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The Genesis Effect
Foreword.
Many people turn to the Word of God when they need comfort. However, the Word of God is more than that. It is also for "doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16).
In Hebrews 4:12, God says that it divides the “soul and spirit, and... the joints and marrow.”
Over the past several years, author Joan Williams has give the Church many messages from the Holy Spirit to impart fresh insight into the Word. Some have been doctrine, some reproof, some instruction in righteousness, some comfort and hope for the afflicted. This one is a “divider of joint and marrow”. Several individuals—male and female—have reviewed this tract, and all have reacted in one way or another. You probably will too.
As Pastor of New Life Church, I recommend this tract to you—male or female, married or single contemplating marriage. You may not like at first what you read. But read it prayerfully, study the scriptures for yourself, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to conform your marriage, present or future, to God’s eternal plan for the marriage relationship... a blessed, powerful husband-wife team equipped to subdue the forces of darkness and advance the Kingdom of God. This tract will inspire and guide you toward that goal.
Pastor Edmond Davis
A note from the editor.
Some of you men may object that the writer is making unfair judgment about men because, as a woman, she cannot understand men, and is therefore not qualified to write about them.
Keep in mind, however, that most books about the marriage relationship have been written by men, and that women who read those books could well voice the same objection. Also, because of their uniquely created abilities, women as a whole probably understand men better than men understand women. (Come on now... how many of you men really think you understand women?) If a writer receives a message from the Holy Spirit, and if that writer stays on a firm scriptural foundation, what difference does the gender of God’s messenger make?
As stated above, this booklet will probably cause you to react in one way or another. But consider this: your reaction to God’s Word is probably an excellent indicator of the very attitude that you need to allow the Holy Spirit to change.
One last thing before you begin: if you don’t like this booklet—if you don’t want to finish reading it after you start—don’t throw it away! Someday, you may awaken to the fact that your marriage is not functioning as it should in the Kingdom of God... then you might find this booklet very valuable.
Fasten your seat belt... here we go!
Dr. Bill Hedden
The Genesis Effect
“Woman! There is something drastically wrong with you! You are an absolute emotional misfit!”
“There is nothing wrong with me! You just don’t understand!”
“You are right! I don’t understand, and I’m not sure I want to.”
“Why are you so hard and unfeeling? I thought you loved me, but you don’t. You don’t care how I feel, you won’t talk to me, the only time you show affection is when you want sex... you just use me,” cries the woman as she stomps out of the room in tears, slamming the door behind her.
The man stands there, befuddled, throws his hands up in the air and asks, “Lord, WHAT did I do this time? Why are women so unreasonable? That woman is going to be the end of me—nothing I do satisfies her.”
And so goes one typical encounter between two people who have committed their lives to love and cherish one another. Even if they change partners, it probably won’t be different. The woman is still female, the man is still male. Basically everything is the same. There will be the same war between male and female—maybe for different reasons, but war just the same.
The Created Natures
Mankind was created for warfare... but not to ware against one another.
We were created to war against the powers of darkness which inhabit the earth. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:27,28).
Originally the animals God created had no fear of man, and weeds were unheard of until after man sinned and “fell”—so what was man to subdue? This word “subdue” is “kabosh” in the Hebrew language1; and it assumes that the party being subdued is hostile to the subduer; so man was given legal authority to enforce God’s will upon hostile parties. Who were they? The only likely candidates are the devil and his evil spirits, who were in the earth. (See Ezekiel 28:13; Revelation 12:4,7-9; Luke 10:18).
God created the habitable part of the earth as we know it in the very midst of the shadow of death—the habitation of evil. He gave man an awesome responsibility, and also the authority, to take the control of the earth away from evil powers. Man was to make known to the evil forces of darkness the will of God, and then fill (replenish) the earth with the knowledge of God. (See Isaiah 11:9 and Ephesians 3:10,11.)
God created the man with an inherent need for an intimate companion, and for someone to help him in warfare. He said about Adam, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him” (Genesis 2:18 NCV). He created the woman to be to the man a friend and companion, to stand with him as an assistant, to advise, love and respect him, and to be attentive to his every need.
