Last updated on June 26, 2019
“Let’s start at the very beginning, A very good place to start”
As I contemplated where to start, these lyrics came to mind. You may recognize them from the song, “Do-Re-Mi” from the musical, Sound of Music.
To understand and succeed in our journey in this earthly realm and in the realm of the Kingdom of God, we must understand what happened in Genesis 1-3. It is foundational. May we look through the lens of Holy Spirit as we enter through the door of this Biblical account.
A dream I had a few years back ended with me as a toddler. I had been given my “father’s glasses” to wear. As I sat there in the dream, now wearing glasses that were way too big for me, I realized that others might laugh at me, or just think it was “cute”, but I knew that it was an honor and responsibility to wear his glasses. I understood that I would need to grow in my ability to see through them and understand what I was seeing. The glasses were the only way I would fully discern and comprehend truth.
As I thought about the dream and prayed about it, God’s Spirit showed me that the glasses represented a gift from our heavenly Father. It was through the gift of His Holy Spirit lens that we will grow in discernment and awareness of the truth of the spiritual realm around us, and how that affects the physical realm that we live in.
Reading and studying the scriptures is essential, but it will not give us life and fullness of truth without the Holy Spirit. The written word of God becomes the living Word of God in our lives through His empowering Spirit. The Spirit and the living Word of God are inseparable.
Ephesians 6:17 — “… And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God.”
Hebrews 4:12 –- “For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.”
“In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1:1)
Having said that, let us now briefly look at Genesis 1 before concentrating on Genesis 2 and 3. No matter how familiar you may feel with this account of creation, try “reading it again for the first time”.
Are you one who can see pictures in your imagination, corresponding to the words that you are reading? Ask Holy Spirit to open up to you God’s heart and process as you read and soak in the description. Ask Him questions as you read.
Besides “seeing” what you read through inner pictures, you may also “feel” the emotions or the atmosphere of what you are reading. You may “hear” by having thoughts drop into your mind that you would not normally think. You may also experience the “knowing” that comes from His Spirit teaching your spirit.
Hebrews 5:14 (TPT)
“But solid food is for the mature, whose spiritual senses perceive heavenly matters. And they have been adequately trained by what they’ve experienced to emerge with understanding of the difference between what is truly excellent and what is evil and harmful.”
We are all different how Holy Spirit communicates with us. To grow in your awareness of how He may be “speaking” to you, try asking questions and writing down whatever you are seeing, hearing, feeling, or knowing. Don’t stop to evaluate what you are writing down until the flow of what you are receiving stops. Then you can go back and ask the Holy Spirit about what you have written down. He may give you a scripture that confirms, or a memory of something He has shown you in the past. If you stop and evaluate too soon, you may interrupt the flow of what you are receiving prematurely.
If you are artistic, you may find that drawing, painting, or expressing in song what you are receiving from Holy Spirit, works best for you.
As you travel through Genesis 1, look through the lens of God’s goodness and character. Consider how the kingdom of God is described in Romans 14:17 (TPT):
“For the kingdom of God …. is in the realm of the Holy Spirit, filled with righteousness, peace, and joy.”
(The Passion Translation (TPT) makes this note: “Righteousness means, both in the context and in the Hebraic mind-set, kindness in our relationships.”)
“Step back in the spirit” and ask Creator God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to fill your heart with understanding, allowing you to experience His heart in the midst of His creative process: for example, His love and kindness, joy, and peace; His creativity, wisdom and purpose for each step and proclamation.
To expand your study and exploration of the Genesis 1 account of creation, try spending some time in the following scriptures. You can find several Bible translation choices at biblegateway.com. Other than the more common translations, I found The Message and The Passion Translation versions of Genesis 1 especially helpful. Be sure to read the footnotes when you are in the Passion translation (TPT). I find them very insightful.
John 1:1-5 — all things were created through the Logos (Word / Living Expression) who became flesh (Jesus)
Proverbs 8:22-31 — what a great picture of the wisdom, joy and laughter of God while He created
Colossians 1:13-23 — everything was created through the Son (Jesus) and for His purpose
So, now it is your turn…..
1. What questions did you ask as you read the creation account in Genesis 1?
2. What did you “see”, “hear”, “feel”, or “know” as you soaked/ meditated on what was being described?
3. Did you receive a new insight into God’s heart and purposes in the Creation account and how did you record it?
4. What is your response to the revelation He has given you?
— Worship and thanksgiving?
— A new outlook, a greater love and appreciation for God and His creation?
— An action to take?
Please feel free to share what you have experienced and learned, along with your response to what Holy Spirit revealed to you, in the place for comments below.
“God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…”. (Genesis 1:31a)
In the next blog post, A Special Creation, we will continue our journey of discovery in Genesis 1 and 2.
Be First to Comment