Month: September 2021

Lessons Learned from the Garden of Eden – Part 1

I find the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden quite intriguing and surprisingly filled with personally valuable and relatable lessons learned.

If you’d like to give it a read, the story can be found in Genesis 2:4-3:24.

The very first thoughtful question I had in relation to the story was: Why did God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil right in the middle of the Garden if He did not want Adam and Eve to eat of it?

Between the time of this question and today, my cousin (Lana) and I have had several conversations about the Garden of Eden in the last four (going on five) years. It’s amazing how talking about guys … a frustrating day at work … a TV show … life as we experience it, and so on, ends up in a conversation about the Garden of Eden! 😊

One of the early conclusions we arrived at was that: we are all Eve. We all (at some point) exhibit one or more of her underlying characteristics, tendencies, and/or responses.

In line with the perspective that we are all Eve, Lana and I painted a picture of our respective versions of Eve. Given my love for food (coversface), we agreed that I’ll very likely be the version of Eve who was still by the tree with the fruit in her mouth (most likely the fifth one) when God came down in the cool of the day to hang out (fellowship) with them 🤭😐.

My version of Eve aside, of particular interest (to me) are the questions asked in this story … the first of which was: Did God really say? (Genesis 3:1)

Before I dive into that, here’s a quick run-through of the events preceding the question.

God created Adam … He planted a garden (Eden) and put Adam in it … He gave Adam the liberty to do as he pleased with the exception of eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

… you may freely eat the fruit of every tree of the garden BUT NOT from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil … the day that you eat from it, you most certainly will die.

Genesis 2:16-17

Sometime after all of these, God created Eve.

While the bible doesn’t record this, I’m assuming that when Eve got to the scene, Adam told her about not eating of/from the tree. Going by this, it means then that, unlike Adam, who got the instruction first hand, Eve was going off of what someone said God said (second-handed information).

Side Note: For clarity and context, by second-hand information I mean any information not obtained personally and directly from God. This (for me) includes: (1) anything that does not echo what God told me directly, OR (2) anything that God has not told me directly.

Back to the story 🙂 …

Eve arrived on the scene, Adam was elated, and they went about living their best lives … naked, unashamed, and unafraid (Genesis 2:25) – I’ll come back to this.

However long after Eve’s arrival, the story goes on to say that Satan (in the form of a serpent) went to her and asked: Can it really be that God said you shall not eat from every tree of the garden?

In other words …

Did God really say?

This question is two-fold in its application.

  1. In the context of Genesis 3:1, the question was ill-intended. It was aimed at instilling doubt and instigating a fear-based response.

It (clearly) was not a genuine I-don’t-know-and-seek-an-answer kinda question. If it was, why didn’t he go to Adam who would have had a firm answer and possibly an undeterred standpoint, seeing has he got the information (instruction) first hand?

Being asked such a question, especially about information that was passed-down, is likely to result in doubt … doubting the applicability or validity of the information.

Similarly, when asked a question about something we don’t know, knowing we don’t know (the unknown) naturally translates to fear and consequently the need to do something about it i.e. get rid of the fear.

Same as with Eve in Genesis 3:1, every now and again, we too are asked this question in a doubt-centric and fear-oriented way. Hence the encouragement (in 1 Peter 5:8) to be vigilant because the enemy roams around, incessantly looking for folks to prey on.

  1. Contrary to Satan’s ill intent, this question can be a tool that points us back to God. Personally, it has.

Since understanding this, I’ve been asking myself the question:

Did God really say?

When my answer is Yes, WHAT God said (His Word) serves as my hope, my response, my confidence, my strength, my encouragement, my anchor.

When my answer is I don’t know or I’m not sure, asking this question points me to God.

In addition to being asked the question ‘did God really say?’, Eve was given another round of second-handed information (Genesis 3:4-5) … the serpent said to her:

you certainly will not die. God knows that the moment you eat from this tree, you will have greater awareness and you will be like God, knowing everything (and the difference between) good and evil.

This information was:

  1. Misleading – God created mankind in his image (Genesis 1:26-27). Eve was already like God (so was Adam) – they were created in the image and likeness of God. They didn’t have to do anything to be like what they already were.
  1. Contrary – God did say that they would die if they ate of the tree … true to God’s Word, they did – they died! Actually, we all did actually. *More to come on this in Part 3*

Influenced by this lie, Eve set her gaze on the tree – she saw that it was pleasant for food, delightful to look at … and realized what she would get out of it – she would know everything. This was a tree that would make her wise and insightful! She then took of its fruit and ate.

