I am excited about this next post. This was where God had me stop and take a second to learn more about our enemy the Devil. I hope you get as much out of it as we did when we studied it. Of course with so much to learn about him, we only scratched the surface.

                                 Genesis 3-Our Enemy

Let's review what we have learned so far.

1. There is a beginning to the world and all that is in it. Gen. 1:1
2. God created all things including the heavens, the earth, plants, animals and humans. It was very good. Gen. 1
3. The Trinity can be seen from the beginning. Gen. 1:1
4. God gives dominion over all things on earth to Adam.
5. 7 literal days of creation.

6. The LORD has two names now to describe His character:

• Elohim-Creator God
• Yahweh- Personal God

7. Our personal God forms man with His own hands out of dirt like a clay potter.
8. Our personal God breathes His Spirit into us giving us the breath of Life.
9. God creates the garden of Eden complete with 2 trees:

• The Tree of Life
• The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

10. God gives the first command: Do not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
11. The garden has 4 rivers flowing from it.

• Pishon
• Gihon
• Tigris
• Euphrates

12. God creates woman out of the side of Adam.

       Today we are moving into chapter 3-The Fall of Man.

      After much prayer I feel that the Holy Spirit wants me to slow this one down and break it into 2 lessons. This is so important to our faith that we should take some time and let it sink into us.            

     These past couple of days I was at the home school conference and felt very affirmed that we are on the right track with this study. Do you know who Ken Ham is? He is the creation scientist that founded the Creation Museum. He made the point several times of saying and I quote “Nation wide polls and denominational reports are showing that the next generation is calling it quits on the traditional church and it's not just happening on the nominal fringe. It's happening at the core of the faith.” This quote is from his book Already Gone, which I intend to purchase soon. But he says the reason for the exodus from the church is because of the weak foundation of core beliefs. Today in America we have one of 2 foundations to stand on.

     The World's Word or God's Word. We are at war with the world word but if we do not stand firm on the whole of God's Word and we choose to take a part out we will crumble and fall and lose the battle. “The core of our belief system must start where God's word starts” Ken Ham. In the beginning, that is where it begins. If you would like more information about Ken Ham, his books and beliefs check out Answers in Genesis. I came away confirmed and empowered. So today we are going to take some time and talk about our #1 enemy and adversary-The Devil. Let's read Gen. 3 in it's entirety. Here we are now introduced to a new character in the history of mankind.

     Gen. 3:1 tells us a serpent is now on the scene. So what is this serpent that can talk? Rev. 12:9

                  Satan means adversary& has many names: 

• The Great Dragon-Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:2

• That Ancient Serpent-Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:2 
• The Devil-Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:2, 1Peter 5:8 
• Satan-Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:2, Luke 10:18, Job 1:6&7
• Our Enemy-1Peter 5:8
• Prince of this World- John 12:31
• Masquerades as Angel of Light-2Cor.11:14
• Accuser- Job 3:1, Rev. 12:10
• Prince of Demons- Mark3:22, Matt. 12:24
• Ruler of the Kingdom of the air- Eph. 2:2
• Evil One- Matt. 6:13, Matt. 13:9
• Father of Lies- John 8:44
• Angel of Music- Is. 14:11-14

     So where did the Devil come from? Who created Satan?

      God created Satan as an angel to worship Him, not as evil

(Col. 1:16-17). Angels were created to do the will of God and to be His workers (Ps. 103:20-21). Angels do have a free will just like us but some of them chose by being deceived by Satan to follow him and fall with him (Jude 6). Some say that Ez. 28:11-19 is about Satan and his fall from grace and also Is. 14:9-20. He wanted to be like God or even higher than God. How did Satan show up as a serpent which was one of God's good creations?

Satan can enter into animals and people to do his evil work. For example Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:1-6) & (John 13:26-27). Satan can not however dwell or posses a believer. For two can not be in one, evil can not dwell with good (1Cor. 10:20-22). Evil can not be with God and since God is in us, evil has no place. So it is evident that the serpent is possessed by the devil so that he could do his evil work.

