And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with
her; and he did eat. And the eyes of
them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made
themselves aprons. And they heard the
voice 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
of the garden. And the LORD God called
unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are
you? And he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I
was naked; and I hid myself. And
He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I
commanded you that you should not eat? And
the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the
tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God
said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And the
woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. (Genesis 3:6-13)
Unless
we take our sins and deep-seated, unresolved issues and lay them on the altar,
intimacy with God is not possible.
Although God loves us and desires to be intimate with us, we must make
the first move toward intimacy. James 4:8
clearly says: Draw near
to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse
your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you
double minded.
In
the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed intimate fellowship with God—until
they disobeyed His Word and sinned. They
should have taken their sin issue to God.
Instead, they attempted to hide their sin behind leaves and they ran and
hid from God. WHAT LEAVES ARE YOU HIDING BEHIND THAT KEEP
YOU FROM BEING INTIMATE WITH GOD? We are going to learn what some of those
leaves are in today’s lesson.
After
Adam and Eve sinned, the spiritual climate quickly changed! Simultaneously, they encountered
instantaneous barriers to their intimacy with God. Suddenly, an invisible wall separated them
from God!
After
they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, their
spiritual eyes were opened. This means
that they gained knowledge of the existence and difference between good and
evil. For the first time in their lives,
they became aware that they were naked and hid from God Who created them. Before they sinned, they had no knowledge of
evil and thus viewed their nakedness as good.
After they gained knowledge of evil, their awareness twisted their
nakedness into something ugly and filled them with a sense of shame. Naively, they thought that if they plucked
leaves off a bush and covered their nakedness, their guilt, sin and shame would
also be covered. But, instead of making
them go away, the leaves only drew attention to them.
But
God, Who is always in passionate pursuit of His Children, still drew close to
them. He knew they had sinned, but that
didn’t stop Him from wanting to be intimate with them. This time, however, their reaction to His
Presence was radically different.
Previously, they had run toward the sound of His footsteps. Now they ran away! THIS IS A DANGEROUS PLACE TO BE! Before, their
response had been joy. Now it was dread
and fear. They had never known
condemnation or fear or shame. Now they
were guilt-ridden and as a result of their disobedience, they ran and hid from
the Voice of God.
Obviously,
Adam and Eve picked and sewed together real leaves to cover their
nakedness. When we today sin, we pick
and choose covers and hiding places, as well.
And the moment that we hide behind our defensive “fig-leaf” mindsets
from the revelatory Voice of God, the Heart of God, the Acts of God and the
Power of God, things start to get very complicated. Why?
Because the covers and hiding places that we pick filter the Voice,
Presence and Power of God through screens.
These screens dilute the Word of God when it finally penetrates our HEARTS
and minds. Some examples of screens
are: rationalization, analytical
skepticism, theological theories and traditional emotional barriers. We might not sew actual fig leaves, but the
obstructions to fellowship that exist over our HEARTS and SOULS shield us just as
effectively (or ineffectively) from God’s approaching Presence.
So,
let’s take a look at some of the leaves we hide behind.
LEAVES THAT
WE HIDE BEHIND
GUILT &
SHAME
We are all acquainted with the
first layer of leaves … guilt. For some people, sinful acts, mistakes or
failures from the past or present loom in their faces. Instead of running to their loving Savior and
admitting their fault, they run in the opposite direction and hide in the
darkness of guilt. Guilt is the breeding
ground for condemnation, accusation and other ugly attitudes. But, all of these can be avoided by simply
confessing our sins and cleansing them by the Blood of Jesus.
Guilt has varying degrees and
categories. There is real guilt that is
due to real sin. There is exaggerated
guilt that is due to the combination of real sin and the work of “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation
12:10). And, there is false
guilt that comes as a result of the voice of the destroyer that releases
condemning, lying spirits to deceive us (1 Kings 22:21-23; John 8:44; 10:10). In the realm of our emotions, all of these
forms of guilt are very real.
So, what is the cure for
guilt? 1 John 1:7 provides us the
remedy: But if we walk in the light, as He
is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. In other words, step into the light. Adam and Eve chose to run from the light
(God), to hide in the darkness of their guilt.
Are
you guilt-ridden about something? Well,
I have a “word from the Lord” for you:
Run to the light of God’s Word. John 8:32
says: You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free. God’s forgiveness, cleansing and healing love
await you there! The Lord will cleanse
us from this (John
16:8-11) through the power of the Cross and the Blood of Jesus shed
for us!
HURTS FROM
THE PAST
The second layer of leaves that
hides us from the Love of God and keeps us from being intimate with Him is
deep-seated hurts from the past.
Religious people hide behind masks very well, pretending that all is
well with their SOULS,
while holding the Lord at arm’s length. In
Matthew 15:8, Jesus said it best:
This people draw near to Me with
their mouth, and honor Me with their
lips; but their heart is far from Me. Jesus nailed it for what it is … the
mask of hypocrisy!
