River into Words

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.

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).

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.

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:

This information was:

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.

……………………………………………………

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

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?

……………………………………………………

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

……………………………………………………

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.

……………………………………………………

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.

……………………………………………………

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.

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:

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

……………………………………………………

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

********************

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).

… 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

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:

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).

In other words, God was saying to me:

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).

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.

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:

… 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:

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.

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”.

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:

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):

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.

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.

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

God says: Let Me carry it for you …

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.

********************

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!

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:

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.

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! 🥰

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

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!

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!

3. 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:

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).

4. 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.

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

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

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

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.

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).

6. Believing God is an expression of true worship.

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

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

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

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

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 💖

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).

********************

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.

Genesis 5:24 – Enoch walked with God. SeLaH

Very recently, I saw and understood (for the first time) that these words describe oneness with God – God and man (two) becoming one.

The reality of this connection is quite astonishing. Even more so, is the realization that God wants it! The God of ALL creation wants to connect with us – mere earthen vessels (clay).

This might be why David, also dazed by these revelations, asked the question: what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8:4 (NKJV) What a privilege it is to have God come to be one with us 💖 … what a privilege it is to connect, commune, walk, and be one with The Most High God (El Elyon)! Speaking of this touch-point …

Let’s start with the first question …

WHEN does the connection happen?

Answer: When we believe God.

Here’s what started me on the journey that ultimately led to the above truth:

I read the AMPC version of Matthew 21:22 and almost immediately my inclination for words kicked in – Faith versus Belief. Yes, both words can be (and are) used interchangeably – rightfully so. However, in reading the above verse, I picked up on there being a difference between the two. The difference being that Faith (which is the Word of God; Who God is) precedes Belief or believing – I can’t disbelieve or believe (accept as true) what I don’t first encounter.

I hadn’t heard or seen this delineation before. Out of curiosity, I asked my cousin (Lana) what she thought was the difference between Faith and Belief (if any). Here’s a snippet of what she said:

As with almost all my interactions with Lana, I heard God speak to me! Through her response …

Believing God is the first step of intimacy/fellowship with Him. It is the first step toward God …

… it is required for every step thereafter. Believing God is an important aspect of our walk with Him – without it, there is no walk (Amos 3:3).

It is a privilege to believe God –Philippians 1:29(AMPC) … a privilege to touch God, to be intimate with Him, to walk hand-in-HAND with Him. It’s like the holding (together) of hands that happens when we pray – an agreement, a union … a connection … oneness.

HOW does the connection happen?

Answer: Through/By the HolySpirit.

Believing God is possible ONLY by the HolySpirit. It is not by choice – definitely not a self-executed choice. It is not by self-will, determination, or wherewithal, ONLY by the HolySpirit … it’s why He is sent(John 14:16, 16:7).

There’s been times I wanted to believe but wanting to did not auto-translate to actually believing God. Similarly, (in my experience) knowing that believing God is the way to go does not always auto-translate to actually believing Him.

While it seems like the simplest of things, believing God can (sometimes) be a struggle for the desperately wicked heart of man. Nevertheless, we are not without help – the HolySpirit enables and empowers us to believe. It’s His pleasure to do it for us 💖 … it’s why God comes –Exodus 19:9– why God visits (why He comes to connect). This also is why we must ask for the HolySpirit (Luke 11:13)and keep on asking UNTIL we are fully filled and perpetually overflow with Him … UNTIL we believe and keep on believing … UNTIL we connect and keep on connecting (an unbroken walk or companionship with God –Isaiah 30:18AMPC).

WHAT happens when this connection happens?

Answer: A perfect partnership is forged! And, ultimately, we see God glorified!

This place of unison and perfect harmony with God is where the magic greater works happen … where the naturally impossible becomes possible.

Case in point: Joshua 10 … I absolutely 💖 this story!

Quick 30-second background … Five kings gathered forces and went to war against the residents of a place called Gibeon because they had made peace with Israel. The folks at Gibeon called to Joshua for help … Joshua went to fight alongside Gibeon and against the 5 kings.

Fast-forwarding to the juicy parts 😊 …

Another case in point: Mary(Luke 1:30-45)– she believed God, became pregnant in a naturally or humanly impossible way, then gave birth to Jesus, the Glory of God(Hebrews 1:3) in human form – the expression of God’s excellence, the unseen God made seen! Mary believed God’s Word and thus gave birth to God’s Word (Jesus is the Word of God) – she birthed the Word of God that she believed!

