Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
We must live our lives from a place of God resting in us and with us. The true desirable place of life is to live in and from the presence of God in our lives. This is most important for every member of the body of Christ to know, especially for leaders as they lead God’s people in discovering and fulfilling their true purpose in life. This testimony can be seen in the beginning of creation as recorded in the book of Genesis. God formed man from the dust and then He plated a garden in the East and put man in the garden. It was a place of knowing God and knowing the goodness of God in order to fulfill human purpose upon the earth. The goal was not to live life in the garden, but to live life from the garden. Our goal is not just to live to know God in life, but to live life from the place of knowing God. We are supposed to influence our world with the goodness and presence of God in all things. There were four rivers in the garden of Eden and those rivers went from the garden, out to the world. I believe that these rivers in the garden depict what Jesus was talking about when He cried out; Is anyone thirsty? Come to me and drink, and from inside of you will flow rivers of life-giving water! I know this to be true, not only in Scripture, but in the testimony of my own life.
When we live in a desirable place with God, the expressions of our lives become desirable to others. When we experience the life of God, we become givers of the life of God to others. If you are a leader in the body of Christ, this is perhaps the most important thing to know as a leader. You lead in giving life to your world to activate, facilitate, and release those you lead to do the same. Like the four covenant rivers in the garden of Eden, the life that flows out from our lives causes our world to be changed. The covenant rivers in the garden were filled with the abundance of life for the purpose of reaching the field. The purpose of the rivers was to reach the place where trees needed to grow. The water of these rivers was destined to flow where herbs needed to grow. The field that Adam was formed from was dust and it was in need of trees and herbs. The earth needed life to become a place that can give life. The garden of Eden was not just a place of blessing, it was a place of purpose. When God rests in our lives it is not just for us to experience the life of God. It is so we can be those who give life to the world.
Genesis 2:10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
There was a river in the garden that produced four riverheads. Four is a number of covenant and it represents the ability to give life to the whole world. These rivers were the testimony of life for all who need life in the earth. If we look at the names of these riverheads, we find some great truth concerning the power of life. If you study the names of these four rivers you will find a description of the following testimony:
- A RIVER THAT BRINGS CHANGE FOR INCREASE – BELIEF (Pishon – persuasion – an extension of the mouth)
- A RIVER THAT BRINGS AWAKENING – ACTION (Gihon – breaking forth – valley of grace)
- A RIVER THAT BRINGS INCREASE AND MOMENTUM – IMAGINATION (Hiddekel –beyond what is – sharp voice, sound)
- A RIVER THAT BRINGS FRUITFULNESS – INFLUENCE (Euphrates – that makes fruitful)
Whatever be BELIEVE determines how we ACT. How we ACT determines what we can IMAGINE. What we can IMAGINE determines how we can INFLUENCE the world around us. The secret to these being life-filled realities for life-filled purposes in our lives is to live in and from the presence of God in all things. God is resting in our lives for the testimony of His glory in our world! It is not merely so we will be blessed. It is so we will be a blessing.. It is not so good things of God will be added to our own lives. It is so we will see good things manifest in the lives of others. It is not just so we will know God today, but so the world beyond our own lives will change by the power of life. It is not about what can happen in our lifetime. It is what can happen in the earth because of our lifetime. Knowing God resting in our life is so we will fulfill the purpose of God in our life and His name will be glorified in all things. This is the reason we lead others in our God-given spheres of influence.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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