Walking Away From a Faulty Pattern

Satan deceived Eve by causing her to make her decision based on what she could see and on what her emotions and her reason told her to be right, even when it was contrary to what God had already told the couple (page 31).

Genesis 3:6 states, "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."

Eve made the one mistake that also causes every single one of her offspring to stumble: she made a decision based on what she could see, how she felt at the time, what seemed logical, and what she desired. As she lifted her hand to the fruit, she had already experienced temptation and deception. The result of her sin brought bondage. How did she get there in the first place? She had listened to a lie.

Turn to page 19 of your Companion Guide and let's read question number three together.

3. As long we live in this world, we cannot completely isolate ourselves so that we never hear any lies. What is the difference between "hearing" and "listening to" lies?

Please ponder this question for awhile. Read the question a couple of times and really think about it. And then read Philippians 4:8-9.

4. Why is it so important to be selective about the input we allow to come into our minds and to consciously choose to expose ourselves and listen to the Truth?

There are no harmless lies. We cannot expose ourselves to the world's false, deceptive way of thinking and come out unscathed (page 38).

So, we're learning that the pattern goes something like this: First, we expose ourselves to worldly thinking and philosophy, and then, when we're confronted with a decision, we choose according to what seems or feels right. What seems or feels right turns out to be exactly what we have been listening to. In other words, we make our decisions, and they seem oh so logical, based on the "lies" we've heard because somewhere along the line we started listening and being influenced by those lies.