(Gen 3:10 NIV) He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Re-Energizing Your Prayer Life,” by continuing with our teaching on “The Fear Factor.” The first mention of man in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:26 where God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” This was God’s original intent and since God does not change, we must believe that it still is His intent for man today. God wants us to operate in dominion, authority, and power. In the second chapter we see God’s intentions manifested. God formed man (Adam) from the dust of the ground and He gave Adam:
1. Purpose: God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden work it and keep it. Adam had a purpose, he had something to do, something that gave him an opportunity to become productive.
2. Provision: God made sure that all of Adam’s needs were met. Adam’s only need to this point was food and God gave him an entire garden (more like a forest) of fruit bearing trees to eat from. The garden was fed with four streams of water so Adam’s provision was secure.
3. Parameters: Provision is dangerous without parameters. God told Adam that he could eat from every tree except one. This gave Adam the right of choice. Right or wrong, good or bad, the choice was going to be his to make. The ability to make his own decisions gave Adam free-will.
4. Power: With everything in place, the Lord brought Adam all the beasts of the field and birds of the air and God let Adam name them. Whatever he named them that would be their name. In other words, God gave Adam the power to unleash his creativity and the power to define.
5. Partnership: After Adam started naming the animals he developed another need; a need for a partner. Adam was alone (humanly speaking). God made Eve from out of Adam and brought her to him. This was a wonderful relationship. Adam now had a relationship with God and a thriving relationship with another human.
The second chapter ends by telling us that Adam and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. There was no need for shame, guilt, doubt, or fear. They were in perfect union with God and each other. This was and still is God’s desire for our lives. But satan reared his ugly head. Satan showed up, deceived Eve, she defied God’s command by eating from the forbidden tree, she gave to her husband and he did the same. This was the original sin. As soon as Adam ate their eyes were open. In other words, they could no longer walk in the Spirit; they were resigned to live under the limited resources of the human body. They realized their nakedness and attempted to cover themselves with leaves. See, sin will always cause you to live beneath God’s best for your life. Adam attempted to hide from God when He heard God coming through the garden. God called out for Adam and he replied, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” This is the first mention of fear in the Bible and it comes as a result of sin and separation from God.
So what does this mean to you today? It means that you have a decision to make. Jesus paid the penalty for Adam’s original sin and redeemed you to righteousness. We are now able to have a thriving relationship with God, through His Spirit, and it is God’s will that you be like Adam was prior to the fall: in dominion, blessed, without fear, and with wonderful relationships with God and man. You can either accept Jesus’ finished work and develop a righteousness-consciousness that will fuel your prayer life (living like Adam did in Genesis 2) or you can maintain a sin-consciousness that will strip your prayer life of any power (living like Adam did in Genesis 3); causing you to live defeated, afraid, and separated from the God you claim to be in covenant with.
Closing Confession: Father, I understand the negative effects of sin. Therefore I choose not to live in sin. Sin brings shame and fear. Fear brings torment and pain. I choose to renew my mind from my former sin-consciousness. I get Your Word down in my heart and I develop a righteousness-consciousness that puts me in a position to pray with unshakable confidence. As I walk in love I overcome the fear factor, because perfect love drives out fear. Without fear I am able to enjoy my relationship with You and others. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
