{"id":3383,"date":"2025-04-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/?p=3383"},"modified":"2025-09-07T15:08:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T19:08:16","slug":"how-to-increase-our-chances-of-making-wise-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/how-to-increase-our-chances-of-making-wise-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Increase Our Chances of Making Wise Choices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Genesis 3<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

My jaw dropped and blood pressure rose as I watched the man spout lies about my husband at the live-streamed meeting. I don\u2019t know whether I would have made a wise choice if I\u2019d been there. However, I was a thousand miles away and couldn\u2019t surrender to the temptation to respond. But when I returned\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"forbidden<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

God\u2019s grace prevented my quick retaliation. My mind knew his command to forgive, but my heart resisted. The tempest within raged as my husband and I drove home. I could either obey God or follow my feelings. Adam and Eve fought the same battle. What might I learn from them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Struggle to Make Wise Choices Started Early<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although Eve<\/a> didn\u2019t hear God\u2019s warning not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, Adam passed along the message. She never imagined questioning God\u2019s words before the serpent approached her and Adam. Perhaps Eve wanted to defend her Creator when she detected the serpent\u2019s doubt about God\u2019s goodness and generosity. Maybe she heightened God\u2019s warning to emphasize the danger. Or she might have conveyed the unspoken insinuation in Adam\u2019s voice, expecting him to correct her if she\u2019d exaggerated. Yet he said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The serpent suggested Adam and Eve needn\u2019t worry about immediate death. Instead, they should question God\u2019s prohibition and consider the benefits of eating from the forbidden tree. They could become like God. As Eve turned to examine the tree, the wise choice seemed obvious. The fruit looked delicious and attractive and promised wisdom. What could go wrong? So, she and Adam ate some. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unintended Consequences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like us, our first parents didn\u2019t know what they didn\u2019t know. They presumed they possessed enough wisdom to make an informed decision and would gain their heart\u2019s desire without upsetting the status quo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture encourages the pursuit of wisdom. So why did God forbid Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? Perhaps he intended for them to eat from it after they matured. Instead, they were like five-year-olds trying to drive a car when they could neither see over the steering wheel nor reach the pedals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the serpent lured them with the promise of a shortcut, acquiring wisdom requires time. Adam and Eve\u2019s decision to defy their Creator\u2019s authority\u2014to make themselves gods\u2014led them down a path of disobedience, resulting in unimagined repercussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While one bite cannot impart wisdom, one decision can change a life. When Adam and Eve<\/a> replaced God as their boss, they chose new kings (themselves) and a new kingdom (outside God\u2019s rule). They used their God-given free will to declare their independence from him. Self-rule, however, meant exile from the garden and enslavement to their desires. With their relationship with God shattered and access to the Tree of Life removed, they discovered shame and lost immortality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though he knew Adam and Eve\u2019s rejection would come, God grieved the broken relationship. Nevertheless, he pursued them, longing to reconnect and prepare them for their new reality. Their need for food, abundant in the garden, would require hard labor. Parenthood would include the possibility of death for both mother and baby. Life changed forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can We Make Wise Choices?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since our decisions affect our lives now and in the future, how can we make wiser, more God-honoring choices?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Call on God\u2019s wisdom and grace.<\/strong> Adam and Eve trusted their decision-making abilities over God\u2019s.\n