28 Days of Hope – Day 8
Adam and Eve walked with God and lived in a garden full of blessings and a world without sin. There was temptation and the potential for rebellion, but it was their decision. The devil showed up and planted seeds of doubt. Nothing is new under the sun. The same misleading schemes are still working today: “God is not good,” “His word is not reliable,” and “Life will be better if you do things your way which is better than God’s plan”. When those three seeds become planted in our hearts and minds, we take a bite of the forbidden fruit. Pride leads to confusion instead of clarity, doubts instead of trust, isolation instead of communion, enmity instead of unity, and shame instead of hope.
The first round of hide and seek with God, the introduction of the blame game in our relationships, and the walls of personal denial were not necessary. What begins in Genesis is multiplied billions of times today. Adam and Eve can point fingers at each other or say, “The devil made me do it.” Neither excuse will bring restoration with God or each other. God doesn’t ask them, “Where are you?” because His GPS is broken, his Wi-Fi is slow, or His Life360 App is still downloading. This is not a question about location; it’s a question about the condition of their hearts.
There is no healing for Adam and Eve until the revealing of sin. God still has hope for them even though their lives will not be the same. The Lord provided garments for Adam and Eve. Their new clothes were made from the skin of animals which was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus who provides the ultimate covering for our sins. God wants to remove your guilt and clothe you with His grace. Turn from sin and make room for God. Surrender every part of your life to Jesus. Partial access only results in partial hope. You can shift from distance to closeness with God right now. Take a few minutes and ask God to search your heart and see if there is anything that does not honor Him. We need to drop our pride, get rid of excuses, confess sin, receive mercy and hope, and return to God. Shift from rebellion to reconciliation.
Hope Point: We can be completely forgiven because God’s grace is greater than our sin.
Hope Story: Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-24
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- In what ways do you need to repent and return to God?
- Are there areas of your past that still produce shame? If so, without writing them down, pray for God’s forgiveness and give the shame to God.
- Are you held back at all in sharing your faith because of your past mistakes and current shortcomings? If so, let God’s hope change this now.
- Are there attitudes, conversations, or activities in your life that you try to hide from God? If you’re unsure, pray for God to reveal them to you and repent.
PRAYER
Father God, thank You for pursuing me even after I have made bad decisions. I want to make some changes in my life, so that You are honored. I return to You today with all of my heart. I turn from all of my hidden and repeated sins. I choose to fully follow you, Jesus. Amen.
28 Days of Hope is a journey together, as we rediscover and recommit to God’s indestructible hope in transformative ways. As you begin this journey, you’ll experience a sense of excitement about what God is going to do. If you have a desire to grow in your faith, strengthen your relationships, gain wisdom, cultivate new habits, experience more peace, and live daily with purpose and passion, then you are in the right place. Just Choose Hope
Brought to you by Walton Beverage.
Comments