Abraham's Blessing

Today we're going to take a little trip back to the Old Testament in the Book of Genesis, to look at Abraham. God instituted a Covenant with Abraham that layed out the way to salvation, many years before the Law was brought about. It was a Covenant of Faith, looking toward the prophesied Messiah. Abraham was reckoned as "righteous", finding salvation, because he "believed" God and His promises. 

Galatians 3: 6-9

6. Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, [saying], "All the nations shall be blessed in you." 9. So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

Galatians 3:14
"He (Jesus) redeemed us (from the curse) in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Genesis 12:1-4
1. Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 2. And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3. And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4. So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.



Back in Genesis 12 we first meet Abraham, or Abram as he was known then. He lived in an area of pagan worshippers, but he was known by God. God saw something in this man that made Him know he would listen and obey God's Word. God asked Abram to pick up his family and leave his country. God said, "leave" and that He would show Abram where to go. How many of us have heard that same call from God? God tells us to "pack up" either spiritually or physically" (maybe both) and head out. Leave our comfort zone...and be willing to act in faith and move forward in to whatever God is doing. I know I've been there.

God had a big plan for Abraham, and to be able to reveal it to him, he had to be out of the atmosphere he had been living in. Sometimes God calls us to leave friends, churches, security, jobs, lifestyles etc. in order to get to a place where we can hear Him better. Our comfort zones can sometimes be a hindrance to our calling in life. Safe and secure, like Peter in the boat. God can call us to put our feet out of the boat into the uncertain waters where all we can do is look at Him and trust God that our feet will stay up and that we will not sink.

If you look back at Genesis 3:6 you will see the main point of this post: Abraham believed God and thru that Faith in God's Word he found salvation. The covenant that God made with Moses many years later which instituted "the Law" did not obliterate the covenant God had made with Abraham. The Law was given to guide and show that we cannot be saved by rules and regulations. Therefore Abraham's covenant preceded the "Law". Faith in God is the key here. Salvation through faith.


Romans 4:1-3
1. What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. 3. For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

Ephesians 1:13
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise...

So we've looked at a lot of scripture today, and what does it all mean in our study of Galatians? The Judaizers were trying to get the Galatian Christians, and all other Christians for that matter, to return to the Jewish way of doing things, i.e. the Old Testament way to salvation. But they were wrong even on that count, because even under the Law of the Old Covenant, salvation was not found in obeying the rules and regulations of the Law. Salvation had always been through believing in the promise of a Savior and of the Holy Spirit. So the Judaizers were wrong on all counts. The Abrahamic Covenant came before the Mosaic Covenant of the Law (the Ten Commandments). The Law did not discount the previous covenant at all. And even so, when Jesus says that He did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it, the concept still stands.

No one can find salvation, or "get to heaven" by following rules and regulations, or by being "good enough", or by doing acts of charity or good will. Giving gifts to the poor or helping others are all wonderful attributes, but they do not provide salvation. Acknowledging our sin and asking Jesus to be our savior and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are the only ways to be "justified" and made righteous in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.


Writing these posts on Galatians have made me know that in just a few minutes here each week I cannot "teach" a book of the Bible. It requires study, time, and prayer. Not only for me, but for you. A personal time for Bible Study and prayer are life changing. That's why I encourage you to look up the scripture for yourself and to pray for understanding. One of the best ways of "studying" the Bible is to look up the other scripture references in the center or margin of your text. I have used a New International Version Study Bible for years and would not go back. It gives reference material and other scripture that helps give a well rounded understanding of what you are reading.


I used to call it Bible Study Scavenger Hunt, because one scripture would lead to another. Take time with a notebook/journal and write down the scriptures you're finding and what you "get" from each one. You'll be surprised that shortly you are personally coming up with a lot of "revelation". It takes a little time, but it's so rewarding. Plus it puts you in the place of "hearing God" speak to you individually.


And I'd love to hear from more of you about what you're receiving here, if anything. I know a lot of people come in to the site, but I don't know how many of you are actually reading it or gaining anything from it. I also know we're super busy and sometimes a comment takes a minute. I'd just like to know if you're reading.

I'm called to do this, but it really makes it so much more meaningful to me if I have some input from some of you. I know there are some of you out there that come from other countries. I'd love to say "hello" to you and thank you for visiting here.


Not preaching here, just encouraging Bible Study, and asking for your ideas and thoughts on our subject matter.


I love writing these posts because it keeps me in tune and in touch with what God is saying. Believe me, He IS relevant for today and knows what each of us are doing and thinking and going through.


Have a great week everyone.
Hugs and blessings,
in Jesus,
Debra

Our Negative Inheritance from the Fall

"The idyllic setting in the Garden of Eden was shattered. The effects of man's fall were dramatic, immediate and far-reaching, infecting every subsequent member of the human race."

