The LORD God after He formed man (Adam) from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being as seen in Genesis 2:7, gave man two things;
- Purpose
- Instruction
Purpose:
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Genesis 2:8-15 (NLT)
The Amplified version of the Bible says;
“So the LORD took the man {He had made} and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it” Genesis 2:15(AMP)
In the quoted versions of the scripture, the bolded words are the keywords of God’s Purpose for making and putting the man in the garden of Eden after forming him.
Instruction:
And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die”. Genesis 2:16-17
Purpose Defined:
The word Purpose is derived from the old French word, Purposer (to propose, put forth) and later old French, purpose (aim, goal).
Purpose is the reason for which something exists, is done, or is used – Dictionary .com.
Purpose is the reason why God created and sent man (You and I) here on planet Earth. The God-given assignment which if it’s discovered, gives our life meaning and fulfilment on earth.
The LORD God when He formed the man (Adam), did not leave him to walk about aimlessly on Earth without direction.
NO! When He formed man, He created a purpose for him the Garden of Eden so that man will; tend, watch over, cultivate and keep it.
Beloved just like the first man (Adam), God formed and made you for a purpose.
When you read the Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, you will see that every single thing God did or made was for a purpose.
- Have you discovered your purpose?
- Are you living your life according to your purpose?
Your purpose is everything you need to succeed in life.
In my book Principal Keys To Fulfilling Your Purpose which will be available soon, the Holy Spirit opened our eyes; on how to discover your purpose and the principal keys to fulfilling them according to God’s standard.
Instruction Defined:
And the LORD God commanded the man…Genesis 2:16
According to the THESAURUS.PLUS Command is a synonym for Instruction in order topic. You can use “Instructions’’ instead of command when it comes to the topic of direction.
For the purpose of this study, I will use instruction to replace commands as used in the quoted scripture above.
Instruction simply defined, is the detailed information about how something should be done or operated.
Instructions are vital and key for the success of every assignment and purpose. The lack of instructions (detailed information) or failure to adhere to instructions, can be fatal to “the messenger” and his assignment or purpose. It can lead to the assignment or purpose being aborted completely or carried out in haste before the right time thereby leading to frustrations and failure except if there is divine intervention.
The ability to follow instructions is important for everyday life.
Beloved for every God-given purpose, there is an instruction or series of instructions given by God for its success.
Take for example in the Book of Judges 13: 1-25, the Scripture tells about; a certain man of Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, who had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.
The Angel of the LORD appeared to her and said,” You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.
Instructions:
Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son; “whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take lead in delivering Israel from the hand of the Philistines”.
The LORD God through His angel, told the wife of Manoah, that yes she was barren and childless, but He would give her a son. However, for her to conceive and bear that son, there are certain instructions, that she must follow and adhere to.
Did she adhere to the instructions?
Yes, she did.
But if we read further the story of her son, we will see that the day he disobeyed the instruction;
“Whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb”.
The Philistines whom he always defeated by the reason of his following instruction attached to his purpose, made a total mess of him.
Thank God for divine intervention.
Beloved Child of God, Pastor, Evangelist, Deacon, Deaconess, Minister, Teacher, Pilot, Soldier, Astronaut, President, Chorister, Usher, Minstrel, Governor, or whatever purpose God has called you to serve.
Yes, you have discovered your purpose.
But do you also know the instruction or instructions for your purpose?
Are you carrying it out according to God’s instruction given to you?
Or how you think or feel it should be done?
These are important questions you need to answer sincerely.
Why?
Every purpose has an instruction backing it.
The man (Adam) was there listening to the conversation between his wife and the Serpent on the instruction the LORD God gave him for his purpose, but we did not hear him correct his wife or the Serpent for their wrong saying and interpretation of the instructions given to him by the LORD.
The Serpent has this speciality of taking the word of the LORD God and twisting it in such a way that it appears like the word of God but; when you look deeper carefully by the discerning of the Holy Spirit, you will see that it is not the word of God.
Because Adam was quiet during the conversation between Eve (his wife) and the Serpent and did not correct the wrong interpretation of the instruction given to him by the LORD God, the Serpent leveraged it to feed his wife lies that looked like the truth, making the LORD God seem like a liar while the Serpent was the one who is the liar.
This led to the fall of man and by extension all mankind from the place of Grace and abundance to the place of suffering and pain.
Thank God for the Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross which restores man back to God, when he accepts Jesus Christ as his personal LORD and SAVIOR.
Beloved, when God gives you an instruction or instructions, as a man or woman of purpose, it is your responsibility to explain it clearly and make it plain to those around you, who will work with you to make your purpose a reality.
The LORD answered me: “Write down the vision; write it clearly (plainly) on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell orders”. Habakkuk 2:2 (EXB).
