The Fall Of Man

Genesis 3: 1-6. Disguised as a crafty serpent, Satan came to tempt Eve. At one time , Satan had been a glorious angel. But in pride, he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. As a created being, Satan has definite limitations. Although he is trying to tempt everyone from God, he will not be the final victor. God promises that Satan will be crushed by one of the women’s offspring, the Messiah..
Why does Satan tempt us? Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life. Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. Ever since then, he’s been busy getting people to sin. He even tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:11) But Jesus did not sin. The serpent, Satan, tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God’s goodness. He implied that God was strict, stingy, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share his knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her and, instead, focus on what God had forbidden. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on what God forbids rather than on the countless blessings and promises he has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself and what you don’t have, consider all you do have and thank God. Then your doubts won't lead you into sin.
Genesis 3: 7-8-9. Notice what Eve did: She looked, she took, she ate, and she gave. The battle is often lost at the first look. Temptation often begins by simply seeing something you want. Are you struggling with temptation because you have not learned that looking is the first step toward sin. You would win over temptation more often if you followed Paul’s advice to run from those things that produce evil thoughts. When we do something wrong, often we try to relieve our guilt by involving someone else. Like toxic waste spilled in a river, sin swiftly spreads. Recognize and confess your sin to God before you are tempted to pollute those around you. A guilty conscience is a warning signal God placed inside you that goes off when you’ve done wrong. The worst step you could take is to eliminate the guilty feeling without eliminating the cause. That would be like using a pain killer without treating the disease. Be glad those guilty feelings are there. They make you aware of your sin.
The thought of two humans covered with fig leaves trying to hide from the all-seeing, all knowing God is humorous. How could they be so silly as to think they could actually hide? Yet we do the same, acting as though God doesn’t know what were doing.
Genesis 3: 11-13. Adam and Eve failed to heed God’s warning recorded in 2: 16-17. They did not understand the reasons for his command, so they chose to act in another way that looked better to them. When God asked Adam about his sin, Adam blamed Eve. Then Eve blamed the serpent. How easy it is to excuse our sins by blaming someone else.
Genesis 3:17-19. Adam and Eve’s disobedience and fall from God’s gracious presence affected all creation, including the environment. Years ago people thought nothing of polluting streams with chemical waste and garbage. This seemed so insignificant, so small. Now we know that just two or three parts per million of certain chemicals can damage human health. Sin in our lives is similar to pollution in streams. Even small amounts are deadly.
Genesis 3:22. Life in the Garden of Eden was like living in Heaven. Everything was perfect, and if Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they could have lived there forever. Like Adam and Eve, all of us have sinned and are separated from fellowship with God. We do not have to stay separated, however. God is preparing a new earth as an eternal paradise for his people. (Revelation 22)


When people obey God, they find peace with him, with others, and with themselves.


Image reference: Flickriver.com


GZ

Daniel In The Lions Den

Daniel 6:1,3. At this time, Daniel was over 80 years old and one of Darius’s top three administrators. Daniel was working with those who did believe in God, but he worked more efficiently and capable than all the rest. Thus, he attracted the attention of the pagan king and earned a place of respect. One of the best ways to influence non-Christian employers is to work diligently and responsibly. How well do you represent God to your employer?
Daniel made enemies at work by doing a good job. Perhaps you have had a similar experience. When you begin to excel, you will find that coworkers may look for ways to hold you back and tear you down. How should you deal with those who would cheer at your downfall and even try to hasten it. Conduct your whole life above reproach. Then, you will have nothing to hide, and your enemies will have a difficult time finding legitimate charges against you. Of course, this will not always save you from attacks and, like Daniel, you will have to rely on God for protection.
Daniel 6:4,5. The jealous officials couldn’t find anything about Daniel’s life to criticize, so they attacked his religion. If you face jealous critics because of your Faith, be glad they’re criticizing that part of your life, perhaps they had to focus on your religion as a last resort. Respond by continuing to believe and live as you should. Then remember that God is in control, fighting this battle for you.
Daniel 6:8,9. In Babylon, the king’s word was the law. In the Medo-Persian empire, however, when a law was made , even the King couldn’t change it . Darius was an effective government administrator, but he had a fatal flaw –pride. By appealing to his vanity, the men talked Darius into signing a law effectively making himself a God for 30 days. This law could not be broken, not even by an important official like Daniel. Another example of the irrevocable nature of the laws of the Medos and Persians appears in Esther 8:8.
Daniel 6:10. Daniel stood alone. Although he knew about the law against praying to everyone except the king, he continued to pray three times a day as he always had. Daniel had a disciplined prayer life. Our prayers are usually interrupted not by threats, but simply by the pressures of our schedules. Don’t let threats or pressures cut into your prayer time. Pray regularly, no matter what , for prayer is your life line to God. Daniel made no attempt to hide his daily prayer routine from his enemies in government, even though he knew he would be disobeying the new law. Hiding his daily prayers would have been futile because surely the conspirators would have caught him at something else during the month. Daniel continued to pray because he could not look to the king for the guidance and strength that he needed during this difficult time. Only God could provide what he really needed.
Daniel 6:16 . lions roamed the countryside and forest in Mesopotamia, and the people feared them and greatly respected their power. Some kings hunted lions for sport. The Persians captured lions, keeping them in large parks where they were fed and attended. Lions were also used for executing people. But God has ways of delivering his people that none of us can imagine. It is always premature to give up and give in to the pressures of unbelievers because God has power they know nothing about. God can even shut the lions’ mouths. Even unbelievers witnessed to Daniels consistency. By his continual service, Daniel had demonstrated his faithful devotion to God, what can unbelievers determine about your life?
Daniel 6: 21-23-24. The person who trusts in God and obeys his will is untouchable until God takes him or her. To trust God is to have immeasurable peace. God, who delivered Daniel, will deliver you. Do you trust him with your life? In accordance with Persian custom, this cruel punishment was transferred to those who had conspired against the king by provoking him into an unjust action. The kings great anger resulted in the execution of the evil officials and their families. Evil deeds often backfire on those who plan cruelty.
Daniel 6:25-26. Nebuchadnezzar had come to believe that Israel’s God was real because of the faithfulness of Daniel and his friends. Here Darius was also convinced of God’s power because Daniel was faithful and God rescued him. although Daniel was captive in a strange land, his devotion to God was a testimony to powerful rulers. If you find yourself in a new surroundings, take the opportunity to testify about God’s power in your life. Be faithful to God so he can use you to make an impact on others.


We can trust God to be with us through any trial.
Because he has been faithful to us, we should remain faithful to him.

Reference image:en.wikipedia.org

GZ/KZ