What a precious gift from the heart of the Father God was woman to the man! She was created equal to man; but inherent within her nature is the need to assist the man. “And man was not made for woman. Woman was made for man” (I Corinthians 11:9 NCV).
Odds are there will be two very strong reactions to the scripture from Genesis 2 and I Corinthians 11. It will agitate many women, causing resentment and maybe rebellion to rise in their hearts at such antiquated ideas which smack of imprisonment and bondage. And the men—men usually love to use this scripture to force their wives into submission. Many a man will hold it over his wife’s head as he tries (and often successfully) to put her squarely under his thumb, not allowing her to be a whole person in her own right. And that is what upsets women.
So wait a minute! These two “warring” attitudes are not what we started off with when we were created! Since the Word of God is good—alive and working, sharper than a double-edged sword, and bringing life—something must be wrong with our understanding of what God is saying. In the beginning there were two reasonable, basic needs inherent within the natures of both men and women. The man with his strong need for the companionship of a woman, and the woman with her strong need to help a man in his every endeavor—each was designed to complement the other. How did everything get to be such a mess?
The Fallen Natures
Created within the nature of the man is the very strong need for a personal helper. Because of that need, a woman can have a strong effect on a man. Adam was so attached to Eve that he disobeyed God’s command, resulting in the fall of all mankind. Eve was created for Adam to give him personal assistance and to help him in spiritual warfare. But instead of working with him in warfare against the enemy, she was instrumental in turning him away from God, causing him to disobey.
As as a result of Adam’s disobedience, all of mankind has suffered. Throughout Biblical history we see time and time again that the hearts of the men were turned away from God because of women. This brought God’s judgment on the land, because the responsibility for serving God was on the men. And when the land is judged because of the men’s disobedience, the women bear the consequences right along with them.
Because she turned the heart of her husband away from God, Eve was reduced to being ruled by and subservient to her husband instead of being subject to but equal with him. “...And your desire [longing and yearning] shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16b). This curse is just as detrimental for the man as it is for the woman.
No longer was woman to stand beside her husband and help him rule in spiritual warfare; instead, she was to be ruled over by him, instead of subduing and ruling over powers of darkness, the man was reduced to ruling over the one God intended to help him rule.
No longer would woman fulfill the healthy need to be companion and assistant to man in spiritual warfare. Instead, a possessive and selfish longing would grip her to the very depths of her being, demanding to be fulfilled by a man. Created with a keen spiritual perception and a sensitivity to man’s heart, she was reduced to emotional havoc and extreme sensitivity to self. On the one hand a woman has the healthy, created nature to assist a man; on the other hand she has the fallen, carnal desire to possess him. It is no wonder men think women are a paradox of emotions.
For some reason, many in the Body of Christ accept this curse put upon women as being good. Christian men have stated that God gave women a special desire for their husbands; and numerous books have been written to try to help men understand their wives and daughters. But the fact remains—Genesis 3:16 is the curse put upon women, so there is nothing good about it. It is a result of the fallen nature; and instead of coddling the emotion which arises from that curse, women need to learn to rise above it by the power of the Spirit of God. It is the old nature, and it must be put off like a garment.
Women, Let’s Talk
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, sets women free from this curse through redemption, and reinstates her to her original created role. However, because of the carnal nature (result of the fall), the woman must learn to walk as she was created—companion and assistant to a man who is her husband—putting aside, by an act of her will, the all-consuming yearning brought on by the curse.
We can see this yearning of the carnal nature even in little girls as they play. As soon as girls become interested in boys, they will wonder if “this is THE one” for them. Their entire world is wrapped around a male caring for them. Even when they come to the Lord, He often takes second place to this driving desire. Consequently, many enter into marriage trying to fulfill the yearning of the carnal nature.