Eve knew not to eat of the tree but she did.

She had the information (presumably gotten from Adam) – she knew the WHAT but NOT the (must-have) understanding of the WHY, or better yet the WHO, behind the WHAT. By must-have understanding I’m referring to a personal, truth-based conviction and revelation that (I believe) is only possible when information (in this case – the Word of God) is obtained directly from the source (God). SeLaH.

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Lesson Learned #1: When dealing with second-handed information, ask the question – did God really say?

God speaks to us through others and there’s nothing wrong with this. That said, I believe it is detrimental and short-changing to have this be the primary and/or sole source of truth. Passed-down information tend to be:

  1. Watered down – mixed with personal preferences, prescriptions, or translations.

and/or

  1. Void of the personal conviction, resonance, as well as peace that come from a first-hand, from-the-source experience.

I believe this played a significant part in Eve eating of the tree. Do NOT rely solely on other people’s rendition of what God said (especially) to and/or concerning you.

Enabled by grace, go directly to God and ask Him: did You really say this/that?

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Lesson Learned #2: Seek to hear from God directly.

In and through Christ Jesus, we have direct access to God. Go to Him and inquire of Him … ask Him … seek to hear from Him directly. 2 Samuel 7

God wants us to come to Him, inquire of Him, and hear from Him directly.

This is our design …

… man lives by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.

Matthew 4:4B

It’s also what God wants … Isaiah 54:13

Call to Me and I will answer you … I will tell you and even show you great and mighty things – things that you could never figure out on your own

Jeremiah 33:3

Go directly to the source – God. In addition to getting the truth and the freedom that comes with it (John 8:32), going to God is an opportunity to fellowship with Him … to know Him personally and increasingly… to bask in His presence! 💖

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Back to the Garden 🙂 …

Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, after which she gave Adam of its fruit and he too ate it. Thereafter, their eyes were opened and for the very first time they saw (were aware) that they were naked even though they had been naked all along.

Later on (in the cool of the day), they heard the sound of God walking in the garden and they hid themselves from the presence of God! 💔

God called out to Adam.

God: Adam, where are you?

Adam: I heard the sound of You walking in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.

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Lesson Learned #3: When you see aspects of yourself that you don’t like and/or are ashamed about, don’t retreat or draw back from God.

Retreating seems to be the natural first response – the shame, the disappointment in one’s self, or the presumption that God is disappointed in us, tends to result in us drawing away from Him. I say this because I lived it … I was in this place many times than I can count.

For a very long time, when I’d fall, my response was to not talk to God – I couldn’t bring myself to. Like Adam and Eve, I too would hide … I hid behind food, entertainment (binging TV shows), anything that made me feel good … anything that drowned out the guilt, shame, and disappointment BUT all my hiding had a temporary distracting effect (at best).

Thankfully, in His love, mercy, and grace, God always came for me.

With the help of the HolySpirit and over time, I learnt not to be preemptive in my action or presumption in my thinking (that God was disappointed in me). I learnt that my response should always be to go to God … to leave it to Him to decide whether or not He is disappointed and have Him make the next move. Experientially, His next move and response to me have always been (and continues to be) LOVE.

Initially, I was confused by this so I asked Him why, here’s how that conversation went …

No matter what happens, the best place to be is in God’s presence – at the mercy of His faithful and unrelenting Love

… I’d rather fall into the hands of the LORD, for His mercies are many and great, than fall into the hands of man (myself included)

2 Samuel 24:14 (paraphrased)

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Circling back to Genesis 2:25 (as promised 🙂) …

… before eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve were naked but unashamed – they went about their day living free and unafraid.

The man and his wife (Adam and Eve) were both naked yet unashamed.

Genesis 2:25

While they may not have known that they were naked all along, God knew … He made them that way and considered it good (Genesis 1:31).

Fast-forward to after eating of the tree, the first use of this newly acquired knowledge of good versus evil was a misjudgment – they considered and concluded as bad what God considered and concluded as good.

