“But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” God asked…” (Genesis 3:9-11 GNB)
Back in the Garden of Eden, the Lord had given Adam a clear instruction: “… of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). As long as Adam kept that instruction, everything was fine, until he disobeyed God and committed high treason.
Consequently, the Bible says when Adam and his wife Eve, heard the voice of God in the garden, in the cool of the day, they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord amongst the trees of the garden (Genesis 3:8). When the Lord called unto Adam, and said Adam, where are you? (Genesis 3:9), his reply was “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). Immediately, God knew that Adam had listened to the wrong voice, since God never told him he was naked.
Adam didn’t know fear or shame as long as he kept the Lord’s commands, but when he listened to that wily old devil who convinced his wife that God wasn’t being straight with them (Genesis 3:4-5), everything changed. Immediately, the glory of God departed from Adam and he became “naked”; he became exposed to satan and fear came into his life.
This is what happens when you listen to other voices rather than give attention to the voice of God, which is the Word of God. The world we live in is full of so many voices that could inspire fear, doubt and worry in the hearts of men. The newspapers, magazines, news channels, radio stations and the internet disseminate news about economic downturns, natural disasters, violent crimes and all sorts of negative information that breed fear and unbelief.
Satan is the god of this world system (2 Corinthians 4:4), thus all information that originate from this world are designed to cast doubts over the integrity of God’s Word. This is why you must give attention only to God’s Word and refuse to give heed to any voice that is contrary to the Word.
Prayer
Dear Father, my ears are ever attentive to your voice. I refuse to be swayed by the many contrary voices in the world; rather, I make a deliberate choice to look away from everything else and focus my gaze on Your Word. By this, I continuously function in the realities of your kingdom, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Study: Proverbs 4:20-22: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Taken by permission from Christ Embassy Church , aka Believer’s LoveWorld Ministries , Lagos, Nigeria. www.ChristEmbassy.org )
