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I was cruising through my files this morning and found this. Can't remember where I got it, but it's just so good!"God's in Control..."
Well, if we think God is in control... we're in big trouble!
It amazes me to hear Christians make the blanket statement that God is in control. Just a momentary glance around this place we call earth and anyone can instantly see that if God's in control - something is seriously wrong.
Murder and mayhem; adultery, and fornication... what in God's name can one possibly mean by implying that God is in control? Children taking drugs and guns to school, teenage promiscuity and abortions at an all-time high, not to mention a skyrocketing parental divorce rate... and God is in control? How can that be?
First things first.
Yes, God is sovereign.
So that we are all on the same page, let me first say that yes, God is in control. We must understand though, it's the big picture, the grand outcome, of which God is in control.
Without doubt, Almighty God is the Supreme Ruler of the Universe and all that is contained within. He is unquestionably the absolute Authority over mankind. Make no mistake, when the dust settles, when the smoke clears, when all is said and done - we can be sure that God will have had His way. But... until then, and here is the rub for many, God has determined that we are the ones to set the course of our lives; in other words, we have a part to play. Let me be quick to add that it is not by our own power and ability that we do this. We should immediately return the control of our lives back to God by seeking His wisdom and guidance, then strive to be led by His Holy Spirit - allowing the Lord not just to be our Savior, but to be Lord over every area of our lives. Living our lives in such a manner allows us to eventually ovecome all the works of the enemy. The question must then be asked, how do we do that?
God has a way!
God's ways of doing and being:
When it comes to our daily affairs, we must choose which way we will go, what we will have in our lives. God said in Deuteronomy 30:19, and this is from the NKJV: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." When God spoke those words He initiated a biblical mandate that is still in place today; it is up to us to determine what we will have in our lives. This new directive is why the Book of Proverbs would go on to state that death and life are in the power of our tongues, and you can read that in Proverbs 18:21.
Proverbs 12:14 says, "A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth." With such a statement being made, how can we not see that we, as citizens of this earth, have a say as to the direction and outcome of our lives? Another scriptural passage, this time from Proverbs 13:2 says that "A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth." If the Bible mandates that our words will determine what we will experience in life, good or bad, how can we say that God is in control?
John 10:10 says that it's Satan who comes to "Steal, kill, and destroy." If we expect a different outcome when we are faced with the circumstances of life that threaten to "Steal, kill, or destroy" we need to do something. We can't just take a passive approach when Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, thinking God has it under control; God demands that we do something with respect to our words! It is not the will of God for us to thrust our problems with Satan back on God and sit idly by waiting for God to bring about victory, nor will acting in such a fashion bode well for us in trying to overcome the enemy.
Satan is in the driver's seat!
Lyin,' cheatin,' n,' stealin' runs rampant in the earth, so how can God be in control? Well, the fact of the matter is, God isn't in control of this place we call earth... the devil is. (But we have been given dominion! [h=3]Genesis 1:28[/h] Amplified Bible (AMP)
28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.
[h=3]Psalm 8:5-7[/h] King James Version (KJV)
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;...)
The Apostle Paul sets the record straight:
Second Corinthians 4:4 declares that Satan is the god of this world. It wasn't meant to be that way; it certainly wasn't God's will, but because of the disobedience of God's children in a place called Eden Satan gained a foothold in the earth... and we are still paying the price today.
The important thing is not to be intimidated by Satan's being the god of this world, because, as the Apostle John stressed in First John 4:4, greater is God who is in us than Satan who is in the world. Combine that with Paul's comments to the Romans in chapter eight verse thirty seven, that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who loves us, and we can see that there is nothing to be intimidated about!
The statement that Satan is the god of this world may seem to be heresy to some; nevertheless, it is true, and the sooner the Christian becomes aware of this truth, the sooner he or she will be able to overcome Satan's advances.
More "Must know" information!
Another vital piece of information that Christians must comprehend can be found in 1 Peter 5:8 where the Apostle Peter said that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It's interesting that Peter's remarks are alluded to elsewhere in the Bible: in the Book of Job, God asked Satan what he had been up to, and Satan said something to the effect of "Oh, nothing, just walking around in the earth." (And you can read about that in the first chapter of Job.)
Please note that God didn't chastise Satan for being there. Why? Well, because Satan had legal right to be there. Satan had legal right to be there then, and he has legal right to be here now.
Think about this as well: when Jesus was in the wilderness He had several encounters with Satan, the last one is recorded in Matthew 4:8-10, "...the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
Notice that Jesus Christ didn't deny that the kingdoms of the world, and all the wealth that came with them, weren't Satan's to give away... because they were, and with one big exception, they still are... but more about that exception in a moment.
Nothing has changed; Satan has the legal right to be here today, and I think we can all agree, he's here... and he's busy. Now, let's talk about that one BIG exception I just mentioned because:
God expects us to do something!
Resist the devil and he will flee!
