Temptation Sometimes Disguised as Pleasure

In order to accomplish his work unperceived, Satan chose to employ as his medium the serpent—a disguise well adapted for his purpose of deception. The serpent was then one of the wisest and most beautiful creatures on the earth. It had wings, and while flying through the air presented an appearance of dazzling brightness, having the color and brilliancy of burnished gold. Resting in the rich-laden branches of the forbidden tree and regaling itself with the delicious fruit, it was an object to arrest the attention and delight the eye of the beholder. Thus in the garden of peace lurked the destroyer, watching for his prey.

The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself from her husband while occupied in their daily labor in the garden; with him she would be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone. But absorbed in her pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side. On perceiving that she was alone, she felt an apprehension of danger, but dismissed her fears, deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and strength to discern evil and to withstand it. Unmindful of the angels’ caution, she soon found herself gazing with mingled curiosity and admiration upon the forbidden tree. The fruit was very beautiful, and she questioned with herself why God had withheld it from them.

Now was the tempter’s opportunity. As if he were able to discern the workings of her mind, he addressed her: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Eve was surprised and startled as she thus seemed to hear the echo of her thoughts…. To the tempter’s ensnaring question she replied: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” …

Such has been Satan’s work from the days of Adam to the present, and he has pursued it with great success. He tempts people to distrust God’s love and to doubt His wisdom. He is constantly seeking to excite a spirit of irreverent curiosity, a restless, inquisitive desire to penetrate the secrets of divine wisdom and power. In their efforts to search out what God has been pleased to withhold, multitudes overlook the truths that He has revealed, and that are essential to salvation.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 53-55.
Christ Triumphant p. 21
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for E and children as they are away from home on a trip. R
—-Prayer please for my daughter and her son. Too much to go into, but prayers are urgently needed. Janet
—-Just heard of a group of tornadoes back east. Massive destruction and loss of life. One child was killed when a tree fell on his parent’s car. Please pray for all who have lost everything including loved ones. BP
—-I have several prayer requests. Prayers for my friend Pam. Her mom fell in the grocery store at check out and broke her femur. She’s in her 70s and in rehab. She is missing some things, which happens in situations like that. Prayers for a quick recovery and that her items turn up again.
My family is in a situation where we will likely be moving again in a few months (between June and August), and NO IDEA where God will send us. Prayers for the new location and that we have a peace about it…. We just want to go where HE is leading.
Prayers for Jaclyn. She had another seizure in her sleep. It’s really got her down, and she’s afraid to sleep as she has them only in her sleep. This time, they said she was turning blue, so she’s thinking she is not breathing in her sleep and becoming hypoxic. She has another sleep study coming up soon, we hope. But she has a LOT of fear about all this and THAT is not coming from Jesus. She needs that peace that passes understanding and the doctors need guidance to help her with treatment or just a touch of healing from the Lord. She did not have seizures until she had her son, and that involved high blood pressure and a stroke. These puzzle pieces have to fit somehow, but no one can seem to put it together. But Jesus is ultimately the solution and her healer. Jennifer
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Dear Friends,

Some years ago, there was a strange and senseless murder in our city. A minister’s son stopped at a gas station after a basketball game. As he got out of his car to go inside, a member of one of the gangs in the city, pulled out a gun and shot him. Later the gang member said that he killed him because he didn’t like the way the young man looked at him. That was all. He just didn’t like the look on his face! Sadly, these things happen every day. How cruel is the heart of mankind without the Spirit of God dwelling there. Those who have long ago, shut God out of their lives become capable of atrocities that are beyond comprehension. Before giving themselves over to the evil one, they would, no doubt, have been horrified had they seen what they would do in the future.

Just so, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, how little they realized the results of their disobedience. Had they known, they would have recoiled in horror at the results of that small act of disobedience. From that small act, came a great change upon all the world. Before the fall, Adam and Eve had good fellowship with their Creator. At the time for evening worship, He came to this small planet in His great universe and conversed with them face to face. But after their disobedience, hearing Him walking in the garden brought a feeling of fear and dread instead of the joy they had formerly felt. God’s Word tells us, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Gen 3:8-11

God knew what they had done, but He wanted them to acknowledge their transgression and ask forgiveness. Instead, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, and, ultimately, they both blamed God. “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.” vs 12-14 How good and kind our Loving Father is! Before He told His erring children of the consequences of their sin, He gave them the promise of a Saviour! “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” vs 3:15

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. vs 16-19 From that point, death, sorrow, pain, and heartache began. How Adam and Eve must have grieved as they saw the first leaf fall from the trees. Sorrow upon sorrow reached its culmination when their firstborn slew his brother. (Gen 4:1-12)

God does not leave us in such a pitiful state. He has provided Jesus, the “way, the truth, and the life” to bring us back into the family of heaven. John 14:6 Someday soon, this sinful, old world will pass away. Sin and sinners will be no more. John speaks of this time, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev 21:1-4; 22:14 May we all be there is my prayer.
Rose