Sat.’s Devo - God’s Image

Read: Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19 Chapter five begins with God creating man in his own likeness then says in verse 3 that Adam had a son, Seth, after Adam’s own likeness, after his image. Mankind is born in God’s image but we also take on the image of our earthly fathers. It is our responsibility to conform ourselves back to the image of God. Romans 12:2 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. *** The average life-span before the flood was between 900 and 1,000. There were 10 generations before the flood. After the flood the life-span began dropping drastically till after 10 more generations it was around 175 (which was the age of Abraham when he died). *** Jude 14 tells us that Enoch was the seventh from Adam. His name means “dedicated”. When Enoch had Methuselah, he began to walk with God for the rest of his life. Enoch walked right off the face of the earth and didn’t experience death. If you read the Book of Enoch you will learn that God showed Enoch what was going to happen at the end of the world. The world was about to end to most of mankind in a few years. *** Methuselah’s first-born was Lamech who was the father to Noah. When Noah was born, his father said he would bring comfort concerning how hard it was to work the land that had been cursed. Noah means “rest” and yet Noah spent 100 years building the ark. He had to work to enter his rest. Noah had three sons, Shem. Ham, and Japheth. *** While Adam’s family was growing, so were other families until there were many people on the earth. The fallen angels saw the women born to man and found them beautiful and wanted to marry them. They took them and had relations with them. These women had children who were half demon - half human. In ancient books it says that the babies were so big it ripped the women’s wombs. The book of Enoch tells of how the offspring of these unions ate humans for food. These hybrid beings began to fill the earth. The fallen angels who came to mate with woman also gave mankind information of how to make weapons of mass destruction, hallucinogenic drugs from the plants, and gave them many dark secrets of the occult. *** God had to bring a stop to this corruption or mankind would have ceased to exist. Noah walked with God and his DNA had not been tainted with this demonic seed. God told Noah he was going to destroy all flesh and he was to build an ark. He told him exactly how to build it. It would save him and his family from the floodwaters that were going to come on the earth. It would destroy everything. God would establish his covenant with him, his wife, and their sons and their wives. He was to take male and female of all the animals and birds. They would come to him to be saved. He was to take seven of all the clean animals and birds. *** God was going to cause it to rain for forty days and nights and during that rain it would destroy all those living on the earth. *** On the 17th day of the second month of Noah’s 600th year, it began to rain. Noah and his family and all the animals entered the ark. The waters stayed on the earth for 150 days while all died who were not in the ark. *** In Matthew, many Pharisees came to hear John and see what he was doing. John addressed them as a brood of vipers and asked them who had warned them of the judgment to come. Then he told them how to avoid being judged. They had to repent and turn to God. If they didn’t produce good fruit they would die. He told them that just because they claimed to be children of Abraham, it didn’t mean that they were automatically saved from God’s judgment. God would even sever the roots of the trees that did not produce good fruit. *** John told them he was baptizing those who wanted to repent of their sins and be cleansed, but one was coming who would baptize with the fire of the Holy Spirit. He would separate the wheat from the chaff and the chaff would be thrown into the fire while the wheat would be stored in God’s barns. *** Jesus came to John and insisted that he baptize him to fulfill God’s requirements. When Jesus came out of the water, John saw the Spirit of God like a dove descending from heaven and settling on Jesus. He heard a voice from heaven saying “This is my beloved Son, who brings me great joy.” *** Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for 40 days and nights. He was tempted to use his power to fulfill his immediate desires, to show the world his power by doing something spectacular, and to worship the devil to gain the kingdoms of the world. *** Jesus saw through Satan’s temptations and used the Word of God to defend himself and God’s will. *** Jesus told Satan to leave and angels came and ministered to him. *** Satan’s goal has always been to erase God’s image from the face of the earth. We are God’s image-bearers and the great deterrent to Satan’s success. He will never win because this earth has been given to us, God’s people, as our inheritance. *** Lord, may we remember when we are being tempted to use the Word of God to defend ourselves and shield us from Satan’s darts. May we stand in the power of the Holy Spirit and wait for God’s deliverance. Thank you for your promises.