Forbidden Fruit

I was obsessed with reality television some years back. I loved getting a peak into the celebrity lifestyle, or at least the parts that they wanted us to see. My favorites were the shows that were centered around the music industry. My husband had just begun his career as a sound engineer, and I guess it made me feel like I was getting a glimpse into his work life. Mike's career started to take off around the same time that we were at the height of our separation. Although things weren’t going well with our marriage, I was always supportive of his career, and I was proud of the hard work and dedication that led to him working with main stream artists. But, as I said, this was all going on at a time when we were separated. I remember feeling like I was carrying the weight of my family on my shoulders. I felt like I had to keep everything together, for my kids. And, I felt like if I gave up, it would be the end of my marriage. Needless to say, the pressure that I put on myself became a burden that I was never meant to carry. I knew God, and I trusted Him with my salvation, but at the same time, I didn’t understand what allowing Him to be my savior on a daily basis actually looked like. This was the beginning of the journey that God took me on, one where He would show me how to depend on Him, and how to allow Him to carry my burdens. Give your burdens to the Lord , and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. (Psalms 55:22 NLT) We weren’t designed to hold the weight of our lives on our shoulders. God’s intention was for us to walk with Him daily. We have to allow Him to be apart of every aspect of our lives. This isn’t just saying our morning and evening prayers. This isn’t just acknowledging Him before we eat. Our Heavenly Father want us to acknowledge him with every move that we make. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV) But God doesn’t just want to help us navigate our decisions, He wants to help us navigate our emotions as well. When we are stressed out, angry, fearful, anxious, overwhelmed, etc., it is a sign that we are carrying the weight of our circumstances alone, instead of allowing God to sustain us and direct our steps. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV) Jesus says that His burden is easy and light. So in the moments when we are feeling weighed down by life, we have to recognize that these are the opportunities to turn to God. These are our opportunities to lean on Him, and they remind us of where our help comes from. Because if we are worried or stressed about anything, it is an indication that we have forgotten that God is our provider, that He goes before us, and He works everything out for our good. In these moments, we must remind ourselves that we can pray about anything, and allow His peace to comfort us in any circumstance. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV) Along my journey of learning how to allow God to carry my burdens, I realized that peace does not just come from hearing God's voice and sitting in His presence. Peace comes from obeying His word, and heeding His instruction. Many times, our lives are complicated by our own decisions, and the choices that we make. For me, those choices included something as small as watching reality television. I remember feeling like God was telling me to stop watching certain types of shows for a while, but I reasoned that it was just television and it wasn’t that big of a deal, so I continued to watch. I remember rationalizing it too. I thought maybe it’s not God talking, maybe it's just me. But that made no sense, because I was making the decision to watch the shows in the first place. Then I would think, it doesn’t make sense that God would want me to stop indulging in the shows, it’s funny, it’s harmless, and everyone else was watching them. Beyond the conversation of whether or not it's good for us to watch certain things, because that’s a whole conversation in itself, God knows what’s best for us. Sometimes God will ask us to stay away from certain things. And sometimes, it’s not that the thing is bad, but it might not be what’s best for us. He knows more about us, and the obstacles that we face, than we do. He knows what we can and can’t handle. As a parent, I know what is best for my children, and they do not. In fact, they usually don’t understand why I’ve put boundaries in place for them, and they constantly want to know why they can’t do whatever they choose. And what they don’t realize is that I haven’t put rules in place to make their lives harder, but I’ve given them boundaries to protect them. And those boundaries are actually meant to make their lives easier. I am constantly reminding my children to put shoes on when they go outside, even if it’s just to run around on our property. They hate it. They just want to be free. They want to be able to run outside on a whim, and they see my instructions as a barrier keeping them from getting outside as fast as possible. What they don’ t understand is that as a parent, I am protecting them from getting hurt. They see their chances of getting hurt as minimal, so they’d rather just risk it. But, my job is to think ahead. I can’t just focus on what will make them comfortable right now, I have to think of their futures. I can’t tell you how many times one of them has come inside to tell me that they are bleeding because they’ve tripped and scrapped their toe, or they've stepped on something sharp. They didn’t have the understanding that the rule was meant to shield them from the pain that they were now experiencing. This is a minimal example, with small consequences. But, it is a depiction of how children respond to the boundaries that their parents have given them. And, it reminds me of our relationship with God. His agenda is always to protect us, even when we don’t understand. When God gives us boundaries, it is always for freedom, and never for bondage. This reminds me of the story of the fall of man in Genesis. God told Adam and Eve that they could eat from any tree in the garden, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But look at what the serpent said when he tempted Eve. