Psalm 106, Ephesians 2:10, 1 John 2:28-29

Comedian Flip Wilson was famous for always using the phrase, “The Devil made me do it!” And he isn’t the first. After eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, Eve too tried to lay the blame squarely at the feet of Satan. But that excuse didn’t work for her, and it won’t work for us either. Now that’s not to say the Devil isn’t responsible for tempting us to disobey God. But we alone are ultimately responsible for the choices we make.

Disobedience to God refers to the act of deliberately disregarding God's commands or instructions. And far from out of our control, not obeying the Lord is a deliberate choice we make to act contrary to what God has revealed to be true, good, and right. Throughout history the Lord’s people acting in disobedience has been a recurring problem. From the fall of man, the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness, the rejection of Jesus by the religious leaders of His time, to the sin we each commit daily.

Sadly, the consequences of disobedience to God can be severe, both in the present and in the eternal sense. Disobedience can lead to spiritual and moral decay, broken relationships, and harmful consequences both for ourselves and others. Worse yet, it can also result in the loss of God's favor and blessings. But thankfully, our God is one of unending grace and mercy. And despite our times of faithlessness, God will forever be faithful in forgiving His people and delivering them from their enemies.

Although God may allow us to face the consequences of our disobedience, when we come before Him in true sorrow for our sins, our Father will never turn us away. For the Lord generously offers His forgiveness and restoration to those who acknowledge their disobedience, repent from their wickedness and seek His forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. One of the most wonderful gifts God gives us is free will. Which means it might be easy to blame the Devil, but we are each responsible for our own actions, good and bad.

Pause and Reflect - 

Ingratitude and grumbling are the habitual sins committed by Israel. Do you have these in your own life? Why are these habits so destructive?

It was temptations that drew Israel away from her faith in God. What concrete action could you take to prevent the temptations of the world from interfering with your commitment to God?

Let’s Pray Together, 

Our dearest Father in heaven above, hallowed be Thy name. Father we are reminded of the ways in which Your people have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. And we confess that we too have sinned against You and ask for Your forgiveness. Lord, we thank you for your steadfast love and faithfulness, even in the face of our disobedience. And we praise You for Your mercy and compassion, which are new every morning. Father help us to learn from the mistakes of the past and to follow you more faithfully in the present. May we be a people who seek to obey your commands and live according to your will. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen 

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I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings. 💖 Lisa

Eve is found in Genesis 2-3

Hi Girls!!

 I’m so excited to be back studying with you and I pray you are as well!! It has been my prayer from the beginning to come to know each of these women and you like family, for that is what we are, family!

 That being said, I feel I need to begin my post with a few misconceptions I discovered during my study on Eve:

1. Eve is often linked to the beginnings of sin in the earliest mentions of her outside the Bible; however she is not called a sinner in Genesis 3. (I added the link here for you to go check all these facts out for yourself.) Eve and Adam, both disobeyed God no doubt, but the word, sin doesn’t appear in the Bible until the story of Cain and Abel.
2. It’s often suggested that Eve tempts or seduces Adam, but in reality she merely took a piece of fruit—not an apple mind you—and handed it to Adam. Both had been warned not to eat of this particular fruit, yet they both did take a bite and ate it.
3. It’s also important to note that Eve bit into the fruit first, thereby negating the theory that Eve was merely submitting to her husband.
4. Finally, some believe God cursed both Eve and Adam, yet the text speaks only of cursing the serpent and the ground.

Pretty neat, huh? God’s word continues to amaze me, for no matter how many times I study it, I am always learning something new!

What I most want you to take away from this study today is that – our actions come with consequences, and sometimes those consequences can reach far into the future; impacting our children and grandchildren. (Deuteronomy 5:9)

• Be content! Not only content with all you have at this moment, but be thankful! (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Having a continual attitude of gratitude is the perfect protection against longing for more bigger, better THINGS than you have at any moment.
• Study, Meditate, Memorize and LIVE-OUT God's Word! Let it sink down deep into your psyche so that the enemy doesn't stand a chance when he comes to tempt you, and he will come after you. Knowing God's Word and prayer is our best weapons against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-20)
• Stand firm and never waiver! May the Holy Spirit step in to convict you the moment you begin to rationalize and justify something you know you shouldn't do. It could be as little as having that piece of chocolate cake to lying; calling in sick to avoid an appointment, an event, work, etc.

• God sees and knows our hearts! We need to be open and honest with Him at all times. He knows the truth and chooses to love us far beyond what our minds can comprehend. 
  
  
  
• Delight yourself in Him! If we truly love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and our entire being we will joyfully follow all of the above with gladdened hearts! (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

And when we do miss the mark; mess up and falter, remember to be honest with Him then too. I think Paul said it best in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (emphasis mine)

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Authors' note: This post turned out much different than I planned when I sat down to write! My original thought was to write on the adverse affects our actions can have on our children and future generations, but The Lord must have wanted us to accentuate the positive, for if we focus on doing all the above we won't have to worry about averse consequences our actions will have on our future generations. 

If only Eve had known all this then...

Blessings, 

Sue