Influences…Who Do You Allow Into Your World?

Genesis 3:1-6 kjv

1Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The scripture above is part of the Advent reading today.  I was going to put off reading it until after I wrote this morning but then changed my mind. I am so glad I did.  

 In verse 6, something stood out to me that I have never thought about before, if you have that is great but I guess I never paid attention to this part of the story before.  We were always taught that Satan tempted Eve with the fruit of the forbidden tree but I just noticed that it wasn't until after Satan pointed it out that Eve saw that it was good for food, pleasant to the eye and would make her "wise".  

So many times we are just going along, living for The LORD, loving our life, THEN someone comes and starts pointing out whats wrong.  It is so important that we are aware who we are giving access to in our lives and homes.  Who we listen to and who we allow to influence our thoughts and actions is a critical decision.  That is why parents need to be aware who their children are hanging with.  There are some that you cannot be friends with.  You have to protect your home and family and yourself from the poison some may try to inject into your lives.  

I am not saying that we ever have the right to be unkind or that we hate.  God requires us to be kind to one another but He also tells us to guard our hearts.  We realize this with children and young adults because we hear so much about peer pressure but it's very real in the lives of adults.  

It doesn't seem that Eve was even aware that the tree was good for food.  She had plenty to eat, she wasn't out looking to be disobedient or to change the lives of all generations to come.  She wasn't talking to the serpent about how her wisdom was lacking or that she felt like God was being unfair to her and Adam.  She was walking in the garden and the serpent sought her out.  He instilled within her the lust of the flesh because she gave him an audience…sin entered into the world.  Be careful who you let into your mind and heart.  It is protection for you and the generations to come.  

Surround yourself with those who speak life, love and words that build up.  We will all encounter those who have the "Eeyore" mentality and you should love them and try and encourage them, just don't let their "every cloud has a black lining" philosophy rub off on you.  Some will try and make it seem that you are too legalistic or stuffy, that you just need to relax and have a little "fun".  If fun means going against what you believe than who is having fun, you or them?  It is a way for this world to mold you into their image instead of being molded into the image of GOD.  

Proverbs 4:23Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

It will only add to your BLESSED LIFE!!!!