But, Jesus came to heal the
brokenhearted and to set at liberty those who are bruised (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18-19). Jesus wants to heal us, but we must first be
willing to get real with God. We must be
willing to take off our masks and let Him dig deep, touching the very core and
source of our pain. We should let Him
probe deep and even pierce through the festering wounds to allow the light of
His unchanging Love to penetrate our being.
Every wound needs to be exposed to the light of God’s Word. We need to surrender our hurts to Jesus … lay
them on the altar. We need to forgive
those who have hurt us. We need to sow
blessings to our enemies instead of cursings.
By remaining open-faced before God, we refuse to hide behind the mask of
past hurts.
Hurts
are barriers to intimacy. One of the
tips to healing of hurts is forgiveness and re-entering into trusted,
vulnerable relationships.
FEAR
The third layer of leaves that
hides us is fear. We want to be part of
things, enjoy life, step out and be used by God. But, our woundedness, made even more raw by
the taunts of the devil, keeps us sitting on the sidelines as spectators, while
others are enjoying being in the middle of the game. The fear of making mistakes, appearing
foolish, the fear of failure and sometimes fear of success makes us afraid to
run onto the playing field and join in with the participators. We all ask ourselves the same questions: What will I look like if I do this? What will others think of me? How well (or bad) will I perform? But, if we allow ourselves to be held back by
a fear of rejection or fear of authority or the opinions of others, eventually
we will become people-pleasers instead of God-pleasers.
I can remember a time in my
Christian walk when I was a fearful spectator.
I didn’t want to be seen or heard.
All I wanted to do was go to church and be left alone. Well, God had a different plan for me! Now, I’m a participator and God is using me
for His Glory! And, it’s all because I
kept taking each baby step, trusting Him to take me where He wanted me to be,
in Him. Now, I am fully persuaded that I can do all things through Christ which
strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
So, if God can help me off the spectator’s bench, He can help you, too! Remember, fear paralyzes and immobilizes us
while faith propels us forward. So,
trade in your fears and exchange them at the Cross (Isaiah 8:12-13). Take them to the altar! Purpose in your heart to be bold like a lion
for Jesus’ sake. Jump off the bench,
tread on every spirit of intimidation (Luke 10:19) and be more than a
conqueror! (Romans 8:37).
1 John 4:18 says: Perfect love
casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not
perfected in love. We need to ask
for a revelation of the Father's heart of grace and mercy toward us to overcome
fear.
CRITICISM
The fourth layer of leaves that protects
our image is criticism. As far back as
childhood and until the Holy Spirit healed me of my woundedness, I was crippled
by criticism! Critical words are weapons that Satan uses to steal, kill
and destroy! (John 10:10). I was not alone.
What about other victims of criticism? Without realizing it, they’re not only a
spectator sitting on a church bench; they are the judge of the games and every
one playing on the field. They have
developed ten points by which they judge everything around them. Like the judges of the Olympics, they score each
participant of the games. They leave a
particular gathering or event saying, “Well, it could have been better, if only
….” And yet they offer nothing to help
it to be better.
Now, some of you might think,
“Ouch, teacher!” or “You sound like you’re splitting nails.” But, it takes the penetrating light of Truth
to blast away our protection shields which are the leaves we hide behind. Truth may hurt for a moment, but when it is
prayed and spoken with the motivation of love, it cleanses and sets captives
free. In all honesty, I love each and
every one of my readers so much that I want all of you to be delivered from all
entanglements so that God can accomplish His agenda through you. He can’t accomplish what He desires to
without your help. Remember, you were
not born by accident. You are not where
you are today by chance. You were
created in God’s image and for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). You are the object of His all-consuming love!
IGNORANCE
Hosea 4:6 says: My people perish for lack of knowledge.
Move from out of the shadows of
ignorance, cultivate hunger, and sit under teaching and study to show yourself
approved!
MOLDS OR YOKES
A
mindset, typecast, or stronghold of thinking puts us in a box. We must learn the lessons of casting down
these strongholds and taking these into obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians
10:3-5).
SELF-IMPOSED
LIMITATIONS
This brings us to the seventh
layer of leaves we hide behind—that of self-imposed limitations. This
is where we come into alignment with the devil's thoughts and plans. We need to break these curses and powers of
darkness in Jesus' name. In this stage,
we start believing the ridiculous, idiotic lies of the devil about ourselves,
and those lies become negative strongholds of the mind (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). Words not in alignment with the will and Word
of God are transmitted from the enemy's camp to attack our minds. At times those thoughts are even planted by people
in authority. Their effect is to confine
us in boxes with low ceilings and false expectations. As we believe those evil reports or actual
word curses spoken against us as "the way it will always be," we are
shut into cramped, dark boxes. Proverbs 23:7
reminds us of the promise and the problem: As
he thinks in his HEART, so is he.
A stronghold is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness
that causes us to accept as unchangeable, situations that we know are contrary
to the Will of God.