The first judgment call made was:

“being naked is bad, let’s try to fix it by using those not-so-durable leaves over there as clothing …“

… a misjudgment that led to fear AND a subsequent attempt to fix things on their own.

… all our righteousness –our best deeds of rightness is like filthy rags or a polluted garment, our best effort are grease-stained rags …

Isaiah 64:6

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Lessons Learned #4: Lean not on your own understanding.

What we see and know is limited – I wholeheartedly believe this is by design. A designed predicated on faith – the leaning of one’s personality solely on God … living by every Word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.

The man who through faith is just and upright shall live … and shall live by faith.

Romans 1:17; Habakkuk 2:4

We are designed to walk (live) by faith and not by sight – to regulate our lives based on the HolySpirit-revealed-and-enabled knowledge of God, not by appearance or what we see with our natural eyes – 2 Corinthians 5:7.

The just (those concerning whom God’s conclusion in Genesis 1:31 holds true) live by faith – the Word of God, and not by sight: sensual, non-faith-based understanding i.e. what we see, think, feel, etc.

The latter is an example of cisterns that don’t hold water – Jeremiah 2:13.

Lean on, trust in, and rely on the LORD with all your heart.Do NOTlean/rely on your own insight, opinion, and understanding. Do not assume that you know it all. Be intimate (open) with Him … Listen for His voice in everything you do and every where you go. He will direct Your path.

Proverbs 3:5-6(AMP, MSG, TPT)

Especially considering that we have the tendency to misapply it, do NOT pass judgement on yourself based on your knowledge of good and evil. In stead, go to God exactly as you are …

  • Naked – Ezekiel16:4-13
  • Filthy – Zechariah 3:1-4
  • Unsure – Genesis 25:22
  • Weary – Matthew 11:28 (AMP, TPT)
  • Undone – Luke 15:11-32
  • Afraid – Psalm 34:4

I sought the LORD of necessity and on the authority of His Word … He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

… no matter what, God’s presence is exactly the right place to be.

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Thank You Abba for the privilege to come to You and into Your presence.

I acknowledge that You are LOVE … Thank You for Your mercy-FULL and faith-FULL Love. Your Faithfulness (Who You are) is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Thank You for opening me up to know You personally and increasingly.

Thank You for the revelation of Your Love … the revelation of Who YOU are to me and what it means for and to me. Help me to never take this beautiful heritage lightly or for granted … to never abuse or misuse Your grace.

I enjoy our journey of JOY in Your presence (Psalm 16:11) – You are my delight, the joy and rejoicing of my heart. To know You is Life – You are my Life. 💖

Help me to always exalt Your Word above all else, same as You do (Psalm 138:2B).

Struggling? … The Next Best Move

… PRAY.

Take it to God … Talk to Him about it … Give it to God.

Consider starting by telling God exactly that … then ask Him to teach, enable, and tell you what and how to PRAY.

I do NOT like struggles. That said, over the last year my aversion to it has significantly reduced solely because of the

truths the Holy Spirit reveals to me.

With the hope that these truths will bless you as they bless me, I’ll be sharing a few of them with you.

God already knows …

Sometime early this year, in a moment of prayer, I struggled with words – I felt like my words to God that morning were not well-put-together, they seemed disjointed.

Before I became distracted by this, the Holy Spirit helped me understand that the eloquence or correctness of my words in prayer is not the criteria, God already knows. He knows what I’d say even before the thought of praying crosses my mind. He is not unaware.

This revelation (that God already knows) is peace-giving on at least two accounts:

  1. I don’t have to worry about any miscommunication on my end, nor any resulting misunderstanding on God’s end.
  1. God knowing isn’t just mere awareness … Him knowing results in action. It’s safe to say then that God knowing makes it (what ever it is) a done deal.

…because He hears us(because He knows)… what we asked for is as good as ours.

1 John 5:15

COME … Expose it to the Light.

For a VERY long time I struggled with being a Christian – I didn’t know how. Also, I couldn’t meet all the externally prescribed and internally imposed criteria on How-To-Be-a-Christian. With every attempt made, I failed. This (at some point) led me to feeling like I must not love God … it was a painfully awful experience!

In His love and mercy, God stepped in. In addition to helping me see that I am the clay and that He is The Potter (the Author, Writer, Sculptor, and Perfecter of my faith), He helped me see (understand) what my next best move would (and should) always be: bring it to Him (whatever it is, including me).

