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I have been in much prayer and travail concerning these uncertain times.  By this I mean that if we limit God by what we see in the natural, we can easily become double-minded concerning our future and God's promises.  James 1:8 speaks about those who are double-minded as being "uncertain" (unstable) in all their ways. When we are unstable and not completely focused on God's Word, we can fall or stumble along the way.  None of us enjoys stumbling - it can be harmful to our health...and spiritual vision!   With today's challenges we must have supernatural vision to remain in a position of faith and breakthrough.  I can hear you asking me, "Sandie, so just how do I do that?" Well, that is the same question I asked the Lord.  His words to me are what I will also share with you.  He said, "Tell my children to eat only from the Tree of Life.  If they eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they will become double-minded and stumble."

When I heard this, my mind raced to a previous dream I had.  In the dream, there was a snake that was speaking lies to God's children and seducing them from their faith in God.  The snake is the dream is self-explanatory, as most of the time a snake in a dream represents Satan, the liar and the deceiver, who seduces mankind away from worshiping God.

Let me explain more of the dream as the content was of utmost importance and a warning, I believe, to the Body.  In the dream, God's children were reverting back to a works mentality and to religious performance.  This was because during times that are uncertain the flesh likes to feel as if it is in control.  In other words, we can all have a "bent" toward feeling that if we pray more, go to church more or memorize more Scripture, it will gain God's love and attention-thus, bringing a breakthrough.  I would compare this dream to the warnings of Paul as he wrote to the Galatians in

Galatians 2.  If you recall, they had been "bewitched" and were reverting back to religious performance and legalism rather than being led by the Spirit.

Dear one, a works mentality believes that we have to twist God's arm or beg Him to heal us or bless us.  No!  This is completely opposite of eating from the Tree of Life!  The Tree of Life offers complete freedom in Christ.  Our walk with Him is meant to be on Freedom Road and not the Guilt-Shame path.  Guilt and shame will rob us of our freedom in Christ and the thief is ever-ready to lead us in that direction. For the sake of the length of this article, I will not write on lack even though it is a tool the enemy uses to steal from us.  For those who seem to always be in need, never feeling as if you will get a breakthrough or believe that God is withholding from you, I encourage you to read my recent book Crushing the Spirit of Greed and Poverty:  Discerning and Defeating the Ancient Powers of Mammon and Babylon. (Order through Identity Network). I have gone to great lengths to expose the spirit behind Mammon and one of the strongholds is a sense of lack.

The Thief Today

Now, let's talk a little more about the thief.  We know the thief was in the Garden of Eden and we will talk about that more in a bit.  For now, let's focus on John 10:10 to get a current perspective for a supernatural shift out of a performance mentality and legalistic thinking.  The thief in the garden is the same as the thief that we battle today.  When I write about legalism, I am referring to believing that we are righteous because of what we do rather than focusing on what Christ accomplished at the Cross. We know, as Christians, that Jesus Christ became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins-being the Lamb of God crucified. And yet, somehow, we have been deceived into believing that His sacrifice was not enough to make us righteous-as if we have to jump through hoops to keep our salvation which has already been bought through the shed blood of Christ. (This is where the thief comes into play.)   Allow me to try to lead you step by step so that you get the full understanding of what I am attempting to present to you concerning legalism and eating from the right tree.  

John 10:10 states, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV)  I get excited when I think about having a "full life."  But what does a "full life" really mean?  When I studied other translations concerning a Christian experiencing the fullness of life, I found other words used such as "abundance" and "overflowing." 

Read how the Message Bible describes John 10:10 and pay close attention to the entire verse:  "A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."  Wow!  I love the fact that it is okay to have dreams of a great life...and that God desires to give that type of reality to us.  Notice it says a "real life"?  This means what we dream about concerning an abundant and eternal life is real.   Yes, it is really a reality when we become born again.  Salvation promises us an abundant life (more about that in a bit).  However, there is also a thief that desires to destroy the life promised to us.  Look again at John 10:10 and notice that the thief is in the very same verse as the life available to us in Christ. 

