Gen 2:15 And Jehovah God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Gen 2:16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden,
Gen 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (MKJV)

Do we find any mention in the Bible of God removing those spiritual attributes from them when He evicted them from the Garden? God, in His wisdom, at least left the spiritual hunger in Adam and Eve and consequently, in all the future generations to this very day. But sadly that hunger is choked out by the distractions of this world as a result of the first sin. Our original nature still longs to connect with God despite the rebellious nature that caused the human race to exit paradise.

Jesus was concerned with us using our perception correctly. He spent His ministry teaching us many things but among them was not to judge because if we do, we, too, will be judged. He further said not to judge by appearances. Why is that so important? Remember what Adam and Eve did. They tried to gain something that God did not want mankind to have. They ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By doing so, they disobeyed their Creator and became aware of good and evil. At that point, we became discerning individuals each putting ourselves up on a pedestal of knowledge. With growing confidence, we pushed God's wisdom out of our minds and, instead, latched onto our own limited wisdom, which is based on appearances. Although this was done by the human race long ago, there has been no deviation from this limiting practice even today. In other words, we're still in “deep doo-doo.”

One of the many wonderful qualities of Jesus, was His strong certainty that God could do anything and that He could confidently call upon God's power to raise the dead, feed the 5000, heal the sick or do whatever God wanted Him to do during His ministry on earth. For those hungry for that power, it is important to realize that Christ only made requests in submission to God's will. For God, we, too, can and should do the same. Indeed, in Mark 28:18, Jesus was asked by God to delegate His work:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen. (MKJV)

Jesus said that even greater things we'd do and the early church leaders indeed did raise some people from the dead and heal the sick. Truly, through the power of the Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus, many miracles have been accomplished. And many miracles are being accomplished through Him even today.

Why do you suppose people are so dissatisfied with life in this world? What is it about this world that leaves such a rotten taste in their mouths? Why, when God Himself came down from Heaven and walked this earth in the person of Jesus Christ, are there still people who argue that this truth of His coming is all fabricated and worthless information? Why are there still people who insist that the unsatisfying lives they lead have more value than the life Jesus has promised we could have? What is more valuable than a life in which we allow Jesus to take on our burdens and give us true rest and peace and joy? Could it be that we still struggle to have our own power and authority? We still want to be “like God” and be in control, but we lack His wisdom.

Many desire spiritual powers and because they are unwilling to submit to God, they seek those powers from sources other than the Holy Spirit of the Lord. They deceive themselves into thinking they draw power from their own carnal minds, but Jesus said “All power is given unto me.” They are deceived when it does indeed seem that they have attained supernatural power. That is only because Satan is more than willing to grant their human will so that they can be fooled. Their belief in “the appearances of power” rather than what God has decreed, leaves them vulnerable and without true power, the power in the name of Jesus that comes through us at our invitation.

Jesus said, in Matthew 21:22 “And all things, ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Satan takes this verse and proves to you the opposite is true by teaching you, through judging by appearances, to believe in hopelessness. In Jesus' name, we must stand firm on believing God's will is good and build our trust in Him. Let us remember Matthew 17:20:

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said to them…If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you. (MKJV)

This means that if we keep our minds on the truth that we must trust our Lord and Savior, Jesus, in all things, then our mountain of doubt can be thrown into the sea. We can do this! Jesus said that we are not to judge by appearances, but how many of us do this anyway? If we do, then the rebellion that got us evicted from the Garden of Eden is still going on. By judging our circumstances and comparing them with others on this planet (and their outcomes), our beliefs become very tainted with the original sin. Indeed, today, it is possible we are being caught with our hands in the cookie jar! Are we not still munching on the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

The sin of judging everything based on appearances is actually causing a downward cyclic spiral that goes like this: As we believe that faith has no power, we only see appearances of the world's limitations, as we believe in the world's limitations, we manifest limitation in our lives, as we rationalize and believe that limitation is fact, it further causes more belief in limitation, etc. On and on it goes, spiraling down until, finally, weak and vulnerable to all the demons and negativity this world offers, we sink as low as we can and we mutter under our gasping and perhaps dying breath, “I can't go on.”

Yes, we can go on! Jesus promised us in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

From the cross, Jesus died for our sins and we must make the effort to perpetually believe in Him (no matter what the circumstances) and strive to constantly give up our sins to Him (both our own and the sins of others that we might be tempted to dwell on). It is not one prayer but a constant prayer that leads to our eternal life. It is a commitment to Him that is made. Often, however, the new Christian is confused and, if they are not careful, they will slide back into earlier routines and the temptation to do things the way everyone else in the world is doing them will come back. If he or she studies God's Word, the Bible, they will see many instances in which we are to repent. This means we are to change our belief system. This is something we must do. It cannot be done by God because He desires us to have free will. What happens when we change our belief system?

We lose the desire for personal power (or “human” power). Our false understanding of power and its source (Satan) is revealed and made distasteful to us. Now we can be trusted to use God's mighty power correctly. That power is made available to us in the name of Jesus. As we choose to be empowered by God to further His kingdom, we turn away from deceitful appearances and judgments of this world. We no longer desire to accomplish our own desires but become willing vehicles through which Christ can do His will through us.

As we rely on Christ's promises to give us peace and allow Him to relieve our burdens, we will no longer focus on the appearances around us that have locked us into the downward spiraling with its subsequent pain and misery. In John 8:32 Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Remember, it is important that we know the truth first before circumstances will change. By looking at the circumstances and judging reality by them, we are attempting to take God's power and will away from Him in order to do things our way once again. This is exactly what Adam and Eve did at the beginning of time when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and learned to judge by appearances. And, just like them, we are being ejected from our spiritual “Garden of Eden,” a place where our hearts and minds enjoy peace and rest. Instead we cause ourselves to be miserable, refusing to submit our will to Christ and allow Him to relieve our burdens. We lose that peace that is beyond our understanding, falling prey to the sway of worldly circumstances.

How was Jesus so confident? Did Jesus want us to be confident, too? Yes, confident in Him who is indwelling in us. Otherwise He wouldn't have instructed us to believe as He did.

Joh 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you] (Amp)

Like Lazarus, we, too, can be raised from the dead. Jesus calls us to come forth and remove all that binds us and all that we would be adorning for the grave. Jesus' call for Lazarus to come forth echoes down the corridors of time, to the present moment. Can we hear Him? Can we leave the comfort of this decaying old world and follow Him?

Our faith needs to be built up and it is done through our dependence on God for all things. An easy way to grow in dependency on God is through praising Him for everything, because even what we would label “bad” can be used by God. Look at Romans 5:3,4.

Rom 5:3 Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. Rom 5:4 And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. (Amp)

The next time we may be tempted and find ourselves partaking of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, let's spit out the fruit as quickly as we can. It has cost us our happiness, our joy, and even our sanity. Through Christ, true peace, joy, trust and rest--the bliss enjoyed in the Garden, is accomplished.

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