Come to MEall who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (refreshing your soul with salvation).

Matthew 11:28

In other words, God was saying to me:

Do NOT build cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13) … Do NOT attempt to fix it on your own – stop your silly attempts and efforts to save yourself (Isaiah 30:15). In stead, COME to Me – bring it to Me, expose it to the Light (John 12:46) … I AM your everlasting Light.

Let God do it for you … the do-it-yourself approach is futile.

Not too long ago, I struggled with being weak. I felt tired and was weary of being needy … of being in a place where I needed God’s help or saving always.

I should be strong enough to handle this.

With all that the Holy Spirit had taught, told, and shown me, I expected myself to be strong enough to (at least) take on the “small things” on my own and not have to go to God to do everything for me – including coming to Him!

Going to God to ask for or get help involves acknowledging that I’m weak. In that chapter of my walk with God, I most definitely was feeling a type of way about this seemingly constant reminder of my weakness and inability to help myself.

In His response to me, God revealed that I will never be strong enough. He reminded me that I will always be the need for Who He IS. I was created to be the demand for Who He IS – I’m the demand, He is the Supply (and Supplier).

  • He is Strength and a Strengthener, as such, I will need strength.
  • He is Savior and Salvation, as such, I will need saving.
  • He is a Helper – a very present help in time of need, as such, I will need help.

Except the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Except the LORD keeps the city, the watchman stays awake in vain … he might as well nap.

Psalm 127:1

In other words, it can NOT truly be done unless God does it.

In addition to it being a sin (Romans 14:23), “doing” it on my own is futile.

… in stead of re-doubling our own efforts, we should simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us …we do not owe this old do-it-yourself life one cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all.

Romans 8:4,12 (MSG)

Letting God do (fix) it is the only way it truly gets done (fixed). Let Him do it.

It is an opportunity to experience God …

I struggle with anger – I’m quick to frustration, offense, and (if not checked) ultimately anger. This is my natural response to being treated unjustly …

… Yes, I am aware of James 1:20, Proverbs 14:29, and Ecclesiastes 7:9 – all very good reasons to want to nip this temperament or natural inclination in the bud. I want to but honestly some days, it kicks my butt. One of such times, with the help of the HolySpirit, I took it to God. His response to me was:

This mountain will be made plain … stand still and see the salvation of The LORD which He will accomplish for you today. The Egyptians you see today, you will see no more … The LORD will fight for you … you only need to be still … move forward toward the sea!

(Zechariah 4:7A, Exodus 14:13-15)

… move forward toward the sea. Before I elaborate more on this, let me quickly point out that in His response to me (as well as to the Israelites in Exodus 14:13-15), God indicated:

  • His awareness of the situation – my natural inclination … the Egyptians in the rear … the sea up ahead, and
  • That He would take care of things for me … for them … for us.

All we have to do is be still (believe God) and experience (know) Him. Hence, ‘move forward toward the sea’.

The sea, as with all struggles and obstacles that we face, is not meant to drown or overcome us; they serve a purpose and present us with the priceless, life-giving opportunity to experience God.

For the benefit of those who are not familiar with what ensued after Exodus 14:13-15, God parted the sea and the Israelites walked right through it … on dry land! 💖 The Egyptians who followed after them? Well … Ehmmm … not so much!

Looking at the sea (obstacle) before us, we can be tempted to try to do something about it in our own strength. In the story of the Israelites in Exodus 14, this would look like trying to build boats to help sail across – a seemingly natural and reasonable thing to do yet, doing so would have been futile! They did not need boats; they ended up walking as opposed to sailing.

I do not think the way you think.
The way you work is not the way I work – your ways are NOT My ways, says The LORD.

Isaiah 55:8 (MSG)

Another similar story is that of Paul in2 Corinthians 12:8-10.

Here, we see Paul telling God about his struggle …

… and God responded back to him, saying: “My Grace is sufficient for you”.

My Grace is sufficient for you … it is all you need. My Strength (power) finds full expression in and through your weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (AMPC, AMP, TPT)

Prior to the understanding I now have on what God was saying to Paul in the above verse, I found God’s response to be seemingly unrelated and somewhat dismissive.

