“The LORD God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every beast of the field; you will go on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life’” (Genesis 3:14 MEV) (Emphasis added).
Humanity is made up of the dust of the earth and the breath of God (Genesis 2:7). In essence, we are made up of three parts: body, soul (mind, heart and will) and spirit. In the Garden of Eden, God tells Adam and Eve that they should not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, “for in that day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17 MEV). God gives His children free will to choose as sons and daughters to obey or disobey.
Sadly, Adam and Eve use their free will to disobey God’s single command, and they experience a death. This death is not a physical death but a spiritual one. Because of sin, they are now separated from a perfect God and must leave His presence (the Garden of Eden). In that day, they give up their authority and Satan, the serpent, is given authority to eat of the dust of the earth all the days of his life.
The dust is the very matter in which God created us. Adam and Eve not only lose their connection with God’s presence via sin (a spiritual death), they also make themselves vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy on their flesh – body, mind, heart and will.
However, we have hope today. Jesus died to take the sting of death and reconcile us back to a Holy God (1 Corinthians 15:56-57 & 2 Corinthians 5:18). Through the Finished Work of Jesus on the Cross, we can now accept by faith the grace of God to be in relationship with Him once more. How? Jesus takes our sins and gives us His righteousness, so we can return to the presence of God (Romans 5:10-11). Our spirit has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24 MEV).
So why do Christians still get attacked if our spirits are alive and reconciled back to God? Remember, we are made up of three parts, and the spirit is only one-third of the whole. The enemy still has authority to attack our bodies (organs and functions), our minds (thoughts and imaginings), our hearts (feelings and emotions) and our wills (decisions and behaviors).
This authority of the enemy is why “tucking into the spirit” is so vital. Our spirits are raised up in Christ and seated with God in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Therefore, if we “tuck” our bodies, minds, hearts and wills into Christ each day, they too are in Christ and untouchable to the enemy’s schemes, lies and attacks.
It takes practice, but speaking aloud the tucking process and claiming that we reflect the glory of God before Heaven and Earth reminds ourselves and the powers that be that the authority we lost in the Garden is ours once more (Luke 10:19). Satan has lost his power because our flesh is now submitted to and led by the spirit found in Christ. We are delivered from the devil’s dust-feasting attacks and can live in victory every day.
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