Genesis 3:8-10 – “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God, several things gripped my heart and invited me to examine them more fully.

In Genesis 3:8-19, we find the encounter with God after Adam and Eve’s rebellion.   Yes, I said rebellion and elevated their disobedience to more than a simple sanitized act of sin. It transformed the race and relationship with God.  It was a cosmic rebellion.   If we viewed sin that way, disobeying would become more difficult.

God asked Adam three questions.  God already knew the answer, but in His infinite grace, He was forcing Adam to face and acknowledge his rebellion.  The questions are foundations for redemption.

• Where are you?

Adam was hiding.  When sin enters our hearts, we tend to hide rather than ashamedly go to God in repentance.  We attempt to cover our shame with works and masks (fig leaves).

• Who told you?

Adam’s excuse was, “I’m naked, so in my shame, I hid.” We should ask ourselves, “Whose voice are we listening to?” Satan, self, or God (through the Holy Spirit and the Word).  It defines and determines our destiny.

• Did you eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat?

God is bringing it home and opening the door for repentance and restoration.

Sadly, Adam did what we tend to do, or we tend to do what Adam did.  He shifted the blame.  He blamed Eve (another person or circumstances), and then he blamed God.  “The woman You gave me!” Imagine blaming God!

Wait, isn’t that what people do all the time?   We offer excuses, saying, “If only…because…or something!”   It is my gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, etc.  I’m just the victim!   I’ve often wondered what God would have done had Adam simply said, “Lord, I’m guilty, I disobeyed, forgive me.”   Grace, as revealed in the New Covenant, reveals God’s heart to forgive and restore!  Denying sin and shifting the blame takes us deeper into darkness.

Eve did precisely the same as Adam.  “Don’t blame me; it was the snake!” You can even hear the inference, “Hey, God, the snake You created tricked me.  So, I’m not to blame You and the slithering snake are!”

God’s desire is restoration!  Our unconfessed sin blocks God’s forgiveness and enslaves us to the desires of the flesh.  Depravity of the heart produces pride and arrogance.   One translation of Genesis 4:1 reveals Eve’s self-justification and confidence in what the sneaky snake told her, “You shall be as God.”   When Cain was born, she said, “I have created a man just as God did!”

When man lost his innocence and became disobedient, he became compelled to find redemption in himself.  That imprisoned him to the desires of the flesh and stole from him God’s fullness.

Jesus came to restore us and give us the Kingdom.  He came to free us from the flesh and the devil.  He came to enable us to live in freedom.  If we are struggling with thoughts or actions, we can be free.   All we need is in Jesus.   

All He is available.   But we access that freedom ONLY in repentance.  We stand before God and say, “I’m guilty!”   In repentance, we become enabled to be and do what God desires.  Sin is not just a mistake or misstep.  It is rebellion!  Repentance is not saying, “I’m sorry,” it is doing a 180-degree turn.  It is allowing God to purge from us all elements of rebellion and restore us.  There is power in a transformed life that brings us God’s blessings and draws others to Jesus.

God has given us Freedom, so let’s be free by being honest with him and ourselves in everything!

May your day be filled with consciousness of the Presence of God!

2 Kings 6:15-17 – “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city.  And the servant said, “Alas, my master!  What shall we do?” ¹⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 

A powerful reminder filled my consciousness as I read, prayed, and considered the Word of God today.  I was reminded of the importance of being alert, keeping the heart filled with God, and the reality that we are not alone.

In Luke 21:34-36, Jesus gave the disciples stages of warning regarding the Last Days.  I believe we are in those days, and 2025 is the beginning of the last jubilee before the millennial kingdom.

The danger is that we either become complacent, fail to keep the fire burning in our hearts, let down our guards, or become entrapped and unprepared.   Another danger is that we become fearful because of increased evil and chaos.  We lose hope, thinking we are doomed.

