The Fruit of Desire

Genesis 3:1-7 – Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

When the serpent came to Eve, he wanted to create within her a desire she had never experienced. He wanted her to see what was being withheld from her. All he needed to do was plant a seed and allow her mind (and flesh) to do the rest. Does that sound familiar?

Satan and our own flesh (lust) will take the opportunity to present us with something that we do not have (1 Peter 5:8-9; James 1:13-15). Not only will it be something that we do not have, but it will be something they believe you must have as your own. (Now this is concerning temptations that lead to sinful acts.) However, there are some problems:

1. You’re given the illusion that you’re missing out. Oncoming temptations want you to believe a great ‘secret’ blessing is out there just for you. They want you to feel you must have what they’re ‘selling.’ Like the constant commercials that drive you to believe you need what they have TODAY…NOW, these temptations work in the same manner. However, by staying away from them, you’re only missing out on deception and problems of sin.

2. You forget about what you have. After the serpent’s response in verse three, Eve no longer thought about what she had. She didn’t think about the garden surroundings or her relationship with her husband or the Lord. There were so many good things within her life, however they weren’t considered.

Within our own lives, Satan and our flesh (lust) don’t want us to think about the things we already have. They only want our focus to be on what’s missing. They want us to forget about any present peace or joy, only the ’empty’ void…that blank in our lives that needs to be filled in.

3. You don’t think about the consequences.

Mark 8:36-37 – For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Consequences?! When temptation is lurking about, many people don’t always consider the consequences. Eve didn’t fully consider the consequences of the Lord’s statement that they would surely die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Though she did briefly address the Lord’s command to the serpent, she allowed the serpent’s urging to take hold.

If the truth be told, many of us have found ourselves in the same situation. There have been times when we only focused on the ‘benefits’ of the tempation rather than the punishment/judgment that will ensue. However, that’s a key ‘ingredient’ of temptation and sin. Satan nor your flesh (lust) wants you to think about what could happen, what you will lose, and who will be affected. Think about the implications of Adam’s sin and how it has affected all mankind – billions of people around the world and throughout the ages.

Temptation may seem sweet, but it’s sour to your soul.

4. It becomes all about ME. When we think about these types of sinful desires (and act on them), we only think about what we want at that present moment. As with the consequences, we do not think about our well-being or how our decision will affect anyone else. We only see what’s in it for ‘me’ RIGHT NOW.

Sin is a selfish act that seeks to live beyond the obedience of a holy God.

5. We believe we know what’s best for us. Giving into tempting/sinful acts say to God, ‘I know what’s better for my life than You. I can give myself the pleasure I need without your assistance.’ As we see with Eve (and have experienced through the consequences of Adam’s sin), we know what it’s like to live a life without the Lord being the Head of our lives and our decisions (even after one self-seeking decision).

When faced with temptation, we must understand that though it may ‘seem’ desirable, it is laced with disobedience and sin we really don’t want to deal with. However, the Lord has provided a way out of temptation:

1 Corinthians 10:13 – There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The key for us is to resist the devil and the flesh (lust) and look for that way of escape when temptation is knocking loudly at our door of our lives. With sin, the only thing you’re missing out on is the Lord’s punishment and judgment…and that’s a good thing! Lastly, don’t forget about what you already have – its value and how precious it is in your life (and others) right now.

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