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I have heard the sound of the voice of God
in the garden. He is tired of being confined
to four walls. He wants to break free.
He wants to run freely
among the fields and flowers.
He wants to walk in the garden
as he did with Adam.
He wants people to know Him
as He is, the I Am God.
“I AM more than you think I am.
I AM the freedom of wide open spaces.
I AM the God of the sun and the stars.
I AM the God of the flowers, lakes and rivers,
and I rejoice in My creation.
“Yes, My creation! I made every wildflower,
planned it and shaped it with My hands.
I created sunrise and sunset.
I delight in the trees of the forest.
I delight in the scurry of creatures in the field,
the soaring of birds in the air,
the abundance of fish in the sea.
I delight in the smell of lilacs
in the spring. I love the sound
of the waters running in the brooks
of the valleys. I rejoice.
“Yes, I rejoice — I am the God of rejoicing!
It was Man who brought sadness and tears,
misery and death; it was Man who thought
that his ideas were better than Mine.
Look around you, Man, look at what you
have done to this beautiful earth I created,
this place I love with all My heart!
“It shall not stay this way — no,
I came and gave My life,
poured it out upon your barren ground
that produced nothing but thorns and thistles.
And out of My life flow rivers of living water
purifying all of creation, rebirthing all those
who choose Me, who choose love
who choose truth and beauty over
their dark and gloomy ways,
over the ways that lead to death.
“Yes, choose life, I told them!
I have created it; I have rejoiced in it.
Choose it, that you and your children may live long
upon the earth — long, yes very long,
I meant for you to live for eternity,
not the few short years you live now
with the threat of death looming over your head
like a giant shadow that swallows up
all your dreams, that devours you
just when you have reached your prime.
“No, I meant for you to have life —
life in abundance, life without limitation,
life with all the universe at your disposal.
I meant for you to be heirs of all I created, to have
the joy of producing life and beauty,
to love and be loved,
to give and receive,
and to be the glory of all creation,
the sons of the living God!
“Come to Me! I am not distant.
I am not confined to temples and Man’s ways.
The whole earth is Mine!
I run through the earth looking
for hearts to receive Me.
I will change you, I will set you free!
You will be like children again,
romping and rejoicing in the sunshine,
laughing and playing in the earth
just as I intended when I made it —
When I looked down upon it and said.
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‘Yes, there is everything I have created
and it is good, it is good, it is good!’
“What happened, man, to change it?
Was it I who turned away from you?
Or rather did your father, Adam, turn
away from Me and listen to a liar,
and you have followed in his footsteps,
listened to one who had evil in his breast
and wanted to rule you out of spite,
and had your destruction in his heart?
“Adam listened to him and was ruined.
Yes, he turned away from Me
and My heart was broken.
I could no longer walk with him
in the garden; he hid himself from Me.
I came looking for him, but he hid himself.
His descendants have been doing that
since that dark day — hiding from Me.
“But I want to know you, Man!
I created you for fellowship with Me.
I have so much to say to you,
so much to show you
of what I have created, so much.
But you have no idea how much
because sin has clouded your vision
and made you run from Me.
“I could not let you go!
I came and lived among you.
I walked the dusty roads of Galilee.
I touched your lepers and healed them,
and I raised your dead to show you
that I AM life, and then I gave My life
to save you from this destruction,
to wrest you from the evil one.
“All who turn to Me I will in no way reject.
I will welcome you as sons and daughters.
You will be part of My household,
part of this great family of God
that is growing and multiplying
over all the earth. Come to Me, My people,
let us rejoice together in what I have created!
I love you. Isn’t there a saying,
‘Greater love has no man than that he would
lay down his life for his friend?"
That is what I did for you, beloved.
When will you not see it?
When will you not recognize what I did for you?
“I did it because I love you.
You are the work of My hands.
I did it because I could not bear
to see you linger in death and torment.
I have heard the groans of creation,
I have heard the sighs of the children of men,
I could not stand to see your despair
on this beautiful earth that I made,
that you might know happiness and blessing.
“Come to Me, and we will rejoice together
in all creation — yes, in all creation!
There will no longer be any limitation for you!
You will no longer live under the shadow of death,
you will not live with the ground
bearing nothing but thorns and thistles for you
by the sweat of your brow,
and the grueling toil of your back.
You will live in the glorious freedom
of the sons and daughters of God!
“Come to Me, My loved ones! The winter is past,
the flowers appear on the earth.
The time of the singing of birds is come,
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
Come, for I make all things new!”
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