DAY 35
蛇的詛咒
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

耶和華神對蛇說：你既做了這事，就必受咒詛，比一切的牲畜野獸更甚。你必用肚子行走，終身吃土。
我又要叫你和女人彼此為仇；你的後裔和女人的後裔也彼此為仇。女人的後裔要傷你的頭；你要傷他的腳跟。
（創世記3:14-15）

第一個詛咒降臨在蛇身上。我們知道蛇是魔鬼（見《啟示錄》12:9）。牠被詛咒在地上用肚子行走，這似乎也是對牠被從天上扔到地上的隱喻。在宇宙的所有區域中，魔鬼一直被限制在地上。

與其他受造物相比，地就像一粒沙子與大海的海洋相比。我們對於其他的受造物來說不過是一粒塵埃。宇宙中所有的邪惡都被囚禁在這個小小的星球上，而神的公義卻勝過數十億的星系和更加廣闊的天界。魔鬼和牠所有的邪惡追隨者可能在這裡占上風，但與永恆相比，這就像一個短暫的時刻。神的領域是深不可測的偉大和廣袤的。正如C.S.路易斯曾經寫道："主的領域是如此之大，以至於若把地球上和地獄裡所有的惡行和思想結合起來扔到天堂，它們可能甚至沒有重量無法登記，就像是天上的最小生物的一個想法"。

對於我們這些生活在這裡的人來說，魔鬼和牠的主人被扔在這裡，似乎邪惡戰勝了一切。因此，我們必須把事情看清楚。牠當然是在肚子上爬行，比其他所有的生物都要低。蛇也被告知牠要吃塵土。因為人是從塵土中創造出來的，在聖經中這往往代表人的肉體，或肉體的本性。從那時起，魔鬼就以人的肉體本性為食。每當我們屈服於跟隨肉體而不是聖靈的時候，我們就在餵養惡者。保羅在羅馬書8:5-11中寫道：

因為隨從肉體的人體貼肉體的事，隨從聖靈的人體貼聖靈的事。
體貼肉體的，就是死；體貼聖靈的，乃是生命、平安。
原來體貼肉體的，就是與神為仇；因為不服神的律法，也是不能服，
而且屬肉體的人不能得神的喜歡。
如果神的靈住在你們心裡，你們就不屬肉體，乃屬聖靈了。人若沒有基督的靈，就不是屬基督的。
基督若在你們心裡，身體就因罪而死，心靈卻因義而活。
然而，叫耶穌從死裡復活者的靈若住在你們心裡，那叫基督耶穌從死裡復活的，也必藉著住在你們心裡的聖靈，使你們必死的身體又活過來。

因為魔鬼以人的肉體為食，當我們陷入肉體的時候，就是在餵養和加強牠在我們生命中的領域。我們必須學會餵養我們的靈，而不是我們的肉體本性。我們通過保持閱讀、觀看、甚至思考的內容純潔來餵養我們的靈。我們的靈將通過團契、分享福音和行使我們所得到的屬靈恩賜而變得更加強大。約翰一書3:7-8, 10-11告訴我們：

小子們哪，不要被人誘惑，行義的才是義人，正如主是義的一樣。
犯罪的是屬魔鬼，因為魔鬼從起初就犯罪。神的兒子顯現出來，為要除滅魔鬼的作為。
從此就顯出誰是神的兒女，誰是魔鬼的兒女。凡不行義的就不屬神，不愛弟兄的也是如此。
我們應當彼此相愛。這就是你們從起初所聽見的命令。

我們不能與基督有份，卻繼續生活在惡者的道路上。如果我們是基督的人，我們就會以愛追求公義。整個律法在兩條大誡命中得到了滿足，即愛神和彼此相愛。如果我們在所做的一切中追求愛的歷程，我們就會在主的本性中成長，因為神就是愛。

 

DAY 35
The Curse on the Serpent
Rick Joyner

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;
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" (Genesis　3:14-15).

The first curse came upon the serpent. We know the serpent was the devil (see Revelation 12:9). That he was cursed to travel on his belly on the earth seems to also be a metaphor of how he was cast out of heaven down to the earth. Of all the regions of the universe, the devil has been restricted to the earth.

Compared to the rest of creation, the earth is like a grain of sand to the oceans of the sea. We are but a speck of dust to the rest of creation. All the evil in the universe is imprisoned on this little planet, while God's righteousness prevails over the billions of galaxies and the heavenly realm that is even more expansive. The devil and all of his evil followers may prevail here for a time, but compared to eternity, it is like a brief moment. The domain of God is of unfathomable greatness and expanse. As C.S. Lewis once wrote, "The Lord's domain is so great that if all of the evil deeds and thoughts on earth and in hell were combined and hurled into heaven, they probably would not even have the weight to register as a single thought on the least of the creatures there."

To those of us who live here where the devil and his hosts have been cast, it seems that evil prevails over all. Therefore, we must keep things in perspective. He is certainly crawling on his belly, lower than all of the other creatures. The serpent was also told that he would eat dust. Because man was created from the dust, in Scripture this often represents the flesh of man, or his carnal nature. From that time, the devil has fed off the carnal nature of man. Every time we give in to following the flesh instead of the Spirit, we are feeding the evil one. Paul wrote in Romans 8:5-11:

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so;
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

Because the devil feeds on the carnal nature of man, when we fall into carnality we are feeding and strengthening his domain in our lives. We must learn to feed our spirits, not our carnal nature. We feed our spirits by keeping what we read, watch, or even think about pure. Our spirits will grow stronger by fellowship, sharing the gospel, and exercising the spiritual gifts that we have been given. We are told in I

John 3:7-8, 10-11:

Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

We cannot partake of Christ and go on living in the ways of the evil one. If we are Christ's, we will pursue righteousness by love. The whole law is fulfilled in the two great commandments, loving God and loving one another. If we pursue the course of love in all we do, we will grow in the nature of the Lord, because God is love.