Believing God– this place of perfect symphony, harmony, alignment, agreement –is where and how the unseen God is seen.

It matters that we see God … it is a necessity that we see(k) God. Here is WHY: in see(k)ing God, we come to know Him personally and intimately. Knowing God is our greatest reward (Proverbs 2:1-6).

Knowing God is LIFE – Real, Eternal Life (John 17:3B). This Eternal Life is to know (experience) the fullness of God by virtue of being one with Him. A life of utmost satisfaction … in this, God is most glorified!

Genesis 5:24 – Enoch walked with God and he was no more. One way to look at this is that he became one with God. Consequently, there was no telling him apart from God, The Unseen One! We see Him Who is unseen (yet ever-present) when we believe Him … when we are intimate with Him … when we connect with Him. Indeed, blessed are the pure in heart (those who believe – Romans 10:10A) for they shall see God –Matthew 5:8– SeLaH

********************

Abba, my Abba, thank You for the privilege to come close, to connect, and be one with You exactly as my Lord Jesus is! Let nothing separate me from You.

By Your Spirit, continue to open me up to You – that I may continually (now and through eternity) behold the beauty, sweet attractiveness, and delightful loveliness of Your Glory and Grace. Be everything I am. Be all I see and know.

Thank You HolySpirit for enabling me believe – thank You for doing for me what I inherently can NOT do. Continue to enable me to believe wholeheartedly, unreservedly, and always!

For my birthday this year, I asked God for Ephesians 3:19 💖 – to know the Love of God AND to be a body wholly filled with the fullness of God.

Case in point – my most recent revelation and experience of God’s Love. It started with God’s response to a concern I shared with Him about a dream I had. The summary of the dream was that I was rightly accused of doing something wrong but there was no proof to support the accusation. I knew I was wrong, the accusation was right. The investigation was intense … there were witnesses but no actual evidence.

I woke up from this dream feeling a type of way – definitely not good. So I talked to God about it. I was worried that the dream depicted the possibility of me being found wanting.

In His response, God said to me:

” … they shall surely gather together and stir up strife to attack you, BUT NOT by Me – it is NOT from Me … nothing will come of their attempt … they will show to be in the wrong and will be dismissed as liars … every tongue that rises against you in judgement, you will condemn … you will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. This is your heritage – this peace, this righteousness, this triumph over opposition, is your heritage. This is the righteousness and vindication that you obtain from Me …”

Consciously, I applied God’s response to the relentless aggression of the investigator/investigation in my dream. I took His response to mean I need not worry about what my accuser does because it will be to no avail.

In retrospect, what I did not realize then was that, unconsciously, I utterly discounted the possibility that God was saying “Yes, you were wrong. Nevertheless I annul the rightful accusation of the accuser and declare you righteous”.

Clearly, I didn’t quite get what God was saying to me (at least not in its entirety). Sooooo, He told me again – this time through Zechariah 3:1-4

I wasn’t sure how to handle what I just read/saw. I was literally dumbfounded – my processor (human mind) froze … it could NOT compute!

Serves me right actually, I had no business processing the ways of God with my natural/human mind. Of course, it won’t make sense!

My heart believed (believes) the expression of God’s powerful love as depicted in Zechariah 3:1-4. It was (is) consistent with the things God has been revealing to me about Him. That said, my (conditioned) mind couldn’t quite reconcile this reality – the reality of the rightly accused being vindicated. It probably made a second attempt to dismiss this life-changing truth!

In trying to understand my response, I realized that my mind (very easily) was able to navigate being wrongly accused and vindicated but not being rightly accused and vindicated. It took a couple days and the grace of God for the latter to sink in!

Here’s a step-by-step personalized playback of what I saw in Zechariah 3:1-4:

I was in filthy (nauseatingly vile) garments YETGod let me in His presence. SeLaH – how many people would?

If I’m being honest, I most likely won’t let me in my own presence! Don’t judge me, I’m still a Work-in-Progress. Why do you think the HolySpirit keeps pouring God’s love into my heart Romans 5:5B 😊.

Here’s why God letting me in His presence, in spite of my filthy state, is particularly noteworthy: no one gains access to God except God grants it – John 6:44.

What a joyful privilege!

Playback continued …I was standing before El Roi and right next to me was the accuser. Whether or not he had proof of my wrongdoings was inconsequential. We were in the presence of the all-knowing, all-seeing God; He knew the accusation was right BUT He said to my accuser:I, the LORD, rebuke you. 😮 This right here was the part where it stopped making sense to my human mind!