(excerpt taken from Neil Anderson, "Victory Over the Darkness")

Genesis Chapter 3:11-24
11. And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12. And the man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13. Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14. And the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the days of your life; 15. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." 16. To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall bring forth children; Yet your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." 17. Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18. "Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; 19. By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." 20. Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all [the] living. 21. And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22. Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever "-- 23. therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Adam and Eve thought they would hide from God, Shame overtook them, and God asked Adam a question. "Who told you, you were naked?" God knew the answer. He wasn't on vacation when all this was going on. I suppose He waited for them to come to Him and confess, but they did not. They hid instead. It is said that there is great significance in that God gave them clothing for a covering. Up until this time they had not needed clothing because they were not aware they needed it. There was no shame in their nakedness. God himself sacrificed animals for their sin, to cover them; the beginning of that act of repentance.
         
God sent Adam and Eve from the garden, and with that banishment came curses. For Eve, childbearing and being subservient to her husband. To Adam, that he would work and toil for his living and that the earth would also change...just because they disobeyed. To Satan, that he would be cursed above all animals, slithering on the ground. A prophetic warning is given to Satan by God. "You will be at odds with the woman and her seed". Here God is speaking of Mary and her seed Jesus.

Romans 16:20
"And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."

Jesus crushed Satan by His sacrificial crucifixion on the cross, but Satan bruised Jesus' heal. Jesus regained the authority that was given away by Adam. He regained our "authority as believers" but Satan still is allowed to wander the earthly realm. This is our problem as Christians today; we have authority here on earth over Satan and all his demons, we just don't know it, or do not know how to exercise our authority. Jesus stepped on Satan, and he is under our feet, but he still can "bruise" us.


As a few of you mentioned, the book by Kenneth E. Hagin "The Believer's Authority" is a book that details this subject and is one of the very best, and I highly recommend it. It will explain this very important concept that we all need to know.
                       

So let's look at the diagram and see what changed after the "fall".

In the Garden, Adam and Eve experienced "Zoe" life. They were in spiritual union and relationship with God. When they sinned their spiritual life died. Their spiritual union with God was severed.

Genesis 2:17
"but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die."

God had warned them, but then Satan twisted their thinking and they sinned.

What about their "Physical Life" or "Bios"? Well, even though they did not die immediately their physical death was put in motion. They would have lived eternally in the Garden with God, but once they left, they entered the world of physical death. So now, every human comes into this world, physically alive, but spiritually dead, separated from God.

We are not born without sin and the world and life corrupts us. We are born fully into the "sin nature". The only human being born without that sin nature was Jesus.

So their spirit suffered spiritual death, and their body suffered the start of death and decay, tomorrow we will look at what happened to their "soul" the mind, will, and emotions.

I know there is a lot to read and keep up with. Hopefully you are gaining the main points of the information. It's good when there can be group discussion. I'll still encourage you to buy the book if you'd like. There is a lot to absorb in these little "dailies". You know how I love to hear from you!
Thank you again for your comments and input. I love hearing how these posts allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. That's how the Word of God ministers and changes us. It penetrates "bone and marrow" to get to our hearts, where it can begin to work!

Love in Jesus,

Debra

"Encountering" Sin

Have you ever wondered how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden with God? How many years... hundreds of years... thousands of years...did they enjoy the intimate and loving company of God? How many years of knowing God and walking in perfect relationship, before they decided He wasn't "enough" for them?

(Just a little funny here,

before we look at a really serious subject)

Genesis Chapter 3 tells the story of Adam and Eve's lost relationship with God through sin. 

Version: NAS
Genesis 3

1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden '?" 2. And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3. but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'" 4. And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! 5. "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make [one] wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10. And he said, "I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11. And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12. And the man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13. Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Having read this chapter again, I want to spend more time on this than the book covers. We can find some really important things to look at in Genesis Chapter 3. God has highlighted some points that we all need to think about when it comes to dealing with temptation and sin, and then how we react and relate to God after the fact.


1. God never changes and His Word, the Bible, never changes. It is just as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago, or 4,000 years ago, or however long ago that this time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden occurred in this chapter in Genesis. It's not mythology, it's not fabricated to "prove a point". It's not a metaphor. It's the Truth. Now, having said that, if any of you doubt or don't believe there is an actual spiritual entity out there called Satan; I have two words for you... WAKE UP!

2. In verse 1 we need to realize that Satan is crafty. He is real and smart and devious. Don't lose sight of this. He will trick you, lie to you, and maneuver you with thoughts and ideas.

