Genesis 2:18, 21-22 (ESV) Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

In 6 days God created the heaven and the earth and it was GOOD!

• good: tob (gk) – pleasurable, agreeable, enjoyable… for everyone involved

 Genesis 2:18 (ESV) Then the Lord God said, “It is NOT GOOD that the man should be alone;

• not good, not pleasurable, not agreeable, not enjoyable… for everyone involved

 

NOT GOOD: ALONE, the condition of Adam

NOT GOOD was not the result of bad circumstances

NOT GOOD was because Adam had yet to become who God designed Him to be

God Made A Promise: Genesis 2:18 (ESV) I will make him a helper fit for him

a better translation - I will COMPLETE him and he will FACE & SEE his helper.)

 Adam’s Transformational Moment: Genesis 2:21-22 (ESV) So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

God didn’t change Adam’s circumstances; He removed his rib! And then his circumstances changed.

Your best life unfolds when God can build the better you.

 

Key Transformational Moments

 

1.    When You’re Forced To Choose Between Him And Something Else…

 

2.   When God Repeats Himself, Again - when God is trying to get our attention, he repeats himself audibly while using circumstances to reinforce His message 

• Numbers 22:

  • Balak, King of Moab was afraid of Israel and their recent wins

  • v5 call for Balaam son of Beor at Pethor in the land of the people of Amaw (prophet, diviner)

  •  v6 “curse a swarm of people coming out of Egypt”

  • v8 “I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me”

  • v9-11 “these men want me to go with them to curse a swarm of people so they can win

  • v12 “you will not go, you will not curse, these people are blessed”

  •  v15 repeat (God doesn’t change his mind!)

  • v22-35 Balaam was going in a wrong direction, donkey saw the Angel of the Lord about to punish her master and she turned off the road into the field (struck); on a narrow walled path, he put his foot into a wall (struck); lay down in road (struck with staff)

•  sometimes we push against what God has speaks to us, He repeats himself

• we ignore God and do what we want, and when less than ideal circumstances develop we scream,  “why is this happening?”

• less than best circumstances often develop to reinforce His message 

lay down on the table, repent and ask God to transform you

• After David’s huge failure - Psalm 51:10 (ESV) Create (bara – to shape) in me a clean heart, O God, and renew (chadash – repair) a right spirit within me.

pray - declarative prayer

press in – study, conversations, research

 

3.   When Your Leader Says, “Can We Talk?”

• this happens as God sees my “rib” keeping me from experiencing/maintaining His best and I am not hearing HIM.

• we have to develop the mindset – “they aren’t doing this for them, they are doing this for me!”

• have a teachable spirit/submissive spirit - Isaiah 66:1–2 (ESV) …Thus says the Lord: All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

• remember that God uses imperfect leaders to perfect us!

• good loving leaders don’t wield submissive clubs!

• Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

• we typically choose our leaders in the good moments; don’t eject from the tough ones

Conclusion

Matthew 12:13 (ESV) Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.