Where are You?

Genesis 3:1-10
 
Why are we hiding ourselves from God or the world?
 
Hiding behind inabilities:

• Exodus 3:10, Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

 
Do we hide due to our fears and thoughts of our inabilities?  Do we think that we cannot do or perform certain tasks?  Philippians 4:19, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God does not ask for or seek for our abilities or lack thereof, He looks for our availability. 
 
Hiding because of fear of failure:

• Matthew 17:20, And Jesus said unto them, Because or your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 
Are we afraid of failing, that we may not have the strength, that we may not succeed in our path? 

• Isaiah 41:10, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

 
We do not need to fear; (I am with thee) God’s is with us, (I am thy God) we have a relationship with God, and (I will uphold thee) His strength, His help, and His victory is ever with us.
 
Hiding our light for God:

• Matthew 5:14, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

 
A city that is on top of a hill cannot be hid because its light shines in the darkness.  At night its light can be seen for miles.  even from the sky above you can see the light in the night.  As we live for Christ, His light will shine through us into a dark world.  Our light is hid  if we are quiet when we should speak, if we blend in with the world, if we deny God’s light, if we let sin into our lives, or if we do not explain the light of Christ to others.  We should be as a lighthouse, shining the light of Christ to the world. 

• Philippians 2:15, That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.

 
Hiding our faith:

• John 12:42, Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.

 
Many refuse to believe, but many that believe refuse to admit it.  If we do this, then we must be afraid of ridicule and rejection.  There were Jewish leaders that would not proclaim faith in Jesus because they feared being barred from the synagogues and lose their illustrious positions in society. 

• Matthew 10:32-33, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

 
We should be more concerned with God’s acceptance in us than the temporary, unpredictable, capricious praise of man.
 
Hiding because of fear of man:

• Proverbs 29:25, The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

 
Fear of man can hamper all that you attempt to do.  It can cause you to feel reluctant to leave your home.  Why fear individuals who can do no harm to your eternal soul?  God can transform the damage proposed by others into good for the individuals who trust Him. 

• Proverbs 16:7, When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

It is our nature to need others to like us, and at times we will.  God instructs us to place our vitality into satisfying Him.  Our push to be peacemakers will for the most part make us progressively appealing to everyone around us, even our foes.  Regardless of whether it doesn't, we haven't lost anything.  We should still strive to satisfying God, the only One that matters.
 
How can we stop ourselves from hiding?
 
Trust in the Lord:

• Jeremiah 17:7, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

 
The upright place their trust in God.  At the point when we start our Christian life, our insight into God is halfway and deficient. As we believe Him day by day, we experience how great He is. 

• Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

We should trust in Him totally in each decision we make.  Try not to discard cautious thinking, yet we ought not confide in our own thoughts or be astute in our own eyes.  Take your decisions to God, utilize the Bible as your guide and follow God's guidance.
 
Meditate on God’s Word:

• Psalm 1:2, But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

 
Meditating means investing energy reading the Bible and considering what you have read.  Ask yourself how you should change so you're living as God says.  Knowing and thinking about God's Word are the initial moves toward applying it to your regular day to day existence.  If you desire to know God more intently, you should recognize what He says.  The more we are aware of the entire extent of God's Word, the more assets we will have for our day to day choices. 

• 2 Timothy 2:15, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

 
We must study.  We must know God’s Word.  That way we will understand what it says and means.
 
God’s voice of assurance is stronger than our conscience:

• 1 John 3:20, For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

 
How would we get away from the biting allegations of our heart?  Not by overlooking or attempting to legitimize our inner voice.  We must set our hearts to rest in God's adoration.  We ought to remind ourselves that God knows our hearts and what we do.  When we are in Christ, He does not condemn us.

• Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 
If that inner voice condemns us in known sin, or the disregard of known obligation, God does so as well.  Let that still, small voice be very much educated, be heard, and tenaciously attended to.
 
Rely on God’s power to overcome:

• 1 John 5:4-5, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

 
Jesus never guaranteed that obeying Him would be simple.  Difficult work can be fulfilling if we appreciate its outcomes.  Hard work and self-control of serving Christ is no burden to the individuals who love Him.  In the event that our load becomes too heavy, we should trust in Christ to assist us with bearing it. 

• Matthew 11:28, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.​