So, can we pass the quiz? If you are honest and then yes! If not, well back to the starting gate.

To often I believe many people wonder exactly where God is. We pray and receive nothing, so we question if He is near. Do you agree? I know I have to.

Then we can go to church, worship Him and then go do something stupid and run and hide to conceal our sin. What they don't know won't hurt. Right?

Wrong!

So lets see, no answer to our prayers, so God is not close or watching and yes I can hide anything, even from God.

Interesting, don't you think? Here is a valuable lesson which Adam learned.

We fine this in Genesis chapter 3.

Aah, you know where I heading don't you? You see I can't even hide what I am thinking and putting down on paper! Oh I thought I had you fooled.

So lets take a look at Genesis 3:6 (NLT)

"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate to"

Ah the scene of the crime. Eve was deceived, Adam stood by and did nothing and they both forgot what God told them about this tree!

What He doesn't know won't hurt Him, anyway He is not near and we won't say a thing.

Wake up call! What happen next? QUILT, oh no, we blew it what should we do next? I know run and hide!

Yep that is what Adam and Eve did they ran and hide, thinking that God would not find them or if He did knew what had just occurred.

Lets continue Genesis 3, verse 8-11

"When the cool of the evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking in the garden. So THEY HID from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to man, 'Where are you?

He (Adam) replied, " I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."

"Who told you that you were naked?" the Lord God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"

What has unfolded here is what we have to admit all of us do. We mess up then hide.

God knew all along what occurred in the garden, what I believe happen in His questioning was to see if Adam would own up to his sin.

But as you read on, he did not, in fact he blamed God and Eve.

Another example is Jonah, what did he do? Well we all know that God gave him a command to prophesy against Nineveh.

"The Lord gave this message to Jonah. 'Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce judgment against it... (Jonah 1:1-2)

And what did Jonah d?

verse 3: "But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord."

Jonah, didn't want to do what God told him to do, so he decided to run the opposite direction thinking that he could run away to another city and God would not fine him and remember the results from his actions?

Well he jeopardized the men on the ship he was on and when he finally told them he was the problem, he told them to throw him into the sea where a large fish swallowed him.

You see it doesn't matter if you sin or just don't want to do as god tells you, the simple fact is that you cannot run and hide from Him. He is everywhere.

But if you study people you may wonder what they are thinking!

In our churches today, believe it or not, many walk around like god is not near.

They just go around their everyday life doing and saying what ever they want.

They praise God then talked about a brother and sister in negative ways.

If we are truly in tune with God, then we would not do this. Because we will know that He is near and He hears and sees all that we do. There is nothing hidden from Him.

So in this pop quiz, how did you fair?

I think I need to stand up and say Lord, I failed!

Why you may ask? Because, I slip every once in awhile. My actions says to others who knows me that they don't always line up with God teaching.

It is like He is not near and I can get away things. Then I come and read and study His word, and the next thing I know YOUR GUILTY, get back on track and confess, because I know what You were thinking or have done. Own up!

Yep, I slipped, and I need to take responsibility for my actions. No other person made me do anything, not even Satan, though he probably whispered in ear that no one will fine out and God is not around at this time.

That is what happen to Eve, Satan did not make her eat the fruit, he place the temptation of being as God and she passed it along to Adam and Adam ran and hid when he realized he did wrong, then instead of confessing, he was blaming. Not very smart.

The fact is God is near at all times and there is no place we can hide. You can run, like Jonah, but you can't hide so why even try.

Most of us will pass this pop quiz, but as flawed humans, and the Lord knows it, we we sometime fail the quiz.

But because of His love for us, He will forgive us of our failures as long as we own up to it and confess. Yes He throw our sins as far as the East is to the West, and never bring them back up again. It is just about recognizing our wrongs and not covering them up.

Just own up when you slip, it will happen, but as we walk with Him, they will become less and less because we are growing to be like Him.

Amen

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