How Badly do You Want to Eat From that Tree?

One night this week, I was closing down the computer so I could retire for the night. I felt drained, depressed, the way most Americans feel at the end of every day, or at least those who are plugged in to the internet. I am the internet user who justifies my consumption of headlines with the homeschool mom's infamous excuse, "I have to stay in touch with what's going on in the world." Is anyone else relating to this?

The next morning, I was having my morning talk with the Lord and pondering the psychological toll the Internet has taken on humankind. Then the Spirit spoke a very convicting statement that preached a sermon to me the rest of the day. The statement was this: "Consider the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." I feel compelled to share with you what I learned from this simple statement this week. 

What environment was the first human body, or two bodies, designed for? Eden. What was absent from Eden? Human knowledge of good and bad. Every single rendition of the Fall of Mankind story I've ever heard has been focused on the devious plot of the upright serpent, the sin of Eve followed by Adam, the atonement of God through animal sacrifice for clothing, and the curse upon the earth, followed by the expulsion of humans into the cold, harsh world. It's all about how bad people are, and what a drag it must be to be God who has to save our sorry souls. (Excuse me while I roll my spiritual eyes.)  But what ever happened to the story about the tree of forbidden fruit? I've never heard that story preached or taught. There's an engorged story there waiting to be milked! Come along and I'll tell it. 

Modern research and biophysical science prove that our bodies absorb the impact of psychological trauma - a knowledge of bad/evil. Repressed memories or undue psychological trauma can literally damage the brain and render it incapable or severely impaired to handle normal stimuli. The pounding onslaught of survival chemicals in the brain actually harm the brain itself as it absorbs the impact of the ongoing, never ending survival mode. I guarantee this trauma experience is NOT what the human body was designed for. It was designed for Eden. WE were made for Eden where there was no knowledge of good and evil. 

We also know from Scripture that over time, God determined that the lifespan had to be reduced lest evil people propagate their evil ways for too long and bring the story of human history to a premature end. God had to alter human DNA for this to be possible. However, I do not believe He necessarily altered our DNA so that our bodies are now made to absorb the impact of the trauma this world inflicts. Look at the extensive damage to our bodies: anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, sociopathic disorders, addiction, diseases of all kinds, neurological chaos, weakened immune systems, and the list is longer than the DSM-5 is thick!! That's not counting what our bodies suffer physically at the hands of our abusers. The physical body is the means by which the spiritual and psychological body receives information and experiences so that we can process them. And how we process is going to have a definite impact on how our physical bodies respond. It is safe to conclude that Adam and Eve did NOT have the health problems in Eden that we have in the only world we've ever known. And why? Because they had not yet eaten from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

So back to this untold story. Why didn't God want Adam and Eve to eat from that tree? Because outside of time, He saw Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon, genocide, slavery, perversions of every unconscionable kind, abuse of every unconscionable kind, money, materialism, abortion, rampant crime and Internet, lust for unlimited shared knowledge at our fingertips. He didn't want them to have to know these things. He didn't make them for that. He knew what it would do to the human body to KNOW good and bad. To know good can make one greedy or envious or jealous, so even good turns sour. He knew that the mere knowledge of good and evil would destroy us, not just the sin of eating the forbidden fruit from that tree. Sin itself corrupted the world and made the evil possible. But the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the key to unlock the unlimited bait of the enemy. If Adam and Eve could just take one bite, they would open the door to Satan's secret garden. Ponder for more than a moment, give it a whole day or two, and truly consider specific ways that the mere knowledge of good and evil is the theme of your life; and consider the psycho-physiological connections that weave your life together.

So what the heck are we doing about it? To be honest, we are gorging ourselves in the fatness of our minds to increase knowledge, and plunging face first with mouths wide open into the indulgences of the internet and the social media frenzy proclaiming "Knowledge is Power!" Let's ask a super tough question: "Can I put down the fruit without taking that bite?"

Is the Internet completely evil? I don't think so. It's a "necessary evil," if you will. What Satan intends for evil, God can use for good. But does that mean anything goes? Well, if you want to find where the boundaries are, take a piece of green construction paper and cut it out in the shape of a tree top. Cut out the middle to about the size of your computer monitor. Then cut out a trunk from brown paper. Attach these shapes to your monitor and write on the treetop, "How badly do I need the fruit from this tree?" What end will it accomplish? Remember, an inch of permission will breed a mile, so choose wisely.

I'm picking on the Internet tonight, but the Knowledge of Good and Evil has manifested itself in the very air we breathe since Adam and Eve took their first breath in the wilderness with the flaming angelic sword in the backdrop. I use the Internet to reach tens of thousands of people with the gospel. I'm a stay-at-home homeschooling mom (among many other titles). The Lord has not blessed me with the finances to travel the world on missions trips, but He has blessed me with a computer. I will use my resources for HIS glory. As of the day I had my conversation with God about this, I have quit surfing the headlines. Last year I quit Facebook. I do not even have a smart phone, though I know I will be forced to get one sooner or later when my slider phone and home phone become obsolete. You get the idea.

Well-intentioned Christians fill their heads and hearts with every iota of knowledge they can grab hold of. But is it really, truly GOOD for you? Have you asked God what He wants to show you on the Internet, with every click? You can't unknow something, but you can slow down the bandwagon and put restraints on your curiosity. There are important things out there and I am glad I can access that information. Most of it is excess. Where should we be spending our time? Put off, put on. Put off the information station. Put on time with God.

I pray Christians will have the veil lifted from their hearts and begin to DESIRE God and suppress their insatiable appetites for the trappings of the other world views out there.

May you be blessed in the journey!