Marriage Is God's Design: Inspired by the Movie 'Back to Eden'Sample

LARRY: (scoffs) You already said you’re traveling.

MOJI: (frustrated) Does that mean I can’t change my mind?

LARRY: (mocking) You’ve never done that before. It’s like you’re just waiting for the day I finally walk away from this marriage.

MOJI: (sternly) Is that why you took that girl to the eatery today?

LARRY: (coldly) Whatever anyone told you is none of my business. And frankly, I don’t see why it should be yours either.

MOJI: Oh really?

(MOJI grabs a cup of water and splashes it on Larry’s face. Larry jolts awake, startled. Before he can react, MOJI lands two sharp slaps across his face. He gasps. Before he can recover, she grabs him by the shirt and plunges his head into a bowl of water.)

MOJI: Just who do you think you are?! What gives you the right to speak to me that way? You forget where all this money is coming from! Watch me withdraw your contributions just once, and see if you'll survive without it.

MOJI closes her eyes and shakes her head. She snaps back to reality—it was all just her imagination. LARRY is still right in front of her.

Lead Us Not into Temptation

Yesterday, we uncovered how the stranger in the garden whispers confusion — subtle lies that sound like truth. But these whispers rarely stop at confusion; they often escalate into temptation, baiting us toward actions that wound the heart of God and damage the bond of marriage.

In Eden and in every home, temptation has worn many disguises: the lure of infidelity, the illusion of ‘better options’, the subtle pull of pride and selfishness. Yet, beneath them all is the same ancient strategy; to entice us to step outside the boundaries God has set for our good.

Sin promises pleasure but pays with pain. It erodes trust, weakens covenant, and leaves scars that only grace can heal. Larry’s story is a thought-provoking example. His unfaithfulness and secret calls fractured the trust in his marriage, leaving Moji torn between rage and revenge. Temptation whispered: “Fight back. Make him pay.”

That’s how the serpent works; not just by pulling one partner astray but by provoking the other to sin in response.

The deception of ‘better options’ is one of the enemy’s most dangerous lies. He suggests that something beyond your Eden (beyond the marriage God planted you in) is more desirable. But stepping beyond the walls of Eden removes you from its protection. Break through the boundary, and you invite the serpent’s bite.

James 1:14-15 captures this process with piercing clarity. The battleground of temptation begins within. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation”; not because God tempts us, but because we need His help to recognize and resist it.

Resisting temptation also requires humility and honest self-examination. Before pointing fingers at your spouse’s failures, pause and examine your own heart. Moji chose this narrow but powerful path. Instead of unleashing her anger, she stopped, searched her heart, and admitted her own flaws. That moment of surrender disarmed the enemy and opened the door for healing.

In the end, the prayer “Lead us not into temptation” is less about avoiding sin and more about choosing God’s way at every crossroad. It is about building walls around your Eden, not to imprison you, but to protect the sacred garden God entrusted to your care.

Prayer:
Father, guard my heart from the subtle whispers of temptation and deliver me from every desire that draws me away from Your will. Teach me to build holy boundaries around my Eden and to cherish the covenant You have entrusted to me. Help me examine myself with humility, repent quickly where I have fallen short, and extend grace to my spouse as You have extended grace to me. Strengthen me to resist the lies of “better options” and to remain steadfast in Your truth. Lead me not into temptation, Lord, but deliver me from evil, and let my marriage reflect Your glory, in Jesus’ name, Amen!