1/6 Genesis 3:12-13

¹² The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." ¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?"The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

When Adam was confronted by God, he did what we tend to do when confronted by the Holy Spirit. He blamed Eve. If you read his response carefully, he is really blaming God. What happened to Adam's delight in having a helper suitable to him? We are so quick to blame others, even God, for our own failures. Justifying our own shortcomings by blaming others only shows our spiritual immaturity. Unless we own our faults we will not repent and seek God's forgiveness. Adam's justification shows his heart had already been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Eve was no different. She blamed the Serpent. The real problem was in her heart. The right response would have been to confess that she believed the Tempter when he said God was holding out on them. She believed she could be like God through disobedience. The real blame should have gone to the desire within her own heart that the Tempter merely stirred. She believed his lies. That is the root of all our sins, believing the lies of Satan over the Word of God as the Tempter distorts the means and applications of God-given desires.

It was not evil to desire to be like God. God is holy and wise. He desires us to be like Him. The difference is in the way we reach the goal. The same was true with Satan tempting Jesus. None of the things Satan suggested were evil in themselves, but it was the way in which he tempted Jesus to obtain them.

Lesson: Remember that temptation is not only about what you are trying to obtain, but how you go about obtaining it. The Spirit of God is faithful to warn you against sin. If you fail, don't blame God or others. Instead, see the issue in your own heart, then confess and repent.