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So God has wired us to experience pleasure, but the world, the flesh and Satan conspire against us to push beyond the boundaries God has set in place for our protection and provision.

We’re enticed to buy whatever is newer, bigger, shinier or sexier than what we have now. We’re tempted to taste and touch the forbidden. As a fish follows a lure, unsuspecting it’s about to be hooked, so we chase after the bait the enemy puts before us. What looked so delicious becomes the very thing that allows him to reel us in.

So why do we keep falling for the bait? It would be like catching a fish, throwing it back in the water, only to catch it again…and again. We’d think, “Stupid fish! Haven’t you figured it out yet?” So what have we not figured out?

Let’s consider Adam and Eve. Perfect environment. Naked and not ashamed. Unhindered intimacy with God and each other. Then disaster. They disobeyed. Sin entered the picture and has been with us ever since. Nothing is at it should be.

How did it happen though? What led to their downfall?

We know they were tempted to enjoy what wasn’t theirs to enjoy. Satan, the deceiver, tempted them to eat what God had said not to. But what happened between the deception and the act of eating?

Unbelief happened.

Before eating, they stopped believing God was good and could really be trusted. They believed there was something better than what God was providing.

Think about it…if we always believed God was good and desired only the best for us, would we ever disobey Him? I know we’re not perfect, but if we had perfect belief, then perfect obedience would follow.

Our problem isn’t pleasure-seeking. Our problem is that we don’t believe God is good enough. Here’s how it plays out…

You feel lonely or discouraged, but rather than taking those feelings to God, you eat a bag of cookies.

You long for connection and intimacy, but instead of pursuing genuine relationship (with God or your wife), you settle for the temporary thrill of pornography.

You’re frustrated or stressed, but the peace and rest God offers doesn’t seem as attractive as a few drinks.

Psalm 84:10 says, “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere…”

Our biggest problem is the fact that we really don’t believe it. Not really. We don’t say it, but our actions give us away. God is okay, but He’s really not enough. We want more than He’s offering. Better is one day in His courts? Nah. There must be something better.

And as soon we believe that lie, we’ve set our hearts up to be hooked by the shiny little lure that swims past us.

The underlying issue in our addictions and devotion to our idols is unbelief. We do not believe God is truly good or that He’s enough or that He really does have our best interests in mind. And so we become vulnerable to seeking after the pleasures beyond the boundaries.

How about you? Do you believe He’s good? Does He desire only the best for you? Or is He holding out? Could there really be something better than Him out there? What lure is most tempting to you?

Unless we believe He is good, good all the time, then we’re in trouble. Tomorrow, we’ll look at five feelings that act like warning lights on a dashboard, signaling that we’re vulnerable, to being deceived, being lured and being hooked.