The quest to fulfill this overpowering, emotional longing, coupled with the created sensitivity to assist man and subdue in warfare, causes many a girl and woman to be easily duped and manipulated into giving themselves to men sexually. The many varied, corrupted, behavior patterns in the lives of women and girls—the result of the curse of Genesis 3:16b—are now accepted as normal in both secular and religious circles.
Women and girls shuffle from one man to another, justifying their actions under the banner of “being in love”, desperately trying to fulfill the emotional needs of the fallen nature. These actions may be accepted as normal, but it is nevertheless a lifestyle of whoredom—a repercussion of giving in to the fallen, carnal nature.
Prostitution is another repercussion of the fallen nature. In practice, it is no different from the mind-justified actions of those who go from one partner to another in quest of “love”. The reasons women and girls end up in prostitution are varied. Some, because they were sexually abused as a child, feel they are of no use for anything else. Some do so because they were hurt one time too many in the quest for love (as mentioned above)—they end up hating men, then justify their actions by somehow seeing themselves as taking control and getting revenge. Then there are those who simply decide, out of financial necessity, to capitalize on the drive men have to subdue women. All forms of whoredom, encompassing adultery, fornication, and prostitution, are expressions of the drive of Genesis 3:16b, and all work the same results in a woman’s life.
The women’s liberation movement is yet another emotional facet of the same curse. In this case, we see women struggling to free themselves from the curse of being ruled by men, denying in the process their inherent created nature to assist men. The freedom they seek is an illusion, for without the power of God, they cannot get free from the chains of bondage that result from the curse. They, too, usually end up in gross immorality and degradation as they try to control and possess men.
So—we have women who try to fulfill the unhealthy emotional needs brought on by the curse, women who become victims by being seduced and abused by men who take full advantage of rulership, and women who rebel against their own emotional needs and the dominating rulership of men—and all end up the same. The consequences are heartache over broken lives, rampant disease and abortion.
A great many women maintain sexual purity regardless of pressures put upon them by men and by their own emotions and drives, and thus escape much heartache. However, aside from the moral practices which they choose, the nature and emotional make-up of all women are generally the same.
This writer was involved with a Florida-based Jesus People ministry in the early 70’s. Young women came off the streets and stayed in the same room I occupied. Initially I was horrified! But, to my surprise, I discovered that these young women who were prostitutes, who battled with venereal disease, and who used abortion as birth control, had the same hopes and dreams as I did. They were actually no different from me.
Regardless of their background, women all have to battle every day to some degree with the workings of this curse of Genesis 3:16b. It is only through the power of God that we can daily overcome any particular facet of the curse which arises to struggle with us at indiscriminate times.
Men! Please Listen!
While women as a whole have struggled against the curse on their lives, men on the whole take advantage of it to fulfill their base needs. Even Christian men, failing to comprehend that Genesis 3:16b is a curse on women and not a gift to them from God, take full advantage of their rulership to keep the woman subservient to themselves. Rulership over women is the curse brought about by sin. Instead of ruling in the spiritual realm over darkness, the men rule in the carnal realm over a woman.
Many men feel the wife’s number one duty is to take care of their sexual needs, and to make sure they are treated as King of the Castle. These men seem to forget that scripture speaks of the wife having her needs met also. “The husband should give his wife all that she should have as his wife. And the wife should give her husband all that he should have as her husband. The wife does not have power over his own body. Her husband has the power over her body. And the husband does not have power over his own body. Do not refuse to give your bodies to each other” (I Corinthians 7:3,4,5a NCV). Furthermore, men are told in Ephesians 5:28 to love their wives as they love their own bodies. This is a strong statement considering many men pursue women simply to satisfy sexual needs, or to put them in subservient positions to cater to their every selfish desire for physical comfort.
There is to be friendship, consideration and understanding between husband and wife—give and take—not rulership and lordship. God’s intent is that the husband will cherish his wife and give himself to her, treating her with the same care as Jesus does the church. The wife, in turn, is to give the same respect to her husband as the church gives to Jesus. (Please read Ephesians 5:25-33). Remember this: Genesis 2:18 is a beautiful gift to man; Genesis 3:16 is a curse resulting in chaotic lives for both men and women.
