This week I would just like to share a thought with you that the Lord has me pondering over. It all starts with the thought of… “Has God ever told you no to something that by all measures in your earthly mind doesn’t seem like a bad thing?”
I’m studying through the book of Genesis and I’m attempting to look at it with fresh eyes. So, as I came upon chapter 3 where the serpent enters the scene, I took notice of something in a new light. The serpent didn’t have to take Eve and Adam (chapter 3, verse 6 states that Adam was with Eve) to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent doesn’t say, “Hey, Eve come over here and let’s discuss this tree!”
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:9
Now, Adam and Eve were in a perfect environment full of trees that were good for food and pleasant to look on. Yet, for some reason I picture Eve standing there staring at this specific tree pondering, “Why not this tree? What makes it special?” Even in perfection the thought of “NO” seems to intrigue man even more than all the wonderful things he had been given a yes to!
Eve could have been watching the animals or the beautiful scenery all around her. She could have been taking advantage of the food that was given to her, but she decided to give her time and attention to the one thing that was not allowed.
With all that said, back to the first question! Is there something in your life that God has told you no to? Has the Lord shut a door that you desire to have opened? If the answer is yes, to one or both of these questions, are you spending your time staring at the closed door rather than enjoying all the wonderful things He has provided in your life?
When we put ourselves in a place of desire or lust for things that are not best for us, we are creating the perfect environment for the devil to tempt us. He sees that we are already in a position for doubt to be presented and our flesh to justify. We open the door for compromise in our lives when we could be celebrating and experience the abundance of all the blessings we have been given.
We must remember that we do not see the big picture, I’m sure that when Adam and Eve took that bite of fruit, they had no idea of all the trouble that was going to come their way or ours for that matter. When we fail to surrender to the will of the Father, we position ourselves to easily get ourselves in trouble by listening to what sounds like good reasonable advice from others. This world is full of compromise because people don’t understand that it is not about fulfilling our desires or getting our wants, but our lives are designed for so much more!
For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. - 1 John 2:16
And yes, even things that may seem good to us can misdirect us from the wonderful plan God has for our lives. Ask the Lord to search your heart and see if you are still holding on to something the Lord has told you to let go of or turn away from. Don’t position yourself staring at your NO but turn and look at all the yeses God has blessed you with.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: - Psalm 139:23
Comments