TEXT: GEN. 3: 9-10 – And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Dear reader, I would like to welcome you to the 3rd in our series on the theme of the month that is about self-appraisal. When God asked Adam where art thou, as we have discussed in earlier series, it was a question that has to do with God’s interest in hearing from Adam on how he would appraise his spiritual position/location as against his physical position/location. Of course, often your spiritual location and position would determine your physical location and position. I want to believe that you will agree with me that our God, whom we serve, is an Omnipresent and Omniscience God, who knows all things. He knows the spiritual and physical location of Adam before He asked him the question. This tells me that anyone today who erroneously assumes that God is far away from him/her is only deceiving him/herself.
Beloved, if you agree with me that the question of God from Adam is that of his spiritual location than physical location, then you would like to agree with me that the question God asked Adam is still as relevant to you as it was to Adam. God asked the question because of his expectations from Adam, just as He has certain expectations from you. Brethren there is a saying that you can run but you cannot hide, which has a biblical confirmation. When it comes to God, no matter how much you tried to run from Him, you are not far from God. In Psa. 139: 7-12 David wrote about the Omnipresent nature of God. David said, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (NIV). David came to this conclusion when the sins he committed in the secret came to the open. David, who believed that his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband (Uriah), was not known realised how wrong he was when Prophet Nathan brought him the word of the Lord (2 Samuel 12: 1 – 14).
Brethren, God is not far at all from you as you assume. He is as near to you as your breath. God Himself spoke to Prophet Jeremiah in Jer. 23: 24 thus, “Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD”. Similarly, Apostle Paul also declared in Heb. 4: 13 that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (NIV). Beloved, we would all give account now or in eternity.
My dear reader, having established the fact that we cannot hide from God, may I then ask you what your answer would be if God were to ask you the same question He asked Adam today, where art thou? Are you going to hide or you would boldly come to Him. The bible says in Heb. 4: 16 “let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (NIV). If you are not able to come to Him with boldness, but have to hide like Adam, then you need to cry to Him for His mercies right now.
Now, let us look at some of the things that God can call you to account for at any time. First, God says in Rom. 10: 25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (NIV). How well are you doing in this area? Would God accept your excuses? The excuse that Adam gave to God was that the woman that God gave him was the cause of his disobedience. Just as God did not accept Adam’s excuse, He would not accept the blaming of your boss or employer, spouse, children and anyone for your disobedience of His command to you on ensuring that you do not forsake the assemblage of the brethren. If you are comfortable to be at work every Sunday morning, particularly by choice and not out of compulsion, then you would need to examine yourself. My prayer is that you would not have to seek God in tears in Jesus name. There is a Yoruba (Nigerian) fable about the Monkey that refused to say Amen in peace but has been compelled to say it continually ever since when the evil day came upon him. I pray that you would not have to run back to God as a result of trouble or evil in Jesus name.
Also, in Malachi 3: 9 – 12 the bible says “You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty” (NIV). Have you been obedient in bringing ALL your tithes unto the Lord? Examine yourself and repent now as tomorrow may be too late. May you not be cursed in Jesus name.
Again the bible says in Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (KJV). How well are you doing in this area. Do you still harbour bitterness towards anyone today? Do you still harbour anger and wrath? If any of these is found in you, you need to repent today.
My dear brothers and sisters, where art thou in respect of these few of the many of God’s expectation from His children? Are you obedient in the area of keeping His Sabbath day Holy? Are you faithful in your tithe? Are you free of malice, wrath and anger? Are you free of evil speaking? If you are not able to come boldly to God in respect of any of these questions, then you need to repent today. I pray that the Lord would give you the grace to appraise yourself in the way God sees you in Jesus name. Amen.
Shalom.
HYMN: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER ALL
Dr. Yinka Okude
Pastor-in-Charge
RCCG Jesus Sanctuary, Northampton
