Facing Temptations
 ¹Now 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’?”  ² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ 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. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:1-8

Last week, as we began our journey toward Gethsemane and ultimately Calvary, we were reminded that mankind was created in the image of God, was given dominion over the balance of creation, and was to fill and subdue the world for the kingdom.  What a great start to the journey!  But all good things come to an end, and it didn’t take long in Eden.  And it came in the form of the very first temptation in the history of mankind.
Let’s take a moment right now and talk about temptation.  What is the most tempting thing in your life?  Is it something you eat?  Something you do?  Maybe something you don’t do, like sleeping in on Sunday mornings and skipping worship!  What is your greatest temptation?
Have you confessed your temptations to a trusted friend or family member? Consider practicing the confession of temptation before it ends up a confession of sin. Be honest about your temptations – avoid the ramifications, hurt and pain that sin brings.
The Word of God tells us that we have an enemy with whom we must contend.  And he enters the gospel narrative on the heels of God’s perfect creation.  And from the Genesis account we can learn about the enemy, the strategy, and the sin that befalls creation.
Arm yourselves with the armor of God to know how to fight back. Ephesians 6: 10-24