The story of Adam and Eve is our story, and it paints a picture of how we go wrong. Central to that path is our desire to do things our own way, instead of trusting in God’s way. In choosing our way over God’s, we employ a simple but powerful tool: We rationalize.
We human beings are very effective at convincing ourselves that our way is the right way, or that a bad choice isn’t really that bad. The Lord said, “The heart is deceitful above all things.”
Look at what Eve told the serpent: “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” In other words, you might die.
But this is not what God said. He told Adam that “in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” This is not you might die. This is you will certainly die.
It seems like a small difference, but it provided the space for Adam and Eve to convince themselves to disobey. So, they defied God and their problems began.
The answer to this is faith. Believe what God said. Take him at his word. Trust him enough to live your life his way. The Psalmist said, “I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right.” God’s directions are the path to true living.