We live in perilous times, when being governed by laws and regulations seems restrictive. It hasn’t always been that way. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were naturally and happily obedient to God’s requirements. When a flying snake challenged God’s reasoning in not allowing man to eat from every tree of the garden—implying that God was unjustly limiting His creatures from fully partaking of all the fruits He had created—Eve came to God’s defense by saying, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:2). implying that God was, in fact, generous when He offered them to eat of every fruit of the garden except for one. She went even further, explaining why God would include a prohibition in His governing principles, saying that the Creator didn’t want His children to suffer the consequences of disobedience. “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it . . . lest ye die” (Genesis 3:3). Unfortunately, Eve tarried too long in the presence of evil and chose to believe the serpent’s lie that said, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).

It’s been a long time since Satan’s deceptive power was manifested against the human race for the first time. All who have followed in the footsteps of Adam and Eve have been suffering the consequences of sin, and yet, so many generations later, we are still making the same mistake in the name of freedom, hoping that we will be exempt from suffering the consequences of the choices we make. We were created with free will, but we only have two options from which to choose. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). The writers of the articles in this magazine express the joy of serving God freely, not forcefully—choosing to live in harmony with the laws that provide health, happiness, and eternal life. I encourage you to pray, read, and experience your own version of freedom to obey. I just hope that you choose to obey Jesus not Satan, because it’s the truth—not the lie—that shall make you free.

- Adrian Finaru