Gardens play an important part in Scripture. The first garden, the Garden of Eden, is where the history of humanity begins. “Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground – trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:8-9 NLT).

        The Garden of Eden was the place where Adam and Eve met with God – the place where their every need was supplied. But it was also a place of treachery and betrayal.
"The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the say from good to evil"" (Genesis 3:4-5 MSG). 

         In the Garden of Eden, the pair listened to the lies of Satan and transferred their allegiance from God to the devil. In the Garden of Eden, paradise was lost.

        Then there was the Garden of Gethsemane – the garden where Jesus often prayed. But it became a place of betrayal and suffering. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas betrayed Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus suffered. “Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me” (Matthew 26:36-38 MSG).

        John 19:41 (GNT) says, “There was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried.” At one end, Golgotha, the place of death and crucifixion. At the other, the place of resurrection and life.

      “After she (Mary Magdalene) said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him. Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
        She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Sir, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
          Jesus said, “Mary.”
       Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!” (John 20:14-16 MSG).

        Jesus was alive! The place of death had become a place of Victory.

     And lastly, there is a heavenly garden. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, flowing with water clear as crystal, continuously pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The river was flowing in the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river was the Tree of Life, with its twelve kinds of ripe fruit according to each month of the year. The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2 TPT).

    In the first garden, connection with God was lost. In the second, betrayal and suffering took place. In the third, hope was found in the resurrection of Jesus. Through Him, our connection with God was renewed.

      And in the last garden, Eden has been restored. “And every curse will be broken and no longer exist, for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there in the city. His loving servants will serve him; they will always see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more” (Revelation 22:3-5 TPT).

     God is present in every garden. Dear friend, what garden are you in right now? Have you lost connection with God? Are you wandering in a wilderness, apart from Him? Come to the garden of victory, hope, and resurrection. Receive Jesus as your Saviour and Redeemer. He will never disappoint you. And when you die, you will live eternally in the special place God has prepared for those who love Him. A place where there is no curse, no night, and the river of the water of life flows abundantly. Come now.

            Bulldogs are known for their aggressive behaviour. Their grip is tenacious and they are persistent and determined. If a bulldog gets something of yours in its mouth, don’t plan on getting it back.

            When it comes to the promises of God in His Word, we need to be just as tenacious. We need to have bulldog faith that will not let go. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that God's laws bring by becoming cursed instead of us. Scripture says, "Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed."

            Satan knows we’ve been delivered from the curse, but he’s going to challenge us on it. He knows that by faith we can have everything Jesus died and rose again to provide for us. So Satan’s plan is to wear down our faith, through continual pressure, disappointment, and discouragement. He knows if he can get us off our faith, he can steal from us what is rightfully ours in Jesus.

            THEREFORE, be like a bulldog in your faith. Be aggressive. “The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12 NIV-84). Faith is always advancing, persistent, determined, and confident. It does not retreat or move backward. “If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38-39 KJV). When we draw back, we are pulling away from the blessings God has for us.

            Like the bulldog, we need to bite down on the Word of God and not let go. We must continually speak it and keep it in front of our eyes, going into our ears – and to call things that are not as though they were.  “’...I have made you a father of many nations’” in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did...” (Romans 4:17 NKJV).

            Bulldog faith is fully persuaded that what God has promised, He will fulfill. Abraham “...drew strength from his faith, and while giving the glory to God, remained absolutely convinced that God was able to implement his own promise” (Romans 4:12, Phillips). Being fully persuaded is not hoping or wishing. Fully persuaded means to be completely convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that what God has said will come to pass. It means believing God’s Word instead of the circumstances around us.

            Lastly, bulldog faith takes possession of what God has promised. Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long are you going to sit around on your hands, putting off taking possession of the land that God…has given you?” –Joshua 18:3 (MSG).

            The Word of God brings things from the spirit realm into the natural realm. In Matthew 8:8, the centurion said to Jesus, “Speak the word only, and my servant will be healed” (KJV). In essence, he told Jesus that the Word of the Son of God was the only evidence he needed. Bulldog faith is not afraid to put a demand on the covenant promises of God.
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            So even though the bulldog isn’t the handsomest of animals, be one when it comes to your faith. Bite down on the Word of God AND DON’T LET GO.