All of us need to come to a place where we rely on God above what the world would call good and evil. For Abraham, that day came when God said to him “Take your son, your only son Isaac, who you love, and go the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22.2). The Lord asked him to take HIS SON as a BURNT OFFERING.
Go on, do a poll of the world – your office, your classroom, your friends and family – is it evil to kill your own son by setting fire to him? I guarantee the world will say this is evil. But Abraham relied on God, ate from the Tree of Life and did not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And because of that submission, the blessing that comes on our lives is forever called the blessing of Abraham, Abraham is the father of our faith, and Abraham’s people were multiplied forever.
Why did God decide to bless Abraham, and multiply his seed like the stars of heaven (Genesis 22.16)? Was it because Abraham studied well at school, got into a good university, got a good job and went to a nice church (when he was able and not too busy of course)? By the way, it also was not because Abraham agreed with murder. It goes beyond that – it was because Abraham was more committed to God and honouring God than what anyone thought of him, even what he thought of him. What God said, He did.
Do you want to be on fire for God? We had a prophetic word on Sunday in Dagenham from Libby Nahimana that we would be a group of firestarters? Do you want to be a firestarter? Do you want to burn for the Lord? Then do not depend on what you know and depend on God.
For Joshua that moment came when he had to offer Jericho as a burnt offering to the Lord. Joshua “utterly destroyed” the whole city – man and woman, young, old, oxen, sheep and donkeys! (Joshua 6.21). Joshua had to not decide whether that was right for himself, he had to obey God. You do not want to disobey God and walk another way because you think you know better than God.
For Hosea, one day the Lord told him to marry a prostitute. Can you imagine how many of your friends would say it was right to marry a prostitute? People would think you were evil. How many pastors would tell a young single man on fire for God to marry a prostitute? It’s not good – the tree of knowledge of good and evil would say that is not good, don’t do it.
Now, don’t read this blog and go and marry a prostitute, don’t read this blog and go and burn your son, don’t read this blog and go and wipe out an evil city – read this blog and get on your knees and ask God what you should do.
My son Reuben dropped out of university and even I thought that was crazy, but he was eating at the tree of life, and relying on God not what other people thought was right. Other people still think he should have another “good” life but he has led over 100,000 people to the Lord in the last couple of years. To live like that, you have to rely on God and be constantly praying and reading the Word so you are guided by God, not traditions, not philosophy, not other people’s opinions, not society, not anything!
What about Saul? He was told by the prophet not to sacrifice to the Lord. How many of you know that sacrificing to the Lord is a good thing? Worshipping the Lord is a good thing? I have found in my life knowing a good thing to do, but not doing it is very hard. There are times I am in a room or situation and I know how to flow in the Holy Spirit and how to change the whole atmosphere of a room and the Lord has instructed me to stand still. That’s hard. Saul failed that test, and offered a burnt offering, and God said to Saul that what he did was foolish (1 Sam. 13.12-13). In a similar way, David was told not to build the temple for the Lord. David kept close to God because he listened to God over listening to his desires and plans.
There have been times in a prayer line God has told me not to pray for certain people. I find that hard, but I listen to God. My son was healed because a minister was told by God not to pray for him. I was offended at the time, but later found out how important it was that I was the one who prayed for him, not the minister. We must not show mercy where God is not showing that mercy!
Recently God told me not to take someone back into Tree of Life even if they came to me and said they had repented. Listen – God knows more than me. I will not rely on me, I will not rely on my assessment of what is good and evil, I will rely on the Lord.
I am not eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, I am following the Tree of Life, the Living God.
My next post will look at the man who lived in the light of the Tree of Life and not the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil more than anyone else besides Jesus – Paul, the apostle.
Tree of Life Blog 