Deadly Desire

Consider Eve as an example of wanting when you already have enough. She's living in the most beautiful idyllic place ever encountered on earth. She gets her fruit right off the tree when it's at its ripest, not like the stuff we find in supermarkets today. She can satisfy her hunger any time with a divine banquet of food, and doesn't have to work for any of it. In addition, she has intimate, evening walks with God Himself, her Creator. Can you imagine that! She can ask Him anything and He can explain it to her. The best of everything is hers! How could she possibly want more?

So God had said that Adam and Eve could eat freely from any tree in the garden except for one, because they would die if they did. (Genesis 2:16-17) Adam and Eve took this so seriously that they wouldn't even touch the fruit. So what in the world would make Eve want to eat it? You'd think that she would be content enough to leave it alone, no matter how much deception Satan used.

But "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:6

How is it that something poisonous took on the appearance of something good and pleasant? How is it that Eve had a strong desire to taste what would bring death? The deadly became desirable. What changed? Certainly not the fruit. The difference was in how Eve looked at the tree. She saw that it was "good and delightful and desirable." She knew the deceitfulness of sin. Eve's desire turned to what she couldn't have, for what was bad for her.

Deceive: to cause to believe what is not true.

Similar expressions: trick, mislead, delude, dupe, fool, hoodwink, flim-flam, play a trick on, pull a fast one, pull someone's leg, pull the wool over someone's eyes.

Whatever you call it, can you believe that your flesh is trying to do it to you?

"lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit." Ephesians 4:22

"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind." Jerermiah 17:9

"for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:21-23

"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today" lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13 NASV

Like Eve, our eyes deceive us. Our old self is corrupted by deceitful lusts. Our heart deceives us and is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, it is a fountain of evil. We can't hope to out smart it, to fix it, or to improve it.

How susceptible are you to being deceived? No one likes to think of himself as being gullible, but when it comes to sin, we practically line up to volunteer for it. Sucker!