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. 8 The LORD God “planted a garden” eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:7-8 NKJV
Let’s drop down to verse 15.15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2:15 NKJV
It says that the LORD God planted a garden and put Adam in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. So, what we can extract from these passages of Scripture is that Adam was positioned and given an assignment by God. His assignment was to manage the Garden of Eden. Most people have a misconception of why God created mankind. The short answer is that God desired a family, and in doing so, He gave us the privilege to help manage His creation. As a result of the fall, the powers of darkness have conditioned the minds of people in the world to follow their own selfish desires. The world will tell you if it feels good, then do it! But what they won’t tell you is that there are consequences to sin; Romans 6:23. The world will advise you that you can be whatever you want to be! But what they won’t advise you, is that you should first seek God’s plan for your life. The world’s way of thinking is a common fallacy of man due to the fallen state of mankind. The truth is that we were created by God for God. Let’s look at Colossians 1:16-17For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV
God has delivered us out of the bondage of sin and from under the rulership of Satan so that we may live for Him. Therefore, we must train our hearts and minds to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 says:I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. Galatians 5:16-17 NKJV
God created man as a three dimensional being. That is, He created man spirit, soul, and body; 1 Thess. 5:23. Understand the flesh, in its fallen state, is never satisfied! It doesn’t matter how much money or material possessions people obtain, people, who live according to the world, will always want more. Our flesh was never designed to dominate our soul and spirit. That being said, our flesh can only be tamed through redemption in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. As you continue along your spiritual journey, you begin to realize more and more, that the only way to overcome the flesh is to deny it in its lust. Let’s look at 1 John 2:16-17.For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16-17
This verse gives us an understanding of the condition of the world, in which we have been delivered out of! And with everything that’s happening in the earth, God still gives us all a free-will.
Free-will means the ability to choose. It doesn’t give us the freedom to live a lifestyle apart from God’s law. God said in His Word, “I set before you life and death, choose life; Deut. 30:19! Adam chose to disobey God and was kicked out of the Garden of Eden. He made a decision that negatively impacted nature and all of humanity. The good news is that we have been restored back in right standing with God, through faith in Jesus Christ!God’s Plan
For some people, life would be perfect if they could relocate to their own private island. Now, as tempting as that may sound, it would leave a gap in what God has created them to do.Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (NLT)
Therefore, you must seek God with all your heart for Him to reveal your divine purpose. In Jeremiah 29:13, God says, “You will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”13 …You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity. Jeremiah 29:13-14 (NLT)
God wants your whole heart! He doesn’t want you to have one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. For some people, they’re trying to dip their toe in the water, but God says, “You must be fully submerged by My Spirit! Prior to salvation, so much of our lives were self-centered around what we wanted to do, and therefore, we lacked wisdom and direction. Therefore, as Spirit-filled believers, God exhorts us to be cautious and walk wisely. Let’s look at Ephesians 5:15 -16 says:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. -Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV
When you understand what the will of God is for your life, and you begin to step out in faith, God will give you wisdom on how to walk out your destiny so that you will avoid wasting time. What we see repeatedly throughout Scripture is God partnering with men and women to accomplish His will. Philippians 2:13 says, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Therefore, your focus should be on what God wants to do in and through you. It’s something about when you go all in with God, God’s hand begins to move mightily in your life. All of a sudden, God begins to shift pieces on the chess board of life. God will fight against those that fight against you; Isaiah 49:25! He will bless the work of your hands! And by the grace of God, you obtain favor with God and favor with man. Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you; Matthew 6:33!Modeling Christ
As children of God, we should be modeling our life after Christ. Our mindset should be centered around fulfilling divine purpose. When we study the life of Christ, we see how He was able to fulfill His assignment in such a short period of time. He said “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). Therefore, He was able to be effective because He understood His purpose even at an early age. Here are a few questions for you to ponder on today:- Have you asked God what your purpose is in life? God said you have not because you asked not; James 4:2-3.
- What are you good at? God will equip you for what He has called you to do. If you don’t have a voice to sing, then God probably has not called you to sing.
- What brings joy to your heart?
- If money wasn’t an issue, what would you be doing?
