Always stuck Looking Into the Future

The Lord revealed something as I was just reflecting on a passage, I find revelation can come at the most unlikely time.  The revelation was into "The Lie" Satan told Adam and Eve in the garden, he said "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  Notice that Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden enjoying relationship with God, with each other, and had all they needed for life, yet Satan points to something future tense to lead them away from what they were currently experiencing.  Satan began to paint a different picture of the wonderful life Adam and Eve had with God, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"  Satan eloquently paints a picture that they are really not as free as they once believed they were, by suggesting that God is withholding or limiting them.  Then he sets the hook by giving them an alternative to the problem they really don't have, he says if they eat from the tree then their eyes will be open and they will be like God.  God is saying of Himself "I AM" meaning He is present tense, when Jesus begins His ministry He announces the Kingdom of God is at hand.  Religion is always telling us if we would just do this (pray more, read more Scripture, stop sinning, lead more people to Christ, etc...) then we would truly be living the Christian life.  We also live in a culture that is constantly striving for more than what we have today, we often buy into this through the mindset (if only I had......).  We fill in this blank with many things- a better marriage, more money, less stress, I would be skinnier, in better shape, happier, and on and on it goes.  What is implied is that God would then be pleased with us but when we arrive only to find another thing.  Often our thought is if I could just get over this issue (weakness or sinful habit) then I could truly live.  My point is that the Kingdom of God through the New Covenant in Christ is always present tense, whereas everything else is it may happen some day in the future.  To be fair I do understand that there are promises we receive from God, that He works over many years into our life to see come to fulfillment.  Jesus in His time on earth would often declare things about Himself or about the Kingdom, most of these were present tense.  In Corinthians Paul declares that all the promises (of God) are yes and Amen in Christ.  By the way it is us who say the Amen (so be it) on earth as it is in Heaven.  We are release God's Word on the earth by coming into agreement with the truth but there are so many things that war against us declaring His Word.  Many times it has to do with our identity and feeling unworthy, or feeling a lack of faith, or just a sense of not quite measuring up.  The Enemy has planted the seed of "The Lie" and it has multiplied into millions of lies that affect the way we think and see ourselves.  The Enemy has spread his false gospel of fear, which has affected the way we live, relate to one another, and the way we see God.  The Kingdom of God is now, we (heirs of salvation) can declare His Kingdom of love, peace, and grace on the earth.

An Heir of the Grace,
Bret