God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time and instructed: Genesis 2:16 -17, “…of every tree in the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it, for in the day that you shall eat thereof, you shall surely die.” The events are well known how Adam and Eve disobeyed the clear instruction and the Fall of Mankind took place. They did not die a physical death but a spiritual one. God speaks clearly, His words are not veiled or ambiguous but spoken from the loving heart of a Father who not only wants the best for His children, but knows what is best in His omniscience.

How easy it is, even though Believers, to fall into the same trap as Adam and Eve, and judge our circumstances as good or evil and make decisions without consulting God.

IF I DO NOT CONSULT GOD, I INSULT HIM.

When skies are blue and my bank balance is healthy do I judge it as “good?” When grey clouds fill the sky and it has rained incessantly for days, the roof leaks, the car has broken down and I am down to my last pound in the bank…do I judge it as “evil?” In my humanity, of course I do!……I take a big bite from “the tree” and end up with a mouth full of splinters! No-one enjoys adverse circumstances, but God speaks through my circumstances, what is He saying?

How “good” is the knowledge of “good” that takes me away from God?….and how “evil” is the knowledge of “evil” that drives me back deeper into God? Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” Matthew 5:8….do I see God in all things as He is ultimately in control of my life? God has given us a free will to make choices, which He will not control, but He has also given us His Holy Spirit to lead and to guide us if we seek Him.

My circumstances can be a direct result and consequence of a wrong choice, or they can be God ordained to build the character of His Son, Jesus Christ, in my life. The Lord will make clear the difference if I seek Him in humility.

In Hosea 13:6 the Lord speaks of the children of Israel, “According to their pasture, so they were filled, and their heart was exalted, therefore they have forgotten me.” The Lord was grieved, our God feels emotions, just as we do as we are made in His image. God had kept the Israelites in all their wilderness wanderings. They knew divine health, their clothes did not wear out, He provided fresh food for them daily, they had experienced the mighty miracle of deliverance from an evil dictator, Pharaoh in Egypt, through the parting of the waters of the Red Sea. In times of blessing it is so easy to drift away from God instead of staying close and thankful. When God said, “They have forgotten me,” there is a tone of deep regret and sorrow. David said, Psalm 8:4 “What is man, that you are mindful of him?” God is mindful of us, God cares!

When my need is met and continues to be replaced by God’s provision, in the absence of need I need to stay thankful and close to the Lord, and “…forget not all His benefits,” Psalm 103:2. The place of blessing can be the place of greatest danger if I take my eyes off the Lord.

The word declares, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:19. I need to recognise my need of Him and stay close. In regard to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, I will repeat…..How good is the “good” that takes me away from God?…..and how evil is the “evil” that drives me back to Him?

In times of blessing if I walk in humility I will keep sensitive to the Lord and hear His voice. The miracle of the ear is that it converts sound to hearing. The same principle works in us between the spiritual and the physical to convert the voice of God to reality. I hear the voice of God in my spirit and as I respond, God creates. The miracle of God is that He keeps coming to me. His name is Mercy. Mercy is His nature and one of the foundation stones of His throne. We are simply vessels of mercy that should have been wrath, having nought wherewith to glory of ourselves.

Romans 9: 22-23 “What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. And that He might make known the riches of His glory on THE VESSELS OF MERCY, which He had afore prepared unto glory.”

Verse 26 “And it shall come to pass, that in the place that it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called CHILDREN OF THE LIVING GOD!

Children of the Living God…..”Arise and shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee,” Isaiah 60:1
Arise unto your God, let His life be seen in you to bring glory to His great name!