Take Inventory of Your Gifts and Talents
Let’s look at Matt. 25:14-1814 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
V) 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. Matthew 25:14-18 NKJV
Now, without listing the entire chapter, what we can extract from these several passages of Scripture is that God gave you at least one talent. Secondly, we want to avoid being like the man who had received the one talent but hid it in the ground. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. When Christ chose His disciples, He didn’t go to the religious leaders. Instead, He chose 12 ordinary men. After Christ ascension, it opened up the flood gates for ordinary men to receive eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts helps us gain insight of what it means to live under the power of the Holy Spirit and how it still applies to us today. Understand there are natural talents and there are spiritual gifts, and when God puts His anointing on you, you become a mighty instrument in the hands of God and dangerous to the kingdom of darkness!Stay Humble
When God places His anointing on your life, you must also remain humble. It’s easy to become prideful when God has gifted you with great talents and abilities. Why? Because you can easily get to a point to where you feel like you don’t need God. Pride is often cloaked in deception. For instance, you can mistake arrogance for confidence. And in some situations, you can become overconfident instead of relying on God. The best way to immunize yourself from pride is to keep a humble heart and to seek God’s will and direction often. This type of heart attitude towards God will keep you from becoming prideful. And we know the Bible says that pride comes before a fall. I exhort you to seek God’s counsel concerning decisions that you need to make in your life. Especially critical ones.Check Your Heart Motives
You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3 NKJV
We must examine our hearts to make sure that our motives are pure. God will bless what you put your hands to when your heart is committed to do His will! God searches the earth to and fro to show Himself strong on those who’s hearts are loyal towards Him; 2 Chronicles 16:9. When you’re truly seeking God, His desires become your desires. Psalm 37:4 says, delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.State of Mind
In Romans 12:2, it reads be transformed by the renewing of your mind. For some of us, our minds have been conditioned to not go above artificial ceilings. One of my previous Pastor’s did an experiment with grasshoppers. He put grasshoppers in a jar and closed the lid. Once the grasshoppers got tired of jumping and hitting their heads on the top of the lid, they stopped jumping. After maybe a week or so, he decided to remove the lid from the jar. Although the lid was removed, the grasshoppers remained in the jar. Why? They became conditioned to stop leaping. For some of you, when you were young, you were much like those grasshoppers. The older people had to tell you… slow down grasshopper! What am I saying? You were full of life/energy and quick to leap at any given opportunity, and older people were trying to pass on wisdom by telling to slow down and ponder your ways. There are certain lids that have been removed throughout our economy, but for some people, their minds have become conditioned to the point that they are now afraid to take a leap of faith. I encourage you to never give up on your dreams!Check Your Environment
Are you in a growth environment? The Garden of Eden was an atmosphere where things were growing. Therefore, it was intuitive for man to be productive. You need a safe environment where you can grow. I encourage you to seek God’s direction concerning a local church in you’re area so that you can join a community. Collectively, a church organization can get more things done for the kingdom than one person could individually. If you don’t like the environment that you’re currently in, you can either bring change to that environment by your level of influence, or if you are in an environment where you’re not being valued, you can change your environment if you feel God is repositioning you. Let’s look at Proverbs 4:25-27Ponder Your Feet
Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Proverbs 4:25-27 NKJV
God said ponder the path of your feet. In other words, God wants you to use wisdom. And we know that wisdom comes from God. It takes humility to ask God for wisdom and to seek His counsel. Proverb 3:6 says that in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path. Direction speaks to your destiny. We’re talking about fulfilling divine purpose. Understand that you’re on a spiritual journey. A journey means to go from one place to another. God wants to take you from faith to faith, and from glory to glory! Remember, He said in the book of Jeremiah that He promised to give you a future and a hope! But you have to and remain flexible! Before the Israelites were brought into the promised land, during their journey, they had to set up and break down tents. Then when God said move, they had to remain flexible. For the people of Israel, it was not always the most comfortable of conditions. But they still had to learn how to trust and rely on God and follow the leading of His Spirit. Following God is not always the most comfortable of conditions, but it is the most rewarding! The Bible says that we are God’s sheep, and the Lord is our Shepherd. And if you know anything about sheep, they easily go astray. The Apostle Paul said that you should examine yourself to whether you are in the faith; 2 Cor. 13:5. I admonish you today to hearken to the voice of the Good Shephard!Stay Focused
If Satan can’t get you to sin, then he’ll try to get you distracted. And the way that you defeat distraction is with laser sharp focus. In Isaiah 50:7, the prophet Isaiah said that he set his face like a flint! The vision that God has for your life will become clearer as you take gradual steps forward. When you don’t know what it is that you are supposed to do, then do the last thing God told you to do. Let’s go on to the next point.Cast Your Cares on God
For some of us, are hearts are heavy. In 1 Peter 5:6-7 , it says cast your cares on God for He cares for you.6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV
What are you holding that’s causing you to nurture the very thing that you need to release? I admonish you today to turn it over to God, and let God carry that burden because He is equipped to carry it!