What Adam and Eve in the Bible Can Teach Us About Temptation
A guest post by LaVonda McCullough of www.lavondamccullough.com/.
Do you remember any of your firsts?
Your first date, first kiss, first day of school, first home?
Our first apartment was small and quaint, with lots of charm. We had everything we needed as a newly wedded couple.
We enjoyed sharing candlelight dinners atop two upside-down milk crates adorned with a handmade quilt from my great-grandmother. The atmosphere of our home was warm and inviting, our very own haven like the Garden of Eden Bible story.
A few of my co-workers lived in a more affluent area of town, drove newer cars, and carried designer handbags.
Like Eve, my thought-life and fixation on what I didn’t have was affecting the “condition” of my heart.
I had become fixated and desired material possessions. I was now nagging my husband to find us a larger apartment with updated fixtures, a newer car, and designer handbags.
I was comparing myself to others instead of being grateful for what all I did have and how God had blessed me.
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Who Were Adam and Eve In the Bible?
The Adam and Eve story in the Bible is a great story for kids and is one of the most well-known Bible stories.
Adam and Eve were the first man and woman created by God that lived in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived in perfect surroundings, had the ideal relationship, and all their provisions met ~ everything they needed by God’s loving care.
Adam and Eve walked in perfect harmony and intimacy with God in the Garden of Eden.
Eve was the first wife, the first mother, the first (and only) sinless woman, and sadly the first to be tempted by Satan.
We find Eve in the Garden of Eden in Genesis Chapter 2, where she would spend hours of praise and worship with God and companionship with Adam.
God had given Adam instructions, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:16,17
Eve was aware of God’s instructions but allowed her focus to become fixated on what she could not have.
Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on the blessed life God intends. The serpent, Satan, planted seeds of doubt about God’s goodness and all he had given her and Adam.
Notice Satan’s approach to Eve. It was in the form of a question. The statement caused doubt in her mind about God.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4,5
Eve had now taken her eyes off God and the refreshing environment in the Garden of Eden, and she started to focus on the ONE thing she could not have.
Where is your focus?
The serpent was crafty and knew just how to get her off track. The enemy knew he had placed doubt in her mind and distrust in her heart.
Satan is always ready to capitalize on our weaknesses and selfish desires to draw us away from our heavenly Father.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:6
She Looked, She Took, She Ate, and She Gave
Eve experienced temptation in three ways:
- She saw it was good for food (Physical Pleasure)
- Pleasing to the eye (Material Possession)
- Desirable for wisdom (Valued or Significance)
She had allowed her lusts to take her in the wrong direction.
The problem began when she started to allow her flesh to pull her away from obeying God. Being tempted isn’t a sin; it is when we yield to sin.
Satan convinced her that her sinful action was good, pleasing, and desirable. It isn’t wrong for us to desire these things, but when we become consumed and rebellious against God’s instructions, we are out of the will of God.
Who doesn’t want to be like God? Don’t you want to be like God?
To become like God is not the same as trying to become God.
In other words, he was telling Eve to become a god. She wanted to feel valued and have significance.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a ] is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
Guess what! This post is part of a series on Great Women of the Bible. Be sure to check out all of the other posts in this series here: 15 Great Women of the Bible Every Christian Woman Should Study.
We are studying great women of the Bible including Rachel and The Woman at the Well, so you’ll definitely want to check them out!
3 Lessons We Can Learn from Adam and Eve in the Bible
1. Speak the Word of God Into Your Life
Jesus encounters the same sort of temptations as Eve in Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus shows us the best strategy to defeat temptation.
Each time Satan came to Jesus to tempt him, Jesus spoke the word by saying, “It is Written.” Jesus shows us that when we turn to the Word of God and use the source of Truth – YOU WIN!
God’s Word is powerful; active as a two-edged sword.
You need to have Scripture hidden in your heart. If you don’t spend intimate time with God and allow Him to fill you, you will remain an empty vessel.
Reading God’s Word daily will keep you FULL, and you’ll able to speak His Word with confidence and boldness.
It is Written!
One practical way you can begin hiding God’s Word in your heart is through Scripture Memory. You can begin by writing scriptures on post-it notes and personalizing them with your name. Place them by your front door, on your bathroom mirror, and any area you will see daily.
Begin speaking these scriptures whenever you face temptation.
2. Embrace Where You are Planted
You are not where you are by coincidence. God has placed you exactly where He needs to be in this season of your life.
Eve had the perfect surroundings and relationship in the Garden of Eden.
She needed nothing. And yet, Eve chose to focus on the one thing that she couldn’t have: fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Eve became disillusioned with the one thing that she did not have and chose to step outside the will of God. Her choice to be disobedient resulted in the fall.
How tempting is it that we get focused on wanting the perfect job, the car, ideal husband, or a larger home.
Whatever your circumstance, learn to be content.
You should stop focusing on what you don’t have, and instead, be grateful for what you do have. Take those lemons and turn them into lemonade.
3. Believe God And Don’t Doubt
God’s Word will not return void. Whatever he has spoken to you, believe that it will come to pass. Eve entertained the thought and questioned what God told Adam.
How often has God given us instructions, but we didn’t listen and didn’t obey?
Do not doubt what God has spoken to you.
You are His beloved, and He has the perfect plan for your life.
Despite your past, you can walk in freedom and be forgiven. The enemy would desire to keep you in bondage, but you can walk in freedom.
Allow your words to speak about Jesus.
Allow your heart to be planted in Jesus.
Allow your mind to remain focused on Jesus.
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Have you ever been subjected to strong temptations like Adam and Eve in the Bible? How were you able to keep from succumbing?
LaVonda McCullough is the founder of Joyful Journey Women’s Ministry. She has a passion for equipping women in the word of God through her blog, leading her Bible & Brunch Study, Prayer Walks and hosting her Annual RefresHER Women’s Retreat.
A survivor of depression, she has taught others how to embrace their identity in Christ by developing an intimate relationship and confession scripture praying.
She has a special place in heart for the women of Uganda and enjoys traveling throughout Europe and Asia.
She received her Doctor of Divinity from Christian University of Southern Indiana. She is married to her college sweetheart and together they have three children.
Thank you so much for your uplifting and beautiful thoughts on Eve!!! I’m truly inspired!!! I have really been struggling. We have moved and don’t have a home. We are staying in an Airbnb and looking for the perfect home. Maybe I’m letting my eyes and desires deceive me. You have given me much to think about. Thank you again!! I’m excited to read about the other women in the Bible and learn from them and you!!!! ❤️?