What Was That Forbidden Fruit, Anyways?

 

Recently, at a women’s conference, the speaker read scripture from the book of Genesis. While tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit, Satan challenged what God had told her, stating that “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.” – Genesis 3:4-5 (NLT)

While that wasn’t the focus of her message, it spoke volumes to me about the love of our heavenly Father.

When you have children and grandchildren – really, any child that you love, you want to protect them. Ideally, we wish that they never had to know evil at all. How wonderful would their lives be if they never even heard about, let alone experienced, all the evils in the world? It’s our sincerest hope and wish to protect them from all that’s evil. Oh, that they would never know about pain, insult, assault, rape, kidnapping, torture, murder, greed, heartbreak and so much more!

Alas, we know that they will be exposed to all those things through media and some of those things through their own experiences.

What if there was something we could do to protect them from it?

What if we could prevent them from opening the doorway to the evils of the world?

What if they could only know…..good?

In His love, mercy, compassion and goodness, God only had one rule for His children in the Garden of Eden: Don’t open this door – this door will lead to pain and sorrow and destruction, even death.

Yet through the subtle deception of the enemy, the door looked tempting, as Satan attempted (successfully) to make it look to Eve – and Adam there with her, like God was keeping something good from them. He wanted to make them believe that knowing good AND evil would make them like God.

But God didn’t want His family to know the torment of evil. He didn’t want us to know good AND evil – He only wanted us to know good, forever.

In wanting the best for His children, He sought to protect them with a simple rule. He’d already provided every good thing for them – and forbid the bad from destroying their lives by containing it in a single tree.

“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.” – Genesis 3:4-5 (NLT)

Knowing what we know now, they’d never have eaten from the forbidden tree. But – they didn’t yet know evil. They didn’t even know what evil was.

Sometimes, as in this case, rules are for our own protection. God didn’t want us to know evil – only good!

Because that fruit was eaten, we now need to be redeemed. In His great love for us, God provided for our redemption by sending His own Son to make the sacrifice necessary to bring us back into harmony with Him.

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”  – Romans 5:8-9 ESV

Yet, like Eve – and Adam, so many of us think we know better than God.

 

A Plan of Action: NEBAI

(crafthubs.com)

This cocoon is getting a little tight and I’m getting a little restless. I need to stop being so hard on myself, I’m not a caterpillar permanently trapped in preparation mode. Though I’m anxious to break out, maybe I need “one more minute”.

I’ve been feeling a little anxious lately. Upcoming situations beg me to come up with doable plans to deal with it. However, I don’t see myself as a planner; I’m a pantzer (one who flies by the seat of their pants)!

Clearly, information may lead to transformation, but information itself isn’t transformation. Hence, no matter how much information I’ve crammed into my pretty little head, it won’t do a thing for me just rattling around in there, I have to implement it into my daily life.

(colourbox.com)

 Today I’m looking at some of the things that make me anxious. I know God doesn’t want me dwelling in anxiety. His Word tells me to be anxious for nothing. (Philippians 4:6) His Word also tells me that in this world I’ll have tribulations. Tribulations can bring anxieties along with them. (John 16:33)

I’m drawn back to being mindful. Though I regularly think of myself as ditzy or scatterbrained, I’m not. Those are just adjectives that catapult me into a negative mindset, or attempt to excuse me from being present and in the moment.

I’ve gleaned many tools to help be become a healthier person at the Metabolic Research Center, where I check in regularly. One of those useful tools is a behavior called “pattern interrupt”. Simply put, interrupting a pattern of destructive behavior, or even those that are just not good for me – such as temptations to eat something unhealthy. Anyone with an addiction can benefit by interrupting his or her addictive behaviors.

Interrupt it with what? A different behavior.

(pinterest.com)

 If it’s my habit to stop at Starbucks on my way home, I need to adopt a new routine. But, if it’s an impulse that suddenly strikes me, I can interrupt it by doing something else. As I sit here, now thinking about a Java Chip Frappuccino, a craving could easily mount. I could abandon my laptop and head over to Starbucks, perhaps justifying it by walking over there instead of driving. Yes, it’s that close. If instead, I choose to interrupt that temptation and pick up my weighted hula-hoop and go at it for ten minutes, by then the craving should pass.

