Verse – Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Reflection – Genesis 1:28- Subdue The flesh
God certainly put man in charge of the world and not the other way around. God told man to be fruitful and multiply. He also ordered man to subdue the creatures of the earth and the sky and rule over them. The earth here can also stand for the flesh. Things that are not of the spirit. The creatures of the earth and the sky here can also stand for the demons and material things buried on earth.
By ordering Adam and Eve to subdue the earth and rule over it, God gave them spiritual authority over their flesh and all other material things that could corrupt them. God knew that the devil was roaming the earth then, so he gave Adam and Eve the best way to resist and not be influenced by the devil. He gave them authority and he gave them no knowledge of sin and death.
Adam and Eve were totally ignorant and did not know what the devil was. This authority over the earth and its material things was lost once Adam and Eve realized they were no longer perfect and could perish. The earth would now be able to swallow them up and the distance between them and God would grow bigger. Dominion over the earth is every Christian’s prerogative.
The fact that Christ came to conquer death also means that the battle that was lost by Adam and Eve has now been won by Christ. As Christians, we show authority over the earth by subduing our flesh and being dead to sin. This is how we get closer to God. Another part of God’s instruction was about being fruitful and multiplying. This also has another meaning. What God was telling Adam and Eve was to be more like them in the image of God.
How does this apply to you? Once you have been saved, you must no longer conform to the life you lived pre-salvation but the life god gave Adam and Eve before they fell into sin. Once you are in this state, you must seek out unbelievers and sinners and turn them to God. By doing this, you obey God’s instructions to be fruitful and multiply.
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Declaration
I am powerfully and wonderfully made and must be fruitful by making disciples out of others.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for creating me.
Thank you for giving me authority over the flesh.
Thank you for putting the world under my feet.
Help me stay faithful to you.
Help me not lose my calling.
Don’t let me get distracted by the world.
Help me resist sin and evil.
And help me make disciples of the world for you.
Amen
