Who told you?
Genesis 3:11(AMP) “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
Introduction: Greetings to all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was scarcity of cash in Nigeria due to Central Bank cashless policy implementation and to prevent buying of votes by politicians. It was a terrible period no one experienced before. I want to unequivocally let you know that it is a dress rehearsal for what will happen when the beloved is taken away from the World and the Antichrist takes over when there will be unification of currency.
2 Thessalonians 2:7(NLT) For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
🙏 Lord, please let me be among your beloved who will step out of the way before the Lawless one takes over in Jesus name.
This week, there is need to personally answer the question God asked Adam “Who told you?” before acting on information in all areas of our lives.
There are basically two primary sources of information;
1️⃣. God (by the Spirit)
2️⃣. Devil (by the Flesh)
There was information to Adam from God to act upon during his stay at the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:15-17(NLT) The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. But the Lord God gave him this warning: “You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.”
There was counter-information from that old Serpent called the Devil to Eve which Adam acted upon.
Genesis 3:4-6(AMP) But the serpent said to the woman, 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. And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate.
Now, after redemption through Jesus Christ, God passes information through the Spirit by the Scriptures into our quickened spirit that comes alive when we surrender our lives to Christ as His Disciples.
John 14:26(AMP) But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.
Despite redemption, Devil passes information through our Human nature, Old-man, Sinful nature, Flesh or Adamic nature inherited from Adam. This information is always suitable, desirable, convincing and pleasant to the Flesh or Human nature.
Genesis 3:6(NLT) The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.
Everyone born of a woman is dead spiritually, he/she is just a living soul until he/she comes to the knowledge of the Saviour, Jesus Christ for restoration when the dead spirit comes alive to now become a Christian.
Ephesians 2:1(GNS) In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins.
1 Corinthians 15:45(AMP) Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life].
To every Christian with quickened spirit, informations from God through the Spirit and Devil through the Flesh will always be at loggerhead.
Galatians 5:17(AMP) For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.
There is higher tendency to obey information from the Flesh due to its suitability, pleasant and convincing attributes to the Human or Adamic nature as it occurred to Eve.
Hear the concerns of Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth
2 Corinthians 11:3(AMP) But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Just as Adam and Eve heard divergent information about the tree of knowledge and evil in the Garden of Eden, every child of God must also experience divergent informations from the Spirit and the Flesh to choose whom to obey.
Hear the experience and cry of Apostle Paul on this divergent informations from God and Devil during the Apostolic era.
Romans 7:18(GNS) I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it.
The pressure from the Flesh or Human nature is very strong that no lukewarm Christian can survive its pressure.
Romans 7:21(NLT) It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
Apostle Paul eventually found deliverance from Jesus Christ, the Word of God to overcome fleshly pressures and desires.
Romans 7:24-25(NLT) Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
In Christian journey, there will always be a way from the flesh, seemingly right because it is suitable and pleasant to the Flesh but ends in death as it happened to Adam and Eve.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.
This is why a Christian should know the source of information; whether from God through the Scriptures or from the Devil through the Flesh.
A woman wrote on social media with the caption, “My Husband set me up”. In her story, she met a prophet at the gate of her house who told her that God sent him to her not to spend a dime from =N=12M in her possession until they pray on it, otherwise, she will die. She was afraid since nobody knew about the money except her husband whom they both agreed on investing the money on property. The husband made her to go with the money for prayer and the money disappeared with the prophet. It was later discovered that her husband colluded with the prophet to defraud her. The question is; Who told her she needed prayer on =N=12M before spending?
Adam did not answer the first question “Who told you that you were naked?” probably Adam did not ask Eve the source of contrary information on the forbidden fruit. He answered the second question “Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me–she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate.
When they obeyed God’s instructions, they were naked but not ashamed.
Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Obeying other source, the Devil (through flesh) brings sin and shame as the repercussion of disobedience to God, because God Who covers the obedient ones will depart as He cannot dwell with iniquity. The disobedient ones will be exposed to danger and run even when no one pursues as Adam and Eve started hiding.
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Knowing the source of information before acting gives rooms to choose who to obey. Adam could not answer “Who told you that you were naked?” because he had already acted on his wife’s action that brought shame with exposure to the enemy thereby became servant to Devil.
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Do you know that Satan can come as angel of light using the Scriptures to make you disobey God?
2 Corinthians 11:14-15(AMP) And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds.
Satan came to Jesus Christ in His wilderness experience quoting Scriptures so as to distrupt redemptive plan of God but Jesus Christ the Word of God overcame Satan with what is written.
Hear what Jesus Christ said towards the end of redemptive works;
John 14:30(AMP) I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]
Following what men of God say without finding out their source of information by searching the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so can cause death. It brings shame to any Christian when at the end realising that information acted upon was not from God.
Jeremiah 14:13-14 (GNS) Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, you know that the prophets are telling the people that there will be no war or starvation, because you have promised, they say, that there will be only peace in our land.” But the Lord replied, “The prophets are telling lies in my name; I did not send them, nor did I give them any orders or speak one word to them. The visions they talk about have not come from me; their predictions are worthless things that they have imagined.
Can you now see why it is very important to search the Scriptures daily? God will never excuse anyone from consequences of disobedience to His words. We are expected to verify information received if it is contrary to written words of God, confirmed by Holy Spirit in us before making choices.
Who brought nakedness cannot prevent consequences of disobedience to God’s instructions. Aaron, 2nd in command to Moses made Israel to be naked through idolatry, that could NOT exonerate Israelites from consequences of disobedience and those not on the Lord’s side were put to death.
Exodus 32:25-27 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
Wages of sin or disobedience is death. Information from Devil can look good, right, pleasant and harmless but leads to death.
Who told you to drink alcohol, join night clubs, fellowship with old students association, contact with former girlfriend or boyfriend, and other seemingly right road pleasurable to the flesh?
Proverbs 14:12 (GNS) What you think is the right road may lead to death.
Strict adherence to what God says can make you unsociable in this generation of filthiness but it keeps you safe from the control and bondage of the Devil.
Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
At the appearance of God, Adam and Eve hid due to disobedience to God and obedience to Satan. Inability to abide and live by His words brings fear and shame at His appearing.
1 John 2:28(AMP) And now, little children, abide (live, remain permanently) in Him, so that when He is made visible, we may have and enjoy perfect confidence (boldness, assurance) and not be ashamed and shrink from Him at His coming.
Finally brethren, obedience to God’s instructions removes fear, to be acquainted with His words through meditation day and night identifies counter-information from the Devil. Knowing original currency detects fake currency. The Word of Truth from God by the Scriptures nullifies the word of lies from the Devil by human nature.
2 Timothy 2:15(AMP) Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
✋ Maranatha
