When God speaks, there is action. God spoke the world into existence. We as parents, when we speak, do not always cause something to happen, but when God speaks, things happen.

Genesis 1:3: “…and God said, let there be light: and there was light…” God spoke and there was action. When God speaks to us He gives us light and we should act. God gives us light and we can see the difference between good and evil. At that time we should choose the good.

In I Samuel, the 3rd chapter, God calls Samuel four times. The action for the first three times was Samuel thought Eli called him. The reason Samuel thought Eli called him was because Eli was the only master he knew because Eli did not train Samuel well. Samuel knew it was the Master’s voice but didn’t know another master except Eli. After the third time, Eli told Samuel just to stay where he was and say “…speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth…” At that time, Samuel learned of the true Master. He also did the right thing and followed the Master. Samuel replaced Eli as prophet.

In John 8:8, Jesus saith unto him, “…Rise, take up thy bed and walk…” Jesus spoke unto an impotent man to rise up and walk. The man had been impotent 38 years. Jesus spoke and then the action came: the man was made whole; took up his bed, and walked. When God speaks to us, we need to get up from our sins and walk in the newness of life. God does speak to us.

As we continue in Genesis, chapter 1, “…God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters…” God spoke and there was action. As He divided the waters from the waters, He divided our transgressions from us. In Psalms 103:12, it says “…as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us…” John 8:36 says “…If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed…” If the Son makes us free, why would we want to return to sin? If the Son makes us free, why would we want to return to bondage? It says the Son makes us free. It was not our works or our will. It is a gift from God. It also says ye shall be free indeed, which means sin no longer has control over you. The only way for sin to harm you is for you to return to sin. Romans, chapter 6, says “…shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid…” Why would we want to return to Egypt once we are set free from Egypt? Egypt was our taskmaster and would love to keep us as its slave. Why would we want to return to this slavery?

Continuing on in Genesis, chapter 1, it is written “…Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so…” This is another example of action from God’s speaking. This gathering together is the earth coming together with all of its pieces just like man coming together with the Holy Spirit. II Corinthians contains the following: “…Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new…” In Romans, chapter 9, it says: “…but ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you…” In Romans, chapter 8, we read “…For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. So then with the mind I serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin…” As we look at an individual, a child of God, we see two parts: one the flesh, the other the spirit. We also see a conflict between the two with one (the flesh) wanting to go one way (back to Egypt), and the other (the Spirit) going in the opposite direction (following God). Which part will be prevalent in you, the flesh or the Spirit? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbids, do you forbid?

Back to Genesis, chapter 1, “…and God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so…” Now we see the sun, moon, and stars. We see the sun during the day, and the stars at night, but the moon can be seen sometimes in the day and sometimes at night. I believe Paul saw the sun’s (Son’s) light when he was struck down on the way to Damascus. I think when God’s light is with us, we know it. We are rejoicing at that time. I believe we always want to be in God’s light. Now there are times when we are not in the light, not in the day time. We feel that God is far from us. They tell me that stars are just suns that are far from us. In the 139th Psalm, it says “…If I ascend up into heaven, thou are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me…” When all is dark around us, there still can be God’s light. There is no place we can hide from it or do such bad things that He will not still love us. Have you ever seen two siblings fighting? If they were your children, would you love them less? It is not them you dislike; it is their actions. You still love them the same. God loves His children but not always their actions, their walks of life. In Hebrews 13, it says “…Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee…” You know that the moon shows up at different times, sometimes at night, sometimes in the day. It doesn’t give us heat but it just reflects the sun’s light in the day. We never know just when that light will show up. I Kings 19 reads “…and he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks 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…” Have you ever heard someone calling you and you turn around and nobody is there? Is it the still small voice (the moon) calling you to God. There is a song that goes “…Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me…” This is a song that calls us to come home. As the devil tries to lead us into doing evil, there is a voice that is teaching and leading us in the right way. The sun, stars and moon light our path as we journey on.

Back in Genesis, chapter 1, it goes on to say “…and God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good…” It is hard for me to understand how anybody can think the big bang theory could be real. When you look at all things and see the uniqueness of each one of them, it is amazing to see what God has done. Romans 12 tells us “…wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…” I think if we would just listen to nature, we would hear it giving God the praise, honor, and glory. Why do birds sing? Why do frogs croak? Why do crickets chirp? The sounds of life!

Going on in Genesis, chapter 1, “…and God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so…” If we examine verse 2, God set up the plants and when He made man, gave them for him to eat. In verse 20, God set up the fish and flying things. In verse 24, God set up the cattle. The thing about the fish, the flying things, and the cattle, God did not give man to eat. It wasn’t until after the flood that man could eat the fish, the flying things, and the cattle. In I Corinthians, chapter 3, it says “…and I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and division, are ye not carnal, and walk as men…?” You know, when we were first born, we were not able to eat meat but were fed on soft things and liquids, but as we grew, we were given pieces of meat to eat. When we get older, we should be able to eat meat. Hebrews, chapter 5, says “…For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need to milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil…” In the beginning of man, he was not able to eat meat as is the child of God in his beginning is not able to eat meat though it should not stay that way. We exercise to get stronger that we might work the works of God. In John, chapter 6, it is recorded “…Jesus answered and said unto them; this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent…” It is hard to continue to believe in God when the human world around us is telling us there is no God and to believe in God is like putting yourself in chains, restricting you from the pleasures of the world. Though in Romans 8, it says “…For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…” Humans say one thing and God says the opposite. Which way will you go? John 6: “…Verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me…” Do you want to believe the liars or do you want to believe the Creator? In John 10, it says “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly…” It continues “…The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” Those that have tasted that the Lord is gracious, know the path to choose.

After all this, as we continue in the 1st chapter of Genesis, it says “…and God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth…” He gave man the position higher than all these things mentioned. So His children should desire to stand on solid ground, a higher position. We should not wallow like the swine. We should not lower our thinking to satan’s desire or level, but strive to maintain the level that God put us on. The Scripture states “…Upon this rock I will build my church…” If we are in the mud, we are not on the rock. When God speaks, we should listen and act.

--By Elder Michael A. Pitney
Milford, Indiana