RECOGNIZING INDEPENDENCE FOR WHAT IT IS

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? You’ve likely heard or used this expression when it’s not clear who or what caused something to happen.

Well, this expression comes to mind when I think of the sin of the the first humans, Adam and Eve, that changed the course of the entire human race.

Disobedience is often cited as the sin that cause the Fall of humanity.

Romans 5:19 says that by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners. Adam represented the entire human race, so when he disobeyed God it was as if the entire human race had disobeyed. That’s very clear from the Scriptures.

But something caused their act of disobedience, and this something is often overlooked—It’s the spirit of independence.

 

Dependency on Source

The principle of dependency is one of the hidden mysteries of Genesis 1 and 2.

According to the creation account, God spoke to different sources for the creation of different species:

  • To the earth for trees, plants and animals.
  • To the ocean/water for marine life.
  • To the atmospheric expanse of the heavens for winged birds.
  • To Himself for human kind.

Each specie shares the constitution of the source from which w came and is designed to attain its best when connected to its source. Hence the expression, “fish out of water”—fish cannot survive independently of water, its original source.

Satan knew that this creation principle applied to humans as much as it applied to other life forms. He understood that very well, so his ultimate goal was to get Adam and Eve to act independently of God.

The instruction God gave to Adam was that he could eat of any tree in the garden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Tree of Knowledge). Embedded in that instruction is the creation principle of choosing to remain dependent on his source– God. That’s why God warned Adam that he would die if he ate from the Tree of Knowledge. In essence, he would be separated from God as His Source, and become a “fish out of water”—experiencing spiritual death and ultimately physical death.

 

A Crisis of Identity – The Door to Independence

Satan used a two-fold strategy against Eve. He created a crisis of identity in her mind, and got her to second-guess God’s integrity. Both were aimed at changing her heart orientation from dependency on God to independently taking charge of her life.

Satan’s line of reasoning went something like this:

  • With that limitation God placed on you, He really doesn’t have your best interest at heart.
  • He doesn’t want you to know things for yourself.
  • You can’t really trust God. You can decide for yourself what’s good for you. Call your own shots. Be your own boss.
  • God just doesn’t want you to be like Him.

Truth be told, Adam and Eve were already created in the image and likeness of God.  Living in vital connection with God like a fish in water would have make available to them everything they needed to be at our best.

Once satan succeeded in changing Eve’s heart orientation from dependency to independence, the act of disobedience naturally followed.  (See Luke 6:45; Mark 7:21-22)

Satan is ultimately after the dominion authority that God gave mankind over the earth. His strategy is to attack our identity because if we don’t know who we really are we cannot fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. Our true identity hinges upon a vital connection of dependency on God as our Source. If we become disconnected from God as our Source then we lose our true identity, our kingdom authority, position, and destiny.

Satan succeeded with Adam and Eve in the Garden. He tried to do the same thing with Jesus in the wilderness but he failed. Jesus chose total dependence on His Heavenly Father over the path of independence that Satan offered Him.

 

Dependence vs. Independence

Each day you and I face the same choice—dependency on God or independence. Winning this battle requires that we understand our three-part nature and restore the divine order that was disrupted when Adam and Eve sinned.

God created us as spirit beings with a soul in a body. The spirit is designed to take the lead over the soul and body. With the Fall of humanity, however, the soul (made up of mind/intellect, emotions and will), gained dominance over the spirit. When we become born again as a new creation in Jesus Christ, it is our spirit that receives new birth not our soul. In fact, the soul refuses to surrender its position of power.

 

A Key Principle

Disobedience has a root cause. The root cause is the spirit of independence that is at work in our hearts and soul. This is true for the grown man or woman as much as it is true for a two-year old who has discovered the power of free choice in his/her soul.

The fallen Adamic DNA of independence is deeply coded in our soul and always resists the will and ways of God. Neither does it want to come under the authority of our spirit. There’s no way around it. Our soul has to surrender its independence to the spirit according to God’s original design and intent.  Whether in ourselves as adults or in children, we are not just after behavior modification (outward obedience) which leaves the root of the problem intact in the heart. We want freedom from the spirit of independence.

 

Prayer of Surrender

You can begin the journey into freedom from the spirit of independence by praying this prayer from your heart.

Heavenly Father, I acknowledge and confess the sin of independence that has separated me from you as my Source. I acknowledge that I have been attached to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in ways I did not even realize. I confess the sin of rejecting your holy design and intent for my identity. Thank you for your promise of First John 1:9, that if I confess my sins, you are faithful and just to forgive my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

I repent for myself, and on behalf of my generations and my bloodline all the way back to Adam and Eve, for every lie we have believed about our identity. I seek your complete forgiveness through the perfect sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed at the Cross once for all.

Holy Father, I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ be applied to every root, branch, and fruit of the sin of independence, rebellion, disobedience, and rejection. I renounce and denounce every way in which I have tried to define myself apart from you. I renounce and separate myself from every identity distortion and related lie.

I choose to detach myself from the Tree of Knowledge. I willingly cast off every garment of distorted identity, and every counterfeit that I had traded in place of your holy design. I now gratefully accept your original design and intent for my life. I choose the Tree of Life. I declare that all your works are good, and I joyfully embrace the truth of who I am in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

 

Suggested Meditation

  • Romans Chapters 5-8
  • Romans 12:1-2
  • James 1:21-24

 

Suggested Resource

“Spirit, Soul and Body” by Andrew Wommack (Book and YouTube videos)

“The Release of the Spirit” by Watchman Nee.

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