Believer, this is a really good time to insert how the thief seduced Eve.  Sure, he came against her making her feel as if God were withholding something from her, but basically he attacked her identity.  She was already created in His image and was "like God."  The same happens with us.  We believe that religious performance is all about working to achieve what we already have through the finished work of Christ.  Therefore, life becomes all about "works" rather than "rest!" 

Jesus is the Door

If we back up a bit and look at the entire passage leading to what Jesus is explaining, He is referring to Himself as being the Door- the only Door that gives life:

So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep.

All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them.

I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep. John 10:7-11 (AMP)

Reader, stay with me.  I'm going somewhere with this article.  I want you eating from the Tree of Life today, but there is a thief who wants you to eat from the wrong tree! In my recent book, Conquering the Antichrist Spirit:  Discerning and Defeating the Seducer that Binds Believers Today (Click here to order through Identity Network), I spend much time attempting to expose how the enemy attempts to seduce us in our thinking.  The Antichrist spirit began its evil deeds in the Garden of Eden- it did not wait until the very end of times to appear!  This spirit is targeting your minds today in many ways and robbing you (he is a thief!) of your dreams and abundance of life! How?  By seducing you into believing that your own works, deeds, religious doctrines or religious performance is your door to salvation and freedom. For me, I believed that God was mad at me if I missed a church service or if I didn't attend prayer every week.  Many of us believe that God is angry with us because we haven't lived up to His expectations. Problem is- we've been taught to perform since we were children.  Behavior patterns to please others have been established- and it is okay to a degree.  And, in fact, obedience is important to God- so don't say that I'm advocating disobedience.  Not at all.  My main point is that there is nothing that we can do to get God to love us more than He already does.  Performance that is driven by our need to feel more holy, loved or accepted is what I refer to as a works mentality or dead works.  And, if we believe that we must perform in that fashion (religious works), we are eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Two Trees in the Garden

Again, there were two trees in the Garden of Eden-the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.  These two trees challenged the course of mankind from the very beginning.  These same two trees still challenge us today.  When we became believers, we have had to continually choose between the fruit of these trees.  It is the conflict of the present age-eating from the fruit of evil or eating from the fruit of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus is clear.  He is the only Door to life. There are many gods that people worship today and people believe that they are a door to life, but it is all promoted by an Antichrist spirit. Everything anti-Christ (and Him being the ONLY Door) is connected to the Antichrist. And, I'm not just talking about Buddha or that kind of false god.  If you have read any of my books, you know that I have taught that as Christians, we can elevate works or believing something opposite to what God says about us and it becomes idolatry and is tied to an Antichrist spirit.  Why?  Because we are coming into agreement with what the enemy says (i.e., I'm not good enough; I'm not praying enough; etc.) instead of what God says about our being completely righteous because of the finished work on the Cross and His shed blood.  I am taking the risk of sounding redundant but I desire to make a distinct impact.  So, I'm hammering this in today; there is an enemy, a thief, that attempts to seduce us to believe that there are other ways to experience eternal life and the abundant life.  It is only because, as John 10:11 clearly states, the Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ) laid down his life for us that we are saved.  The door that opens to experience the fullness of salvations is due to the finished work of Christ.  We are righteous and in right standing to receive that fullness only because of the Cross.  There is absolutely nothing that we do ourselves that makes us holy or righteous.

Precious one, it is so important that we as believers understand that we are only righteous due to the shed blood of Christ.  No human effort or religious works are sufficient to make us holy or righteous.  No!  We become clothed with divine righteousness because of the finished work of Christ.  If you understand that, as a believer, you are already righteous-no matter what your past sins were- you can also rest assured that you are completely forgiven and that you now have access to your royal lineage and inheritance. Believing these things (concerning our righteousness in Christ) is part of eating of the Tree of Life! Beloved, please know that we are also secure in His righteousness because of Christ's finished work.  You already have an inheritance because of that-just walk in it!

The Fullness of Salvation is Yours!  Receive it!

Now, allow me to explain what the word "salvation" means.  "Salvation, in Greek, is connected to the root word sozo (pronounced sode'-zo) and translates as "to save," "deliver or protect," "heal," "preserve," "do well" and  "(make) whole."  Wow!  Just think about that for a moment.  At the Cross, deliverance, protection, prosperity, salvation and wholeness was provided!  I like to say that Christ shed His precious blood in order for us to experience and have all that heaven has to offer!  I believe that you can agree with me if you consider what salvation provides for us.  Aren't you thankful for the Cross?  I'm so grateful that I have gone through the right Door and fully understand that I am the righteousness of Christ only because He is righteous. 

