Where Are You?

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 26a Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” The creation story is so dear to me, for it show’s light on God’s plan to fellowship with man on a very personal and intimate level. God created man to walk with in the Garden, that we would choose to commune with Him, to have Fellowship with Him and Praise and Worship Him as our Creator. He was not far off, he walked with Adam in the cool of the evening – talking with this man He created. Sin had not yet entered the world; it was still pure, clean, fresh and beautiful. His presence was not harmful to Adam and Eve, for they were at that point – “without sin”. Prior to Lucifer and that whole chain of events, we walked with GOD, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, we walked with our FATHER. Our Father set the guidelines of acceptable behavior and obedience, and the whole world was our playground. The Garden of Eden was beyond any human words of interpretation or description. HE created it for our pleasure, our enjoyment to live FREE and un-tethered, walking with both the Lion and the Lamb. GOD provided everything we needed to survive, there was peace and tranquility, and it was all GOOD! With one simple tiny mental decision, one simple physical act, man instantly separated himself from the presence of GOD. Had Adam thought the whole process out, he would not have bit into the fruit. GOD warned him, GOD told him what the consequences of disobedience would be, and yet he “chose” to disobey, with his eyes wide open to the results of that choice. He chose a moment of instant gratification over an “eternity” of life with his Father and the ruling over the earth. Think about it, before the bite into the “Fruit of Good & Evil” there was NO DEATH – Life was eternal!!! He literally gave up Eternity and Physical Perfection with GOD, to please his wife and taste the fruit. In some 7000+ years since the Garden of Eden, man still chooses the temptations of this life over eternity with GOD. Even people that call themselves Christians today, walk so close to the line of separation, that you can literally see no difference in their life – from that of the unsaved. Christ came to pay the price of redemption by spilling His own blood, and laying down His own life so that we may be “restored” to our original purpose. God created us for fellowship, to love Him because we want to, to be obedient as a product of that love for Him. We are drawn to Him, seeking His Righteousness and Holiness, following His Son and conforming to Christ’s likeness. To that point, we read in 1st Corinthians 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. The Lord wants us to walk HIS path, and not our own – separating ourselves from the world’s ways. Because He loves us, He chastens us as we are told in Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourgeth every son whom he receives. We that truly follow Him will hear His calling or tugging of our hearts when we submit to our will and not His. He wants us to follow His teachings willingly, but the Spirit that dwells within us will speak to our hearts when we drift away – calling us – “where are you?” I will not sit here and tell you that it is easy, but I will tell you that if you seek His face, He will bless your faithfulness. There is no special formula to get closer with God, it is simply a choice, a commitment and the submission of your desires to Him and His will. As you exercise your faith, relying on Him and looking back over your path to see HIS HAND in your life, He will honor that faith and fill your heart. As you grow in His Holy Spirit, He will move you from one level of Glory to the next. So tell me, “where are you” in your spiritual walk? Are you enjoying the Blessings of walking in His Light, are you sharing the Gospel with friends? Do those around you see the Fruit of the Spirit in your life? Or are you stumbling, weak in the knees and feeling Spiritually unfulfilled? Practice what you believe – put feet to your faith! Bend your knees in humility and pray to Almighty God to work in your life, commit to Him and then follow through. Show Him that you mean business, that you are not lazy in practicing your faith. Step out and help someone you know that is in need. Take a meal to a widow that is in need of a meal or a friend. Study the B-Attitudes taught in Matthew and plug into a few and practice them in your homes, neighborhoods and communities. Meet with your Pastor or a Deacon and figure out what your Spiritual Gifts are and put them to work in service for the Lord. PLUG IN! You want to feel closer to God, then get busy and SERVE HIM – and Him alone. Both feet in His Spirit, one foot in the world will leave you double minded and of no use to Him. If you don’t know Christ, He can’t call you friend, God will not hear your voice and you can’t answer the call “Where are you?” Let a comment at the bottom of this post, and I will introduce you to Jesus Christ, and walk you through some basic truths that you must learn in order to understand your Spiritual condition. He is waiting to greet you with open arms, he is standing at the door of your heart knocking, and the only thing you have to do is open the door. HE will do the rest. “Dear Father in Heaven, we come to your Throne Room in awe, and in humility understanding our position in creation. Father, we thank you Dear Lord for allowing your Son to come to this earth and pay the price to redeem our lost souls. Thank you father for once again providing A Way to get to you through the veil, and standing before you justified and redeemed, wrapped in your precious Son’s righteousness. Father if there be even one soul out there that reads this message, and seeks Your Face, then let all creation rejoice, and I will give YOU all the Glory and Praise. We thank You Father for your many blessings, and that peace that escapes all explanation that You pour out in times of need. Be with your children this week Lord, give us strength to walk Your path, and seek Your will. In all these things we will give all Praise, we praise in Jesus Name, Amen.”