Where Are You?

Where Are You?

God’s Original Intent for Us

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees in the garden.  Genesis 3:8

His Spiritual Likeness 

When God formed Adam (the first man) his intent was to create one who was like Him, and who would take care of the garden that God had created for himself.  It is interesting to notehow man was formed even from the beginning.  When God created Adam, he said,

“…Let Us make a man in our image, according to Our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 27 So created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27KJV

The word image in the Hebrew is tslem.  It means mere, empty image or like tumors, mice or heathen images.  The word “make” means to “ordain and produce”.  This meant that man’s frame was empty—a “cut out” (like a paper doll) that simply looked like God.  However, then God says, “…according to Our likeness….”  The word likeness in Hebrew is from the word dahmah, or to compare, resemble; to imagine or think.  In other words, when God made man, he made him first to look like Him, but then He gave him the ability to act like Him.  We were God’s first representatives in the earth, not only designed to be mere caretakers---but we were like Him. We could imagine and think, so we were designed to be creators  too. We had something in common with Him. We were not just clones; we had His spiritual likeness. 

We are the Sons and Daughters of God

The Word goes on to say that God then God “formed” man from the dust.  That word, form(Heb. Yatsar) means to “frame” or to “squeeze or to shape”, and breathed  or panted like a woman in childbirth.  I like that, because I had always envisioned that God simply blew out, like he was blowing out smoke from a cigar.  Instead, it seems that God panted (or labored over man), forcefully blowing his Spirit into man’s frame until man caught on   and became aliving thing (Genesis 2: 7).   Now man not only looked like God, and acted like God; he now had God’s Spiritual DNA.  In that life-giving moment in the garden, we became sons of God. That excites me! How often since that moment in the garden has God labored with us and blew life into us until we caught on?  Yet, he has never taken our sonship from us! No matter how many times we have failed, God holds our spiritual place for us!

We are All One by Our Spirits, Not by Our Flesh

In Genesis Chapter 2, verses 21-25, we find that God formed woman out of man and presented her to him.  Man and woman were naked and unashamed in front of each other, and we can safely assume that they had the same relationship with God.  That kind of relationship was only possible, because God is a Spirit and when he blew breath into man, “breath” was actually His Spirit.  So when God saw man and consequently man saw woman (and vice versa), they only recognized each other’s spirit.  

So when the Spirit of God was strolling through the garden in Genesis 3, He wasn’t looking for man’s flesh, He was looking for what was for all practical purposes Him.  God was strolling through His creation but He was in search of His children—His likeness or those with His DNA.    Because they had consumed what was never intended for them to eat, Adam and Eve no longer lived through their spirits; they now only recognized flesh—in which there dwells no good thing ( Romans 7:18).  Because of their sin, the couple hid themselves. Instead of being able to present their spirits to God and continue to be in complete fellowship with Him, they hid themselves and covered their flesh; which was always only intended to be a “cut out” of God’s image (Genesis 3: 8).That's why you can't count on the one man or woman who is made for you being a perfect flesh.  They may have not have a big butt and a smile, or they may not have a six pack, and weapons for arms.  It's natural to notice each other's flesh, but if we don't recognize the spirit that resides in the flesh; we've missed it.

What Does God Want from Us?

Notice that the Spirit of God was strolling through the garden in the “cool of the day”.  This indicates that His walk was intended to be relaxing, casual, and reflective.  If you and I were to take a walk in our favorite garden or beach in the cool of the day with our spouse or special friend, we would be looking for a relaxing, loving, reflective and transparent encounter with them.  God was in search of the same thing when He came looking for Adam and Eve. The truth is this:  We were never intended to be strangers to God; uncomfortable, tentative and cautious in our presentation.  We are His, created in Him, by Him and through Him. We have always been and will always be his family—joint heirs with Christ, who is the first-born of all creation (Colossians 1:15).  We were always meant to come boldly before the presence of God, in order to enjoy a continuous and fruitful relationship with Him.   While our sin can separate us from His presence, we can never be separated from His love (Romans 8:35-39).

If you are reading this, it means that the Spirit of the Lord has come searching for you.  In Him, there is no such thing as coincidence. .  As you know, all things work together for the good of them who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  My question to you is this:  Where are you? 

The Good Shepherd

¹⁴ I am the Good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own know and recognize Me—

¹⁵ Even as [truly as] the Father knows Me and I also know the Father—and I am giving My [very own] life and laying it down on behalf of the sheep.

¹⁶ And I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring and ^[c]impel those also; and they will listen to My voice and heed My call, and so there will be [they will become] one flock under one Shepherd.

¹⁷ For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life—to take it back again.

¹⁸ No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.:11-

-John 10:11-18 (AMP)

                As I had tea with the Lord this morning, we discussed the plight of a good friend of mine who is going through a very difficult season.  Because I have been through what she is going through, I understand the pitfalls that await us as God sets order in our lives.   I remembered my own wrestling season with the Lord, and asked why these seasons of change have to be so difficult for us to get through.  Even as I talked, began to see a picture in my mind, and a John 10 scripture passage came to my remembrance.  I saw a picture of a sheep that was entangled in briers and sticker bushes.  The sheep was bleating and struggling in the patch trying to untangle himself. Instead of the sheep finding freedom, his struggling was making the situation worse.  Then I saw a man come to the sheep and kneel down beside it. He began to comfort the sheep and pet him in order to calm him.  Then he gently held the sheep, and calmly began to pick the thorns and sharp twigs out of the sheep one by one.  The sheep continued to struggle because the shepherd’s ministrations were painful, but the shepherd held him firmly and continued the process.  After some time, the shepherd gently lifted the sheep out of the patch and tended to the sheep’s wounds.

                The Lord said to me:  “Child, I am the Good Shepherd. I see the predicaments that my sheep get into, and I know how come and untangle them from the places that they fall into.  If my Sheep will let me, I will untangle them from their broken places and move them into a safe place.  It is then; and only then that I can truly attend to their wounds and heal them.  Being untangled is more difficult for my sheep than the healing, because they fight against their “brier patches” so long, that they are tired, and when I come to help them, they fight Me because the untangling process is long,  painful, and tedious.  However, My sheep know Me, and they recognize My gentle voice, and My touch and they need to know that I will never become impatient and be unnecessarily harsh, nor will I abandon them regardless of their situation.  I am faithful (can be trusted) to take them through the process, then I will heal them from their wounds.  

                That really blessed me, and brought me some healing for some of the areas that I am wrestling through.  I am a little slow, but I finally get it when  Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6:  

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus".  The idea that I "arrive" and my process ends is not really the truth.  I do heal, and I do grow, but if I am truly HIS sheep, I  will keep healing and keep growing until the day that I am finally reunited with Christ.  That neutralizes the enemy's attack on my mind that keeps me locked in my expectations that I should be in a certain place at a certain time.  It also neutralizes any tendency on my part to compare my journey with anyone else's.  Wherever I am, is where God expects me to be, whether I am in the brier, in the healing place, or if I am walking by the still waters and chewing sweet grass.  He is with Me, and that is enough.