June 22, 2024
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 1:28 KJV
In the second part of our devotional series - Back to Eden, we will be looking at the impact and restoration of what man lost as it applies to our everyday life. Our text today will be focused on the loss of divine advantage. In the garden of Eden, man had an advantage through his communion with God. The moment the enemy came, what was supposed to be a blessing became a struggle. A curse—as we see pronounced over man after the fall—is a disadvantage programmed into the life of a person.
Loss of divine advantage can be a disheartening experience. Whether it is a perceived spiritual gift, a sense of favour, or a tangible blessing, losing what we once viewed as a divine advantage can leave us feeling vulnerable and uncertain.
Prosperity, fruitfulness, and good health are all products of the advantage that we have as children of God and when it becomes a struggle, or it appears impossible to attain any of these things, it is an indication of the loss of advantage.
Remember that God had blessed man in Genesis 1:28 to be fruitful and multiply. However, all that changed when man disobeyed God. Rather than the fruitfulness to be an advantage for man, a curse went into play making that same process difficult (Gen 3:16)
To the woman, He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
Isn’t it ironic for God to say, be fruitful in Genesis 1 and in Genesis 3, fruitfulness now comes with pain? That is the work of the enemy whose only scope of work is to strip you of your divine advantage. Prosperity, fruitfulness, and good health are all products of the advantage that we have as children of God and when it becomes a struggle, or it appears impossible to attain any of these things, it is an indication of the loss of advantage.
Again, in Genesis 3:17b, we see the man’s job description changed from just a keeper, and a mender, to a toiler. How could something that was supposed to be a blessing suddenly now seem to be a curse? In the beginning, it was not so! It is time to get back to Eden.
“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it. All the days of your life.
Your spouse is not the problem, that troublesome child is not the problem either. Taking it further, that unfulfilling business or that job is not the issue. These are blessings from the Lord but due to the absence of divine advantage, it has now become a struggle.
And part of your restoration and return to Eden is the restoration of your divine advantage in Christ. Tackle each issue or area where you seem to be missing the operation of divine advantage, and take a stand in prayer.
Receive divine advantage to subdue in every area of your life in the name of Jesus.
Song of Worship
Victory is my name
Song by Sinach feat. Israel Houghton
Prayer - Father, today, I receive divine advantage over every area of my life. I receive ease concerning every area that has been a struggle from this day onwards. Let the blessing of the Lord be upon me, upon my family and upon the works of my hands in Jesus name.
Bible in 1 year: Esther 6-8; Acts 6