As we acknowledge as hopeless what God declares is
changeable, we have come into alignment, at least in part, with the devil's
thought processes and plans for us. In
this fifth stage, we go way past the realms of guilt, woundedness, fear and
criticism. We no longer want to step out
into the light. We flat out don't even
think that God accepts us, loves us or has any plan for us – even a leftover
plan.
But the light of God brings with it an invitation to honesty
and humility. "Oh, yeah," you
say. "You mean so I can look ugly, like a mess in front of
everybody." No, not at all. If you demonstrate honesty and humility, you
won't look ugly; you will look beautiful, particularly before God. He loves the humble and afflicted, and shines
His grace upon them (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Nothing is more beautiful than the grace of
God. As you let Him shine His grace on you, you will look beautiful, too.
Now realize this: God also likes a fighter. In fact, God loves a fighter! You need to know that there will be times when
you will have to wage war with the Name and Blood of Jesus to break out of your
box of imposed limitations and stinking thinking. But there is a way out. The gateway is the Cross of our lovely Lord
Jesus!
GOD ASKS FOUR
PROBING QUESTIONS
God asks four distinct questions for those of us who are hiding
behind barriers. The closer you and I get
to the light the more we are exposed. Every
new step of light reveals a new level of darkness within. Intimacy
is being where God is—not hiding from Him, but running to Him!
Genesis 3:10 - Where
are you? This is God’s
invitation to intimacy.
Genesis 3:11
- Who told you, you are naked? Who is your source of information, knowledge
and life?
Genesis 3:11 - Have
you eaten from the tree? Honesty
or deceit and rebellion is your choice!
Genesis 3:13 - What
is this you have done? Personal
responsibility is required. Blame
shifting is not the answer, even though you may be hurting as a result of your
and another's disobedience and failures.
Every
question that God asks is an invitation to intimacy, dialogue and communion. An invitation to walk out of hiding into a
transparent place of light, truth and honesty.
As Isaiah
1:18 says: Come, let us reason together…. Again, an invitation to come out from the fig
leaves we hide behind into honest and transparent dialogue. God desires and initiates intimacy for us so
we would come out of hiding. He knows we
are afraid. Where are you? Are we positioning ourselves to be inviting
to others? Are we afraid of being
exposed? Are we condemning? Or are we embracing and loving?
These questions are for the
purpose, as they were for Adam and Eve, to come back to where we are walking
with God in intimacy and where He walks with us, and talks with us.
BARRIERS TO INTIMACY WITH GOD
WORLDLY
TEMPTATIONS
Compare Genesis 3:5-6 with 1
John 2:16:
When the
woman saw that the tree was good for food ... a delight to her eyes, and ... desirable
to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate ... (Genesis 3:5-6)
For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the
boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world (1 John 2:6).
Opportunities
and temptations will come. When they are
yielded to, they create barriers around our lives, walls and fences of
self-protection.
LUST OF THE
EYES
Our
eyes and hands are the instruments by which the Lord desires to move through. Yielding to these temptations (the lust of the
eyes) puts up false filters over the eyes and they become clouded. The seer portion of our lives is thwarted by
such lust. Revelation can then get
clouded. The result is that there
becomes mixture.
But Matthew 5:8 states the promise: Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
LUST OF THE
FLESH
Cleansing
of the flesh is necessary! Psalm 24:3-4
says “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and pure HEART...”
Our
hands in many dimensions represents our bodies as instruments of blessing (Psalm 26:6; 1
Timothy 2:8).
Why
do we need clean hands then? Acts of
compassion come through our hands as our HEARTS are purified by His love:
James 4:8 tells us:
Cleanse
your hands... and... HEARTS.
Titus
2:11-14 adds: For the
grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to
deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and
godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of
the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us,
to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for His own possession,
zealous for good deeds.
Romans
6:11-13: ...Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do
not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of
unrighteousness: but present yourselves to God as those who alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
God desires to release His
impartation and the power of His presence through our hands (Habakkuk 3:4).
Clean hands enable us to impart the
blessing to others, including those closest to us.
BOASTFUL
PRIDE OF LIFE
This,
in a sense, is false worship of SELF.
Here we are comparing ourselves to one
another and we adopt a false scale of balance. God is enthroned on the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).
Where a throne is set up over the person
or house or city, this is where God comes down. In His presence you can see Him, feel Him,
touch Him, hear the sound of Him and the aroma of His presence.
CONCLUSION
The first “take and eat” was spoken
by Satan, but the next “take and eat” was spoken by Jesus to His disciples. Jesus desires to restore our communion and
intimacy with God and with one another. Jesus
tells us to take and eat of the Blood and Body of Jesus (John 6:35, 53-58).
Intimacy
with Jesus, Communion with the Father, and the Manifested Presence of the Holy
Spirit are the proper foundation for all life and ministry and are central for
intimacy with God!
Remove Your Leaves, Be Intimate
and Be Blessed!
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