LEARNING FROM ADAM AND EVE

Why did God show us how satan talked to Adam and Eve? One of the reasons was to show us that satan temps us just like he tempted them.

I was a newby loan officer. People would call our office and I would tell them our mortgage rate. But then they would thank me and not set up an appointment. But then one day another loan officer told me: After you tell them our rate, give them 5 benefits to doing the loan today. On my very next call that was what I did. I got the appointment. To succeed I needed to know exactly what to say.

When we are tempted we need to know exactly what to say. Satan tells us what to think about, what to look at and what to do. And if our answer is a weak... no, or, I can't. We are going to lose. But when we are prepared we can win.

Every one of us has 3-5 specific reasons why we want to quit and why we should quit. Even more importantly we all have 5 benefits to quitting. Things like: Better relationships, being a better parent, improved finances when I get my self-control back, being able to do my job better, and most importantly having a great relationship with Jesus Christ again.

Here is what we didn't learn from Genesis, but we did learn it from Joseph. We learned how to do it right. A beautiful woman tried to seduce him. I guarantee you that he had 5 reasons why he wouldn't give in. And he was the wisest man in Egypt. He could likely list 10 benefits to himself if he did not give in.

Being completely prepared, he immediately fled the scene.

We can be completely prepared as well. We can write out 5 reasons on a note card of why we want to quit. We can write out 5 benefits to quitting. We can write out our goals for quitting.

Then when satan comes around and tempts us we read him a couple of lines from our card. When he doesn't give up – we start reading again. Then after you do this about 20 times, just humbly tell him: I can do this all day and all night.

Satan is brilliant and he is very mathematical. He is always calculating his odds of getting you. When you fight back a little bit he drops you to his b list. Fight harder – c list, harder d list. When we fight back every time he drops us to the U list – the unlikely list. And people on the unlikely list get tempted way less. So my goal is to show him every single time what list he should have me on.

After you write out your list, if you want more on the Garden of Eden story go to STA https://stoptheaddictions.com/home-page/sex-porn-freedom/sex-porn-freedom-in-30-days-day-15/

 

We either chase pleasure or discipline. Pleasures draw include short-term fun, feeling good, and the killing of time. And when we only include righteous pleasure, the ending is not so bad.

But when we chase discipline we increase in profit. We have long-term gains, we head in the direction of self-control, and we gain more mastery over our life.

Today, set 2 goals of things you will have discipline with starting today. Next, make it a priority to do these 2 things daily.

Lastly, simplify your life. I am 100% convinced that living life exactly God's way is the secret to happiness. Most of you are not convinced. So pray: Psalm 51: "10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

What if you prayed this once every 30 minutes every day this week. Try it if you want to learn something.

What if you lived a whole day with a commitment to zero sin. Try it, you will like it.

What if “even you” could have a great relationship with God? Try it, it might be what you are looking for.

The massive secret: A clean heart is a happy heart. But please keep that between us.

 

Becomingchristians.com noted the following:

“When Satan tempted Adam and Eve, the first thing he did was to twist the truth. From there, he planted a seed of doubt in the mind of Eve. He presented sin as something that should be desired. He capitalized on man’s vanity. He made God a liar and persuade Adam and Eve that they can do better without Him.”

Satan convinced Adam and Eve that sin should be desired. Today he will try to convince you that some sin should be desired.

What if A&E had told satan: God's ways are right? What if they rejected satan's temptation and meditated on what God had said?

Today, fight satan by meditating on what God has said. By saying that God's ways are good. By praising God instead of listening to satan.

Satan gets really tired of hearing scriptures truth from you. Today, make it your goal to make him be competely exhausted.

 

Satan convinced Eve that he had something for her that she just “Could not live without.” He was lying. Today and this week he will lie to you using the same trick.

Other articles talk about the destruction that listening to him cost her. Today I will write from a different angle.

When we give in and believe him we have opened up pandora’s box. After we give in we will be slaves to searching endlessly for something… joy, peace, goodness, purpose, and satisfaction. But as Mick Jagger wrote: “I can’t get no satisfaction.” He tried, and he tried, and he tried, and he tried. He still has not gotten any.

Walking through Satan's door leads to emptiness and frustration.

We need to be ready to tell satan something when he presents something to us that we think we can’t live without!

Every day we should have some spiritual goal such as: Increasing in love, joy, peace, longsuffering (toughness), goodness, meekness, or temperance. That is why I always write “two-way” prayers. “Father, take away this spirit of lust, and help me to care about souls.” With this prayer, I am fighting the lust and I am trying to learn how to care about people. I am asking the Holy Spirit to yank out the lust and replace it with something He wants in me.

When we have a strong Christian goal every day, we will have something to say back to satan every day. He says: “You can’t live without porn. It is something great.”

You say: “Today I am praying to increase in love so that I can help people.”

Satan says: “It is something great.”

You say: Sin leads to slavery, love leads to contentment and satisfaction.

He says: “You can’t stop, and it will be great.”

You quote your #1 fav verse about lust.

He tries again.

You quote your #2 fav verse about lust.

If you run out of verses grab a printout of verses about lust. After you grab it say: “I can do this all day and all night."

Satan starts to lose interest when you quote verses to him. He really gets discouraged when you tell him what you are going “to do” to replace lust in your life.

 

God told Adam and Eve: “If you eat from the fruit of “that” tree, you will certainly die. The question is... What did God mean by that? They kept breathing.

What died when they ate the fruit? Their being allowed to live in paradise died. Their being allowed to live in a full blessing died (There were curses as a result of eating the fruit). But I think that the biggest thing that died (or partially died) was their closeness to God. Before the fall They walked in the garden with God. They talked all the time. They had this great perfect relationship.

When I first got saved I had this great, perfect relationship with God. Then I made a big mess of it. Now I am always trying to get back to that great perfect relationship.

When we go to war with lust and sin, we start to make progress toward that. In my experience, we can make a ton of progress, and when we do, joy starts to increase.

 

Adam and Eve “Saw the fruit,” it pleased their eyes, and they ate it. Eating it opened their eyes. Which eyes? Their physical eyes. Also at that exact moment, their spiritual eyes were closed. When our spiritual eyes close we fall into darkness. When our physical eyes open we start the craving for lust which is never satisfied.

Satan says,” Look at that person, look at that bank account, look at that problem.” Instead, we must develop the habit of looking at Jesus. It is wise to work every day on 1-3 things we should be thinking about. Then, when satan tries this trick simply focus on those 1-3 things you should be thinking about.

Second, if we look our spiritual eyes will remain closed. If we look for one second, should we repent? I looked for 1 second at a movie. It was accidental, I was turning away instantly. But I repented anyway. The fact was, I started this movie filled with big stars. I assumed it would not be filled with trash. I started to realize it was filled with trash, but I gave it a few more minutes and then it proved it was completely filled with trash.

Third, many risk darkness by saying, what I did was not so bad. I wonder what Eve thinks of that strategy. Instead, I stopped the movie, banned it for all time, and repented. Did I sin by continuing to watch? Honestly, I don't know... but I do know, I don't want to be sloppy and end up in darkness again. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to turn instantly from lust.”

One second, one bite, one look. How much destruction could it cause? Ask Adam and Eve.