.... it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;" Ephesians 2:8-10

He is the Center of Life!

If you recall, the Tree of Knowledge was found in the center of the Garden. (See Gen 3:3).  Self-centeredness is one of the chief challenges we face today.  The enemy loves to provoke us with thoughts and deeds of self-righteousness, religious acts, self-imposed doctrines and endless self-introspection.  After Adam and Eve ate of its fruit, their first response was self-introspection.  Their nakedness was not realized until after eating from the wrong tree.  For us, shame still clothes us when we eat from the lies of the enemy - the thief to whom Jesus refers - as he attempt to seduce us to believe that we have something to do with our righteousness.  Again, entering into fullness of life by any other door is entering into a life robbed of its fullness.

Most of us would define the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as the Law of Moses.  That is true; however, it is certainly not limited just to that.  I know that in the past, I would often think of the Old Testament as Law and the New Covenant as Grace - but I now realize that is not necessarily true.  We are under the New Covenant due to the finished work at the Cross, but if we read the New Testament with an Old Covenant heart it will also become law to us.  In other words, we will just have more dead religion with righteousness that is completely based on more written commandments instead of experiencing the fullness of life due to a living relationship with God.  He must become the center - and He is the center due to His becoming the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb that was slain.

Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for us.  I am so grateful that I don't have to slay a lamb or another animal for my sins, aren't you?   Under the Old Covenant, a lamb's blood was required during the initial exodus from Egypt.  The season of Passover continually reminds us that blood had to be shed so that any death structure that attempts to steal from our lives has to flee!  Israel applied the blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their homes in complete obedience to the instructions given by God to Moses.  But, we know that it was a type and shadow of the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, applied to the doorposts of our hearts. Once we realize the price for sin was paid at the Cross, we can have confidence that when any death structure - sickness, disease, poverty, lack, etc- attempts to steal from us or rob us of our inheritance, the death structure (any evil assignment against us) has to recognize that a Life has already been extracted - a Life was taken, an Innocent for the guilty and a Lamb was slain for the sacrifice for a household or family!  Believer, there is power in the Blood of Jesus to protect you, provide for you, heal you and deliver you.  And, it's not just an inheritance for you - but also your family!

When we celebrate Communion, a type of Passover, it is an ongoing occasion to remind ourselves of what we have received and continue to receive through the body and shed blood of the Lamb.  Aren't you thankful today for the obedience of Christ?  I know that I certainly am - and I'm thankful that I recognize the fact that during this season I can receive even more revelation concerning the power of the Blood.  I am certain you can also!

You Can Shift Into Breakthrough TODAY!

Dear ones, listen up.  Is it possible that some of you who are reading this article do not believe they are able to experience all that Christ accomplished at the Cross? Let me ask you a question; Has murmuring replaced your praise as it did in the mouths and heart of the children of Israel?  If so, this article is for you.  Maybe you have grown weary.  Ask yourself if you have put pressure on yourself to "perform" for God so that He will bless you or love you more.  It is important to shift our minds and hearts TODAY as you eat from the Tree of Life.

When you feed daily on the Word of God, you are eating from the Tree of Life!  You can nourish your soul as you fellowship with Him in worship and prayer.  And, feeding daily you can also experience the washing of water by the Word as you read and meditate on the Scripture - giving Father opportunity to convince you of His deep love and affection for you as His precious child.

There are two important passages in Scripture that instruct us to lay hold of an anointed time to shift into a great place of faith and experience the life of God and His planned breakthroughs.  These passages are in Ps 95:7-9 and Hebrews 3:7.  Let's take a moment and examine these passages:

Heb 10:12-13 (NKJV) But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

Matt 11:28-30 (NKJV) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

It's simple.  Just believe His promise - TODAY!  Eat from the Tree of Life and shift from exhaustion and enter into His rest!  We can rest knowing that Christ has already established a victory structure for each of us because of what He accomplished at the Cross.

Dr. Sandie Freed