The deterrent for that is to continually focus on God and be alert.   One thing we need to keep us focused, encouraged, and ready is found in 2 Kings 6 and 2 Chronicles 32.  What is that?  Elisha’s prayer for his servant to have spiritual eyes to see and Hezekiah’s declaration to the people.   Both referred to the same truth, “There are more with us than those coming against us.” Jesus’ words are an additional reminder, “I could ask the Father, and He would send more than 12 legions of angels to me.”

In these Last Days, we need to stir up the flame of the Spirit in us, focusing on God, His goodness, His Promises, His person, and power!  Then, we need to remind ourselves that we are never alone and that there are more with us than with them (no matter who them is).  We are Victorious in Jesus!  Tough times are coming, but we have cause to rejoice – God is with us and in us!

I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to my heart, “What can stop you?” Before I could answer, I knew it was me!   Nothing can stop us but us!  Christ is in us, so if we stay focused and alert and never lose sight of the truth, that there are MORE WITH US than with the enemy, we are undefeatable!

Keep your eyes open and keep looking up, for truly, there are more with us than with them!   Have a fantastic day in Jesus!

2 Chronicles 20:5-6 – “And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, ⁶ and said, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. “

Today, a new day is dawning, and it is a day created by God to disclose His plan and bring us deeper into His Kingdom.   Some treasures and revelations are on the surface unveiled by time, but others have to be mined.   God’s immense love leads us into discovery, empowering us to live in His fullness.

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God, I was drawn to an old favorite account in 2 Chronicles 20.   That was expanded in Luke’s gospel and will challenge me to dig deeper.

The account of Jehoshaphat, when the Moabites, Ammonites, and others united to invade Judah, is filled with revelatory inspiration. Jehoshaphat was afraid, and to his credit, he did not try to hide or deny it.  He called the people together for a public prayer meeting.  His prayer is filled with golden nuggets of revelation and provides a followable example for us in difficulty.

In front of everyone, Jehoshaphat began with a question for God: “Are you not God in heaven?”  His prayer was a reminder to God of his faith and trust in God.   It was a reminder to himself and the people who God is.  It shifted the focus from imminent destruction to the Living God.   It provided a foundation upon which faith can rest.

He then asked, “Are you not our God?”   That was vital. This public question was an expression of honor and covenant with God—You are Our God!  We belong to You!

He detailed the problem and confessed: “We are powerless in ourselves against this invader, and we don’t know what to do—BUT what we know to do is focus on You!”   That’s our flaw too often—the wrong focus!

The prophet, Jahaziel, was moved by the prayer, and the Spirit of God gave God’s response – “Cool your jets; God has not failed you yet. Banish fear, and don’t try to figure this out. The battle is not yours… (But I’m the one being attacked). The battle is God’s!  You won’t fight this one.“    His instructions that many struggle with – Take your position, stand, and watch God be God!

Jehoshaphat, through a revelation and total submission, said, “Believe in Adonai, you God, and you will be confirmed; Trust in His prophets, and you will succeed.”   Trust and obey!   Through praise and singing, they saw God move.  Their simple but difficult obedience opened the door for the supernatural, and victory came.

In Luke 19:44, we see the power of revelation and the importance of being aware of God’s presence and guidance. Jesus told them that failure to recognize God’s hand in any situation (which leads to trying to do it in the flesh) results in devastation.   Visitation or devastation results from wrong focus and failure to follow God’s revelatory instructions!

Let’s be like Jehoshaphat and look to God, embracing our fears and inability in the natural and focus on God!   He is our battle fighter!  He is our deliverer!

Never give up, and keep looking up – God is God!

Luke 11:2-4 – “So Jesus taught them this prayer: “Our heavenly Father, may the glory of your name be the center on which our life turns.  May your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.  Manifest your kingdom on earth. 3 And give us our needed bread for the coming day.  4 Forgive our sins as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.  And rescue us every time we face tribulations.” 

Today is unfolding as a day to be unfolded.   It seems each step has distractions and detours to navigate.  It is not bad, but each step requires a pause to ask, “What now, Lord?”   My daily routine is being pushed to the side.   It will be an exciting day, and God’s purposes will be attained.

