Celebrating Freedom!

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
Gen 2:15-16 (NIV)

You are free...... sweet freedom!
God would have been cruel to not state the consequence for eating the "wrong" fruit and in verse 17 He does.

"...but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Gen 2:17 (NIV)

Satan tries to muddy the water by offering the first "spin" on things.

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Gen 3:5 (NIV)

Listen to Satan telling Eve "what God knows". Listening to the wrong voice can end up costing a great deal. People all around us have suffered great loss because they listened to the "wrong" voice. Maybe you too? It's easy to get caught up in the "muddiness" of the moment and hear what you want to hear. Who wouldn't want to be like God?

Just like Eve we are free to make choices, any choice we want. It would be quite an interesting thing if God immediately struck dead everyone who made the "wrong" choice, but He obviously doesn't. We are all free to choose.

What God knows is that we will sometimes wade into the muddy waters and be deceived. We will listen to the wrong voice of promise and suffer loss.

God, in His extreme love for us, provides a way out.

........"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
Matt 17:5 (NIV)

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:36 (NIV)

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Heb 2:14-15 (NIV)

Listen carefully and choose wisely my friends!
Have A Great Day!
Deny