Paul wasn’t questioning the validity of God’s Grace. That he called on God and went to Him with his struggles is indication that he trusted God’s Grace. So why would God’s response be something seemingly unrelated to the matter at hand?

Well, it wasn’t unrelated. On the contrary, it was an intentional, very relevant, and insightful response. In truth, God was saying to Paul:

I AM enough. All that matters is Who I AM … not the how, not even the fix. Set your gaze on Me, not your struggle, not the affliction, not the raging tempest. Set your eyes on ME and truly experience Me – My Strength, My Grace, My Love, My Glory.

WHO I AM is fully expressed in your weakness … in this place of struggle (affliction) is where you come to know Me personally and increasingly.

The same end result – to know and experience God – is what we see in Job’s story. Having endured all that he did, Job’s response to God was (Job 42:5):

I had heard of You only by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. I once lived by rumors of You; now I have it all firsthand – from my own eyes and ears.

Struggles (afflictions) serve a function in our walk with God – they set the stage for the display of the Glory of God. They present us with the opportunity to know and experience God – to know God is eternal Life (John 17:3), real Life (1 John 5:20), abundant Life (John 10:10B).

The opportunity to know and experience God is what drastically reduced my aversion to struggles/affliction. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I’ve come to learn that like fish in water, my habitat is any where I see and experience God … this includes the place of struggle (or affliction).

I still do NOT like them and would rather avoid them BUT, I would much rather know God – I would much rather experience Him personally, progressively, and fully.

While struggles/afflictions are NOT fun, they serve a rewarding purpose and are points along the best pathway to the expected end – to know God (our greatest reward and the essence of Life itself) … our faith perfected.

… so that the genuineness of your faith, which is more precious than gold, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor …

1 Peter 1:6-7

Faith = the Knowledge of God. It is how I please God – the very purpose for which I was created (Revelation 4:11).

Soooo, all things considered …

… struggles are inevitable. Nevertheless, they are not intended to (and in truth will not) harm us – Jeremiah 29:11. They are instrumental to the refining and perfecting of our faith.

We all struggle. What one might consider seemingly small is, (by experience) to another, an overwhelming giant. That said, no matter the gravity and impact of the struggle, God is infinitely bigger. Like He was with the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3), He is here with us even now.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you … and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.

Isaiah 43:2

God is with us in the midst of the storm. The storm isn’t the only thing happening; God (LOVE) is happening too. Look for God in the struggle – He is there. Let’s not let our hearts be troubled when we hear the roar of the raging tempest; instead let’s be still (believe God) … The LORD our God in the midst of us is mighty to save – Zephaniah 3:17A.

Struggles and afflictions suck! God is very aware … He says: Come

… let everyone who is painfully conscious of his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened … let him COME …

Revelation 22:17 (AMPC)

God says: Let Me carry it for you …

Cast your burden (releasing the weight of it) on The LORD … pile it up on God’s shoulders; He will carry your load and help you out, His measureless grace will strengthen you.

Psalm 55:22 (AMPC, MSG, TPT)

He can take it … He is Almighty! Let’s give it (and keep giving it) to Him.

Struggling? Afflicted? PRAY – this is the next best (and ONLY life-giving) move.

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🎵 What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer!

O What peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear!

All because we do NOT carry everything to God in prayer🎵

Abba, thank You for the privilege to come to You. Thank You for working all things together for my good AND Your glory. #The2-in-1Combo 💖

You bear my burdens and carry me day by day; You are my Salvation –Psalm 68:19

Who else can I call? Who has strength to truly save? ONLY You are mighty to save!

Doing exactly the MOST! 🤭

Do not be afraid; ONLY believe (accept as true).

Mark 5:36

Is this really ALL that’s required? … Is this the MOST that’s expected of me?

YES – the Word of God says it’s exactly what’s required/expected:

John 3:16 – God so greatly and dearly loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son … whoever BELIEVES in Him will not perish but have everlasting Life.

Hebrews 11:6 – Without Faith, it is impossible to (walk with and) please God, for whoever comes to God must necessarily BELIEVE that God exists … that He rewards (and cares enough to respond to) those who seek Him.

