God's Questions: A Journey Toward Restoration
The central theme of this discussion revolves around the profound significance of the questions posed by God in the biblical narrative, particularly those found in Genesis. We delve into the nature of these inquiries, highlighting their capacity to provoke deep reflection and self-examination. The episode elucidates four pivotal questions that God posed to Adam and Eve, each designed to facilitate a path toward introspection and reconciliation. Through these questions, we explore the concepts of accountability, identity, and the transformative power of confronting one's own truths. The dialogue ultimately invites listeners to engage with their own spiritual journeys, encouraging a movement from hiding and shame toward authenticity and grace.
The podcast delves into the profound significance of questions, particularly those posed by God in the biblical narrative. It begins with an exploration of the initial inquiries made by God in the Garden of Eden, specifically focusing on the question, 'Where are you?' This inquiry is not merely about physical location but rather addresses the spiritual and emotional distance one may feel from the divine. The speaker reflects on the human tendency to hide from God, drawing parallels to contemporary life where individuals often conceal their true selves under layers of distraction and denial. Through this examination, the audience is invited to consider their own relationship with God and to confront the aspects of their lives they may be evading. The discussion emphasizes that God's questions are rooted in care and a desire for reconciliation, urging listeners to reflect on their own spiritual whereabouts and the barriers they may have erected between themselves and their Creator.
Takeaways:
- The questions posed by God invite profound reflection and understanding of one’s spiritual state.
- God's inquiries are designed to prompt introspection, not to induce shame or guilt.
- The essence of God's questions is to foster a deeper connection and reconciliation with Him.
- Understanding the source of our beliefs can liberate us from false identities and shame.
Transcript
Have you ever been asked a question that stopped you in your tracks?
Speaker A:Maybe something like, what happened to you?
Speaker A:Where have you been?
Speaker A:Are you okay?
Speaker A:There is something powerful about the right question at the right time, especially when it comes from someone who knows you deeply.
Speaker A:But let me take you back.
Speaker A:Not to your childhood, not to high school drama, not even to a moment of heartbreak.
Speaker A:I want to take you back to the garden, the very beginning, when God himself asked the first questions ever recorded in the Bible.
Speaker A:Not because he didn't know the answers.
Speaker A:He is God, after all.
Speaker A:But because he wanted the man to reflect, to face Himself and to begin the journey back to Him.
Speaker A:Let's walk through these questions today.
Speaker A:Just four of them.
Speaker A:But, oh, how they carry the weight of eternity.
Speaker A:The first question, where are you?
Speaker A:Genesis 3, 9.
Speaker A:Let's set the scene.
Speaker A:Adam and Eve had just disobeyed God.
Speaker A:They had eaten from the tree they were told to avoid.
Speaker A:Suddenly, they were aware of their nakedness.
Speaker A:And for the first time in human history, they felt shame.
Speaker A:And so they did what many of us would do when we mess up.
Speaker A:They hid.
Speaker A:Have you ever hidden from God?
Speaker A:Now, we're not talking about physically, obviously, but emotionally, spiritually, intellectually.
Speaker A:We hide in our careers, we hide in our business.
Speaker A:We hide in overthinking.
Speaker A:We hide in toxic relationships, and we hide in false narratives.
Speaker A:And God comes walking through the garden like he always did, and he says, where are you?
Speaker A:This is not about location.
Speaker A:It's about position.
Speaker A:God isn't asking, adam, are you by a fig tree or the waterfall?
Speaker A:God is asking, where are you in relation to me?
Speaker A:Why are you so far from me?
Speaker A:Why are you hiding from your source?
Speaker A:Lesson 1.
Speaker A:God asks because he cares.
Speaker A:Think about it.
Speaker A:God knew where Adam was.
Speaker A:He's omniscient.
Speaker A:This wasn't a search party.
Speaker A:It was a graceful call.
Speaker A:God wasn't, was initiating reconciliation.
Speaker A:Like a loving father who sees his child run into the room, slam the door and bury his face on the pillow.
Speaker A:He comes and gently knocks, where are you today?
Speaker A:God is still asking some of us that question today.
Speaker A:Not, where are you in your career?
Speaker A:But where are you in your soul?
Speaker A:Not where are you on social media, but where are you in my purpose?
Speaker A:He's not trying to shame you.
Speaker A:He's trying to teach you.
Speaker A:The second question God asked, who told you you were naked?
Speaker A:Genesis 3, 11.
Speaker A:Adam's response to God's first question.
Speaker A:He says, I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.
Speaker A:Now, this is wild.
Speaker A:Adam had always been naked, so why was it only A problem now, because sin had introduced shame.
Speaker A:And shame always creates a false identity.
Speaker A:And then God drops the next question.
Speaker A:Who told you you were naked?
Speaker A:Let's modernize that.
Speaker A:Who told you you're not enough?
Speaker A:Who told you you're too broken to be loved?
Speaker A:Who told you you can't be forgiven?
Speaker A:Who told you that your past disqualifies your purpose?
Speaker A:Now, this is an identity question, and it's a massive one.