Men have done a very thorough job of subduing women, taking full advantage of the curse put upon them. As a result, the entire earth is focused on using women to fulfill the base physical needs of men. This is a corruption of the need men inherently have for a woman. The increasing inclination of many men to abuse women, both physically and verbally, and both within and outside of the marriage relationship, is corruption of the need of man to subdue as he exerts his license to rule the woman. What a gross corruption of the original intent of our Father God!
Consider this, men—man, created to subdue and rule over powerful spiritual forces, is reduced to subduing and ruling over the very one God created as a tender-hearted, true friend, sensitive to his every heart need, and to help him subdue and rule over evil. Look at what men have allowed to happen! Conquest indeed! But—Christian men can have what God originally intended for them.
Restoration
There is good news. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, came as a second Adam—and He didn’t mess up. Although we cannot get rid of the carnal nature which we acquired through the sin of Adam—we can, because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit of God, rise up and live above it. We can be restored to our created nature, living free from the bondage of the curse.
Men can turn their hearts to God, and give themselves to focusing on the spirit realm instead of the carnal. They can then put their carnal needs in proper place, subject to the spirit man. The woman can only do her part if the man will focus properly. And her part is to keep her own heart in tune to the Father, to do what she can to keep her husband’s heart turned to God, and to be there for him as a companion and true friend.
It is imperative that men recognize the following: God’s original intent and eternal purpose for men and women to engage in warfare against evil powers of darkness2; his created need for woman as a companion and assistant; and the enemy's all-out war to corrupt both of these.
In the beginning, the enemy was desperate to keep the man and woman from coming into agreement against his kingdom. He used deception to corrupt the spiritual relationship between the man, the woman, and God. He succeeded in his plan, but God immediately set forth His plan of redemption. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, has spoiled the powers of darkness and triumphed over them, giving God’s people the authority once again to subdue and rule over darkness. And the enemy still shakes at the idea of men and women coming into agreement against his kingdom. Satan originally interfered, causing the relationship between husband and wife to be corrupted. And he will continue to work against that relationship by inducing both partners to succumb to living under the curse put upon women as a result of his original deception. It is the man’s responsibility to take the leading role in overcoming the curse of Genesis 3:16, and to re-establish, through the power of the Holy Spirit, what God originally intended.
Woman was created for man as an equal to stand by his side—one to whom he can listen, one whom he can love and respect, and one who will help him. He must allow the woman to take her place beside him in warfare for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Genesis 3:16b curse upon woman to desire her husband was a corruption of the created desire within man to need an intimate, helping companion. We can see the strength of woman’s yearning for a man as we look at two other places in scripture where this word “desire” is used to describe this strong emotion. Genesis 4:7 describes sin’s desire for Cain, as it waits to overpower him; and in Song of Solomon 7:10 is seen the desire of the bridegroom for his bride.
Man was created with this desire for woman, and it is good. But this yearning in women for men is not good, because, although men and women were created equal, they are different emotionally as well as physically. Women are inherently more sensitive than men. Perhaps they were created this way to better assist men in spiritual warfare, and to more effectively look after their personal needs. But give woman, with her created sensitive disposition, the yearning for the man—as the man was created to have for the woman—and she can get out of control emotionally. Woman was not originally intended to have to deal with that desire. The woman must recognize the difference between her created nature and the emotion of her fallen nature, and learn to rise above the yearnings of the curse. And she can rise above it by the power of God.
In the same way, man was not originally intended to rule over a woman. He can, therefore, by the power of God, allow the woman to function as his equal in the Lord—putting a harness on his carnal desire to physically and emotionally subdue and rule her.
Advice to Singles
Christian woman, if you want to marry—and want to continue serving God—make sure the man you marry is pressing in, with energy, to know God NOW. If you desire to serve God, but the man you marry doesn’t want to, or if he feels you have no place next to him as he serves God—you will never be satisfied, for you will not be able to function as you were created to function.
