God Reverses the Curse – Pathways to Organization

    In Genesis 3, we see that the man, Adam, and the woman, Eve, sinned against God’s command. They ate of the forbidden tree, and because of that, they were cast out of the beautiful garden of Eden.

    Since the serpent is the one who persuaded Eve, God pronounced that He would put enmity (hostility) between the serpent and the woman and between the serpent’s offspring and hers. Man will crush the serpent’s head (kill him one day), and the serpent will strike his heel.

    Then to the man Adam, God said the ground will be cursed and only through painful toil will you eat food from the land all the days of his life. The ground will produce thorns and thistles for you, and only by sweat and hardship will man be able to grow food.

    Man will not live forever but return to the ground from where he was taken and will return to dust when he dies.

    What hopelessness mankind must have felt! Work, hardship, toil, and then death was all they could hope for at this time.

    But as the statements above show, God had made a plan to reverse the curse, and it came with His Son!

    This is a holy week called Passion Week—one of the most sacred times in our faith. Palm Sunday faces the death and then the resurrection of God’s Son! Our hope is now found in the miracle of life after death! Because Christ lives, we can live this life with hope, knowing we will be with Him in heaven one day.

    Here are some thoughts I recently heard:

    1. Jesus died on the cross, which was made of a tree. Man stole from the tree, and so God put him back on the cross to undo that sin.
    2. Jesus’s hands were pierced because He took the forbidden fruit with His hand.
    3. Jesus’s feet were pierced because the first messianic prophecy involves the feet: Man will crush the serpent’s head, Satan and death will be defeated!
    4. Jesus’s side was pierced because Eve came from his side, now making atonement for her sin.

    I pray that this week you will take time to be with the Lord with praise and great thanksgiving for taking away the sting of death and giving us new life! Praise be to the Lord, for death is defeated, and God lives in us daily to walk with us on this thorny and hard path.

    Manna from Heaven

    The Fall of Man

    Genesis 3

    Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

    The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

    “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

    Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

    10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

    11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

    12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

    13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

    The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

    14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

    “Cursed are you above all livestock
        and all wild animals!
    You will crawl on your belly
        and you will eat dust
        all the days of your life.
    15 And I will put enmity
        between you and the woman,
        and between your offspring and hers;
    he will crush your head,
        and you will strike his heel.”

    17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

    “Cursed is the ground because of you;
        through painful toil you will eat food from it
        all the days of your life.
    18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
        and you will eat the plants of the field.
    19 By the sweat of your brow
        you will eat your food
    until you return to the ground,
        since from it you were taken;
    for dust you are
        and to dust you will return.”

      Give

      Subscribe to the Daybreak Devotions for Women

      Be inspired by God's Word every day! Delivered to your inbox.


      More from Lane Jordan

      • Time to Organize You! – Pathways to Organization

        By claiming Philippians 4:6-7 as a life verse: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When we pray and have gratitude, we cannot be critical or sinful at the same time. It’s so pointless because God has such beautiful plans for all His children.James 3:14-16 says: For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” We need to manage burnout. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in god’s sight.” I also believe that God wants us to focus on our inner beauty as we get older.

        6 min read
      • The Worth of Words – Pathways to Organization

        Here are some Bible verses about the power of words: Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. A famous quote from Maya Angelou says, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Let’s celebrate the Love Month of February with words of love and kindness. Manna from Heaven I pray these verses will bless you as you speak to your loved ones: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

        4 min read
      • New Devotional Out Now! Treasure – Pathways to Organization

        I had the joy of writing this alongside Lisa Burkhardt Worley and the Pearls of Promise Ministry Team and we believe each day’s devotion will inspire you in your walk with the Lord. Great for Christmas presents too! Treasure: A Pearls of Promise 52-Week Devotional Manna from Heaven I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

        2 min read
      • For God to Heal our Nation – Pathways to Organization

        If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. In 2 Chronicles 7:19-22, God says, “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and command I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. … Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them – that is why he brought all this disaster on them.” God means business when we worship ourselves and reject His Word.

        3 min read

      Editor's Picks

      • featureImage

        What does it mean to have childlike faith?

        What do you think of when you hear the word “childlike?”For many of us, “childlike” might bring to mind something immature, foolish, or naive. Yet when Jesus talked about childlike faith, he wasn’t asking us to be any of these things. He was inviting us into something pure, trusting, and real. This week, I got to help lead worship at a kids' camp. Watching the kids worship was such a beautiful reminder of what childlike faith truly looks like. These kids worshiped, prayed, and talked about God.

        4 min read

      More from Lane Jordan

      • Time to Organize You! – Pathways to Organization

        By claiming Philippians 4:6-7 as a life verse: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When we pray and have gratitude, we cannot be critical or sinful at the same time. It’s so pointless because God has such beautiful plans for all His children.James 3:14-16 says: For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” We need to manage burnout. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in god’s sight.” I also believe that God wants us to focus on our inner beauty as we get older.

        6 min read
      • The Worth of Words – Pathways to Organization

        Here are some Bible verses about the power of words: Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. A famous quote from Maya Angelou says, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Let’s celebrate the Love Month of February with words of love and kindness. Manna from Heaven I pray these verses will bless you as you speak to your loved ones: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

        4 min read
      • New Devotional Out Now! Treasure – Pathways to Organization

        I had the joy of writing this alongside Lisa Burkhardt Worley and the Pearls of Promise Ministry Team and we believe each day’s devotion will inspire you in your walk with the Lord. Great for Christmas presents too! Treasure: A Pearls of Promise 52-Week Devotional Manna from Heaven I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

        2 min read
      • For God to Heal our Nation – Pathways to Organization

        If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. In 2 Chronicles 7:19-22, God says, “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and command I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. … Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them – that is why he brought all this disaster on them.” God means business when we worship ourselves and reject His Word.

        3 min read