Genesis 1:26-28 (Amplified) tells us, "God said, Let Us (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), make mankind in Our Image (after Our Likeness), and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the (tame) beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His Own Image, in the Image and Likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God Blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful (multiply and fill the earth), and subdue it, using all its vast resources in the service of God and man; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the aid, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth."
The Father intended for His children to live in His Presence and have His Blessing in their lives, so they could grow and flourish upon the earth He created for them. The Father would walk with, teach, Love, and be in constant fellowship with His children, as He watched them grow and increase. Mankind had no way of knowing how to function in this earth or even in the spirit, so God formed a body for the spirit being of mankind to live in, as they took authority and dominion over this natural environment which was their home. As mankind grew in knowledge and understanding, they would know God as closely as they knew one another. God was to be their Father and mankind was to live in intimate relationship with Him, as His family.
Through Jesus and our faith in Him, we've become new creation family and have been returned to God's Original Intention. God has a family to love, provide for and have the same relationship with, that He had with Adam and Jesus. We're to know, understand, talk with, hear from, and be taught and led by God's Holy spirit and His Presence in our lives. He isn't just someone to be aware of in our lives, but He is Someone to love and appreciate as our Father.
Having "the fear of the Lord," doesn't mean being afraid of or dreading His punishment, but is honoring, learning from and being in perfect fellowship with Him at all times. The world and man's religion, have made the relationship so difficult, causing us to lose the joy in the relationship, not only for us, but for Him too. Sadly, it's seemingly come to the point where we think it miraculous if we hear God's Voice. This isn't the family relationship that God Intended from the beginning. It's not the family God desired when He decided to have family. We were and are, to have perfect fellowship, understanding and the authority God gave to us from the start.
Adam never had a problem hearing from or knowing his Father's Voice or His instructions. Jesus never had a problem hearing or knowing His Father's Voice, in His earthly ministry. We've never spent the time to know and be able to distinguish the Father's Voice from other voices that are constantly speaking in today's world.
The Father has never tried disguising His Voice or Presence from us. Through Jesus, Grace has granted us the very entry into God's Very Presence, just like Jesus did. Jesus declared that He was "the Door into God's Presence" and that we can "Come boldly into His Throne of Grace" at any time, in order to find Grace and mercy to help in our time of need. I don't believe that God only wants us to come into His Throne of Grace just when we need something, but to come in to fellowship with Him too.
No father wishes to only talk to or hear from his children, only when they're in trouble or need something. God's children are His delight and He went to a lot of trouble, in order to restore this place for us and for Himself. It wasn't pity, but God's Love that has brought us back for His Own pleasure and our's too. We never knew Him before sin and death separated us from Him. We've only known the separation and being without Him. Jesus opened the way back into family relationship for us and God.
The state of separation caused us to believe that God only tolerates us, because of Jesus. Man's religion has taught us to fear God's punishment, instead of believing He Loves us as His family. Many believe God is waiting for us to mess up, so that He can set us straight. Do you think God doesn't know that the years of mankind's being separated from Him, has made it difficult for us to communicate and walk with Him? God has sent His Own Holy Spirit to live in us, to guide us and to restore His family back to unity with Him at all times.
Many believers only spend short amounts of time praying for help, instead of enjoying being in His Presence. We've been taught that we can never know God's will for us or that we can never know Him. We see God sitting on a Throne. He is seated on the Throne of Power, but that doesn't mean He is always in the place of all power, at all times. We've been invited to come in, learn, and talk with God about the way things are done in the Kingdom.
God doesn't just sit on the Throne, barking orders, but He is active in the Universe He created, keeping it in perfect order for us to inhabit. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of His and our Father. He isn't stationary, but is directing things on earth, from the Kingdom. When Jesus came to Paul on the Road to Damascus, He wasn't sitting on a throne, but was representing the Power of His Throne, here on earth.
We've known about God, but Jesus "knew Him." The people asked Jesus in John 8:19 (Amplified), "Where is this Father of Your's? Jesus answered, You know My Father as little as you know Me, if you knew Me, you would know My Father also." We've accused God of doing things that we would never think of Jesus doing. We only see Jesus doing good and helping those in trouble, during His earthly walk. Jesus never put sickness on anyone, but only took the sickness off of them. We never read about Jesus' refusing to help the people. We only see Jesus helping those who needed Him.
The people were astonished at Jesus' Wisdom and teachings, in John 7:16-17 (Amplified), which says, "Jesus answered them by saying, My teaching is not My Own but His Who sent Me. If any man desires to do His will (God's pleasure), he will know (have needed illumination to recognize and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from Myself and of My Own accord and on My Own authority." We've been Blessed with the ability to know what is from God and what is from man's authority and carnal mind.
1John 2:27 (Amplified) says, "But as for you, the anointing (the Sacred appointment, the unction), which you received from Him abides permanently in you so then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart) from Him, being rooted in Him (knit to Him) just as His anointing has taught you to do."
Paul writes about the believers in Colossians 1:9,10-11 (Amplified), "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it (their love for God and the brethren) have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep, and clear knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom (in comprehensive insight) into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things." Paul tells us why this is so important to the believer, in Verses 10-11, saying, "That you may walk, live and conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God with fuller and clearer and deeper insight acquaintance and recognition. We pray that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the Might of His Glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience, perseverance, and forbearing WITH JOY."
The trials come from the enemy and the world. The Might of God's Glory and the knowledge to persevere, come from our knowing Him, His will, and His Person in the Holy Spirit. If God is the Problem, then we have no answer. If God is your Answer, then you have no problem. James writes about being double-minded, in James 1:8 (Amplified) saying, "For being as he is, a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), he is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides."
We must learn to "know the Father" Jesus taught about and stop being double-minded about some of the things men say about Him. We must know God for ourselves, instead of from hearsay and the opinion of others. The relationship others have with the Father, might be slanted by the opinions of carnally minded men/women. They might not know Him for themselves. Religion has left us to being unable to trust Him or know Him. I heard someone say once, "Faith begins where the will of God is known." If you don't know God's will, then pray what Paul prayed in Colossians 1:9-11. Ask to know God in the "clear, full, knowledge of His will, in all Spiritual insight and understanding that then you can walk worthy of the Lord, filled with Spiritual Wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things."
No comments:
Post a Comment