Did God Really Say.....

  God always was, and in the beginning of everything he was already there, and it was He that created everything, according to the Bible.

Soon after God created the world and all that was in it and declared it good, there appeared a fly in the ointment of perfection, and it came in the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden.

The serpent was up to no good. He had a plan to trip up this whole beautiful situation. He came to Eve and asked her the question that he has been asking people ever since.

"Did God really say?"

That question along with the snakes' seemingly "perfectly logical reasoning" has confused many for centuries.

"Did God really say, you shall not eat from every tree of the garden?"

Now that inquiry seemed innocent enough, and Eve answered it.

"We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, "you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die."

But the serpent already knew that and proceeded with his mission of casting doubt in her mind and said to her, "you shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity."(Genesis 3:1-5)

We all know that story of how Eve was fooled, and sin entered the perfect world that God had made. And if we are honest, we can probably think of a time that we were put in the same situation, and asked ourselves, "Did God really say?"

It is not wrong to ask that question. It is very good to know the truth and to delve into scripture and figure out what God meant when he gave a certain command.

The scripture tells us many things that God has commanded. And He has made many commands very clear.

 God gave us commands and instructions, and at the same time gave us a free will. He gave us minds that are very creative and able to understand many things. He knew the risk when he decided to grant us free will and if we would ultimately choose Him or discount Him. He saw all this coming.

Through the centuries, many have come to faith in Christ. Many have rejected Him too.

I believe that God extends grace and opportunities to all mankind to make a decision for faith in Him and in His plan of salvation. It is not Gods will for any to perish. (2Peter 3:9)

The enemy of our soul is very much up to his tried-and-true ways of thwarting the choices of many.

He hates mankind because we are Gods image-bearers. It has been his mission to trip us up with many ideas since the episode in The Garden. He has thrown out some even more ridiculous ideas with his questions these days. We were warned long ago that in the last days that things would be quite blatantly different. 

"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

                                                                                                                                (2 Timothy 3:1-5) 

Well, we are in the "thick of it." Know that these "last days" could last quite a long time. 

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8) We do not know when the Lord will return as He has promised.  Again, God is patient and not willing that any should perish. (2Peter 3:9)

We are not to be anxious about this because we have the Holy Spirit to help us in time of need and Gods Word to go to for wisdom and strength and discernment. That discernment will help us to know if we are being fed a line from the enemy, or it stands up under the scrutiny of God's Word. 

Many false teachers abound in the last days too. The Bible tells us many things about the last days. Even though it looks pretty grim for us as believers, the TRUTH is that God is still on the Throne and He will see us through. His grace will keep us close, and we can stand on the many promises of His Word.

In the book of Revelations (which really means "unveiling, uncovering or revealing") are many promises to overcomers. These were promised to the seven churches that John wrote to at that time, but they are also applicable to our lives as believers today. When we look at these and trust these promises, we can overcome the enemy who is out to try to destroy us.

" He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelations. 2:7)

In many verses, the repeated phrase used is "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says."

When something is repeated that many times, that should get our attention. We need to be willing to listen and seek the Lord in these times especially.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying...

 and he who does listen,

1)Will not be hurt by the second death.       Revelations 2:11

2)Will reign with Christ on His Throne.      Revelations 2:26-27

These days are full of things and ideas that I never saw coming.... 

But my anchor is The Lord and his Word. He never changes and He is the Solid Rock that

continues to keep me centered. I look forward to the day I will actually see him face to face.

Normal isn't coming back, But Jesus IS!!