      We must know our enemy and his schemes. It is clear here in Gen. 3:1-6 that Eve is unaware of the enemies schemes. She didn't know that there was an enemy to be aware of. The first scheme we see is the devil coming through something innocent like the serpent. Then we see his planting doubt about God's word and what it really says. In vs. 1 he plants a subtle lie, twisting what God really said so that Eve would doubt God and His word. He twists it to “did God say you can not eat from any tree” instead of “The Tree”. It seems to work too because Eve answers him with the truth but also a twist of the words adding to what God said, “you must not touch it”. What did God really say? Gen. 2:16-17 the next part of his scheme is

planting desire. The desire to be like God, vs. 4. It works because she takes it and succumbs to the temptation.

       So here are the steps Satan took to deceive Eve.

                              1John 2:16

1. Seed of doubt of God's Word
2. Seed of desire-lust to the eyes-pleasure
3. Seed of pride- to be like God

      We see the enemy at work again with the same schemes.

                                              Luke 4:1-13

1. Seed of doubt of God's Word
2. Seed of desire-lust to the eyes-pleasure
3. Seed of pride- to be like God

     Where Eve failed, because she didn't stand on what God's words were, she fell into the temptation but Jesus being fully human knew God's Word and used it to battle Satan. This shows us the importance of knowing God's Word. It is our armor of God (Eph. 6:17). God's Word is our Sword of the Spirit(Is. 49:2).

      The enemy is strong and powerful but he is not like God. He is not all powerful, all knowing, all places. But he does know our weaknesses just like he did with Eve and tried with Jesus. Where Eve did not overcome the enemy we can by being aware of the enemy prowling around our lives (1Peter 5:8). knowing his schemes and overcoming him, fleeing from him and rebuking him (Jude9). The devil isn't really after us because of us. He wants to take as many down as he can because he hates God and that is who he is really waring against. If he can get God's children to fall he hurts God. He knows that his time is short and there is a lake of fire that awaits him (Matt. 25:41). His days are numbered and his evil will come to an end (Rev. 20:7-10).

      Satan is a created being by God to worship him like all the angels in heaven(Heb. 1:6, Ps. 148:2-5). They do God's work whatever He commands them to do. The devil has his fallen angels that we call demons to do his work (John 8:44). We must not think that the devil and his demons don't exist or he will have accomplished his first task, for us to doubt God's Word. Satan is crafty, cunning, sly with his schemes but we can overcome him by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. I know that we have barely scratched the subject of Satan and his evil schemes against us and God. I encourage you sisters, be aware of our enemy the devil as he prowls around the children of God looking for whom he can devour. Be on guard and put your Armor of God on daily. Knowing that we do not battle against flesh and blood (Eph. 6). The enemy will use whatever he can to cause us to stumble but take heart sisters, he can not snatch away a soul that is given over to God. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:37-38). Remember his soul purpose for believers is to take us out of commission and render us useless for the Kingdom of God. Stand firm on the Word of God. Know what God's Word really says. Rebuke the enemy when he comes at you and flee from him.

      Next week we will finish chapter 3. May God bless your study of His word.

                    Creator God-Elohim

 

I love the book of Genesis. There is so much to learn. I hope you enjoy reading the lesson.

Genesis 2:4-25

At first read through one might get the impression that this accounting of the beginning might be a contradiction to chapter one but, we know that the Bible never contradicts itself. So what is this all about? Upon further study we learn that this is not a contradiction but an enhancement.

We start off in verse 5 for with the account of or generations of the heavens and earth. It is a record of creation which includes a deeper look at God's greatest creation-man himself.

In vs. 5 we see a new name for God. The LORD God. LORD is written in all capital letters making a distinction between LORD and Lord. We learned last week that the word God here is Elohim meaning ruler. This is a common name for God the Creator but now we are adding LORD which in Hebrew is Yahweh or YHWH the written name of LORD. Here we see God which is Elhohim the creator God now being called a personal God. It would read Yahweh Elohim the personal one and only true creator God.

Ex. 3:14&15. “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you,” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, “The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”

ESV study notes for vs. 14 says I AM WHO I AM. In response to Moses' question (“What is “your” name? vs.13) God reveals his name to be “Yahweh” (corresponding to the four Hebrew consonants YHWH). The three occurrences of “I AM” in v. 14 all represent forms of the Hebrew verb that means “to be”, an d in each case are related to the divine name Yahweh “THE LORD”. The divine name Yahweh has suggested to scholars a range of likely nuances meaning: (1) that God is self-existent and therefore not dependent on anything else for his own existence; (2) that God is the creator and sustainer of all that exists; (3) that God is immutable in his being and character and thus is not in the process of becoming something different from what he is (e.g., the same yesterday and today and forever,”, Heb. 13:8) and (4) that God is eternal in his existence. While each of these points is true of God, the main focus in this passage is on the Lord's promise to be with Moses and his people and of his help for them to fulfill their calling. In each of these cases, the personal name of God as revealed to Moses expresses something essential about the attributes and character of God.”