I need to have a ready selection of viable options at my disposal. A list of things I can do instead of give in to the impulse. By viable, I mean things I will actually do. I need to find options I can do anywhere. Yes, here at home, I can grab my hula-hoop. But, if I’m driving down the road – what then? Your list will be different from mine, but we can interrupt a temptation easily, if we’re prepared for them and if we notice when they hit us.

For me, dietary temptations generally hit in the late afternoon. This is common. I may be able to avoid them altogether if I have a prepared or readily available snack with me. Maybe not.

Oftentimes, temptations seem to hit us unexpectedly. They’re most likely emotionally triggered, though. Perhaps emotional triggers cause our sugar to drop, or maybe our sugar dropping creates the emotional trigger. We’ll let scientists sort that out.

(wallpaperseries.com)

Again, with the mindfulness; I need to pay attention. I need to notice what’s going on around me and inside of me when irresistible temptations attempt to consume me. I’m in charge, not the temptations.

Here’s my plan.

NOTICE when I’m anxious. I’ve seen that temptations quickly follow.

(Does my sugar dropping create part of that anxiety?)

EXAMINE what I’m feeling – briefly. Allowing my mind to wallow in something stressful won’t do me any good at all; I’d probably end up eating something sugary while I stew over what’s bothering me.

BREATHE. While looking at what has me falling prey to a temptation, I’ll focus on my breathing for a minute or two; breathing deeply and purposefully. That always calms me down noticeably.

ALLOW the pieces to fall in place. Many of life’s stressors are out of our control. Nevertheless, our response is always within our control. The old Serenity Prayer comes into play here.

(covermyfb.com)

For me, this will mean confronting thoughts that pull me down and taking ownership of them, choosing whether I allow them to dominate my mind. Mindfully following the instructions in Philippians 4:8: thinking on the good things, will give me power.

When I confront my own thoughts, I need to do it in love or I can wind up mentally beating myself up again for thinking them. Self-love is not selfish.

Lastly, IMPLEMENT my alternative activity. I need to get busy on that list and keep a copy in my phone!

Hmmmm. NEBAI. I need an acronym to remember my plan! Is that even a word? I looked it up. How cool is this? According to several Hebrew dictionaries, nebai means fruitful! So, I greatly anticipate that my strategy will be fruitful. And I’ll pronounce it however I like. The “i” will be silent and I’ll make it rhyme with Reba, my favorite country singer.

Sounds easy enough, want to try it with me?

(wallpaperseries.com)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God…” – Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me [Jesus] you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NKJV)

Seeds Die

(Seeds from 1994, still in a bottle on the shelf....)

In John 14:6 Jesus proclaims, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

That explains a lot. Note, He didn’t declare that He is a way, or a truth or a life – but the way, the truth and the life. He doesn’t want us falling for the wily deceptions of the enemy.

In John 8:12 He tells us, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

And again in John 9:5 we read: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus tells us that we are “the salt of the earth and the light of the world” in Matthew 5:13 and 14.

How can we be the light of the world if that’s His job? Because we learn to let His light shine through us, as we recognize His light within us.

It appears that, among other things, we – Jesus and those of us who love Him, are also likened unto seeds for planting.

(superhealthykids.com)

Per Galatians 3:29, we are the seed of Abraham; “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

God’s Word or the Word of God’s kingdom, is also likened to a seed. In Matthew 13:18-23 we read the explanation for the parable of the sower, which is also expounded upon by Mark in chapter 4:14-20. Mark begins Jesus’ explanation with the words, “The sower sows the word.” Such important points are made in this story that we again read the account in Luke 8:11-15, where Luke begins the revelation in verse 11 with the words, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”

I’d like to point out that yes, the Word of God is the heart and the passion of the scriptures that fill our Bibles, but the Word of God is also the living Word, Jesus Christ, Himself. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

God’s spoken and written word is a seed planted in our hearts; it comes alive in Jesus, the Person.

I’m going to liken faith to planting a packet of mystery seeds from a local nursery. Purchased confidently, seeds guaranteed to grow in my climate and terrain; I ready my soil and plant the seeds according to the given instructions. I tend to them, per the instructions and I wait. I wait to see what grows in my garden.

(mylifeinthedirt.com)

God’s Word reveals a thing or two about seeds. For one, what is sown does not produce life unless it dies. We see this in John 12:24 (Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain), as well as in 1 Corinthians 15:36 (Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies).

