REVERSE THE CURSE

Time with Jesus - Monday, 03 September 2012

Hi all,

Genesis is perhaps the most important Book in the Old Testament. It’s sometimes called the “Seed plot” of Scripture because without it, much of the rest of the Bible would be meaningless. If we didn’t have the description of the fall of man, Scripture would, to a large extent be meaningless. Today, in our meditation, we look at the fall of man along with the armour needed in our struggle with Satan.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 03 September 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	REVERSE THE CURSE
Man’s history contains within it, a devastating root. We were made in the image of God. Exactly what this means is still a matter for debate. Many think they know. Mostly it’s speculation. Don’t be surprised at that. We are inquisitive by nature. We want to know who, how, where, why and when. If we don’t know, we investigate. Sometimes, to our own detriment, we don’t believe. That’s the whole point. No one compels us to believe anyone or anything. It is a none-negotiable God given freedom. We are free to obey or disobey. He will not interfere. God appears to have a law in place the effect of which is that He tells His people once only. He advises them of the consequence of disobedience and then leaves us to get on with it. This is exactly how it should be. If He never tells a lie, why should He speak more than once? If at the end of a jetty there is a big sign which reads, “No parking beyond this point” Try it by all means. But you and your vehicle will get wet. One sign is sufficient! Any more signs are superfluous. I’m fascinated by the fact that the forbidden fruit was on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Presumably the fruit on all the other trees contained the knowledge of good only. I can’t prove this but it seems logical. There was another tree in the garden. The tree of life. Apparently neither of them ate any of that fruit. I’ve occasionally wondered why? My guess is that there was no actual fruit on it at the time. They already had life – the life of God in them. Presumably the fruit of this tree in some way “reverses” the curse. Perhaps it’s the “antidote” to the effects of the curse? Perhaps a Divine cure for snake-bite? It’s interesting that the armour of God referred to in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, does not have a reference to trees. The armour is summarised as follows: 1) Prayer in the Spirit; 2) The belt of truth; 3) The breastplate of God's righteousness; 4) The sandals of the good news of peace; 5) The shield of faith to stop the devil’s fiery arrows; 6) The helmet of salvation and 7) The sword of the Spirit - the Word of God. (Eph. 6:11–18) Of course, Paul was using the “equipment” of a Roman Soldier as his reference point. The fact that it was the reference point of 2000 years old armour does not invalidate the picture. If anything it reinforces it. It’s the description of a Roman Soldier prepared for war. Primarily, battles in those days were hand to hand. There were some mechanical contrivances but they did not change the way a soldier prepared for battle. Today, our battle is a hand to hand spiritual battle. Yes, there are other items used in the fight. But these are more for general use than for hand to hand fighting. This indicates that our preparation for “war” is much the same, or at least similar, to what it was in Paul’s day. Are we wearing our armour? Never take it off! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			4 "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:4-5 TNIV 3 And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3 MSG 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God's armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 NLT 11 We don't want Satan to outsmart us. We know how he does his evil work. 2 Corinthians 2:11 NIrV	It happened in the garden when Satan tempted Eve. He posed to her a question about what she believed. The Lord had made it very clear. To eat it was to die. Satan said she wouldn’t. “So give the fruit a try”. And so she took a little bite to see if it was true. Gave a piece to Adam to see what he would do. Adam took a little bite. He did it without thought. And in that little sample, Satan knew he’d caught, Adam and his partner. They now belonged to him. And death in all its horror resulted from that sin. The story of what happened next. Creation sort of groaned. Distorted by sin’s power and all that it now owned. Adam’s inner spirit-man was darkened and then died. Eve and all creation must certainly have cried. They were unprotected; They now were Satan’s slaves; And stayed in that position; for only Jesus saves. All of their descendants were in the self-same boat. Christ alone is able to grab Satan by the throat. So Satan’s been defeated and Jesus Christ can be, The Saviour of God’s people and all humanity. Nonetheless we’re living in a world of death and sin. Fighting evil forces over which we have to win. But we’re not defenceless. God’s armour we must wear. Thus we are protected; a part of this is prayer. Praying in the spirit, is what we need to do; On all times and occasions for folk like me and you. Fasten tight the belt of truth, which goes around the waist. The breastplate of God’s righteousness must always be in place. So in the Name of Jesus, we’re able to resist! The shield of faith securely, gripped within the fist. The gospel of God’s peace is worn like sandals on the feet The Helmet of Salvation shared with everyone we meet. We have a deadly weapon that can’t be overcome. The Word of God from which the enemy is sure to run. Quench the fiery arrows the devil shoots at you. Stand firm in the victory that’s certain, sure and true. You needn’t be outsmarted by all of Satan’s lies. If you will resist him, see how rapidly he flies. This is what to do so everyone may take the curse, And in the name of Jesus, put the whole thing in reverse. Jim Strickland – Written 3rd September 2012