to scrutinize the appeal of such beautiful fruit and finally partake of that which God had forbidden them? Didn’t take long for Eve and Adam to make the wrong choice and suffer the consequences, did it?
Do you think Adam and Eve understood the responsibility of their choices? Did they fully realize that if they chose to do what God said they shouldn’t, that there would be dire consequences? In their behalf, perhaps they were at a slight disadvantage…they didn’t have anyone else to help show them the fallacy of where their thoughts might take them; plus, were Adam and Eve even aware of the devil and what he could do? Later, of course, others would be able to profit from Adam and Eve’s mistake.
The fact is, that God allows temptations to discipline and strengthen us if, by spiritually positive decisions, we make good choices. “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” (Js. 1:14, NIV) Mark it down, all wrong-doing is the result of human selfishness.
“Christians should learn to exercise skill in rejecting the alluring “bait” with which Satan baits his traps of enslavement to sin.” -James B. Coffman
We must never blame God for anything bad. That would be the height of ridiculousness. As the giver of good gifts, He’s the only One who can save us and give us home in heaven!
-John Driggers (7/15/2024, V6 #29)
To read other content drafted by John Driggers, please check out our Life Guides webpage here: https://www.myersdavis.com/think-of-it-this-way