He is my personal & only true creator God. Is He yours? God has wanted to be a personal God from the beginning. He doesn't want to be just the big man upstairs or the tyrant who only wants us to obey the rules. He wants a relationship with us. To me He is not just the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, the God of Jacob. He is MY God.

We also see here in vs. 5 that no bush of the field, nor plants have sprung up because the LORD God had not caused it to rain and there was no man to till or work the ground. Streams or a mist came up out of the ground to water the land. This lets us know tht God was caring for His creation before man was created. This is talking about what He created on the third day. Look up Gen. 1:9-13. What did God create on the Third day? ____________________________________

How many days pass before man was created? ________________________

Then God forms man from the dust. Can you imagine Him for a minute on His knees fashioning, shaping and forming man much like a potter forms clay to make a pot? Is. 29:16 I know we don't know if God has knees but I imagine it because we do know He has hands and we are created in His image. We see here again a very personal God creating His prized creation for His glory. Is.43:1,21. After He forms man He then leans over him and breathes the breath of life in him into his nostrils. The Spirit of God is breathed into man to give him life. Job27:3, Job 33:4. Adam comes to live a living being. 1Cor. 15:45 the first man.

Then the LORD God plants a garden in Eden. We don't know the location but it is in the East. Most scholars believe that it might have been located in southern Mesopotamia which is now modern day Iraq. It is the LORD'S garden (Is. 51:3) and God makes all kinds of trees pleasing to the eye and good for food. He puts in the middle of the garden the tree of Life (Rev. 2:7, Prov. 3:18) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and then it divides into 4 rivers.

• Pishon which means increase. It winds through the entire land of Havilah which means circle. A place where there is gold, very good gold, onyx and aromatic resin. (Gen. 25:18, 1Sam. 15:7 ) Havilah is also the name of one of the sons of Cush which is a son of Ham which is a son of Noah. (Gen. 10:7) This might be different names but it is possible that it was named after Havilah because they named cities after people. The location of this river today is unknown.

• Gihon which means burting forth. It winds through the entire land of Cush which is Ethiopia. The exact location today is unknown. 

• Tigris which means rapid and is also called Hiddelkiel. It runs along the east of Asshur which is Assyria. Dan. 10:4 
• Euphraties which means fruitfulness. It is the largest and longest river of Western Asia. Ex. 23:31, Rev. 9:14, 1Ki. 4:21,24. 

God takes Adam and places him in the garden to keep it and work it. God did not create work after man had sinned but before. The Hebrew word work which is Avad means to work, to labor, to serve. It is the same word used in Gen. 3:23 which is after the fall of man. So it is good for man to work. That is one thing God created him to do. Notice that this is before woman was created. I think God knew man would need something to do. To have a goal and a focus, to feel useful.

God commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or he would surely die. This is more than a physical death because we will see in Gen.3 that when Adam eats it he doesn't die instantly. This is also a spiritual death because God knew that sin would separate Him from His people. (Rom. 6:23) This is a consequence of disobedience which we will learn about next week.

God says it is not good for man to be alone. So God wants to make a helper fit for him. (Prov. 31:11, 1Cor. 11:9, 1Tim. 2:13) So out of the ground he forms the beasts and birds and He brings them to Adam and Adam names them which shows his authority or dominion over them. But God did not like Adam having no mate of his own so he puts him into a deep sleep and makes a mate from his rib. (1Cor. 11:8, 12, 1Tim. 2:13) Here we see the first surgery ever performed and it was done by the Great Physician. God's name is Jehovah-rapha ~ the God who heals. (Ps. 107:18:21, Ps. 147:3, Is. 53:3, Is. 19:22, 1Peter 2:24-25) Do we believe that God can still heal and perform a miraculous surgery?