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1 NLT) The serpent twisted what God said. God hadn’t forbidden Adam and Eve from eating fruit from any of the trees. Actually, they could eat from any tree that they wanted to, except for one. But it’s interesting. This is how we fall into the traps of the enemy. He suggest to us that we are missing out on so much, and that our access to the amazing things in life are limited. He tells us that God is holding out on us, and that the life that we really desire lies beyond the parameters that God has given us. We tend to focus our attention on the things that entice us…the things that we should stay away from. When in reality, they are so small compared to the world of blessings that God has for us. The forbidden fruit was nothing compared to what God provided for Adam and Eve… the fruit of every other tree in the Garden of Eden. Do you see how backwards this is? That we desire the things that God is shielding us from. That we see the will of God negatively, yet the things of this world in a positive light? Why is it that we are willing to sacrifice the promises of God, for the lies of the enemy? When Eve responded to the serpent, she said that God only told her and Adam that they were forbidden from eating fruit from one tree. God told them that if they disobeyed, they would surely die. “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. (Genesis 3:4-6 NLT) The serpent’s response was to tell Eve that God was holding out on her. Eve desired to eat the fruit because she didn’t want to miss out on the knowledge that it would give her. We get so upset at Eve when we think of how her decision to eat the fruit, and share with her husband, changed everything. But, if we stopped judging her for a minute, we might notice that we are more like her than not. Like Eve, I wanted to watch reality shows because of the insight that I would gain into the music industry. And although this might not be your forbidden fruit, there are things in your life that are doing you more harm than good. Things that make you feel like you are in control of your life. Things that you love indulging in, but that aren't good for you or your pursuit of the life that God has for you. Eve didn’t trust that the purpose of God’s instructions were to ensure that she lived the life of blessing that He planned for her. She didn’t understand that she would be giving up His promise, with a few seconds of satisfaction. What I didn’t realize is that God knew what was best for me. He knew me and my situation better that I did myself. I wasn’t able to see how my choice of television would affect me, because I was only concerned with the satisfaction that I got in the moment. But He was concerned about my emotional health, and He wanted me to live a life of freedom instead of a life of anxiety. Sometimes, it’s hard for us to step outside of ourselves to see the bigger picture. But God sees everything. He knew that the portrayal of the music industry in those shows would slowly change the way that I viewed my husband and his job. He was trying to protect me. Like Eve, I just had to have all the information. But also like Eve, my Heavenly Father was trying to protect me from something. He was trying to keep me from the anxiety and negative feelings that came with my choice. The forbidden fruit signifies anything that is keeping you from receiving the blessings of God. Through the process of laying down those things that God has asked me to, I’ve come to understand the blessing in obedience. God will never ask us to lay something down without replacing it with something even better. What Adam and Eve didn’t recognize is that God’s instruction was an ultimatum. It was an either/or situation. They could choose to obey God and have the opportunity to eat from the tree of life, or they could choose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They couldn’t have both. By disobeying God, and indulging in the forbidden fruit, they forfeited their ability to eat of the blessings of God. When I finally gave up watching certain shows, I had the largest breakthrough in my marriage. My husband and I had been separate for a few years, but a couple of weeks later, he called and said he wanted to move back in together. I was absolutely amazed. This was the same man that was adamant in his belief that we would not be able to work things out just a couple of weeks prior. That day, I truly understood the significance of obedience. But it doesn’t end there. Many of the breakthroughs that occurred in my marriage were the result of obedience… God asking me to lay down something, even if it was anger, resentment, wrong attitudes, or ways of doing things. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 NLT) God stands there, asking us to give him whatever it is that we are gripping on to. We think that He is only trying to keep us from something, but in reality, He is trying to give us something so much better. We have to trust in Him. He knows what’s best. His instruction is always to push us towards His promises, the things that we have been praying and believing for. Prayer Heavenly Father, I ask that you forgive me for seeking to live life on my own terms. I pray that you would come into my life, and lead me along the path that is best for me. I need your direction Father. If there is anything that I need to lay down, show me. Right now, I make the decision to seek you and your kingdom first. I make the decision to lay down my way, so that I can receive the life of blessing that you have for me. As I follow you, I ask that your hand be on my life, my marriage, and my family. Thank you for covering me with your grace and mercy daily. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.