A man who not serve God may find another way to fulfill his need to subdue and rule—whether through working or playing constantly, through trying to conquer other women, or by verbally or physically abusing you. A man who does not fulfill the need of his created nature may become an angry man. Proverbs says, “Don’t make friends with someone who easily gets angry. Don’t spend time with someone who has a bad temper. If you do, you may learn to be like him. Then you will be in real danger” (Proverbs 22:24,25 NCV). If you live with an angry man, you will become like him. Be wise and observe his life. Your spiritual life depends upon it.
Christian man, if you want to marry—and want to serve God—be sure the woman you marry is willing to help you do so. If her heart is not turned to God, if she is simply seeking to fulfill her carnal need, you will have trouble in your home. A woman who does not want to serve God will be possessive, demanding and selfish—wanting all her material desires and emotional needs met. And those emotional needs cannot be met, nor truly understood, because the root is anchored in sin—the fallen nature.
Proverbs describes the problem you will have with such a woman. “A quarreling wife is as bothersome as a continual dripping on a rainy day. Stopping her is like stopping the wind. It’s like trying to grab oil in your hand. It is better to live in a corner on the roof than inside the house with a quarreling wife. It is better to live alone in the desert than with a quarreling and complaining wife” (Proverbs 27:15,16; 21:9,19 NCV).
A woman who is ruled by the carnal nature cannot be a true friend and help to you; she will live her life wanting you to cater to her instead of being sensitive to your needs. Keep your heart turned toward God and do not allow your flesh to influence your choice of a wife.
When a woman decides to marry a man, she is giving her life to be friend, companion, and assistant to that man. Her life becomes one with his life. It isn’t the other way around. The woman must be willing to give herself to assist that man, going where he goes, being ever attentive to his needs—spiritual as well as carnal. There is no room for smothering, selfish demands, which belong to the curse of the carnal nature.
Husbands, because of their created need for companionship, usually want their wife to keep them company all the time—no matter what they are doing. They simply want the wife’s presence; she doesn’t have to do anything but be there. It may seem unproductive or even silly to the woman, but it is very important to the man. Please note that when a woman expects her husband to reciprocate by simply being there for her, she is placing demands on him which will be difficult for him to meet. To insist that the man sit and do nothing as he keeps her company will be smothering to the man. This “keeping company” thing is a created function of the woman—for man. If a woman isn’t willing to give her life to serve the man and be available to him, she probably should remain single.
In the Lord there is neither male nor female; however, both have their created function to work together in love and respect for one another—for the Kingdom’s sake.
Jesus has reinstated our ability to wage spiritual war. Woman was created to be a companion to a man who is her husband, to help in that spiritual war. The wife must give herself to help keep the man’s heart turned toward God, for the state of this earth depends upon what the man does with his relationship with God.
In the Lord, married to a man who knows God, a woman should be able to fulfill the role for which she was created. But what if the man does not fulfill his role of subduer in the spirit realm? Then the Kingdom of God suffers. And two people—living together, with an awesome potential for power in the spirit realm of the Kingdom—waste their lives, and neither becomes who they could be in the Lord.
Husbands and wives agreeing together will see the will of the Father done on the earth as it is in heaven. Hand in hand with the right person, they can accomplish much in the Kingdom of God. The enemy of our soul will shake as he sees men and women rising above their fallen natures and moving freely together in their created natures—empowered by the Spirit of the living God.
The Genesis Effect
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12 NIV). “Also I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything, then you can pray for it. And the thing you ask will be done for you by my Father in heave. This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them” (Matthew 18:19,20 NCV). This is basically what God called humanity to do in the very beginning. It was the husband and wife together who were to subdue darkness and take control of the earth. What could be more perfect than a husband and wife giving their lives to serve God and do what has been His desire since creation?
1The original language of the Old Testament scripture is Hebrew. return
2"[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect, in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10,11 Amplified Bible). return
© 1992 by RANAN! Publishers of Gospel Literature, a Ministry of New Life Church in Thayer, Missouri | Written by Joan M. Williams