Which of these two trees are you eating from?

Four years ago, I read Rick Joyner’s book titled there were two trees in the garden and it was quite enlightening.  Two weeks ago when I was reading a book titled the secret place (by Dale A Fife) I had more understanding that the incident in the Garden of Eden still continues. Up to the present moment man is either eating from the tree of life or from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Death is inevitable when man continues to eat from the tree of knowledge.  

Genesis 2:15-17 “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The greatest enemy of man is Satan. He comes in a subtle way to deceive man into believing that the word of God and his promises are not true. He usually asks the question “did God really say?” Our response however, determines the kind of tree that we would eventually eat from.

 

Satan continues to ask the question, has God said that you were healed, has God said you will have an increase in your income, has God said you will have a child, has God said your spouse or child will come back home. Has God said you can be delivered from this addiction, depression, bondage? Has God said that person deserves your forgiveness? Has God said you must pay back all you owe? Has God said your marriage will be successful? Has God said you will get the job? Can God forgive all your sins? Has God said he will furnish a table for you in the wilderness? Has God said you have power to move mountains? The questions are endless. Your response to these questions determines the kind of tree you are eating from. Satan deceived Adam and Eve into believing a lie and they eventually disobeyed God.

Genesis 3:1-3: “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

The tree of knowledge of good and evil signifies anything that is not ordered by God. That thing might be good, it might be true but if it has not been commanded by God then it becomes the tree of Knowledge. Any act of disobedience, lack of faith, doubt, not standing on the promises of God etc signifies eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Anyone who is living a life of disobedience to God is dying slowly without being aware of it. The more we eat from the tree of knowledge, the more our focus is being taken away from God. Anyone who is not walking in the spirit is eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

You become a slave to the person you obey and you have no choice than to hand over all your power and authority to him. That is how the devil acquires power. He gets it by deception because he is a thief.

Romans 6:16: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Jesus Christ himself is the tree of life. When we walk in obedience to his word then we are feeding on him. Feeding on him brings life to our spirits soul and body. Jesus is the bread of life. He is the word of God. That is why he said in the book of John that unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood we do not have life in us. When Jesus preached this message, many of his followers left.

John 6:53: “Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”

In order for us to continually eat from the tree of life we need the help of the Holy Spirit. He is the teacher who leads and guides us.  We need to depend on him daily and stay focused. It takes total focus on God to hear his voice and obey.

John 10:27-30: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

Continuous focus on God causes a change in our nature because we become more like him. The more we become like him, the easier it becomes for us to obey his word.  

Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

 

Enjoy the blessings of God.

The Friends of God

It is amazing and wonderful to know that the creator of the universe has friends amongst the people he has created in his own image. It is also heartening to know that he still wants to make more friends. Many will want to make friends with the presidents of nations, ambassadors or affluent people of good reputation. These people however have limited capacity to accommodate all those who want to befriend them. The all powerful, invincible, all knowing, supreme, excellent, unlimited, infinite and all pervading God has the capacity to accommodate you.  His invitation is opened to whosoever is willing. There is however one condition that needs to be fulfilled before you can be one of his friends.

John 15:14-15: “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

As we can see from the above passage, the condition to be fulfilled in order to be a friend of God is obedience to him. Disobedience drives us away from the presence of God while obedience draws us closer to him. When we are away from God’s presence, we become vulnerable to the enemy.

Psalm 91:1: “He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Disobedience drew Jonah away from God and he ended up in the belly of a fish. When we don’t obey God we are rubbed of our authority over the works of the enemy.

James 4:7: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

What has God told you to do? Has he told you to be more committed to him? Has he told you that the only way to him is through Jesus Christ? Has he told you to make that phone call? Has he told you to humble yourself and forgive that person who has offended you? Has he told you to go back to your first love? Has he told you to relate in love to your wicked boss at work? Has he told you to break off from that unhealthy relationship? Do you walk with him and rely on him daily? It is wise to do whatsoever he has asked you to do because he is wiser than you.

John 2:5: “His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Many love the Lord but are still struggling in the area of disobedience. Actually, it takes the grace of God to live a life of obedience. The grace of God is very essential to live a life pleasing to him.  Grace is the divine ability to do the things you cannot do by your own strength or ability. Grace is a gift that comes from God and we can have more of his grace in times of need. The word of God says that more grace is multiplied unto us as we increase in the knowledge of God. The more we know him, the more grace we receive to live an obedient life. The more obedient we are, the closer our relationship will be with him.

2 Peter 1:2: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

We get to know God more by spending time with him.  Learn to be still and focus on his love. Staying in a quite place and listening to good worship music is usually helpful. In that stillness you will hear his voice. Learn to talk to him about everything, “the good, the bad and the ugly.” Study his word regularly and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Learn to appreciate him by praising and worshipping him.