Adam was the one to whom God gave the instruction in Genesis 2:16 -17. He failed in his responsibility to explain his God-given instruction clearly to his wife; Eve the Serpent knew this and saw it as a weak link to destroy his purpose.
The consequences of his actions, all mankind is suffering today.
With a close look at the scriptures, you will see that what God said, and what the woman said seem similar but that was not the instruction the LORD God gave Adam.
What the LORD God said;
And the LORD God commanded (instructed) the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when you eat from it, you will surely die” Genesis 2:16
What the Serpent said;
Now the Serpent was crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” Genesis 3:1
What the Woman said;
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’’.
Beloved the LORD God did not say; if you eat from the tree that is in the middle nor you must not touch it, or you will surely die.
No, He did not.
It takes one looking into the Scriptures closely to see this.
God told man; “the day you eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall surely die”.
The Serpent through the weak link of failed communication told the woman she will not die. She saw that it was good, took some, and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was also with her, and he ate it.
Did they die?
Yes, they did.
In Genesis 2:25 it is written, “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame”.
But when they disobeyed the instruction given to man, they became aware of their nakedness so much so that they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7
Oh, what a tragedy!
Adam failed to fulfil his purpose, and all mankind because he did not adhere to his God-given instruction. He was banished from Eden, and the LORD God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden, his place of purpose.
If you read the Scripture, life never became the same for Adam again. All he did was make babies with Eve, after which he died.
What a great loss.
Beloved reader, are you following the instructions of your purpose?
As a Pastor, Evangelist and Minister of the Gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ are you working in line with His laid-down instruction for you and the ministry He called you into?
Are you still following God’s original instruction to you when HE revealed your purpose, or have you watered it down or left it altogether because it doesn’t fit the modern-day way of running ministry?
Because you have disobeyed the original instructions given to you by the LORD God, for your purpose and ministry, the Holy Spirit your covering, leader, and helper in ministry has stepped aside, just like Adam and his wife, your nakedness is now open.
You are now sewing the fig leaves of diabolical powers to cover your nakedness so that the congregation and people around you will not see that you are naked.
Oh man of God!
In the eyes of the people, the LORD God and His Holy Spirit are still with you.
But deep down you know that Ichabod (the glory) has departed.
You keep patching up the fig leaves covering your nakedness and the fig leaves being your covering, you are restless, you cannot go near the sun so that the leaves don’t dry and tear.
You were a champion who taught the WORD of God as if God Himself was doing the teaching but today you are struggling to read a chapter of the Bible.
You are tired and worn out.
The Serpent just as in the case of the woman and Adam, has deceived you to disobey the instructions of your calling and purpose.
Scripture tells us that; “The thief’s purpose (the Serpent) is to steal, kill and destroy’’. How?
He plants doubt in our hearts by twisting the Word of God.
He deceives us to act contrary to God’s instructions to us, then he stands aside and watches God based on the principles of His Word deal with us Himself.
Beloved, the consequences of not adhering to instructions can be fatal to “the messenger” and his assignment or purpose.
But I have “Good News” for you today;
There is hope for you.
The love of our Father; the LORD God is so pure and special that nothing, Absolutely Nothing can separate us from this love. Romans 8: 38-39.
Not even our disobedience to His given instruction. Because of the deep love and affection of the Father for man; He did not leave Adam and his wife naked by themselves, with the fig leaves they sewed together to cover their nakedness, barely covering them.
The LORD God killed an animal and made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Beloved the Father because of this same love gave His only begotten Son; Jesus Christ to die for all Mankind so that He may cover our nakedness and restore us back to Himself. John 3:16.
Though your enemy the Serpent has come to steal, kill and destroy your God-given purpose, by deceiving you to disobey the instruction the LORD God gave you for your purpose, Jesus Christ said; “I come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”. John 10:10
This is why He is calling out to you today saying;
“Come now, and let us reason together says the LORD.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are like red crimson,
They shall be like wool”. Isaiah 1:18
Jesus Christ’s death through the shedding of His blood on the Cross and resurrection paid the price for all our disobedience. It does not matter how far you have gone from the LORD God by using sewed fig leaves of diabolical powers to cover your nakedness or Sinful things you have done contrary to His commandments.
He says; come so that you and He can talk about it and His shed blood will cleanse, wash and restore you back to the LORD God.
It doesn’t matter the type of sin it is, no matter how bad and dirty it might be or red crimson, there is an open invitation from Him today that you come and be made whole.
Do not let the Serpent through fear, guilt, and shame just like He did to Adam, make you hide from God’s presence.
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked so I hid.”
Beloved Come! Jesus Christ is calling out to you this very second, minute, and hour. Come!
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:17.
He said; … “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away”. John 6:37
Because there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8: 1
Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20.
Beloved Jesus Christ is knocking at the door of your heart; please open the door and let Him in.
He loves and cares for you. Because of you, He came, that you may have life and have it more ABUNDANTLY.
God Bless You
