Angels had counselled Eve not to leave Adam’s side, yet when she realised she was alone, she ignored her apprehension, and, dismissing her fears, she decided to rely on her own strength and wisdom to discern and withstand evil (see Patriarchs and Prophets p 54).
How often don’t we make the same mistake. We miss the Saviour’s presence, but instead of returning to Him for strength to meet the trials we face, we decide to tackle them in our own strength. No sooner do we start, and we fall. Hard.
If human beings in a perfect, sinless state did not have the power to discern the snares of the enemy, how can we, after 6,000 years of degeneration, have the audacity to think we’ll be fine? If they couldn’t tell right from wrong, and see through the sophistries of the devil when he was new to his work of deception, how dare we think we can overcome after he has had millennia to practice and perfect it to a fine art?
Our ONLY safety is in constant surrender to Christ.
Time and again we will have to fall at His feet, plead for His forgiveness. We just cannot afford to give in. We must persevere. Keep coming to Him, despite our mistakes and failures. It is an age-old lie of Satan that we have gone too far for God to forgive us. This is what he told the angels who had united with him in his rebellion. But there was still hope for those who had been blinded by his deceptions (see Patriarchs and Prophets p 41).
The greatest danger is our delay. We know not what the morrow may bring.
"To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Hebrews 3:15
After his transgression, we find God asking Adam a number of questions, giving him ample opportunity to confess his guilt, but instead of sorrowful penitence, Adam attempted to cast blame...on Eve...on God. (see Patriarchs and Prophets p 57)
When we have erred, the worst thing we can do is avoid the conviction, passing the buck, attempting to just carry on with life as previous. Thus our hearts become hardened, and, should we come to repent later, it is so much harder to come back to God than if we had done it immediately.
God wants to restore our connection to Him. He desires our salvation even more than we ourselves do. Give your will, your thoughts, your feelings, your selfish heart to Him now. (They aren't worth keeping anyway!)
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