For better contextual (and personal) understanding, I looked up the word rebuke and replaced the meaning with the word – here’s how it translates:God expressed sharp disapproval of my accuser’s right accusation! God disapproved of what my accuser was there to say/do (accuse me).

Alongside the rebuke, God reiterated and affirmed His stance regarding His choice of me! 💖

“… I choose her now and forever …”

Combining Ephesians 1:4 and Zechariah 3:2, it would read as follows:

“I chose her BEFORE the foundation of the world, I choose her NOW and FOREVER.” 💖

I wholeheartedly believe God affirmed His choice of me so I would hear it first hand and for myself.

He also went on to say:

“Is this not the returned captive, a log snatched and rescued from the fire? I reached in and pulled her out.” AMP, MSG

Dipping one’s hand in fire to pull out anything reflects care and unrelenting commitment (to say the least). In saying this, God expressed His love for me and the lengths He is willing to go for me (again) so that I would hear/know first hand and for myself.

Playback continued … Having done all these, God cleaned me up – replaced my filthy garment of wickedness with rich robes of forgiveness; He clothed and beautified me with priestly clothes – the garment of expressive praise instead of a heavy, burdened, falling, and disheartened spirit. Isaiah 61:3

As I pondered the truth and reality of the Love of God expressed in Zechariah 3:1-4, I saw (in a reinforcing way) that the MERCY of God is an expression of Who God is (LOVE).

Through Zechariah 3:1-4, I heard, saw, and connected with the Love, Mercy, and Peace of God like never before – it’s like I stepped into a whole new world!

A world where the Love of God (Salvation) has the final say. 💖

Being vindicated by a just God makes the vindication righteous, void of error, valid, and irrefutable – nothing and no one can gainsay!

Oh the power, beauty, and salvation of (and that is) the Love of God! 💖

I continue to learn and experience that:

4. The Mercy of God is my Salvation … I need only believe and receive it, no BUTs, no making sense (or trying to make sense) of it – ONLY believe and receive.

5. No matter the wrongdoing … no matter the source of the accusation – within (1 John 3:20) and/or without (Isaiah 54:15, Revelation 12:10), going to God is my best next move. His presence is exactly and always the place to be, particularly when I fall/fail.

********************

To the ONLY God – my Abba, Savior, and Salvation. The One Who (through my Lord Jesus Christ and by His Spirit) keeps me from stumbling, slipping, or falling … Who keeps me on my feet, standing tall in His bright presence … The One Who (with unspeakable and ecstatic delight) presents me unblemished, blameless, and faultless before and in the presence of His glory – to You be is endless and ALL glory, splendor, majesty, might, dominion, power, strength, authority, and rule from before You created time, now, and for all of eternity. AMEN!

Thank You Abba for the PEACE that stems from Your love, mercy, and salvation – You are my peace, my righteousness, and my vindication. Continue to enable me to receive Your love, mercy, and salvation without hesitation or reservation. Help me to never disregard, take lightly, misuse, or abuse Your love, mercy, salvation, and grace – none of which is an excuse to sin. Thank You for loving me the way You do.

One of my favorite bible verses is Psalm 57:2 (AMPC).

“… God performs ALL things on my behalf and He rewards me for it …”

I’m a living testimony of this truth! God is truly awesome beyond words. He is altogether lovely, altogether wonderful. There is no one like Him – where is the god who can compare with Him?

Using two experiences (Abraham’s and mine), I’ll share how/why I wholeheartedly believe the beautiful truth that God already wants to bless us …

… technically and truthfully, He has 👇

While this blog elaborates on the truth that God already wants to bless us, it is important to keep in mind that He Has. What God has done sometimes translates to us as yet-to-be-done or still in-the-works … think of it as a “time zone” thing 😊.

To avoid any inadvertent confusion, I’ll be sharing mostly from the perspective of our earthly time zone. However, like I said, keep in mind that God has already blessed us.

********************

First stop … Abraham.

Next Stop … yours truly 😊

********************

Sooooo … IF

ANSWER #1: My part is to: Come … Receive … and Enjoy!

Coming … Receiving … and Enjoying have one thing in common: BELIEVE.

ANSWER #2: Simply put, I Ask and Pray BECAUSE God said to 🙂.

