Date: Tuesday, 10th August 2021
Ministering: Pastor Tayo Ladejo
We are currently living in a time when a generation that is after the dispensation of the New Testament is journeying back to Eden, in spite of the fall of Adam and Eve. The journey back to Eden is a journey back to God. Eden is not accessible by any mortal man because of the work of corruption that has been done in the soul of man, since the fall. Corruption is held in trust by flesh, clustered in the carnal nature, and fully embodied in the soul as a nature called ‘self’. As long as this nature remains intact in man, he remains disqualified to enter God’s rest. The entirety of our journey back to God involves dealing with the nature of self (the carnal nature) in man.
The essence of the Tree of Life is for man to become like God, and there will be a class of people who will partake of that tree. Eden means pleasure. This pleasure does not refer to entertainment or natural happiness, but a thing that exists forever. It is a pleasure that is at the right hand of God (Psa. 16:11). Therefore, our souls must be elevated to be able to sit where our spirits are seated in the Spirit (Eph. 2:6). This is a place where there is no room for anything that hurts; it is the city of God (Isa. 11:9).
The priority of heaven is to make the abode of God in us; but God will not make an abode in anything that is contrary to His nature. This is the major reason why we must be committed to change. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil changed man into a nature that is the complete opposite of the nature of the Tree of Life. When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they became trees, but not after the order of Divinity.
“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. [24] So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Gen. 3:23-24). We must go through the flaming sword to have access to the Garden of Eden. This means that our evil or carnal nature must be removed from us before we an be allowed to have access to Eden.
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Rom. 8:6-7). The carnal mind is in resistance against the law of God; it is in consonance with iniquity. Iniquity is a law, therefore it will take another law that is higher than iniquity to defeat it. This law is the law of God.
God must possess our minds till we have the mind of Christ. If you do not have the mind of Christ, it will be impossible to find the way back to the Garden. This is why we need the leading of the Spirit. The essence of the leading of the Spirit is to lead us out of the carnal mind to find the mind of Christ. We need the Holy Ghost to work in us, to will and to do of God’s good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). This is what assures us of admittance into the Garden.
“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. [11] The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; [12] And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. [13] And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. [14] And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.” (Gen. 2:10-14). There are four rivers that characterize the Garden of Eden - Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel and Euphrates. We need to drink of these waters because they flow from the fountain of life (Rev. 22:1). However, there must be hunger in us before we can receive the depths (waters) of God. These rivers flow out of the great depths of God; and its waters represent the word which the Lord uses to wash, cleanse, and open the eyes of our understanding.
God wants men and women who will serve Him with discernment; He wants men who will behold the Lord and understand His ways with clear sight. We need clear sight to know the Lord and appropriate His works. The purposes of God cannot be understood with a carnal mind.
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8). What brings about purity in the heart is the river that flows from the throne of God. This river cleanses our hearts and causes our sight to be clearer. When the water of life cleanses us, our eyes become blind to iniquity. God wants to blindfold us to the sophistication, wickedness, and competitiveness of iniquity. When the water of life flows inside us and gushes out from us, it will heal the nations. The waters must first cleanse us and then gush out to reach others. Then, nations will experience the invasion of the force of righteousness.
‘Pison’ means increase. When God is increasing us, He will increase the supply of His grace. Grace is the supply of the Spirit to enable us accomplish the pleasures of God. Grace is accompanied by the knowledge of God. This knowledge is not one that is acquired but a revelational knowledge. The accumulation of grace brings about the pleasure and purposes of God.
A lot of people want quick results in ministry and their careers but do not want to pay the price. The gospel that promises a crown without the cross or promises glory without suffering is not true; and will will be taken out by God. The Lord is creating cravings and desires for His ways and truth in men. He is causing the love of God to well up in the hearts of His people, so that truth will be exalted and elevated. The Lord will first work out fruitfulness in us and then, send forth speed to us.
God is concerned about the minutest details of our lives; therefore, we should not be discouraged. God does not want us to be preoccupied with our problems and issues but to be devoted to seeking Him and doing His will. We should let Him handle them for us.
There is a God-made hollow in the heart of every man that cannot be filled by anyone else but God. Any need that has become an issue of concern above seeking the life of God is an idol, no matter how legitimate it is. God wants us to love Him and pour out our souls upon Him. As we do this, He takes our lives and builds His habitation in us.
The adversary is not so interested in taking your money. He rather wants you to shift your ground in God. As such, you must abide and stand firm without shifting because this is how you will receive authority to overcome the accuser of the brethren.
We are in alignment with God when He instructs and corrects us, and we yield to Him. Discernment is found in alignment; it is the only way we will make the Dragon fall and bring him under our feet. Before this can happen however, we must know God as the God of peace (Rom. 16:20). We must constantly come into reconciliation with God to become saviours.
The church has to go beyond the teaching about the natural needs of man and begin to deal with issues of the unveiling of divine mysteries. We need to operate divine seals that will bring death under our feet. For this to happen, the Lord is removing idols that have been hindering the glory of God from coming into His habitation. Heaven is raising the temperature of the intensity of His dealings in our lives; so that we will have illumination and depths of understanding like never before.