“What’s the Scoop on…….Eve”

Today in Ladies Bible Study we learned about Eve. For those of you who don’t attend (we would love it if you did!!!), we open with a time of worship followed by 30-45 minutes of teaching. We then break into small groups to discuss the lesson and what we have covered in our time of personal bible study while doing our homework from the preceding week. 

Today when Denise covered Eve she pointed out that Eve was a trailblazer in many ways.  Eve was the first woman, the first wife, the first mother..and, alas, the first to fall into sin as a result of temptation.  There are so many things about Eve to focus on, but what really grabbed my mind was temptation.  It is something we all deal with in our lives. It was also the subject of much of the discussion in our small group.

In Genesis 2:16-17 we read, “And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  Then in Genesis 3:1-6 the serpent confronts Eve, twisting God’s words. Not only does the serpent plant seeds of doubt in her mind regarding the Lord, he also appeals to the weaknesses in her human nature.  Satan still works the same way in our own lives.

We know that encountering  temptation is not a sin.  The account of Satan tempting Jesus in Mark 4 is very familiar to us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15).  We do have a choice when we are faced with temptation, just as Eve did.  In 1 Cor. 10:13 Paul writes “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it”.

It seems the key to overcoming temptation is to follow the instructions the Lord has given us in the bible. Following are four different ways we can combat temptation when it comes our way.

Know God’s Word: In Mark 4 when Satan confronts Jesus, he uses God’s own words to plant seeds of doubt in Jesus. Yet Jesus knew the Word of the Lord and could apply it in its intended context.  That’s why it is so important for us to know and understand God’s word.  I have heard the analogy many times that those trained in recognizing counterfeit money do so with studying the real thing.  We need to do the same.

Be Watchful:  God also tells us that we need to  be watchful. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Matt. 26:41).”   A question in the ‘Woman of the Bible’ study  asked us to consider Satan’s plan of attack on Eve.  My own opinion is that Satan caught Eve by surprise.  Sometimes Satan can blindside us – we just didn’t see it coming.  We need to be on watch.  “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  

Prayer:   We all know that prayer is foundational in our relationship with God. As you just read above in Matthew 26:41 we need to pray specifically in regard to the temptations we face.  In Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching the apostles how to pray. He says is Mathew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”.  This is a very specific guideline we are given in prayer… we need to do it.

Flee:  I looked up ‘flee’ in my concordance as I was writing this post .  In the New Testament God commands us time and time again to flee temptation.  According to Webster’s dictionary ‘flee’ is defined as: “ to run with rapidity, as from danger; to attempt to escape; to hasten from danger or expected evil”.  I think that the situation between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39 gives us a very clear picture of what ‘flee’ looks like.  God tells us “Flee from sexual immorality” (I Cor 6:18a). In 2 Tim 2:22 God says “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”   

These four strategies of combating temptation  take deliberate action on our part.  Ladies, this is not an area of our lives where God calls us to passivity!   As it says in 2 Peter 1:3,  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”.  God HAS given us everything we need to walk in victory.  The choice is ours.