THINK BEFORE COMMITTING OR DOING THINGS

James 1:13-14 says, "And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away." God created us with free will, allowing us to choose how we respond to His commands, whether in obedience or disobedience. Obedience to His commandments leads to life, but disobedience to His commandments leads to death. He also gave us the ability to think, reason, and have desires, such as loving, liking, and hating someone or things. All of our characteristics as human being makes us susceptible to disobeying God, depending on how we respond to temptations. Eve knows what is right and what is wrong, yet she chose to disobey God because she failed to protect her mind from Satan's lies. According to Genesis 3:6, when Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Eve let her desire overpower her reasoning and moral choice.

God designed our brain with two parts that affect our decision-making: the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system deals with what makes us feel good—for example, rewards. Our mind would say, "Do this now, it feels good." In every situation we encounter, our brain reminds us of what pleases us, regardless of whether it's good or bad. The prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, allows us to compute the consequences of our actions. In other words, the prefrontal cortex is our ability to think of the consequences of our actions before we commit to them. Our mind would say, "If you do this, you will hurt your families and disobey God." Our limbic (reward) system fires quicker than our prefrontal (reason) cortex in our brain; as a result, we become more compulsive than a reasonable person. If Eve stopped and thought intently (prefrontal cortex) about the consequences of eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, instead of allowing her impulsiveness (limbic system) to control her, she had a chance to say no to eating the forbidden fruit. If we allow our impulsive desires to control our thinking, we will more than likely fail to do what is good in the sight of God. However, if we stop and think of the consequences of our actions before we commit to them, it will help us not give in to our harmful and sinful desires and obey God.   

Let us not be carried away by our desires. We must examine the consequences of each desire that we have before giving in to it. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. Tomorrow, we will talk about what are the practical ways to overcome our impulsiveness that lead us to sin.

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why is it important for me to think about the consequences of my actions before committing to them? What happens when I allow my desires to control me without thinking? Is it easy for me to think first to do things, or the other way around?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for allowing me to understand how my brain works in making decisions. Please help me to think first before I commit to any desires that I have, especially in a situation that demands immediate satisfaction. Please help me not to be driven by my impulsiveness, but by my right reasoning. Please help me to make the right decision today. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.