While in the Philippines some years ago, I accompanied a missionary to visit an nearby area. He parked the vehicle and we had a short walk up a moderate incline to a small village.  As we walked the well-worn dirt trail I was taking in the deep valleys, the rich green foliage, and the abundance of banana trees among others. As I walked and looked all around I must have started to deviate, drift a bit, from the narrow course we were walking.  Suddenly, the serenity of the moment lost all value when my missionary friend said, “Be careful to stay on the trail there are snakes.” He was so casual with the information that I repeated the warning back to him with more emphasis.  “Snakes!?” I asked,  “Yes, they are beautiful but they will hurt you.”   The greenery I had been admiring had immediately lost its significance as I glared with steely eyes the dirt path before me.  I was so captured by the beauty of the area that the furthest thing from my mind were the obvious dangers of the jungle.

We read in Genesis chapter three of God’s word……..

That in the peaceful solitude of the garden that God had given Adam and Eve there lurked an evil. Unbeknownst to Eve, a creature, that she possibly was quite comfortable with, was waiting for her.  This first temptation and the impending fall undoubtedly were the furthest thing from Eve’s mind.

Just like you and me……”I never intended …..I cannot believe this happened……but we were so close……I was just going along with the others….I was just going about my day and bam it happened.”

Notice the snakes in our garden:

They communicate with us

They are close to us

They convolute our thinking

Even in our safest environments we are not immune from the challenges to our faith.  We are challenged to question our Godliness. We are challenged to re- consider personal holiness.  We can be influenced by something so common as viewing an advertisement!

 An associate, an activity, or even an attitude can get close enough to influence our thinking and gain our hearts.

Think on these things