In this piece, we are considering: On Becoming a Living Being. Let us go very quickly to the book of Genesis 2:7 and later we will read Genesis chapter one to understand what has brought us to Genesis 2:7. The Bible says: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” There are many things that we might have been reading and skipping in this Book of Genesis; we could create the need to go into some of them, not that they are directly related to this piece, but they are good because they will help our understanding.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” The man that became a living being is the man that was formed; God had formed him from the dust of the ground, the earth — the raw material of the earth, like from what the earth is able to make available, God formed him. The man that was formed from the earth, eventually, was no more looking like the raw earth. He begins to look beautiful. If you look at the mirror today, you will see how beautiful you are. You are no more looking dirty like the dust of the earth; you are not looking stony, you have been refined, polished — you are beautiful. However, the platform that God formed man is not beautiful. Also, the material that was used to form man was not beautiful.
Many of us, we want to be formed by God, but we want to choose where we want to be formed. We what to choose how we will be formed. We want to choose the environment and materials through which God will form us. However, for Adam, he didn’t have the choice, number two, he was not formed in the choicest places, nor with the choicest materials. There were more beautiful things on the face of the earth than the dust of the earth. But the Bible said, “From the dust of the earth, God formed him”. Sometimes, we might think the formation just took place in the blink of the eyes. Formation requires time, it might take God some time. It took some processes, if you look at yourself, or others around you, the anatomy of a physical man, you will understand that there was so much attention to details given by God in the formation of man.
Look at it, from the head to the toe, everything is connected. All the systems working perfectly together interpedently, and sometimes independently. The movement of every part of the body is coordinated, without anyone interfering with the activities of another. Hence, you should understand that, God took time to form you, God took time to form me. However, God formed us — man from the dust of the ground. So, you could emerge beautifully under the hand of God as the most beautiful creature on the earth. But the processes that produces you must not have to be beautiful. There is a popular Yoruba adage that says, “It is in the black pot that white pap is made from.” I am not referring to the North, I don’t know how they make it here. But when you go the Western part of Nigeria, any pap that you drink or see is usually white as light. But the platform that such a pap is produced, is usually dark as anything, as anything you might think or imagine. So, how will you correspond a white substance produced inside a black or dark process. It is not about the process. It is not about, is it beautiful or popular? It is all about what God has intended to make happen in your life overtime.
God formed man from the dust of the earth, the earth is not the most beautiful thing, and when God was done forming man, God released His breath. Somebody could have asked, why didn’t God release His breath before the formation of man? God was done forming, we don’t know how long before He released the breath. When God was forming, if you had looked at what God was forming; taking time to form, you could say, “Maybe, He doesn’t have breath.” “After all, God does not have breath, if He had, He would have released it.” The things we crave for; are things that God could give us at the spark of the finger tips. God wouldn’t give us just like that because we have not been formed. It does not take God more than a second to release His breath into you. But you cannot be formed in a second; you require time and process to be formed.
Having been formed, satisfied the condition of formation, God sees you as an available vessel, that He can release His breath into. Look at the apostles, they followed Jesus; some of them were religious men; for instance, Peter. They were Jews, and they were religious. But when they came to Jesus, they became students of the kingdom of Christ. They followed Him for three and half years. Jesus kept pouring into them. Sometimes, they would say things that they were not supposed to say; Jesus would say, “This is not what you are to say.” Considering the sons of Zebedee, they got angry on behalf of Jesus. They said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from to consume these people just as Elijah did?” And Jesus said unto them, “You don’t know the manner of the Spirit that you are of.” So, they went through the process of formation under Christ. It took time for a person that wanted to call down fire on the people to become an apostle of light.
It was not just about the Holy Spirit coming, there was something that was done, inform of preparation for the reception of the Holy Spirit. Many preachers had said, “When the Spirit came like a mighty rushing wind, the Spirit didn’t push down any tree”. There was no report that all the houses were losing their foundations. The Spirit came directly to where the disciples were assembled. There were vessels that had been formed, and they were expectant. All that God needed to do was to pour in. God knew that whatever He poured in will not be lost. God knew that whatever is poured in will be preserved. God is not a wasteful investor; He will not give to you; what He knows you will lose immediately. God will not pour into you; what He knows you will not contain. So, the process of retaining the grace of God, the power of God, the wisdom of God, it is the formation process. When God was forming man, He was making sure that the breath is not lost. God was making sure that when the breath comes, the requisite job of the breath will be done by different organs of the body that were made before the breath came.