God creates woman and brings her to Adam which shows marriage (Heb. 13:4). Adam names her woman because she was taken out of man. In Hebrew the word for woman and wife is the same word, Isha or Ishsha and the word for man and husband are the same, Ish. Naming her shows his headship over woman but the two are one flesh (Eph. 5:31) Man leaving his father and mother for his wife means that they make a family of their own and he no longer lives for the mother and father but for the wife. This does not mean we shouldn't still honor our parents but put our husbands and wives first. Remember ladies, we were created to be the husbands help meet, a help as his counterpart. We are one flesh and created equal in the sense that we are God's children but we are under our husbands authority so therefore we are to submit to his authority. (Eph. 5:22). Honor, respect and love your husbands ladies and it will go well with you.

Next weeks homework is Genesis chapter 3. God bless all of you. I am praying for you. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to leave a comment. 

Genesis Really?

     A few months ago, I began a bible study on the book of Genesis. When the Lord put it into my heart to do this, I thought, "Genesis, Really?". Why would I being a seasoned Beth Moore bible study girl do a bible study on Genesis? What is there in that book that I as a woman could really use for my every day life. 
     Well God showed me! I have learned a lot and grown a lot. Who would have thought that there would be so much meat in Genesis to chew on. Well let me tell you, there is a lot and it can change your life if you let it. 
     So, I decided to start posting my lesson plans. Let me know what you think and please, feel free to study for yourself. Don't just take my word for it. I am human after all. 




     So here you go with the first lesson in Genesis. 

                                                        Genesis Study

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Who wrote the Book of Genesis? _______________________

Both the Jews and Christians alike attribute Moses as the author of Genesis. He is also attributed to have written 4 other books.

What are they?

1. ______________________________________
2. ______________________________________
3. ______________________________________
   4._______________________________________

These 5 books are the first five in the bible which is called the Pentateuch or the Law of Moses written to keep a record or an account of God's creative work and the love of God by His protective boundaries for His people. It is thought and believed that Moses may have written the Pentateuch during the 40 years the Israelites' were wandering in the desert. We read in 2Tim. 3:16 that all scripture is God breathed so should we then understand that God Himself gave Moses the words to write the book of Beginnings?

What does “in the beginning” mean? ____________________________________________________

It means 1^st or choice part. Please read Ps. 102:25.

Can we see the Trinity from the beginning? ___________________

God: The Father-John 6:46

Elohiym in Hebrew is a plural masculine noun meaning ruler, judge, divine ones,Majesty.

Jesus: The Son of God -John 1:1&2, Rev. 19:13, & John 17:5.

Spirit: The Holy Spirit, The Breath of life- Gen. 1:2, Gen. 2:7, Job 33:4.

So in the beginning God created. Was God created or was He just God? Ps. 90:1:2 ________________________________

God just was but everything else He created. The word used here in Hebrew is only used of divine creative never of human activity. Can you or I create anything out of nothing? Create is a verb which is action. It means- to create, shape, form. God is always the subject of this creation. So what did God create?

                           

Above I gave you space to draw a circle that you can draw 7 lines in. It works trust me, I worked for a while on it. Draw one line down the middle and then two lines on the right side and 3 lines on the left. Fill in each space with each day and what God had created.

• Day 1:

God or Elohiym created or commanded Heaven and Earth. The earth is formless, laying in waste, empty with nothingness, desolate and void, dark and obscure. God did not create it to remain empty Is. 45:18. He created it to have life and to be abundant much like us. We are created to have life and have it abundantly John 10:10. Heaven is the visible heavens. Is there more than one heaven? ___ A heaven for man and a heaven for God? What does Ps. 89:11, Neh. 9:6, Ps. 115:16 and Deut. 10:14 tell you about this thought? ______________________________________________________

God created Heaven and Earth out of nothing Heb. 11:3. The Spirit of God hovers over the face of the deep. This is the Holy Spirit. Can you picture Him flying over the formless, shapeless body of water like a bird flying over the land?

God then begins commanding the earth to start taking shape and forming. How many times in Chapter 1 has it said “God Said”? ___

God commanded “let there be light” and there was light. God saw that it was good, pleasant, agreeable, and He separated it from the darkness much like He gave us Christ to light our darkness to separate us from dark to light 2Cor. 4:6, Ps18:28. Night and day, evening and morning, now I understand why the Jews day begins at sundown and ends at sundown. The Jews go by the moon and we go by the sun.

