THE VERSE
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.~Genesis 3:6
THE THOUGHT
The power of sin lies in its appeal to our desires. The very first sin started this way, and it has been that way ever since. No one sins out of duty; we sin because we want something. Eve saw three things about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: she sawe that it was "good for food," "a delight to the eyes," and "to be desired to make one wise." She liked what she saw, she wanted what she saw, and so she took what she saw-- to the ruin of us all.Our sin is the same-- in the moment of temptation, the sin looks more desirable to us that obedience. Sin is pleasurable, and so we capitulate. The key to fighting sin, therefore, is to fight the pleasure of sin with a superior pleasure. The superior pleasure that alone kills sin is the fullness of joy in everything that God is and has promised to be for us.
Take the sin in the garden of Eden for example. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. What she should have remembered was that "the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life" (let alone fruit). She saw that it was a delight to the eyes. She should have known that "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," and that no delight can compare to seeing Him. Finally, she saw that it was desirable for making one wise. If only she had known and believed what the Psalmist said: "Nothing I desire compares with You!" With the help of the Holy Spirit, fighting the smoldering embers of sin's satisfaction with the blazing fire of joy in God is the only sure shield against the deceptive allure of sin.
THE PRAYER
Holy Spirit, Please help me to see the superior joy of knowing, loving, believing, and obeying God, so that I can fight the deceptive allure of sin. Open my eyes to the promise of "fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore" at His right hand. Help me to believe the promise that the blessing of the pure in heart is far better than anything these mortal eyes could ever see. Give me faith to believe that the steadfast love of the Lord is better than life, so that I can say with the psalmist, "There is nothing on earth I desire besides You!"EXTENDED READING
Psalm 16:8-11Psalm 63:1-5
Psalm 73:23-28
Matthew 5:6-8
THE QUOTE
"The power of sin comes from its promise of pleasure and is meant to be defeated by the blood-bought promise of superior pleasure in God, not by raw human willpower." ~John Piper
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