There is saying that says, “Don’t put the cat before the horse”. Meaning, there are certain things that has to be done before other things are done. Oftentimes, we want God to skip settle things, and do the interesting things to us. But God knows, if your ministry will not be lost, if your marriage will not be lost, certain things must be done first before some other things are done. Let’s go back to Genesis chapter 1 from verse 20 downward; there is something I want us to see together as the Lord helps us. See what the Bible says:
“Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. “So, God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” So, the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”
I want us to be noting the blessing of God on them, so we can compare them with the blessings that God blesses you as a man. Notice the blessings of God for the living creatures, and notice the blessings of God for you. Form the text, 3 things are observable there; fruitfulness, multiplication, and He said, “Fill the waters, fill the air…” According to Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, the Bible says, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” When we were in Genesis chapter 1 verse 20, God said, “Let the waters abound with the abundance of living creatures.”
It is possible for anyone to say, God said it, and that was all; as God said it, they existed. Many people often say, it was just speaking alone that created the animals. In Genesis chapter 2 verse 19, the Bible says, “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” God formed all of the living creatures, but what is my difference from every other living other living creature? They were formed, and I was also formed too. So, don’t just say, God just spoke and they appeared. Otherwise, when you see other animals that look like you, you will be confused. Sometimes, you must also note that, some of the things in Genesis chapter 1 and 2, were mainly declaration of God’s intention in Genesis 1, and the execution of His will in Genesis chapter 2.
Sometimes, you will read God speaking out His will, but that was not all, there were moment that God went into action. Genesis chapter 1 tells us what God wanted to do, and in Genesis chapter 2 verse 1 and 2, tells us how these things were done. Some were done in chapter 1, many also that began in chapter 1, were done in chapter 2. God formed the beast of the field, the ones that fly, the ones in water; God formed them, and God bless them: “Be fruitful, multiply, fill wherever I have placed you”. Have you been ordained for the earth, fill the earth? Have you been place in the sea, fill your territory? The place God has settled you, fill it. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, something was introduced that we must notice. We didn’t see anything that look like it in the entire Genesis chapter 1, 2, and 3, that compete with it, that makes it unique. The Bible says:
“ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over [g]all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
The unique question we must give critical attention to is, what is the image of God? Is the image of God, the image of a beast? In the Book of Acts, there is a place that apostle Paul was confronting people that were offering sacrifice to unknown gods: “For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.”
“Let Us make man in Our image.” Is the sacrifice of God an image of the beast? According to John chapter 4 verse 24, Bible says, “God is Spirit!” What is the image of God? The image of God is Spirit. When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image”; He was thinking of what He would create that is spiritual. He needed to reproduce Himself (His Spirit) in a creature. Out of the ground the Lord created all the beasts of the field, but when He got to Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, it was something else. He said, “Let Us make man in Our image and according to our likeness.” And should you be thinking that to be made in the image of God, is little or nothing, look at the next statement: “And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
The living beasts that were formed before man was formed; the ones in sea, the beast on the field, and the birds of the air, do you still remember? But the Lord God says, “Let them have dominion over them”. “The man that I have made in My image and likeness, let them have dominion over all the birds, sea creatures, and beasts of the field.” “Whether they are vulture, eagles, witches…let them have dominion over them.” “Fishes of the sea, whether they whale, sharks, or manmade, let them have dominion over.” “Even over the earth, let them have dominion.” But the premise is that, “let they be made in Our image.” “Let them have the spiritual identity, nature.” They are spiritually sourced and sustained, therefore, they shall rule over the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth.
Let’s take our journey further to verse 28, the Bible says, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it”. That is the difference between me and every other living creature: “Subdue it the earth.” When God created man and blessed man, God said to the ma to subdue the earth, and this is where there is a clear-cut distinction between man and the other living creatures that God had made earlier. I have gone beyond fruitfulness, and I am trying to multiply, and He said, “Fill the earth”. Don’t forget, I am not the only one God is talking to. Wherever I am, I am expected to fill it, but I am not to do that alone; I am expected to do it in collaboration with other men. And He then added, “Subdue the earth”. Friend, can you look at yourself today, and say that you are subduing the earth? We must get to that point. That is the agenda of God for me, that is the agenda of God for you: “To subdue.” That is the only truth that differentiate you from the cattle. Man is a subduing being!
The first creatures have 3 blessings: fruitfulness, multiplication, and filing. But when He came to man, the Lord God says, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.” The number four is what separated us from them. When God was done creating the living creatures, the Bible says, “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” In Genesis chapter 2 verse 7, having spoken out His intention in the previous chapter, God went into action. God knew He had already created the living creatures; those were their names.
So, in Genesis 2:7, haven had this background, God went into action. God knew He had already created the living creatures, the sea is filled with fishes, the air with birds, and the land was filled with cattle and every other animal, then God went on; “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”. Before this point, we have been seen living creatures, but now we see a “Living being”. It could be possible for people to assumed that it was a typographic error, but God was intentional about it. Man, actually became a living being, not one among the living creatures. Other word that we could use in the place of “Living being”, is “Man became a subduing being” or man became a dominating being.