 John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

It is in God’s presence that we receive the divine enablement and the desire to live a life of obedience. Intimacy with God increases our knowledge of him. More grace is released to us from his presence and obedience comes from us effortlessly. Obeying him comes naturally from us because God’s divine nature has rubbed on us from his presence. We can then say with the psalmist that all our desire is to be in his presence.

Psalm 27:4: “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

Make the decision today to be one of God’s friends. Enjoy his presence daily and live a life that glorifies his name.

Enjoy the blessings of God.

The Word of God in Your Mouth

I was praying on the morning of the 11th March 2012 when the Lord spoke to me clearly and said, “Whenever you pray in Jesus name, whatever you ask or say becomes My words and so it must come to pass.” The Lord then reminded me about the power of his voice in the book of psalms.

Psalms 29: 3-9: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes; the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”

The above verses give me the confidence to pray more often in the name of Jesus. This is because I am more aware that the words coming out of my mouth are powerful. The word of God comes out like thunder destroying every obstacle in its way. Anything preventing the glory of God from manifesting in my life must bow and crumble in the name of Jesus. The word of God in my mouth carries his authority. He speaks through me because he dwells in me and I am his temple.

Corinthians 6:19: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

We therefore need to be full of gratitude and thanksgiving to God. After we have made our request known through prayers to him, we need to honour him and magnify his holy name.

Psalms 29:1-22: Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

The above psalm describes us as mighty ones. Other versions say we are heavenly beings or the sons of God. The word of God also says we are gods. When you pray, those words are coming out of a mighty one, a heavenly being who is in Christ Jesus sited at the right hand of God. Remember that you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. You belong to the Kingdom of God and this kingdom cannot be limited by natural laws.

Psalm 82:6: “I said, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.”

Considering all these things, all your anxiety must cease. Pray about all your needs and give glory to God. This is because your prayer requests are already stamped as okay in heaven. When heaven says okay, the earth has no choice but to agree. Understanding this truth fills your heart with the peace of God. This makes it easy for you to wait patiently for your delivery to come in. You will have an “express delivery” if you maintain a positive confession.

Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Learn to speak to bad situations and command them to change in the name of Jesus. Stop complaining to God about them because God is waiting for you to use the authority that he has given you.

Matthew 8:23-27: “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marvelled, saying, “Who this can be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus spoke to situations; so we his children must do likewise. As a new creation, your spirit man is just like Jesus.

1 John 4:17: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”
We must be bold and strong. We must open our mouth with confidence and the Lord will fill us with his word.

Psalm 81:10: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

Prayer points.

1. Lord help me to see and understand who I am in Christ Jesus.

2. Lord help me to know that your words in my mouth are powerful to make your kingdom manifest in my life.

3. Every negative word that I might have uttered be renounced in Jesus name.

Enjoy the blessings of God

The Greatness of God

The book of Isaiah gives us a good idea of how great our God is.

Isaiah 40:12-26 (NLT) “who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice? No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God. The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing- mere emptiness and froth. To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble him? Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? Or if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won’t decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won’t fall down! Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God- the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?

God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them. He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff. “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.”

These verses are not adequate enough to describe God’s greatness. All the books in the world are not enough to describe God’s greatness. We can only describe him from the little revelation he has given us. The greatness of God should give us the confidence that he is more than able to deliver us from trouble. God delivers those who put their hope and trust in him.

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT)” He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

In any situation, God is up to the task. He fulfils his promises. You might be in prison, hospital, before a court judge or before a panel. Anytime you need help, just call upon God and he will answer you. He will show you great and mighty things that you do not know about your situation and future.

Jeremiah 33:1-3 (NLT) “While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the LORD gave him this second message: “This is what the LORD says- he LORD who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the LORD: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come".

Has the Lord made any promises to you that have not come to pass? Please continue to trust in him because he who has promised will surely do it. Hold on to the word of God like a lion holding on to its prey and won’t let go. What God has promised you is settled in heaven and so it must surely manifest in your life. The covenant that God has with the day and night has never been broken. Therefore the covenant that God has with you through our Lord Jesus Christ can never be broken. It is a covenant of righteousness, peace, good health, prosperity and freedom.

All these blessings and many more must manifest in our lives as children of God. God who has promised these things, he is faithful and will surely do it. When circumstances or issues arise, be focused on the power of God to pull you through. Begin to see the solution to your problem and magnify the Lord. You will soon discover that your circumstance will not be able to stand against your God. When you begin to sing about the greatness of God, your circumstance must change for the better and everyone will surely acknowledge the greatness of your God.

Song
How great is our God
Sing with me                                                                 
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God.
Name above all names
He is worthy of all praise
My heart will sing how great is our God.


Enjoy the blessings of God