Matthew 4:4B … true living is possible only by every word out of God’s mouth. God says ask, I ask … He says pray, I pray.

In reading Matthew 6:8B, 32B both of which essentially say “God knows what I need even before I ask”, AND Matthew 7:7 which says “Ask, keep Asking”, I asked the HolySpirit why I still need to ask and pray considering God already knows … His response:

I’ve since learnt that:

Soooo … considering that at least two-third of the Holy Trinity prays, what reasonable reason is there to not pray? You’re right … Nada! 🙂

The truth that God already wants to bless us (and that He has) is not intended to deter or dissuade us from asking and praying. On the contrary, it is fundamentally WHY we should go to God. Also, it shapes HOW we go to God when we ask and pray: rest-assured and ready to receive.

********************

Love of God, I acknowledge You. Thank you for Your choice of me, thank You for Your choice of Mercy. Thank You for generously blessing me with ALL things pertaining to (and requisite to) life, including all spiritual blessings.

Thank You Jesus for praying for me. Thank you HolySpirit for doing the same and for enabling me to as well.

Abba, I am assured that when Jesus, the HolySpirit, and/or I ask and pray, You hear us because it is done in faith and according to Your will … because You hear and have given what was asked and/or prayed, I have them!

According to Your Word, and coupled with the truth that You want to bless me and have already blessed me, I open my mouth wide … fill me up till I overflow and my cup runs over.

Precious HolySpirit, continue to help me to come, receive, and enjoy all that Abba has given and pours into me.

For those who are familiar with Root Cause Analysis, you know the 5-Whys Technique. For those who aren’t as familiar, the long and short of the premise is this: To find the root cause of something, you ask a series of consecutive WHYs – with each WHY you uncover key underlying reasons.

Here’s my rendition of 5-Whys from the perspective of the reason I love, enjoy, and trust the Word of God. 😊💖

WHY #1: The Word of God is Unretractable

WHY #2: The Word of God is Incorruptible

WHY #3: The Word of God spans across my timeline of eternity with Him

Why #4: The Word of God is HOW I please God

WHY #5: The Word of God is the Highest Authority there is.

Did you know there was a time when God’s Word was scarce? 1 Samuel 3:1

There are those who can NOT hear the Word of God, BUT we are blessed and most privileged to be given the gift of the Word of God which comes with the ability for us to hear.

God speaks to us in so many ways. From my limited (not all inclusive) experience, it could be a thought, a dream, a song, a conversation, a verse in the bible, a line or scene from a TV show or a movie … or even something as seemingly random as a bird eating what I think was left-over bread that the wind blew to my balcony.

No matter what He uses or how He chooses to speak to me per time, He let’s me know it’s Him by echoing what He said through bible references and things about His nature – repeatedly! #Echoes 💖💖💖

My heart’s desire/prayer is that the HolySpirit helps me to continue to care for and regard God’s Word above ALL else.

For a long time, I read and understood the above bible verse from a religious duty and (consequently) judgmental perspective – a perspective where obedience was an indication of love as opposed to love for God being what births obedience. There’s a difference – in the latter, obedience to God’s Word is an expression of Love for God, not a mere KPI (key performance indicator).

The HolySpirit showed me that Jesus (in John 14:15) was not defining a performance indicator. Instead, He was stating a truth-FULL fact about the nature of any true healthy relationship.

The best way I can currently describe what the HolySpirit helped me understand about what Jesus said in John 14:15 is to draw a relatable parallel – think about someone you genuinely care about and things they like that you naturally won’t gravitate to BUT, because it matters to them, you pay attention and take an interest. Same idea, God’s Word matters MOST to Him (Psalm 138:2) …

… in other words, Jesus was saying: If you really care about Me (love Me), you will care about what matters most to Me [SeLaH].

Word of God, I love You … enable me to love you MORE (with my entire being). Be my unfeigned desire. You are the voice of God’s love for and to me. By Your Spirit, enable me to treasure You more than my next breath … fix my eyes on You.

There is no valid, justified, or reasonable reason for me to not trust You.

Continually consume me with irresistible longings and cravings to obey You. Make my life one long obedient response to You. Give me an understanding heart and an unrelenting passion to obey You. Unlock my understanding – open my heart to pay attention and respond appropriately to You.

Make me a house built on the Rock (You), make me a city whose foundation is God! Help me to always regard and exalt You above whatever else I think, feel, see, hear. Enable me to actively seek, believe, and expect You always.

Be everything I am and all I know/see.

