The Week in Review

LIFE GIVER

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. - Genesis 2:7



God took dust or dirt from the ground and formed a man. He then breath life into that dry dust and it became a living being. As I was studying this chapter, there were a few points that stood out. The first thing that stood out was the fact that man was formed from a lifeless substance. The second point that I saw was that this lifeless substance took on a life-form after God breath into him.



I looked at these two points from a spiritual perspective. We may have physical life but we are actually lifeless people because we have not yet had the "spiritual" breath of God breathed into us. We are moving and utilizing our physical selves but we are really as lifeless as the dirt on the ground. Dirt on the ground it of no good until something is done with it. If you want grow something in dirt you must put seeds in it, water it and make sure the ground is is turned over so that oxygen can get it.



We are like that ground. We need to have something done to us so that we can be useful, living ground. God wants to deposit in our "soil" the seed of salvation. It then needs the living water and the oxygen, the breath of God to make sure it grows.



Did you know that seeds won't grow well in packed down soil? That's because the air isn't circulating. You need to have some one come and do a treatment on your ground so that air will circulate and that your grass and plants will grow better. We need God to do a procedure on us so that the seed of salvation will take root and grow in us. He needs to treat our hearts so that hatred, hurt, anger, etc. won't pack it down so hard that nothing will grow there.



The Lord breathed life into a form that was without life. He was the only one that could do that. And when He did, Adam took on attributes of God. He had the ability to create, love, rule. etc. It wasn't until Adam allowed the enemy to trick him (through the woman) that he again became lifeless.



This is the plight that humanity finds itself in today. We are lifeless until we are united with God and He breaths life into us. I pray today that we allow God breath new life into us so that we can become a living soul. A person designed to show off the handiwork of God and to be His ambassadors in the world.

Watch out For the Crafty One

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” - Genesis 3:1-5

In this scripture, we are given some background about the serpent. The scripture says he is more crafty than any of the other animals. This sets the tone that we are going to have trouble. The scripture tells us that the devil is trouble, so why does God people hold converstations and debates with him?

He then approaches the woman and begins to have a conversation with her. He asked, "Did God really say...". This question is expressed in a way that is trying to call for doubt, or maybe to have the person question the instruction they have received. The woman responded but she added something to God's Word. When she answered she put in that God said you should not touch it or you will die.

 Eve's first mistake was listening to the serpent. As soon as he began to question her about God, she should have stopped the conversation. In fact, how natural was it for her to be having a conversation with the animals in this way?

Eve allowed the enemy to deceive her and she had what I call the "Eve Complex". She entertained a conversation with the serpent and in doing so, he began to make her turn her attention to the one tree she was forbidden to have and in doing so, she lost sight of all the other trees available to her. Remember she was in the garden. This is not like your backyard with a few trees, think more of a vast grove of trees upon trees. From all these different trees she could take and eat.

We sometimes have the Eve Complex ourselves. We allow the enemy to draw our focus to that one "tree" we don't have and therefore, we take our focus off the fact that we are living in the abundance of God.

We also should learn from Eve that as soon as the enemy see that we don't really understand the Word, he is ready to attack. In this instance Eve had been told the command, but somewhere along the way she changed it. She added her interpretation to it. When you and I add our own understanding or interpretation to the Word of God, the enemy is ready to attack us and trick us into sinning.

We must not entertain any conversations with the enemy. When he comes and ask us "did God really say..." we are to quickly rebuke him because we know he is trying to trick us.

Prayer: Lord help us to see the tricks of the enemy as he tries to deceive us and in doing so we begin to doubt your Word. Help us combat the enemy with your truth when he brings lies or questions your authority and your power. Help us to flee from him so that we do not become deceived into seeing the one thing we don't have and miss the bounty of what we have available to us. Amen.