Good and Evil

...In the middle of the Garden, there were two special trees mentioned. The tree of LIFE and the tree of knowledge (knowing) of Good and Evil (the ONLY forbidden tree). It's interesting, that it was not just the tree of Evil, but it was mingled with Good. The fruit was good looking and good tasting, still it was full of sin and rebellion against God. I explained it to my 8yr old son in this way. It was like eating some delicious chocolate chip cookies, still warm from the oven; Pleasing to the eyes, the nose and to the taste buds. Oh yeah, but I forgot to say that the good ingredients are laced with doggy poop, which can never be removed from the system. That poop would effect everything you touched and everyone you gave birth to. Now forever you would stink and so would they.

So Adam and Eve ate. The fruit of Good and EVIL and it's effect got into their BLOOD stream and was passed down thru out the entire human race. It also changed everything they touched. Leaving us all in need of a BLOOD transfusion, a "Do Over", a 'Clean out'! This sin was the introduction to death as we know it.
In that moment, Our Fall from all that was GOOD, put us in need of a Savior to rescue us from all that was Evil. Gen.2,3

Because of the cross, death and resurrection of Jesus, there is a cure! We can be born AGAIN, free from the domination of sin that leads to death. Because of Him, we now have access to LIFE that lasts forever! This Life taste good, Looks good and Smells good, to those who are looking for the same.

. ... Oh the Blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow!

Temptation?... RUN!

I find it funny (well not in the comical sense), how the Bible commands us to Pray about everything. Resist the Devil and He will flee. Stand up when you would rather retreat. But when it comes to the cravings of the flesh, temptations...It tells us to Flee! Meaning run in the other direction as fast as you can!
That's exactly what I had to do just a minute ago. You see, like most women, I love Chocolate! :-) But Chocolate does not always love me back. For the past few days, I have been fighting the "seasonal change allergy attack". Dairy products are the enemy when I am trying to rid the body of the "junk in my throat and sinuses" that milk products produce. So, what was I handed as a gift right before I was about to wind down for the night? 3 warm and soft Chocolate chip (with pecans) cookies...my favorites! Oh My Goodness! I have to sing tomorrow...but I soooo want those cookies. It was like they were calling me. As soon as I received them in my hands I took a bite. WOW! My "will power" was losing the match. I stated that I was not going to eat anymore until after I had sung the next day...yeah right! 


 Knowing how much I wanted those cookies and How much I shouldn't have them, I decided to 'flee temptation' by turning them over to my sister girl. I asked her to babysit them for me until after the singing. Because she was embracing the "call of the cookies"herself, I reminded her that I did not want them adopted! They needed to be returned to sender after the songs were over :-).


Y'all, I find that's how it is with other cravings of the flesh. We can't play around with them...or him...or her...or it. We have got to take the 'way of escape' that God promises us in every temptation. In that way, we are able to bear it. We can't flirt with it, negotiate with it, sweet talk it or even sing pretty songs to it. We must be obedient to the Word and run from it...really fast! And if the time is right and the Lord wills, what was once a temptation, may soon become a blessing.