What You say is what (AND all that) matters.

The quick answer is … ALL of it – ALL of however much God has given to you.

In an attempt to share how the HolySpirit led me to this answer, I’ll be referencing three seemingly unrelated yet connected life-giving stories from the bible:

First, a few foundational context:

With all of the above context in mind, let’s dive in!

Zechariah 4:1-14

A seemingly half-awake Zechariah is shown a vision and was asked to describe what He saw. He did (Zechariah 4:2-3) but had no clue what they meant, so he asked the Angel who initiated the conversation.

Skipping through the “you-mean-you-ate-of-the-tree-of-knowledge-in-the-Garden-of-Eden-yet-you-don’t-know-what-this-means?” #Salty side comment in verse 5 🤣, the Angel told him the answer – an important truth: The continuous supply of Oil is the Word of God.

Still seemingly hazy about the answer provided (or maybe he forgot, as is the nature of all human kind), Zechariah asked again (Zechariah 4:11) – this time, he was more specific.

It appears as though the Angel ignored him at first because Zechariah had to ask the question again! (Zechariah 4:12) … If you ask me, I think the Angel gave him a side-eye like “didn’t we just go over this?”.

Again, skipping through the repeated “you-mean-you-really-don’t-know-this?” side comment in verse 13, the Angel answered (this time) using terms that Zechariah would understand.

At first glance, it might seem as though the answers in verse 6 and verse 14 are different but they are the exact same!

Both answers are the exact same – JESUS.

Key Take-Away: The Oil is the Spirit of Jesus – the Word of God. He is Spirit and Life –John 6:63. His lovely Name is Flowing Oil –SOS 1:3(TPT).

God is very aware of our forgetfulness; He made provision for that too!💖

Next stop … 1 Kings 17:7-16

There was drought (and consequently famine) in the land. God told Elijah to go to the city of Zarephath, and that He had instructed a woman (a widow) to provide food for him. Jehovah Jireh (our Provider) in action again! 😊.

Elijah did as he was told. On arrival at the city gate, there was the widow. Without any time-wasting 😊, Elijah asked for water and food (1 Kings 17:10B-11) … the widow’s response (inverse 12 and in a nutshell) was “no can’t do, I don’t have it to give“.

First of all, let’s all acknowledge that we all saw the same thing: God asked someone who was on her last meal to provide food for another person! We all caught that right? If you didn’t, consider taking a moment to read 1 Kings 17:8-12. In it is an important point to note about God’s ways of doing things: not by human effort, might, or wherewithal … it goes beyond the humanly possible.

Second of all, the widow’s response was not what you’d expect from someone who had a prior conversation with God, where He was like: “Hey darling, I want you to provide food for My fiery friend. He’ll be coming over shortly and will be staying at your place for a while”. Her response had a different tone or tune, it sang a different song. No doubt, God instructed her – He certainly did. I’m convinced of this because God does NOT and can NOT lie. I also know that He speaks from the perspective of what He has already done. That said, when did He do this … when did He do what He had done … when did He tell (command, instruct) the widow of Zarephath to host Elijah by providing food for him?

My guess is verse 14 – when GRACE entered the chat. Then came the Spirit-Word of God (THE Oil) to the widow saying:

In between promise #1 that she will be supplied (given) all that she requires/needs, promise #2 that she will not die but that she will instead outlast the drought because (and promise #3) the drought will end, is where God commanded/instructed the widow to provide food for Elijah. God’s Word (in this case: His promises) is both the Command and the Grace (ability) needed to carry out the Command.

Upon hearing God’s Spirit-Word to her, something changed – the widow was enabled (graced). She did what she was commanded to do. Another point worth noting about God’s way of getting things done through us is that God’s Word (i.e. instruction, command, or promise) to do something is the Spirit (Power, Grace) that does it. Furthermore, God provides for what He calls us to (do or be),and what He provides(Grace: THE Oil)is sufficient… it is exactly right and inherently MORE than enough. It is all we need to take the first and every step in Faith.

The widow held on to the Word of God to her. She held on to (and did NOT lose) Faith – the evidence of the promises God made to her. She believed and acted in obedience to God’s Word. True to His nature, the Word of God did what the Word of God said 💖. His Word to her was fulfilled to the letter! The bowl of flour was NOT exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty for the entire duration of the drought/famine (1 Kings 17:16).

