Tues.’s Devo - Overcoming Evil

Read: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19 God made man as a model similar to himself. He made both male and female. Adam had a son named Seth who was a model similar to himself, not like Cain. Seth replaced Abel. Adam lived 930 years and was able to see eight of his generations. He died forty-four years after Lamech was born. Lamech’s son was Noah and his father was Methuselah, the longest living man on the earth. Methuselah’s name means “when he dies, it will come”. Noah stepped on the ark the day Methuselah died and the flood came. The angels of God saw the women on the earth and took them as wives. They produced a race of giants which were bullies and tyrants. They were also cannibals. God saw this great defilement of man’s DNA and was sorry he had made man. But he found Noah whose DNA had not been defiled by this intermarrying. Noah walked in constant communion with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. The earth was so full of violence that God told Noah that He was ending all flesh and the earth. Noah was instructed to build an ark out of gopher wood and seal it with pitch so it would be waterproof. He was to take two of every sort of animal, a male and a female and seven of the fowls and the clean beasts. Noah, the animals and his family went into the ark and it began to rain. Noah was in the 600th year of his life, in the second month and the 17th day of the month. The flood was 40 days upon the earth covering everything on the earth with water. All flesh died and the waters stayed 150 days on the earth. In Matthew, John the Baptist told the people that they couldn’t rely on the fact that their roots went to Abraham because God was laying the axe to the root and cutting off those who did not produce good fruit. Jesus came to be baptized of John and John was hesitant to baptize him because of his greatness but Jesus told him that he had to do it to fulfill all righteousness. John agreed and baptized him. When Jesus came out of the water, the heavens opened and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove on Jesus. The voice said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus was led to the wilderness to meet the devil. He had fasted for 40 days when the devil came. He tempted Jesus to make the stones become bread. Jesus answered, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” The devil then took him up to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple. He told him to cast himself down because scripture said that his angels would catch him and not let him be hurt. Jesus answered, “It is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Again, the devil took him on a high mountain and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He told him he would give them to him if he would fall down and worship him. Jesus replied, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” The devil left after that and angels came and ministered to him. Everything Satan tempted Jesus with had been promised to him by his Father. Satan’s way was instant without going to the cross first. God’s way was through the cross. Jesus had to die to receive his inheritance. Satan offered it without the sacrifice. The hook was that he would have to worship Satan who was a liar and a murderer so Jesus would have been left dead without a resurrection if he had chosen Satan’s way. Lord, help us to recognize the temptations of the enemy and refuse to engage in his game. May we discern rightly what is good and choose life.