December 15, 2025
Peace in the Battle of Wanting
DR. JOEL MUDDAMALLE
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“The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:6 (CSB)
I’ve never understood the concept of “window shopping.” It doesn’t seem fun to go to your favorite store, see things you love, and then walk away. When I see something I want, my natural impulse is to get it. I mean, this is human after all, right?
You may not be surprised to find out that a similar human pattern of “see, desire, and take” shows up in some crucial spots in the Bible, the first being the garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:6 says, “The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it” (emphases added).
Genesis 3 contains the first of three significant rebellions in Scripture (which continue in Genesis 6 and Genesis 11) that involve both humanity and the spiritual realm. This is spiritual warfare: The enemy wants to entice us into thinking, feeling, and doing things that are contrary to the ways of God. The enemy wants us to see, desire, and take, but God wants us to enjoy freedom and the goodness of His creation.
To enjoy that freedom, we must have boundaries. In Eden, God said Adam and Eve could eat from every tree except one — the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which would bring death. Then the serpent suggested that God’s command was about withholding something good. He said if they ate the fruit, they would truly be like God, which was absurd because they were already created in His image.
The hardest part of spiritual warfare is when the enemy presents things that sound true but subtly invite us to trust ourselves instead of God.
It’s OK to see things. It’s OK to desire things. But what we do after the desire matters most. The serpent suggests we see, desire, and take. But God wants us to see, desire, and then submit that desire to His sovereignty. In this submission, we find victory because if God wants that thing for us, He’ll give it to us in His perfect time.
The most significant spiritual warfare takes place in our human hearts. Whatever you and I have our eyes set on, whatever we desire today, we have a choice. We can attempt to take it in our own power, or we can learn to submit it to the Lord and trust Him with the outcome.
If you want to experience the victory of Christ in spiritual warfare, choose submission to the sovereignty of God, and enjoy the peace that comes with your wise choice!
Father, You know my every longing. When I’m tempted to take matters into my own hands, remind me that Your timing is perfect and Your plans are good. Help me trust You with every desire and find peace in Your will. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
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ENGAGE
We live in a world at war. Do you know who you are fighting … and why? Dr. Joel’s brand-new book, The Unseen Battle: Spiritual Warfare, the Three Rebellions, and Christ’s Victory Over Dark Powers, equips Christians to make sense of evil powers, spiritual warfare, what God is doing in the world today, and the part we play in it. This book releases on January 27, 2026. Preorder the book today here.
If you want to learn more about the Bible and how to study it and also get theological insights on culture and ethics through the lens of humility, you can join Dr. Joel’s Substack for free!
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Psalm 37:4, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires” (CSB).
What desire are you tempted to take into your own hands instead of trusting God’s timing to provide? Join us in the comments to continue this conversation.
© 2025 by Dr. Joel Muddamalle. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
