Avoiding "Spiritual" Sin

Have you ever sinned when you were sincerely trying to be "spiritual" and do the right thing?

Believe it or not, this is something that can really happen.  In fact, it's happened to me.  I think it probably happened to Eve in Genesis 3.  It's amazing how we can do the wrong thing for the 'right reason' when we fail to focus on the truth of God's Word.

As women, I think we are especially susceptible to allowing ourselves to be swayed by emotion rather than truth.

Below is the second chapter in my book, Daughters of Sarah, a collection of devotional thoughts that I have compiled.  I hope these meditations of mine might be a blessing and help to you.

Avoiding "Spiritual" Sin
Daughters of Sarah - Chapter 2

After reading the verses preceding this one, there can be no doubt that Eve knew that God did not want her to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

However, she listened to the voice of the serpent as he reasoned with her and convinced her that it would, after all, be a good thing to do. She rationalized that because the fruit looked good, probably tasted good, and would make her wiser, it must be a good decision, regardless of God’s very clear command. She deceived herself into thinking that an act of disobedience was righteous behavior.

How many times do we as Christian women get caught up in things that look good, sound good, and seem to be spiritually beneficial, but instead, are acts of disobedience against God’s purpose and design for us?

I know many sincere Christian women who are busy about the “ministry” to the detriment of their marriage and home.  Some women defy their husband’s wishes in order to attend church services or activities because they believe it is what “God wants.”

God made it clear that He wants, first of all, for us to be what our husbands need. We deceive ourselves when we rationalize our behavior under the guise of spirituality.

Eve was not “helping” her husband by giving him the forbidden fruit. Instead, she brought God’s wrath upon herself, her husband, and, through him, all future generations.

Of course, I do not believe that all spiritual activity is wrong for a woman. There are many ways in which we may be a witness and light to our families and the lost world within God’s boundaries for us as women of God.

It is imperative, however, that we be sure that what we are doing is sanctioned not only by God, but also by our husband. We must not allow our sincere desire to be more spiritual to lead us into activities that are out of our jurisdiction as godly women and wives.

I’ve often wondered what might have happened had Eve consulted with Adam before deciding to partake of the fruit. Perhaps if she had sought his opinion and advice before acting, they would have been able to overcome the temptation as “one flesh” against the serpent’s devious lies.

No doubt the devil would have continued searching for another way to lead man away from God, but at least Eve would not forever bear the burden of being the one to initiate man’s spiritual fall in such a way. It’s all speculation on my part, of course, but I feel certain that if Eve could go back and do things over again, she would have made a different decision that day.

Unfortunately, none of us can go back and change our past behavior, but we can repent of past sin and decide now to change our future behavior with God’s help.  I am committed to doing just that.

Read some more from Daughters of Sarah...