What Eve Teaches Me About Doubting God

Do you desire to walk in faith?

I do.  I want to trust God through every trial He allows, and bring Him glory by my response to His working in my life.

Yet I often fail.  The enemy of doubt creeps in and taints my thoughts and shifts my focus from my God to my problem.

When I check out Satan's first appearance in Genesis three, I see him causing Eve to doubt God's Word.  As I was studying this passage the other night, I saw several lessons I can learn from Eve's experience.

I often make decisions based on what I can see.  Verse six says, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat..."  Instead of basing her actions on what God had told her about eating from that tree, she sized up the situation for herself and took action.  2 Corinthians 5:7 fits so perfectly here.  "For we walk by faith, not by sight."  We obey God's Word because we know it's true and eternal, rather than making the decision that seems to benefit us most in the moment.

I question God's goodness and His plan for me.  Verse six also says that she saw that the tree was "to be desired to make one wise."  She didn't trust that God was good and that if He told her not to eat from that tree, it was His best plan for her.  Eve believed Satan when He said in verse five that she would "be as gods, knowing good and evil."  She assumed that knowledge would be a good thing, not understanding that God's command was there to protect her - it wasn't a good thing to "know...evil!" 

I listen to other influences rather than staying true to God's Word.  Eve chose to listen to Satan.   Eve had no written word of God, but she had God's spoken words to obey.  Her statements about God's command regarding the tree in verses two and three show that she knew what God had said.  This reminds me that in the midst of a temptation or struggle, the best place to run for help is to my Bible.

My doubt affects others, especially my family.  As verse six tells us, Eve "...gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."  When my faith goes missing, my family will be affected in some way.  I can't be the wife or mom I need to be when I'm not walking in faith.  Worry and fear are so quick to take over when I'm doubting God's promises.

When I live in doubt, I try to control the outcome of my situation.  Verse seven says, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."  Once Eve's doubt led to sin, she and Adam tried to fix their nakedness.  If I'm not trusting God, I will wear myself out trying to control the people and situations around me.

I know there've been times when I (consciously or not) thought, "God, I know I should trust you here, but I think I know a better way."  How thankful I am that God is merciful and, even when we doubt, He remains faithful!  We can grow in our own faith and overcome doubt as we believe God and obey His Word.

Related posts:
Having Faith in the Promises of God
4 Lessons for My Trials from a Man Who Knows
Where Is Your Faith?

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