Genesis 3:4-6
"You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
What fruit is the enemy dangling in front of you today? What is he trying to trick, bribe, or coerce you into taking today? Don't take the bait! I'm gonna share something with you: I was the fruit the enemy dangled in front of my wife, but by the grace of God, she did not bite! One of my wife's deepest desires was to have a husband, and the enemy knew this. My wife had prayed for one for a long while, and then one day, she met me. And though I was serving the Lord, I was still struggling with sexual purity, and the enemy knew that also.
So, my wife and I begin to date, and as we dated, there was a divide that started to develop. Looking back now, we know why, but at the time, we didn't know. My wife even said she felt like God told her I was the one. But in my heart, I wanted more physical things, and my wife knew that was a way to keep me around. But she didn't do it! She gave up the one thing she had been praying for to honor God and obey His Word! She believed that if He had promised it to her, then He would make the way, and she wasn't going to compromise her faith or her obedience to do it! She did not use physical means to acquire a spiritual blessing! He still had a lot of refining to do on me, but He is faithful! Thank You, Jesus, for Your merciful and patient love that brought us back together, and thank You for this beautiful blessing of my wife.
I say all this not to glorify my sins but to give God glory and prove a point. If you looked at me and my wife's build and makeup, you would think I'm the strong and courageous one, but the truth is she is a warrior! Strength and courage come in many different forms, and sometimes it doesn't look like what we think it should. But it is a gift from God to all who love and obey Him!
So, how many of us could look at something we have been praying for a long time, something we thought God told us would be ours, something we desired so deeply it hurt, and then turn around and surrender it back to Him out of faith, reverence, and obedience? Unwilling to compromise truth just to receive what we want? That, my friends, is the heart of a warrior! Let us pray that we, too, can walk with a fierce and courageous boldness in Him today!
Psalm 73:26- My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
John 14:15- "If you love me, keep my commands."
God bless! I love you all, but His love gives strength! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
Genesis 3:8,9
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Adam and Eve had just partaken of the forbidden fruit and were now hiding in their shame, guilt, and sin, yet what do we see our God do? We see Him pursue them even though they had sinned and were hiding from Him. How thankful I am that our God pursues us even when we fall into sin and hide from Him. He doesn’t give up on us or leave us to our fate but faithfully tries to get our attention and turn us back to Him. How beautiful it is that God Almighty pursued them in the garden, not to destroy them but to give them the promise of Christ to come!
Our God is in the business of redemption; He has the market cornered. For no man could redeem himself; the powers that held him too strong and his flesh too weak. But praise God from whom all blessings flow! The same powers that are too strong for us are firmly under His feet and no match for our King. Jesus didn’t just come and barely make it; He came and dominated in every form and fashion. He isn’t just barely enough but always more than enough.
I may not know what you’re facing today, but I do know Who wants to face it with you! He is an unchanging and unwavering God, so if He pursued them in the garden, He will pursue us this day! Let us never forget that Christ has come and pursued us to the point of death and resurrection – He wants us that badly! The question becomes, will we stop running and start surrendering?
Psalm 139:7-10- Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
God bless! I love you all, but His love chases us down even before we know it! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!
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