Speaker A:The second lesson we take is that the devil is a very bad teacher.
Speaker A:Satan didn't just teach to tempt Eve with fruit.
Speaker A:He offered a new belief system, one where God wasn't good, one where you could define right and wrong on your own terms.
Speaker A:And after the bite came the whisper.
Speaker A:You're exposed, you're not safe.
Speaker A:You're naked, you're ashamed.
Speaker A:It wasn't the voice of God.
Speaker A:It was the voice of deception.
Speaker A:And God wanted Adam to trace the source.
Speaker A:Who told you that?
Speaker A:Friends, some of us are living out labels God never gave us.
Speaker A:You're operating under the weight of what someone, maybe a parent, a boss, a culture, told you.
Speaker A:But God is asking you today, who told you that?
Speaker A:Don't let shame have the final word.
Speaker A:Let grace speak louder.
Speaker A:The third question God asked, have you eaten from the tree?
Speaker A:I commanded you not to eat.
Speaker A:From Genesis 3, verse 11.
Speaker A:Here it is, the accountability moment.
Speaker A:God doesn't rage, he doesn't smite.
Speaker A:He simply asks, have you eaten from the tree?
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because even after sin, God gives space for confession.
Speaker A:He could have declared judgment immediately, but he invites the man to come clean.
Speaker A:Notice God says, the tree, I commanded you.
Speaker A:He reminds Adam of the standard.
Speaker A:This is not a moment of curiosity.
Speaker A:It's a moment of graceful confrontation.
Speaker A:God confronts us to restore us.
Speaker A:Sometimes love looks like the hard questions.
Speaker A:God's not trying to trap Adam.
Speaker A:He's trying to get him to own it.
Speaker A:But what does Adam do?
Speaker A:He does what most of us do.
Speaker A:The woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit.
Speaker A:And just like that, we invent the blame game.
Speaker A:First man blames a woman, then blames God himself.
Speaker A:God is asking you today, have you eaten from something I told you not to?
Speaker A:A relationship, a mindset, a compromise.
Speaker A:Not to condemn you, but to call you back.
Speaker A:The fourth question God asked, what is this you have done?
Speaker A:Genesis 3:13.
Speaker A:Now God turns to Eve and asks, what is this you have done?
Speaker A:This is a moral question, not why did you do it?
Speaker A:Which would trigger defensiveness.
Speaker A:But what is it that you have actually done?
Speaker A:Reflect on it.
Speaker A:Understand the weight of it.
Speaker A:This is not about shame.
Speaker A:It's about truth.
Speaker A:Because if you can't name it, you can't heal it.
Speaker A:You can't heal what you don't acknowledge.
Speaker A:God isn't being cruel.
Speaker A:He's just.
Speaker A:He's being just.
Speaker A:He gives Eve the same opportunity he gave Adam.
Speaker A:And like Adam, she shifts the blame.
Speaker A:The serpent deceived me.
Speaker A:We've gone from relationship to rebellion and now to responsibility avoidance.
Speaker A:God is asking us today, what is this you have done with the gifts I gave you?
Speaker A:What is this you have done with your influence?
Speaker A:What is this you have done with my word?
Speaker A:The moment you stop blaming and start confessing is the moment you step into freedom.
Speaker A:God asks us questions that save not shame.
Speaker A:Let's go through the four questions again.
Speaker A:When God asks, where are you?
Speaker A:He's seeking your heart, not your hiding place.
Speaker A:Is when God asks, who told you you were naked?
Speaker A:He wants you to silence the shame of lies.
Speaker A:When God asks you, have you eaten?
Speaker A:God is inviting honesty and repentance.
Speaker A:When God asks you, what is this that you have done?
Speaker A:He is calling you to ownership and then restoration.
Speaker A:In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story of the prodigal Son.
Speaker A:Son.
Speaker A:And if you look closely, you'll see the same four questions, just unspoken.
Speaker A:The Father watches daily and asks, where is he?
Speaker A:The Son says, I am no longer worthy.
Speaker A:The Father could have said, who told you that?
Speaker A:The son confesses, I have sinned.
Speaker A:There's your moment of honesty.
Speaker A:And the Father responds, not with punishment, but with party.
Speaker A:Because that's what God does.
Speaker A:He asks questions not to expose you, but to embrace you.
Speaker A:Here are some questions for reflection.
Speaker A:Number one.
Speaker A:Where are you right now, truly in your walk with God?
Speaker A:Question 2.
Speaker A:What lie are you believing about yourself that God never told you?
Speaker A:Question 3.
Speaker A:Is there something you've eaten that you need to confess?
Speaker A:What would it mean for you to take full responsibility today?
Speaker A:Let us pray.
Speaker A:Lord, thank you for being a God who doesn't yell but asks.
Speaker A:Thank you that your questions are laced with love, not condemnation.
Speaker A:Help me to stop hiding.
Speaker A:Help me silence the lies.
Speaker A:Help me to confess what needs to be confessed.
Speaker A:And help me to walk in the light.
Speaker A:I trust that your grace is greater than any shame.
Speaker A:In Jesus name, amen.
