Temptation begins by making God seem suspicious

In the Genesis account, the serpent does not begin by presenting an attractive disobedience. First it sows suspicion: perhaps God is not so good, perhaps his boundary conceals selfishness, and perhaps you would be freer if you stopped trusting. That logic still keeps appearing. A temptation gains ground when the good begins to seem like an absurd loss: telling the truth hurts you, being faithful confines you, forgiving demeans you, or respecting a limit prevents you from living. That is why it is not enough to ask what I desire. It is also wise to examine what image of God sustains that desire. If you have turned him into a rival to your happiness, any disobedience will begin to look like liberation.