As I began reading, praying, and pondering the Word, Jesus’s model prayer in Luke 11 captured my thoughts.   No matter how many times I read it, something fresh is discovered.

He began by directing the focus on the Father.  The phrasing in the Passion Translation spoke powerfully to my heart. “…May the Glory of Your Name be the center upon which our life turns.”    Think about that. The starting place of every day is God, and He is to be the source from which we live.    He is to be the center of every word, action and thought. That opens the door to everything!

He then asked for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to come, convict, convince, and convert us.   He desired that we be bathed in God’s mercy and grace and thoroughly purged of our sins.   God is central, and out of that recognition, we receive cleansing.

Those two factors open the door to revelation and enable us to experience the Kingdom.  The kingdom flows out of the manifested Jesus, and we enter that in a state of total surrender and spiritual regeneration.   Then, with God and the spiritual elevated to the pinnacle of our lives, we turn to our daily needs—bread for food, naturally and spiritually.

With God Supreme, our hearts are purified, and a consciousness of God’s manifestation (kingdom), our daily needs are supplied, and we do more introspection that exposes our hearts.   In the light of our own forgiveness from God, we forgive others.

In that heightened state of consciousness of God, totally surrendered to Him, saturated with the Spirit, and Spirit-led, we elevate our confidence in God. “Rescue us every time we face tribulations.”

The illustration that Jesus gave as an addendum is powerful. Persistence is the key!   We get right in our hearts, which translates to being right in our lives.   We often pray the model prayer without expectation.    We ask, and it doesn’t happen, and we quickly conclude it must not be God’s will.   NO!   Persist. “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season we reap IF we don’t quit!”

Pursue God above everything and then refuse to stop pursuing the promises!  There is power, promise, and provision in PERSISTENCE! 
No matter what, PERSIST!

In your questions of “What Next or What Now?” rest in His goodness and keep looking up, for our redemption is drawing very near!

Luke 8:10 – “He said, “You have been given a teachable heart to perceive the secret, hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom realm. But to those without a listening heart, my words are merely stories. Even though they have eyes, they are blind to the true meaning of what I say, and even though they listen, they won’t receive full revelation.”

As I rose before my usual early hour, I felt uneasiness in my spirit. Many of my friends and acquaintances are engaged in extreme spiritual warfare, and my heart is breaking for them. I was reminded of Peter and John’s act at the Gate Beautiful and a revelation contained in Peter’s words and actions.

The illustration in Luke 8, the parable of the Sower and types of soil, captured my thoughts with this understanding: ‘Listen with the heart.’ In verse 10, Jesus said, “You have been given a teachable heart to perceive the secret hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom realm. But to those without a listening heart, My words are merely stories.”

Many struggle within, and when pressure is applied, the fruit of the heart overflows.  We struggle with how to help those who are struggling.   In Luke 6, Jesus compared our lives to fruit trees.  We can only give what we have or what we truly are.

Luke 6:44 – “Every tree will be revealed by the quality of fruit it produces.”   In verse 45, “For the overflow of what had been stored in your heart will be seen by your fruit and will be heard in your words.” In verse 46, He emphasized that it is not what we claim to be but what we truly are that reveals the heart.  

The proof is in the pudding. We can’t hide the overflow. Love for God is impossible to hide. It is evidenced by love for others.   We cannot truly give what others need until we give God our whole hearts.   What they need is not simply natural.  Anyone can address material needs, but only God can address the needs of the heart.  We can only give what we have and what we are.

• If we want to bring others to wholeness, we must be made whole ourselves.
• If we want to see the captive freed, we must be set free!
• If we truly give God our lives, we receive His life and can then give that to others.

We need to gaze into the mirror of the Word, and as we see our glaring needs, we give them to Jesus.   We exchange our deficiencies for His wholeness.   It is out of that flow of wholeness that we give to those in need.   We are to flow through channels of grace!   What we need and what they need is at our disposal.   Our part is total surrender.   Then, out of our transformation, we give, and that gift releases the flow of wholeness.

Allow the Holy Spirit to bring you to wholeness so you can bring others into the presence of the Living LORD!