There are some instances where some translation will render the same words as “Man became a dominating spirit” or “a speaking spirit being.” So, if you have the desire to dominate, it is not a strange it, it is inherent in your creative nature. God created you to have dominion. So, if there is no dominion traceable to your life, then you are yet to reconnect to the original Will of God for your life. You can have children, but that does not make you different from the goats or lion. You can have 15 children or 10 children; you could be a man that have at least a child in each of the 37 states in Nigeria; there are retired military people like that. That is to say, throughout your service years, you were posted to all the states, and you impregnated 36 women in each of the 36 states, plus one in the FCT. Yet, that does not make you different from the birds of the air. That does not give you authority over the birds of the air. What separate you is that, you have dominion; it is visible, it is palpable.
When the witches see you, they see dominion. When the birds of the air see you, they see dominion. Look at Jesus for instance, when He got to places, He didn’t go to stir at people, or make people to be afraid, no! In His simple appearance, they are terrified by His presence. They actually begged Him: “Have you come to torment us before our time.” They begged him with trembling: “Tamper justice with mercy.” So, when do you get to this stage? We have heard of the generals of old; people like Katherine Kuhlman, Samuel Wesley…, when they got to places, people were slain without them laying hand on them. The presence they carry, the authority they command, over territory — God says, “Have dominion over territory”. Imagine God giving me dominion over the transformation of destiny of children, when I am in the midst of children, they should be feeling me without me saying anything. They should be feeling it even if all I said were just praise the Lord, children!
What assignment has the Lord given you to exercise authority over, how effective have you being in it? When God was blessing man in Genesis chapter 1 verse 28, He said, “Have dominion over every living thing that moves on the earth.” There are no living things that don’t move, that is what God is telling you. The evidence of living is movement. Hence, when you hear a living being, you are hearing a living/moving spirit; an active spirit that subdue actively. Yesterday you were, today you are, tomorrow you will be; it is not like a past glory— in those days when I enter our village, all the witches they run away— what about now? What make you living is that you are present continuous active. The move of God in your life, is presently continuous.
Let’s go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17, see what the Bible says, “Therefore, if anyone {regardless of color, sex, and language] is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Old friends, old associates, old behaviors; all things. If all things are passed away, it also means that, those who were your enemies before you met Jesus should not be your enemies now. You shouldn’t be praying that your neighbor who was your enemy, should fall down and die. Friend, if my friends are to change because I am in Christ, shouldn’t my enemies also change; should I be enemy of God’s people when I am already in God? I will now have the devil and his team as my enemies? I shouldn’t be enemy of brethren in Christ. I should only be an enemy of people that are enemies of God. The things that God hates; I should hate. And the things that God loves; I should love.
There was a church that Jesus was not happy with in the Book of Revelation, but He said, there was something they did that he liked. There was a group of people that they hated, that He Himself hated. Maybe I should say it again. Your struggle should change. Your prayer life and points should change. Your taste board, the things you desire should change. These are not time to be asking God for chew gum. This is the time to ask God for nations. “Ask Me for nations.” You wouldn’t be a person that is waiting for people to tell you of what to do; you will keep up with God, and asking Him of what to do.
The man at the pull in the days of Jesus was waiting for people, a person, who will push him into the water at miracle hour. But once a man meets Jesus, he will no longer be waiting for others to start him up. The moment the man stepped into Christ, his situation changed, he couldn’t sit down again. He couldn’t wait for other to help him again, he became a helper himself. Everything about him changed. So, when you come into Christ, He changes you into a new creation. You will become a living being in Christ Jesus. When you come into Christ, don’t be like an animal, a bird, that we have in our neighborhood. You become a new man, a new woman, who is living, moving. There is progress! “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old things have passed away. Behold all things have become new.”
Now, you could ask: How can someone be in Christ? I will also say, that is the process of forming. One thing that made a man a living being right from the beginning was that, man was formed from the ground. What then make you to become a new creation is that, you are formed in Christ Jesus. Now, Christ Jesus has become the mold and material that God used to make you. He made you into a new man, a new woman, that can hold again the breath of life that comes from God. In Acts chapter 17 verse 28, the Bible says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
If you look at your sim card, it looks small, but it has the capacity to connect you to the world, the unseen world. If your phone didn’t have it, even if you bought the phone for N600, 000.00K, it will not connect. We have our being in Him. I don’t know how you see Jesus Christ; but in Him, we have our being. Regardless of how you see Him, all your essence and relevance on the face of the earth, have all been packaged by God inside Him. When you step into Him; you can live, you can move, and you can have your being. We have an example of a man who lost his being in the Book of Daniel; king Nebuchadnezzar lost his being, when he felt the kingdom was a product of his effort. God warned him, but he wouldn’t listen. The Bible says, “His kingdom was taken from him”.