Every springtime, along with bunnies and daffodils and candy-filled baskets, we hear about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We understand that, yes, Jesus Christ died. He died to pay the debt amassed by the sin of mankind; your sin and mine. Payment was death and a sentence to hell. Had He not died, faced hell and triumphantly risen on the third day, that debt would not have been paid. Risen, He put on incorruption and is now glorified with His Father. He gave up His earthly life, willingly, for us. No regrets. (Hebrews 12:2)

Our turn. In order to reap the harvest of our lives, we too, must die. We must crucify our flesh daily. Does this mean suicide? Clearly not. That would not glorify God at all; Jesus came that we might have life and live it more abundantly! (John 10:10)

To crucify our flesh daily, we deny ourselves harmful, carnal indulgences of the world; we turn away from the things God identifies as sin, those things displeasing to Him, those things that, in the long run, will bring us needless pain and suffering. So death to self means surrendering to the will of God in our lives.

Does God offer us pleasure? Absolutely! Sin is pleasurable only for a season. God’s peace and joy and the pleasure we have in Him is perfect and eternal.

We often wrestle with the need to do things our own way (temporary fun) vs. doing things God’s way (which promises joy, peace, love, eternity and every good thing we can imagine as well as so much that we can’t fathom). Given the outcome, why do we repeatedly choose our own way?

I suppose we often choose our own way because we can see what we want with our physical (temporary) eyes and we impatiently grab for it.

This is likely why most of us buy our fruits and vegetables from the supermarket instead of patiently waiting for them to grow in our yard.

We want what we want, when we want it – the way we want it. After all, “if it feels good, do it” – right? And “our way IS the right way” – right?

(chicagonow.com)

Let’s apply some logic. You and I cannot see what tomorrow holds; God can, He’s seen the end from the beginning. If He’s to be trusted and taken at His Word, we need to accept that He knows how tomorrow turns out; He knows what choices we should make today and He knows the consequences of the wrong choices.

He has only good planned for us. He gets no joy from needless suffering or our pointless struggles. But, take note; He sees what we’ll reap from the lessons we learn and the obstacles we overcome. He sees the end result of the Seed He’s planted in us, and He sees what we, as seeds, will become.

Choosing to die to our own self-will boils down to trusting and displaying our faith in a God that knows the outcome, instead of blindly following after the desires of our flesh.

So, little seed – will you prosper and grow, or sit in a bottle on a shelf, yielding nothing?

Another Vivid Dream

Not for the sqeamish, another vivid dream.

Strangers in a Foreign Land

They were in a foreign land, like China –an Asian country. Amidst many other travelers, two couples rode on a trolley-car type train across major roadways in a huge city. Oddly, several loud, obnoxious, fat, college aged Americans seemed to be the ones in control of the train, acting as conductors. At the time no one seemed to suspect the train had been taken over. The conductors served the passengers a tempting plate of goodies; brownie bites, cookies, chocolate fudge and the like. The woman watching her weight knew she shouldn’t indulge, but the temptation was too much, she ate her fill. Everyone on board the train partook.
Back at their hotel, though the husbands were tired too, they went out on their own, but the ladies were so sleepy they had to nap. While they were sleeping, or drugged by the goodies and unconscious, they were raped.
Upon waking, they knew something horrible had happened to them but looked for reasons to explain it away and dismiss it. They were ashamed and didn’t talk about it with each other – until the younger woman admitted to the older one that she was sore ‘down there’ – confused and terrified as to why.

I woke up.

As Christians we are strangers in a foreign land, indulging in temptations to sin.
Sin weakens the Bride of Christ – causing her to ‘sleep’ or be apathetic about what happens to the body.
The Bride of Christ is being raped while she ‘sleeps’ – while others, the protectors (perhaps pastors or others in leadership roles?) in the body ‘sleep’ or look the other way.

Key: stop indulging in temptation/sin

Words that can replace ‘rape’: violated, made ‘un-whole’, damaged, crushed, torn apart, invaded, divided, confused, shamed, laughed at & mocked, innocence taken, quieted, suppressed, emptied, scarred, scared, intimidated, robbed, numbed, shocked, devastated, trashed, used and abused.