3. Satan looks for our "comfortable times". Adam and Eve were living the good life. All their needs were being met. Life was "cushy" and they were enjoying themselves. Don't let the enemy into your life at all. Always be on guard. Don't get too comfortable in your spiritual life, thinking everything is great and you are beyond the idea of temptation. Satan is looking for opportunity to catch us "off guard".

1 Peter 5:8-9
8. Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9. But resist him, firm in [your] faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
 4. Don't "engage" the enemy with conversation. It won't lead to anything good. If he starts talking to you, don't listen or talk back, except to tell him to get out of your mind and life "In Jesus Name". Satan cannot read your mind. He's not all knowing. How he presents himself in our mind is by his interjecting "thoughts". If you keep hearing in your heart and mind something that says. "You're no good... you're stupid...you're not worth it...you'd be better off dead"...any number of things. You are hearing from Satan. Recognize his deceit and rebuke him. Then stop listening.

5.This is why we need to be reading the Word of God daily. Spend time with the Lord, so that just like a counterfeit $20 bill, you will know it. The more time you spend reading the scripture and praying, the more easily you will be able to recognize when the devil starts trying to talk. Put God's Word in your mind and in your heart daily. Know the Truth of God's Word, then you won't be confused with what the devil may be throwing at you.

6. Realize that just like in the previous point, Satan will twist scripture to try to get you confused. He will take it out of context and change words and ideas around to try to get you to listen to him. He's smart, and he knows God's Word. He will try to make you question what God has said to you, and tempt you with doing it your own way. If Satan cannot keep us out of the Bible, then he will try to use it against us, by condemnation and misuse. There is a big difference between "condemnation" and "conviction". "Condemnation" makes you feel horrible and is not used by the Holy Spirit. "Conviction" is for positive change and doesn't beat you over the head. It's encouraging and challenging, without making you feel rotten.

7. Guard your attention, and interests. Don't get off into something that God has not permitted or orchestrated for you. Be careful what comes in front of your eyes and ears. If you set around reading novels about lust and romance and adultery, I can tell you it won't be long before the devil sees your interest in it. If you're reading and thinking about adultery and promiscuity, then hey, it won't be long before the enemy will present you with a real opportunity to experience it!
If you are trying to budget but you find yourself looking through catalogs and magazines, wanting everything you see, it won't be long until your charge card is burning in your hand and you're off to the mall.
Stay focused on God and what He puts in front of you. Don't let the enemy have place in your thought life.

8. Now I'm going to make a big point here. Husbands listen up. Men, you can stop playing the blame game. Pastors and teachers...read your Bible. This wasn't all Eve's fault!

OK, I've said it! This has always bugged me, that sanctimonious men have blamed Eve for all that happened. Not only punishing Eve, but every other woman. If you will read the scripture, you will realize that Adam was right there with her. Adam had authority in the Garden; not Satan and not Eve. It was Adam's responsibility to stick with his wife and watch over her, cover her, and protect her. He was the "spiritual head of his family" and he messed up. He didn't take authority over the devil and say, "Hey, stop talking to my wife!" He let the conversation go on and didn't stop it. He wasn't walking in his place of husband, leader, and protector. I could go on here and preach a sermon, but I won't. I'll stop now. But I hope you get my point!

9. So then, after we sin what is our first inclination? To run away from God? We try to hide and hope He won't see the mess we have made. We hope if we pull the covers over ourselves that He won't find us. We can't escape from God. We can try to run away, but the day will come when God stations Himself front and center in our path and then we will be forced to let God deal with us and our sin. It's best not to put it off. Come clean before God quickly, it's so much better.

10. Don't make excuses, and don't blame others. Sin is sin and we have to admit it. I remember at one time there was something that was plaguing me and I kept doing it. God had been speaking to me about it for quite awhile. It was something that I held onto and didn't want to let go of. I kept making excuses for my behavior, giving Him every reason in the book for why it should be acceptable to Him. One day He said to me. "Stop making excuses, it is sin and you better call it that." It was a strong word and believe me it got my attention!

11. God forgives our sin, but there are sometimes consequences. God is quick to forgive our transgressions. He is there to help us, move us forward, and encourage us. He loves us more than we could possibly know. But, we live in a "natural" world with natural "laws". If you jump off a building you will hit the ground...a natural law. Now, God will forgive your impulsiveness, your blindness, your stupidity, your arrogance, your lack of good judgement, etc.; but you will still be dead or disfigured.

This has been a lesson God gave me this morning. This is a real-time teaching that God has impressed upon me today, not from the book.

Tomorrow we'll pick up with our consequences from "the fall".

Let me know how this lesson effected you. I know it's a lot of food for thought. I am going to be having this in my head and heart all day today!

much love in Jesus,

Debra