“A Voice for the Gathering Saints”
Duane Stewart

God’s Created Man

In the creating of His man, God breathed into him the spirit of life and he became a living soul. As a living soul, man begins to move in a life which consists of the mind, will, emotions and the desires of God, from the stance of innocents. As God’s creation, Adam and Eve begin to walk with God in the spirit of the day that was theirs, as they begin to learn and move with God in the fulfilling of God’s purpose, first in them and then to be extended to all creation. Thus, in the innocents of their existence, they moved about the garden, experiencing the enlarging of their mind, their will, their emotions and their desires. As their soul functioned after the order of God, in obedience to the fellowship they had with Him, they remained pure in all they expressed and manifested. But, through Eve, in disobedience to God’s leadership and with Adam willfully partaking from that which Eve offered, they found themselves in a place of death, which is being separated from the glory of God that had manifested forth from them in their union with Him as living souls. This fallen condition caused man to cease from being a living soul to one that went about in darkness, that is, one wherein they were no longer overshadowed with the light of God shining forth from them. The soul, as it became because of the fall, was now asleep to God the Father, to become a being that ruled himself under the influence of a now carnal mind, the mind of the flesh. Casting aside the leadership of God, they became a god unto themselves. Losing their position with God in the garden, they were now sent forth from the garden to be ruled over by self and the now cursed creation. Now, instead of fellowshipping with God, their desire was to hide from Him.

But in their failure, God left for them the promise of Gen. 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the women, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel”. This promise is one that declares that the Seed of the woman would someday crush the Serpent’s head. The human race, under God and those in Christ will eventually completely triumph over the flesh man. Romans 16:20 says, “And the God of peace will crush the adversary under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen”. This word “crush” has the meaning of, “To trample upon, break in pieces, shatter, bruise, and grind down, smash”. This speaks of regaining a victorious life wherein man shall be restored to his rightful inheritance according to the promise of God. For this cause, until restoration could be completed, until man could be restored to his inheritance, man was driven out from Eden. With God guarding the way of return for man, through the sacrifice of the coming Christ, man could again return and be filled with all the goodness of life. Gen. 3:24, “So He drove out the man, and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life”. Therein God preserves the way for man to one day return to his inheritance through the blood of Christ, through God given revelation and obedience.

Man, unable to have life without the life of God, finds himself separated from God, but with a soul. Within this fallen soul, the realm of his own existence, a God-life is held in an embryonic state, to finally be awakened and to grow into maturity, by receiving and following the leadership of Christ. Matt. 16:24-26 declares, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will man give in exchange for his soul?” This dying to oneself has the deep seated meaning of putting the interests of God’s kingdom first and foremost in one’s life. This includes renouncing self-centered ambitions as we receive the sacrifice and Lordship of Jesus Christ and Him alone.

With God having placed within each vessel a sacred seed from Himself that is in the heart of each man’s soul, ask yourself this question; is it true, that within each seed, that seed contains the exact pattern of the mature plant? This means that within each man’s soul, dwells the exact perfect pattern of man’s own destiny. But another truth also exist, which is, this perfect pattern within can be altered or changed by the man himself. How? When man completely rejects the pattern he alters it or ignores it. Again, man is allowed to choose whom he will serve, God’s purpose or man’s own purpose. Herein the man who permits the pattern placed and contained within the sacred seed of God to grow and come forth, he can again be filled unto the fullness of the glory of God which is Christ stated prayer in John 17:5 & 22, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory Which I had with You before the world was. …. And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one”.

With the coming, sent from God, Holy Spirit living within, how does one contact his soul and the Christ life set within him? Man, who has ruled over himself since birth, having a fallen soul, finds himself, through situations and circumstances, in need of a Savior. Thus, the promise in Matt. 11:28, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Here lies the invitation to come unto Him, a returning to our created purpose. Here we fellowship with God and he with us. Finding our need and allowing Him to become Lord of that need. Not just a one time experience, but a learning of how to maintain that relationship. Thus, Psalm 46:10 speaks, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth”. By knowing God, He is exalted. How? Through a people who are willing to be still and know God. “Be still” from this verse means, “to desist; cease your efforts”. This denotes that we are to withdraw from outside influences and carnal activities, all those things of a life-style that occupies our thoughts and motivates us outside of God. In this place of “being still” man will develop the power to listen.

By shutting down all the many voices of the world that are speaking to us and by opening up our stilled minds to hear God’s voice. He will speak. What are we listening for? Are there not many, many questions about God and His ways that we need to find answers to? In this we can come to Him, seek for answers and in the answers you can began to get acquainted, first of all with yourself. “Be still” from life’s intense outward motions, turn inward and God will began to instruct and give answers. Be obedient, follow each instruction with an honest heart and God will create a fellowship with you that grows nearer, dearer and louder. The pace is quickened as a person lifts his thoughts to God in praise and worship. This does not mean singing songs only, but it means a turning of your heart to Him in love and adoration. Here the soul matures as compassion engulfs the whole being in his relationship with God.

Again, how does one hear from the soul? I Kings 19:11-13 gives us some insight as God reveals Himself to Elijah, “Then He (God) said, Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, what are you doing here Elijah”. Here Elijah learns that the voice of God is the sound of stillness (desist, cease your own efforts). Indicating that the voice of God is mostly felt rather that heard. When all else is stilled, God speaks, and His voice brings forth a knowing that doesn’t always need to make a sound. It becomes a still small voice because within the soul words are not needed to be uttered. We began to know that we know that we know. Herein God relates with man as man relates to God aside from the many voices of the world.

In obedience to God’s revealed word, man begins to fellowship with God in a relationship of walking with Him in the spirit of the day. Herein God’s created man begins to subdue, first his own earth (body, soul and spirit), and then the earth around and about him. In this relationship man lays hold of and begins to take dominion over the earth with God’s kingdom being established to become the visible expression of God in all the earth. To this we say amen.