What happened to him? His understanding was turned. He began to have understanding like the living creatures. And he was chased away from among men in to the field just like the beast of the field. So, he began to eat grass. The dew of heaven fell on him for seven years, until one day, he looked unto the heaven, to the One in heaven who rules in the affairs of men, it is not Nebuchadnezzar, but there is one above that rules in the affairs of men. The Bible says, he said: “The moment I did this, my understanding was returned to me, and my kingdom was returned”. So, if your kingdom must be returned to you again, you must reconnect with your understanding. The true understanding. You must understand that, there is a God in heaven who rules in the affairs of men, and He loves to do it through you.
God is the King of kings; He loves to partner with you concerning His will for the earth. He wants you to be a king, He wants you to have dominion. He wants you to rule. So, if you don’t have the right thinking, even though, you are able to impregnate women, you wouldn’t be able to rule over anything. I hope we get to the point that, we will tell ourselves that, until we can rule, we are not living — until I am ruling, I am not living. What is life, when you are not in charge?
There is this testimony that I always share, and I will love to share it with you briefly. Before I became born again, I have nightmares every day, all my nights before the day I gave my life to Jesus was full of nightmares experience. It was either masquerade race, or snake pursuing me in those nightmares. All manner of animals chasing me, but snake was the one I experienced often. As a matter of fact, I learnt how to run physically in my dreams. Those days, when I was still growing up as a young adult, when I run physically, sometimes, I get into my dream mode; I would remember how I outran, I will just literally increase my speed, and I see myself running faster. Because that was it. I was so smart at the point that I gave my life to Jesus; I prayed a prayer that day. I said, “Lord, I don’t want to ever dream again.” Let God be true, and every other person a liar. I have to beg God before I started dreaming again. For about 10 to 15 years after I gave my life to Jesus, I didn’t have even just a single dream, not even a flash of it. I slept and woke up, I slept and woke up, no stress, because “He gave His beloved rest”.
Later on in life, I told God, “My nights are becoming boring”. I would just sleep and wake up continuously, no dream, no nightmare. If you know, I am a dramatic person, and I love to have some movies. I then prayed again: “Lord, can I be having some movies in the night?” So, God started giving me some, but I would not remember when I woke up. After a while, I would enjoy that phase for a time, but later I told God, “Can we step up, I want to be remembering my dreams.” Then I got to a point, that I can now remember. Now to the glory of God, He gives me dream now for messages. I have now grown, no more watching movies at night. It is now time to get instructions. Friend, is that the same for you?
One thing that offends me personally is that, when I hear a believer sharing testimony that I was oppressed in the night. So, when I woke up, there was so much manifestation, I prayed that God should heal me. You shouldn’t be oppressed! Sorry, if you see me oppressed, I must have messed up somewhere. “He gives His belove rest.” If you don’t mess up anywhere, you will sleep. Dominion is not joke, sometimes we will even tell ourselves, let me not exercise too much dominion, I don’t want to lose it. Do you see Jesus being careful in dominion? When He needed to walk on water, He did. When He need to multiply bread, He did. When He got to the mad man of Gadarene, He healed. When the sick man was brought down through the roof, He healed. He did everything that He needed to do, until the people were moved to confess, “He has made everything good.” Praise God!
He was always exercising authority, “How God anointed the Lord Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good”. We must move! Let us go about doing good. Go to places, take the problem from the people; take away from you, the mindset that people must help you. You have been ordained to be a helper; people must not help you. You have been ordained to be a deliverer. Commit yourself to the Lord, and arise as a deliverer. See yourself as one, and always pray it: “Lord, I arise as a deliverer.” You can’t have this mindset and still believe that you are among, “A people robbed and plundered; all of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; they are for prey, and no one delivers; for plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”
Become a deliverer, start speaking for the restoration of others. That is you subduing! Tell yourself that, I love to subdue, I want to subdue. And that is my nature – don’t be apologetic! God has raised us as subduing spirits. Jesus, having led the disciples to a point, the Bible says, “He breath on them”. There are some of us that are just starting the process of formation, some of us are at the middle, while others are at the end in the body of Christ. There is need for the release of His breath perhaps daily. In Hebrew chapter 1 from verse 1-3, the Bible says:
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the] worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
So, we are asking what is the image of God? And God is answering the question again in another form saying, “Jesus Christ is My express image.” If you must be formed in the image of God, then you must be formed in the image of Jesus Christ. When you get to the point, where the Bible talks about growing into the fullness of the stature of Christ; when people see you, they will see less of you, and more of Jesus Christ, then you are ready for the breath of life.
If you look at the animals, there is hardly any animal you will see, that does not breath in, and breath out. It is not that one that we are talking about. We are talking about the nature. The Bible says in the Book of Job, “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.”
May the Lord help us in Jesus’ name.