• Day 2

God commanded the expanse or firmament to stretch like a canopy between the waters Jer. 10:12. being solid and hard like a mirror Job 37:18. Separating the water above it from the water below it. The firmament is the sky or our atmosphere. God commanded and it was so.

• Day 3

God commands the waters under heaven to gather together, to collect or bind in one standing place and dry land appears. The waters He called or named seas and the dry land He named land or earth. God saw it was good, pleasing, and admirable.

God commands the earth to sprout or grow grass, herbs, and fruit trees. The herbs and fruit trees bear fruit with seed in it so that they can bear more fruit and herbs and the earth obeys and sprouts or grows grass, herbs, and fruit trees and it was so and God saw that it was good.

• Day 4

God commanded lights to be illuminating the firmament of heaven dividing again night and day for them to be signs for seasons, days and years. Not like astrology like we know it today but a banner to share the gospel. It was also to give light on the earth and it was so.

God commanded 2 great lights. A greater to rule the day Ps. 136:1-8 and a lesser light to rule the night Jer. 31:35. He made the stars as well to help the mood govern the night Ps. 136:9. I wonder if this is when God created the universe around us. The sun, moon and stars are light givers to be appreciated not worshiped. To worship the sun, moon and stars is a false religion. The sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night and God saw that it was good.

• Day 5

God commands the waters to bring forth abundantly swarming things and fowl that fly above the face of the firmament. God also commands the great whales, leviathan, dragons, dinosaurs, sea monsters and living creatures that breath and move Job 41:1, Ps. 104:26 and Is. 27:1. The waters brought them forth abundantly each after its kind and God saw that it was good. He blessed them and said to them to be fruitful and multiply the earth.

• Day 6

God commands the earth to bring forth living creatures after his kind, cattle after their kind and creeping things after their kind, beasts of the earth after his kind and it was. God saw that it was good. God commanded “let us” make man in our own image after our likeness. Who here is the us that He is talking about? ____________________. God commands us to have dominion over the fish of the sea, fowl of the air, cattle and all the earth. He created us in His image Ps. 100:3, Ps. 8, 1Cor. 11:7. Male and female He created us Gen. 5:2. He blessed them and told them to be fruitful, branch off, multiply, become many and replenish or fill the earth and subdue it, force or keep under us, have dominion and rule over the fish, fowl and every living thing. He gave us herbs and trees for meat. But for us today is it just herbs and trees Gen. 9:3? Meat now supplements our diet. We are over the beasts of the earth, the fowl of the air and all the creeping things. It was so and God saw all that he had made and it was abundantly, very good.

• Day 7

When heaven and earth were finished or complete God rested Ex. 20:11, Heb. 4:4 and blessed it and sanctified it, set it apart, made it holy Is. 58:13. The Jews 1^st say starts on Sunday- Yom Reshom and ends on the 7^th day – Shabat. Reshon comes from the root word rosh which means head and Shabat comes from the root word Lashavat which means to sit, rest. Did God rest because He was tired or weary? ________Why did He rest? ______________________

Did God say or command at this time for them to rest? _________

When did God command us to keep the Sabbath? When did it become a covenant? It was first recorded to be obligatory or observed when the Isrealites were wandering through the desert Ex. 16:22 but in Neh. 9:13-14 and Ex. 20:8 it became law. This is why even to this day the Orthodox Jews observe and keep this command on the Sabbath which is sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night. Why is it different for us today_______________________?

Because in 325 A.D. man decided to make Resurrection Day the day of rest. Here is a link for more information on this. http://www.mayimhayim.org/Rabbi%20Mike/Sabbath%20article.htm

So to recap:

God commanded:

• Day 1- heaven and earth, light over dark making night and day 1 day.
• Day 2- an expanse called sky separating water from water
• Day 3- water is gathered to one place and dry ground appears naming them sea and land. Grass, herbs and fruit trees are also made.
• Day 4- sun, moon, and stars are created for light on the earth
• Day 5- birds and creatures of the sea are created
• Day 6- living creatures of the land, cattle, wild animals and man-male and female are created
• Day 7- God rests making this day Holy

So has the study of Creation added to your belief or changed anything you used to believe? What did you see that you had never seen before? Do you have any questions?

For this weeks homework I am not going to break it down by days but please read and study chapter 2:4-25 the story of Adam and Eve.