John 1:12 – To as many who BELIEVED Him and accepted Him, He gave the right (power) to become children of God – their true selves (their child-of-God selves). SeLaH [AMPC, NKJV, MSG]

Mark 11:24 – whatever you ask in prayer (absolutely everything, ranging from small to large… as you embrace this God-Life), BELIEVE that you have received it, and it will be yours. [AMPC, NKJV, MSG, TPT]

John 5:24 – Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears My word and BELIEVES in (aligns himself with the) Father will never be condemned, and has already passed over from death to Life. [NKJV, MSG, AMP]

Following the revelation that God and I connect when I believe Him, the HolySpirit has been teaching me about believing God. Here’s what I’ve learnt thus far:

  1. Believing God = Loving God.

If you really love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.

John 14:15

True, genuine (non-self-focused OR solely-God-focused) obedience is impossible without first believing Him. The genuineness and extent of my obedience to God is a function of how much I believe and trust Him – SeLaH.

Case in point: If I don’t trust an authority figure (be it a person, organization, or system), I naturally won’t put stock in what they say. Consequently, I won’t obey what they say. If not obeying results in some form of punishment, I’m inclined to obey out of self-gain (i.e. not being punished).

The latter is an example of what I mean by self-focused obedience. I know it all too well because it was the extent of my interaction with God for a VERY long time. I’m grateful for the Love of God (Jesus) and the HolySpirit Who lovingly pulled me out of that miry pit! 😊

Each time I believe God, I’m really telling Him: I love YOU! 💖

For someone who (for a VERY long time) deeply struggled with the question: do I really love God? It blesses me greatly to be able to confidently say Yes; to say I love God and it not be mere words or what I’m supposed to say … but simply the truth! Thank You HolySpirit for making this possible! 🥰

  1. Believing God = Partnership with God … an agreement/alignment of hearts and will – His and mine; a perfect partnership!

My darling bride, my private paradise, fastened to My heart … What a perfect partner to Me …

Songs of Solomon 4:12 TPT

Why the need for this agreement/partnership? God doesn’t need me to get anything done.

Very true! God does God all by Himself. However, believing God is not an agreement that tends toward doing (performance). It is not about doing – the doing is DONE (Revelation 21:6). It was done before the foundation of the world!

… God’s works have all been completed and finished from the foundation of the world, waiting and ready for all who would believe.

Hebrews 4:3B (AMP, TPT, MSG)

Quite similar to signing a legal document, believing God is an agreement that entitles me to ALL of God, giving me direct access to ALL HE IS, all that comes with Him, and all that He has done.

In believing God, I become one with God. As such, my prayers are in agreement with His will – the outcome of which is my utmost satisfaction and God glorified!

We are sure that if we ask anything in agreement with God’s own plan (His will), He listens to and hears us.

We positively know (with settled and absolute knowledge) that because He hears us, we have (as our present possessions) the requests we ask of Him.

I John 5:14-15
  1. Believing God is the key to unlocking and experiencing the promises of God.

There’s the blessing of/from God that everyone (believer or not) benefits from – Matthew 5:45B. By promises of God, I’m not referring to this general (everyone-gets-it) blessing. I’m referring to the inheritance that believers have in and through Jesus Christ – the only begotten Son of God. Here’s what He says:

… come with Me through the archway of trust (the crest of Amana).

Songs of Solomon 4:8B (TPT)

Amana means AMEN (Revelation 3:14 – Jesus is the AMEN) – the realm where God’s promises are kept (hidden) and realized (seen).

All the promises of God to us (individually as well as collectively) are Yes and AMEN – accepting and receiving. They are ready for grabs by those who will believe Him – those who will step in, receive, and enjoy (John 10:10B AMPC).

  1. Believing God is the currency of transaction in God’s economy.

In the kingdom of God (the realm of the unseen), believing Him can be likened to what money represents here on earth (the realm of the seen). One key difference however is that money is limited to this natural, earthly realm. Unlike money, believing God is a currency with purchasing power across both realms – this applies to things money can buy and especially those money can NOT buy.

Believing God is how things are bought in the kingdom of God.

… Come to the waters … he who has no money, come, buy, eat! Yes, come, buy … without money or price [simply accept it as a gift from God]

Isaiah 55:1

Here’s what I want you to do: buy your gold from Me … then you will be rich. Buy your clothes from Me … Buy medicine for your eyes from Me so you can see

Revelation 3:18

Not money … not doing (including what I do for God) …

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.

