The Danger of Entertaining the Forbidden.

 

The Danger of Entertaining the Forbidden

By Liz King

    How many times do we blame God for the choices we have made? Do we get mad for consequences of our decisions? Has your life fallen apart or not turned out the way you liked or how you saw it?  Are you in addiction, broken marriage, can't get away from pornography, can't forgive, or in a constant cycle of falling and hopelessness?  Are you lacking fulfillment physically and spiritually?  Have you hurt yourself or others around you?  Why is that?  It is because we entertain the things that are forbidden by God.  It is also something we do with our choice being at the center of these problems.  It also shows us a lack of our true foundation in God.  

    Reading Genesis recently, I began to see the first chapter as a book of firsts.  At first everything God says was good.  Everything worked in perfect harmony and was the glory of God.  We have the first day and first night. The first man, the first marriage, the first breath, the first communion with God.  It was nothing but God's perfection.  Adam and Eve had no reason to question or doubt God.  They were close to him. They walked with him.  It all fell apart when satan entered the picture and caused Adam and Eve to question and doubt God.  We don't know how long Adam and Eve lived before the fall, but it must have been a while because they fulfilled the first commandment God gave them, to be fruitful and multiply. The book of firsts goes from God's firsts to man's fallen firsts.  We see the first temptation, the first seduction, the first deception, the first doubt, the first questioning, the first shame, the first blame, the first fear, the first separation, the first death, both spiritual and physical.  The first lie, the first disobedience, the first pain.  All of this happened because Eve looked and entertained the forbidden. She also was by herself.  She was not with God nor was she with Adam. Adam was probably several yards away from her or farther. I don’t know but She was isolated. This made her an easy target for satan.  She listened to the deceptive voice of satan which made her question and doubt the truth of what God said was not good.  This caused not only their downfall but the downfall of humanity giving sin and the enemy the ability to destroy them.  Our obedience caused everything God had made good and holy, to become corrupted. We no longer were good because we chose death instead of life.  The moment she entertained the forbidden she believed the lie and turned to Adam helping him to believe the lie she believed. He did not turn away and look to God's truth, he entertained Eve's truth.  We cannot listen to man's truth because that causes our downfall. 

    Satan did not command Eve to eat the fruit, He made her look at it and question God's truth.  The moment we entertain the forbidden, we give it a place in our mind and begin dwelling on it and entertaining it.  When a man or woman cheats in a marriage, it may begin as innocent, but satan will begin planting doubt in your vows or covenant you made with God and your spouse.  Even so the moment you view pornography, or you give into your addiction you have to actively entertain the thought you give it a place in your heart.  You begin to justify it and desire it.  When you look at the forbidden and begin to dwell and entertain the forbidden, you begin to argue God's truth and replace it with your own wants, desires, and truth.  You can easily blame someone else for your failing.  you can say, "Well My husband or wife didn't give me what I needed or didn't listen, but this person did.  Or I wasn't being fulfilled with this person or I'm just spicing up my marriage".  Maybe the drugs help you relax and make everything more bearable, or it helps me escape from the hurt.  Do you run to the forbidden than rather running to God? Do we even have an active relationship with God and in his word daily?  Do we run to the physical rather than run to the creator? Do we run to the world rather than God? Do you listen to the world's truth rather than Gods?  This is why it is so crucial to remain close to God.   Many people actively go to church but lack a true relationship with God.  Many only turn to God in times of trouble but the moment it gets better they abandon God.  

    If we were close to God and in his word daily and in his presence daily in actual prayer, we would hear God's spirit telling us to turn away.  We would be able to challenge satan's lies and deception with the promises of God's truth with his word.  If we are entertaining sin, it shows that we are not entertaining an active relationship with God.  When we do not have an active relationship with God, we begin to compromise our faith and God's truth.  If we have to justify our sin than it is not just.  God's word is absolute truth it is just because he is just.  We lie and deceive ourselves and entertain our own wants and desires and label them sometimes as God's wants and desires.  Instead of running to him, we run away from him.  We have a visual of being whole and put together, but inside we are broken, dead and hurting.  Trials and tribulations come we turn to ourselves and do not turn to him and that will cause our downfall.  

    When we entertain the forbidden, it doesn't just affect us and our spirit, it affects the ones around us.  It affects our spouses, children, friends, those who love you the most.  Why is it the ones we claim to love the most are the ones we are most willing to hurt and compromise because we entertain the forbidden?  Do we intend to hurt them?  Most of the time no, but it is something we willingly choose to do.   Instead of being Christ centered we are us centered.  We put ourselves before the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those closest to us.  It causes them pain, but most of all it causes God pain.  He loves us unconditionally but when we actively participate in sin, it separates us from God.  We think our sin is hidden, or no one sees what we are doing, but that is a lie.  God sees.  Every thought, every word, every action, every sin is recorded, and we will have to give an account to it one day. God forgives willingly if we truly seek forgiveness and turn away from what separates us from him.

    It took God's redemptive plan to offer us repentance and restoration.  Repentance means we have to willingly turn away from our sin.  We have to crucify ourselves daily!  We have to stay close to God and not entertain the flesh.   Our wants and desires are not Gods.  His thoughts are not our thoughts.  Only when we draw close to him and seek him daily do our thoughts and desires become more like his.  God does not have to justify himself.  You won't have to justify your actions when you are close to him there will be peace, trust and assurance in our actions.  We will turn from what displeases God and live for his glory and purpose in our lives.  He picks up the broken.  He restores the broken. He heals the broken.  He breaks the bondages of sin and addiction.  We have to willingly give it him and desire his wants and needs more than ours.  He can heal broken families, he can heal you from abuse, He can remake you and destroy the lies and doubt that satan plants in our hearts, but we have to actively turn to God and seek a true relationship with him.  We have to turn from the forbidden and turn to the truth that brings life!  If your words do not match the faith, you proclaim then you are not living for God but yourself.  Seek God's forgiveness.  Accept the free gift in Jesus Christ.  Seek God's face above all others.  He will change your life, Your wants, your needs.  He will complete you and make you whole.  Nothing can fill that void.  No man or woman.  No drug, no delusion of happiness can fill the void that God can.  Jesus is that door.  He is the only way.  Turn to him, get to know him, let him change the definition of fulfillment, joy, and happiness.  Let him make you complete.