Why do we choose sin over freedom? Fear. Animal, unthinking fear lies at the root of what we continue to do: our blinding compulsion to continue Eve's legacy. For she, our flesh mother, grasped and sank her teeth into the evilly offered fruit because without it, she feared she would remain childlike and weak. Without it, she wouldn't KNOW things. She threw away her innocence and right standing with God, her Creator and Sustainer, because she didn't trust Him, period.
"He was not alone. There, only a few yards away from him stood the Witch. She was just throwing away the core of an apple which she had eaten. The juice was darker than you would expect and had made a horrid stain around her mouth...And he began to see that there might be some sense in that last line [of the sign at the gate of the garden: "For those who steal...shall find their heart's desire and find despair"] about getting your heart's desire and getting despair along with it. For the Witch looked stronger and prouder than ever, and even, in a way, triumphant; but her face was deadly white, white as salt...[The witch continued], 'You have plucked fruit in the garden yonder. You have it in your pocket now. And you are going to carry it back, untasted, to the Lion; for HIM to eat, for HIM to use. You simpleton! Do you know what that fruit is? I will tell you. It is the apple of youth, the apple of life. I know, for I have tasted it; and I feel already such changes in myself that I know I shall never grow old or die. Eat it, Boy, eat it; and you and I will both live forever and be king and queen of this whole world..." From The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis.
Don't think we have escaped the apple, simply because we were not there in the garden with Eve. For we are daily, constantly tempted to eat of its lying flesh. We bite the apple whenever we give in to that root of fear and choose to disobey the Lord. We are no different than our exponentially great-grandma, Eve. We too fear that God and His destiny for us is not enough. We suspect we need more. So we go for the gusto, no matter what it costs us. We pretend we aren't sinning. We use words like"struggle" or joke affectionately about our little "slips," but truly, we taste despair, even as we search for fulfillment.The temptation to give into pride, anger, lust, gluttony, control, sexual addictions, status, money, power or even the frittering away kingdom time on entertainment and recreation all promise us the world and a bigger life, but make no mistake; bit by bit they erode our very souls. Deep in our inward parts we FEAR that God isn't enough, that He won't come through for us, so we need to shore up this deficit by going after what our flesh desires. Our fears bring on the sin of unbelief and we live as pagans and paupers, not sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM wrote in Making Jesus Lord: "It is a rule of the Kingdom of God: Give up something good and receive something of greater value; give up your rights and receive greater privileges with God. Jacob wrestled with God, was wounded in his hip and became a Prince, a leader of a nation. But he limped for the rest of his life. Every strong man or woman of God has gone this route.The choice is yours: Remain in mediocrity and miss out on God's greater purposes for you, or walk with a limp and be a prince."
You call me out upon the waters: the great unknown,
where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery; in oceans deep,
my faith will stand
Your grace abounds in deepest waters;
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me;
You've never failed, and You won't start now
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours, and You are mine
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters; wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United
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