Romans 12:1B (MSG)

… instead believing (embracing) God is how I receive ALL that God has done and has made available to me – 2 Peter 1:3.

  1. Believing God is the surest way to be still.

Be still and know that I AM God

Psalm 46:10

Being still in this context means being undistracted by lies (any thing that is not the Word of God, not God, not Truth) … It means being at peace – a state of rest.

I 💖 the AMPC version of Philippians 4:7. It describes peace as the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ and so fearing nothing … This is the peace to which I’ve been called (Colossians 3:15). This peace is the inheritance that I’ve obtained from God in Christ Jesus (Isaiah 54:17) – His rest.

… they were not able to enter into His rest, they could not enter into their inheritance because of unbelief …

For those of us who believe, faith activates the promise and we experience the realm of confident rest … we who believe enter His rest …

Hebrews 3:19, 4:3A (AMPC, TPT, MSG)

Believing God transports me to a place of stillness and undisturbedness, away from the noise (distractions), thus making it possible for me to see and know (experience) Him – He is sheer beauty! 💖 (Psalm 100:5 MSG).

  1. Believing God is an expression of true worship.

I’ll explain this from two (related) perspectives:

  1. It is clear from Psalm 138:2 that God exalts His Word above all else, and from John 1:1 that the Word of God is God. Therefore, in believing God – What He says and Who He IS – I exalt Him. I exalt the One Who is above all. This literally is the highest possible worship there is.

In other words … 😊 this is the most! SeLaH

  1. Believing God inherently involves (and requires) surrender – a genuine expression of worship.

… surrender yourself to God to be His sacred, living sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him – this is your genuine expression of worship.

Romans 12: 1 (TPT, NLT)

Believing God involves surrendering what I know or think I know.

It involves stepping into the unknown and the unseen solely based on the Word of God (Who God IS) – this pleases God. Hebrews 11:6

… The Father (Abba) is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit (from the heart) and in truth (based on Who He IS). God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.

John 4:23-24

In believing God, I offer sacrifices of right worship to God. Deuteronomy 33:19 💖

  1. Though seemingly small, like a mustard seed, believing God is a POWERFUL force!

… if you have faith the size of a mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20

… he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; greater works than these he will do …

John 14:12

Believing God is a force powerful enough to connect me with God; a force powerful enough to translate me FROM

  • slave TO daughter, bride, and friend 💖🥰
  • sin TO Righteousness – 2 Corinthians 5:21
  • the miry clay TO the solid Rock – Psalm 40:2
  • darkness TO Light – 1 Peter 2:9
  • death TO Life – John 5:24

Considering all of the above, it is quite evident why the enemy actively seeks to instigate UNBELIEF – the sin that so readily besets me. SeLaH

The enemy will no doubt (but for a time) attempt to steal, kill, and destroy. No matter, I overwhelmingly conquer through the One Who loves me – God (Father, Son, Spirit). I need only be still (believe) – Exodus 14:13-15 💖

Do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today … the Egyptians (enemy) you see today, you’re never going to see them again.

The LORD will fight for you … you just hold your peace, remain at rest (believe) …

… move forward toward the sea.

Exodus 14:13-15

In other words, God is saying: believe Me and live what you believe.

In living what I believe – Who God IS, what He tells me (i.e. move forward toward the sea), I am led along the best pathway for my life (Psalm 32:8 NLT) and to the realm where God’s promises are kept and realized, a life of true satisfaction … in this, God is glorified!

What has God told you? What has He revealed to you? No matter how seemingly ludicrous or far-fetched, believe and continue to believe Him – therein is LIFE.

If you are struggling with believing God, I encourage you to be honest with Him about the struggle. From personal experiencesssss, and more so on the basis of Who He is, God will not condemn you. On the contrary, He will enable you to believe Him – the end of which is Real, Eternal LIFE. This expected end is the life that you deserve solely because God has given it to you (Jeremiah 29:11).

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I love YOU (Abba, Son, HolySpirit). How can I not? YOU are all I know to be trustworthy – I have no valid (truthful) reason to not believe YOU.

Believing YOU is doing the exact most – the most that’s expected of me. On this note, having done all the most 😊, help me stand that I may see Your salvation.

PS: I 💖 that it’s YOU making (enabling) me do the most! Doing the most with YOU is rad!