Day 16: Look it in the Eye

Read: Genesis 3:4-5

            When I was in high school, I used to babysit kids often. It was fun. We’d do crafts, watch shows, play hide and seek, and occasionally, I would bring a toy from my own childhood and show it to them. 

Once, I pulled out a small stuffed dog and let the kids play with it. But, pretty soon they started fighting for it. And, since I didn’t want it to tear, I asked them to give it back to me. Realizing that something was about to be taken away from them, they both looked me in the eye and said that they didn’t have it. Now I knew that the stuffed dog was behind them because I could see them tugging at it. They were blatantly lying right in front of me. 

            It’s hard to compare because of the magnitude of it but just think… If children are capable of lying so easily, just imagine what the most deceiving being in all of creation can do. As I said yesterday, Satan is the king of deceit. Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.” He started his chain of deception by making Eve question God. Then, as doubt was creeping in her mind, his lies increased. 

Eve knew that the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden it would bring death. But, Satan responded in verses 4-5 saying, “You will not surely die.For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve was hit with the biggest decision of her life. Should she believe the God who gave her life, or listen to Satan? 

            It can be hard when you are faced with a decision where you want to be glorified. In those situations, you never win. In Ephesians 5:6-8, it says, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” We need to remember Who we are living for. Allowing temptation to settle in is just a path that will lead to our own failure. 

            We are no longer children. We have the maturity to live out what is right. Let us look doubt and temptation in the eye and proclaim the goodness of God, and claim the victory we have with Him. 

We have all been in a situation where we wanted to be glorified. That’s something we need to recognize and correct. How have you been taking control of temptations in your life? Always remember, that through Christ, we are always able to overcome.