Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
This passage of scripture teaches us, that as Christians, we should always avoid as far as possible the trigger points of temptation, by which we literally invite the adversary to tempt us. In the example given above, both Adam and Eve were warned by God not to eat of the forbidden tree, for if they were to do so they would surely die. Hence the safest course of action would be for them to stay as far away from that danger zone, so that they would not inadvertently invite temptation. The devil could only gain access to them at this one point, and therefore, if they refused to even go near it, they would be safe, for the enemy was strictly prevented from following them around, but was instead restricted to the tree alone.
This sad experience contains golden lessons for all humanity, for although the enemy has now gained freedom to roam the entire world, since the time it was wrested from Adam, yet the very same principle applies, for wherever God has given warning of satan's enchanted ground, as Christians we should avoid as far as possible, venturing near or dallying with it, for it is a fact that temptation bedazzles the senses, and once we have begun to behold and tamper with it, the possibility of us falling into his snares increase exponentially, and it becomes all the more difficult for us to turn away.
A striking example of what is being spoken of occurred when Balaam invited the Hebrews to witness the licentious worship at mount Peor, complete with all of the nudity, and sensual indulgences which characterized such exercises. Prior to this, satan was unsuccessful in getting them to fall, for God had stated that there was no sin nor iniquity in their camp. But the instant they decided to go see for themselves, they fell a prey to the devices of the enemy of souls, and thus the floodgates were opened for destructive judgments to be meted out against thousands of the impenitent. Let's read:
Numbers 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
It is a spiritual fact, that by beholding we become changed, a principle which applies evenly to both good and evil, and therefore, if the Hebrews had resisted the enticement to go witness the sensual celebrations, they would not have fallen a prey to the snares of the evil one, for as the song rightly says, "Just one look, that's all it took".
In our day, there are a million and one trigger points that we are tempted to behold or tamper with, and if we were to avoid taking that first step in witnessing temptation, we could be spared many a heartache, and many a defeat. For instance, many Christian men struggle with the sin of pornography, and it may seem nearly impossible to shake it, since like any addictive drug, it too fastens its grip on minds, the more it is witnessed and indulged. Now it's important for us to pray about such situations, but it is also imperative that we do our endeavor best, to avoid as far as possible, the many trigger points for this indulgence.
In other words, we should not pray for help, whilst we deliberately read the sports illustrated magazine, for that publication has nothing to do with sports, but is rather an avenue into our souls that the devil has paved with supposedly good intentions. Then again, the sexually explicit movies, videos and revealing selfies, which have now become so popular with millions, are all designed to bring our thoughts and actions into captivity, and should be avoided like the plague, if like the Jews of old, we would not be enticed to sin against God.
Let us therefore be wary of the many trigger points that now abound, and let us try by the grace and power of God to keep our minds stayed on Christ, for whatever may be our sins, our weaknesses and short-comings, God is able to grant us the victory, if we cooperate with Him in the salvation of our souls. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to be faithful sentinels of our minds and hearts, and God has promised to take up the slack, by doing what we cannot do for ourselves. Let's read:
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!