Key Take Away: The Oil given is sufficient for the duration of The Wait (the drought, famine, or relay race). There’s always going to be a Wait Time in our walk with God. I will some day (in the future: 2025) understand this Wait Time to be a Time Relay, and will then refer to it as God’s 555 Timer – a device that controls the timing of a God-glorifying event – God’s Grace Timer.

Okay, last but not least … Mathew 25:1-12.

Here, Jesus uses the parable of ten virgins to describe two categories of people – both called, both given everything they needed to respond appropriately to God’s call – Oil (The Word of God), BUT only one was chosen.

WHY?

The parable of the ten virgins gives us some insight into this.

The five foolish virgins were careless hence the name. The foolish tend to care less about the things of God. Case in point: the foolish man who built his house upon the sand (Matthew 7:26-27). With both the man and these virgins, they heard the Word of God but did not do the needful – they did not receive, trust (hold tight to), or rely on the Grace of God. As we saw with the widow of Zarephath, doing the needful (doing the Word of God) is made possible only by Grace (the Spirit of God) – this is what the Angel told and explained to Zechariah inZechariah 4:6.

We are able to do the needful, howbeit humanly impossible, when we believe (actionably, purposefully, usefully receive or keep) the Word of God … when we hold tight to what we’ve been given by God: His Spirit-Word (THE Oil) – all of it. Herein lies the difference between the five foolish virgins vs the five wise virgins. Both were on the same playing field like that of a relay race … both were given all they needed (Grace: The Spirit-Word of God, THE Oil), BUT the foolish five took their God-given Grace forgranted (they cared less about the Spirit-Word of God … they treated Him with less care … they certainly did NOT treat Him as Holy).

One way to look at or better understand the difference between the two groups is that the five foolish virgins held on to a portion of the Oil that they were given – this translates to partial, half, or lukewarm trust in (and obedience to) the Word of God. On the other hand, the five wise virgins held on to ALL of the Oil they were given – this translates to full, unreserved, absolute trust in (and obedience to) the Word of God.

As with any relay race, there was a delay (a planned delay). Nevertheless, the measure of Oil given to each one of them was given based on all things considered (including the delay).

When it was time for the expected end, time to go meet the Bridegroom (the One to Whom and by Whom they were called), the foolish virgins were out of oil – one could say that they were running on fumes or out of juice. They asked the wise virgins for some of their oil BUT they (the wise virgins) said “NO“.

While the wise virgins were right to say “NO“, up until a few weeks ago, I always thought their response was very “not-nice” and not remotely “Christianly”. I went as far as wondering why Jesus would choose (seemingly) not-nice people.

To help correct my misguided perspective on the matter, the HolySpirit showed me what the wise virgins did by saying NO.

In not giving their Oil away, the wise virgins did NOT lose Faith [SeLah]. This is why they were chosen … why they were allowed to come near (to enter in). Also, it is why the answer to the question: How much Oil is needed? is ALL OF IT – ALL of what you’ve been given.

Key Take-Away: The amount of Oil given is exactly what is needed – no more, no less.

The summary of the matter is this 😊 …

Thank you Abba for the gift of YOU (Your Word and Your Spirit). Your Word is the Voice and expression of Your Love. Everything You speak to me is like joyous treasure, filling my life with gladness. Word of God, Your Name is Flowing Oil (Songs of Song 1:3 TPT). You are the joy and the rejoicing of my heart, my heritage forever. Be everything I am and ALL I know. Nothing else will do. Spirit of God, HolySpirit – my marrow, Your presence releases a fragrance so pleasing. I never want to be without You. Thank you for performing ALL things on my behalf.

I didn’t see that coming!!

Growing up, from stories like the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) and the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), I learnt the truth that God is relentlessly patient and that He will pull all stops to get me back.

I AM the LORD your God, I have paid a huge price for you. I gave Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you, that’s how much you mean to Me. Because you are precious in My sight, you are honored and I love you! I’d sell of the whole world to get you back, trade creation just for you.

Isaiah 43:3-4(AMP, MSG)

God’s Love is intense! and I absolutely love and enjoy it! Isaiah 43:3-4 (to me) is a kiss from God! I digress (couldn’t help myself 😊).

Okay … before I get into the HolySpirit-inspired understanding of the revelation that I am worth the wait, let me provide some context: waiting is NOT my forte. It is sooooo NOT my strongest suit.

With that cleared up, I’ll jump right in to how I understood what the HolySpirit showed me about what God said to me: I am worth the wait too.

