When Zoe Takes Over, Endless Life Festival Europe by Apostle Emmanuel Iren: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

God Sparks Desire Before He Works The Miracle

It is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Genesis 2:18-21

There are times in the Bible when God watches for a response, as with the burning bush and Moses. Naming the animals in pairs was what made Adam realize he alone had no helper, that was the moment his desire for a companion was stirred. It is God who works in you to will and to do. Philippians 2:13

God does not simply hand someone a miracle before that desire is stirred, because creative miracles move in the direction of desire. Sometimes God brings you into close proximity with someone else's breakthrough, as Peter watched Jesus walk on water and it dawned on him that it could be done too. Sometimes God even uses an enemy to drive you into his will, as Hannah's rival provoked her until she poured out her heart before the Lord and was heard. The disciples camped in Jerusalem until persecution scattered them into the nations, fulfilling what Jesus had originally commanded.

Tadmah, The Deep Sleep

The Lord caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. Genesis 2:21

The Hebrew word is tadmah, a deep sleep. It is not always spiritual, sometimes it is simply literal sleep, and it can happen tonight to someone who has not been able to sleep in days.

Tadmah Works With Protection

So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. 1 Samuel 26:12

For the Lord has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes. Isaiah 29:10

Protection is not always physical, sometimes the Lord simply stops a person's mouth or shuts their understanding so they cannot act against you.

Story: during a campus meeting, an official pushed forward to shut it down, but as he reached the front he suddenly turned, quietly greeted the people beside him, and joined the meeting until it ended, with no memory of what he had intended to do.

Story: a university official kept unfairly failing the preacher's exam scripts. After finally confronting the situation, the official's manner inexplicably changed within minutes, welcomed him warmly, discovered they shared a hometown, and corrected the grade on the spot.