The wait in this context is what is at the end of the waiting: WHAT God gave me, WHAT I am waiting for. By His grace and choice (nothing to do with what I did or did not do), solely by His choice (a choice made in His love), God made me worth what He gave me. In His choice to give me what He has given me, He simultaneously made me worth it (He made me deserving of it).

Hence, I am worth the wait. I am worth what He gave me. In His love, He designed and crafted what He gave/gives me uniquely and specially for me.

It is sooo like God to make us worthy – When you can, check out Isaiah 53. It describes all the stops God pulled for our salvation, it summarily outlines all that Jesus suffered (including death) so that we may have and enjoy LIFE – verse 4 says: the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, a few verses down (in verse 10), it says: it pleased God to bruise Jesus, to crush Him in pain for us! … for our salvation!

I Corinthians 6:20 says “we were bought with a preciousness” – we were redeemed, bought back from slavery and the bondage of sin and death!

The truth that I am worth the wait (that I am worth what and ALL God has given me) makes waiting desirable! It gives me an incentive to wait. I recognize that waiting might still not be my forte BUT I look to, and undoubtedly trust, the HolySpirit (my Helper and Marrow) to help me wait.

A couple more related revelations …

Revelation 3:11B (no pun intended 😉). Paraphrasing, it says: hold tight to what you’ve been given, keep a tight grip on it so that no one takes it from you.

Reading the above scripture has since led to the question: What has God given me? I ask this question every now and again to take stock of what God has given me and so that (with the help of the HolySpirit) I can hold tight to it and NOT let anything, or anyone (including myself), take them away from me. #NoTakers

Related Revelation #1: If what’s at the end of the waiting is what God gave me, not waiting is a “Taker”. Not waiting deprives me of what God has given me. In other words, it steals it from me.

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy BUT I (Jesus) have come that they (believers) mighthaveand enjoy LIFE – real and eternal life, more abundantly and better than they ever dreamed of.

John 10:10

Not waiting on God is a thief! [SeLaH]

Next 😊 …

Mark 11:24 (NKJV)

“ … whatever you ASK for in prayer, BELIEVE you RECEIVE them, and you will HAVE them.”

There’s the Asking, the Believing, the Receiving, and the Having.

What about the Giving? It’s a done deal! It is not an open or pending item. That part is covered!.

Related Revelation #2: When God says Ask (Matthew 7:7), He already wants to give. Asking is NOT what inspires God’s giving.

I’ve come to learn that:

El Shaddai (Giver of Himself) – the One from Whom ALL blessings flow, Giver of life and every good gift, I acknowledge You, I love You, I appreciate You. Thank you for taking care of me and for loving me the way you do – BECAUSE of you, my heritage is indeed beautiful. You are my inheritance, my prize, my pleasure, my satisfaction, and my portion forever!

I CAN’T wait! (pun intended 😊). I excitedly wait to have and enjoy ALL that You have stored up for me. 1 Corinthians 2:9, 1 Samuel 3:11.

… we can NOT round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the HolySpirit.

Romans 5:5(MSG)

In spite of my natural inclination (weakness), I confidently say I CAN wait because I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me through His Spirit (the HolySpirit) Who is a foretaste of ALL that You have given me and have stored up for me (Ephesians 1:14).

Since my enrollment in the school of surrender, here’s what I’ve learnt …

Surrender leads to MORE. The “math” seems off, but it is intriguingly and assuredly true. John 12:25 MSG    Luke 6:38 MSG    James 4:6

               “The price for all of God is all of me” – SeLaH

Surrender requires humility – letting go of my self–consciousness (my self-orientation). Giving up my sense of self (aspects of my self that I exalt i.e. my reputation, ego, intellect, preferences … fears, weaknesses, insecurities, including my attempts to overcome them). Dying to self.

Surrender is a genuine expression of worship (Romans 12:1 TPT).

I found it fascinating and (more so) endearing that …

God promised Abraham a son (Genesis 17:15-19) —–> God gave Abraham a son – Isaac (Genesis 21:1-3) —–> God asked Abraham to give up Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19).

RE: Call to Surrender – Abba, on the authority of Your Word and on the basis of who You are, I come (Hebrews 4:16 AMPC), I look to You for grace to surrender – to let go of all of me. Thank You HolySpirit for performing this for me (Psalm 57:2). I give my self and my life over to (and in exchange for) You – You are the life I choose.

… okay, off I go – back to class! 😊