Nowhere in the Bible do we see where we are to ask God to resist the devil for us. We have been given every weapon needed to be able to successfuly overcome all the work of the enemy, and God expects us to use the weapons provided to thwart every fiery dart of the enemy.
God says that we are to resist the devil not expect Him to do it for us. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." In the Book of Genesis we see the mandate set forth by God that His children were to "take authority" over the earth; that has not changed. The ability to "take authority" was restored to us when Jesus Christ went to Calvary, and God expects us to do just that!
It's important to understand that God has determined that His children have power over the enemy, and as I mentioned, our power over the enemy comes from the finished work of Calvary, and through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. In other words, God's way of doing and being in the earth, is for us, His representatives in the earth, to take authority over the enemy at every turn by loosing words which allow God's Holy Spirit to bring His words of victory to pass. That is a little hard to do when God's children simply sit on the couch and wait for God to intervene in their lives.
As Christians we must come to know some things!
As Christians we must know the proper order of things. For us to think that God has control over our lives just because we are His children is to be very naive. More importantly, such thinking will ultimately result in our inability to be victorious over Satan. In a more practical way, such foolish thinking will allow Satan the opportunity, as Jesus put it in John 10:10 to, "... steal, kill, and destroy."
Looking back again at First Peter 5:8 we can see a significant truth which will illuminate our way, so let's take another look at what Peter said: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." This translation from the NKJV tells us that the devil is looking for those "whom he may devour." Well then, there must be some whom the devil isn't able to devour; there must be some people whom the devil isn't able to destroy. What is the difference between these two types of people? What is it that some people have, and others do not, which prevents Satan from overcoming and destroying them?
The answer is that some people know some things and others do not. In other words, the missing ingredient is knowledge.
The prophet Hosea said that God's people would be destroyed for their lack of knowledge. That statement is still true today and is exemplified by one of the biggest lies reverberating through the corridors of many churches today - that God is in control.
Christians, Bible believing Christians, sit in church or prayer meetings lamenting over a troubling situation or a horrible circumstance and often end their testimony with something to the effect that, "God is in control." They conclude their prayers with the reasoning that the proper course of action is one of waiting upon the Lord; their logic being that, in His time, God will prevail over the situation... of course, that reasoning is usually accompanied by an "If it be Thy will." Unfortunately, such a lethargic approach to the promises of God will do nothing to move the Lord's hand.
In matters of involvement, God isn't sitting around desiring that we "wait upon the Lord;" rather, He is waiting on us to "call upon Him." Big difference! Remember what Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." In other words, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered from evil, kept safe from harm, brought out of poverty, restored to health, and made to walk upon the high places of the earth, which is what the word saved means in that verse of Scripture.
The key to the salvation of the Lord is to call out to Him, or in other words: to pray to Him, to converse with Him; to speak to Him... and that has to be done in a correct manner. Now again, God's mercy is new every day, but His blessing comes by way of obedience to His Word.
So let me ask you: are you calling out to Him with the thankfulness of knowing that God meets all of your needs through Jesus Christ and the finished work of Calvary? Are you facing every obstacle of life with the the confidence of knowing that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ? Is your heart full of good news?
As Christians, we must do some things!
God expects His children to take action and He sets the criteria for the course of action we should take in the Book of Ephesians; let's read Ephesians 6: 11-18:
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
More Revelation: we were meant to be victorious!
To sum it up: The good news is... we win!
We must understand that just because Satan is the god of this world: all is not lost for us. Hey... we have a Saviour! But it's not just enough to believe in Jesus Christ; we can't just sit with our Bibles and wait for the Lord to intervene in our situation; we must take action.
Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished at Calvary we can be more than overcomers in the earth. In fact, Jesus said in the seventeenth chapter of John that while we are in the world, we are not of the world. Because of the finished work of Calvary, we should never let Satan's trash lie on our lawns for any length of time at all. Let me give you a classic example: Poverty.
[h=2]Poverty comes from Satan.
[/h]To really understand that God's will is not poverty for His children we must understand where poverty comes from; to do that we must have some knowledge of God's Word.
Proverbs 10:15 says, "the destruction of the poor is their poverty;" compile that with John 10:10 which states it's the thief who comes to "steal, kill, and destroy," and immediately we can see who is responsible for poverty in the world; we can readily see it's the god of this world, Satan, who is the culprit. Examine those two verses of Scripture again and you will notice that poverty destroys and it's Satan who comes to destroy; the only logical conclusion is that poverty is from Satan.
Well, if we think God is in control... we're in big trouble!
It amazes me to hear Christians make the blanket statement that God is in control. Just a momentary glance around this place we call earth and anyone can instantly see that if God's in control - something is seriously wrong.
Murder and mayhem; adultery, and fornication... what in God's name can one possibly mean by implying that God is in control? Children taking drugs and guns to school, teenage promiscuity and abortions at an all-time high, not to mention a skyrocketing parental divorce rate... and God is in control? How can that be?
First things first.
Yes, God is sovereign.
So that we are all on the same page, let me first say that yes, God is in control. We must understand though, it's the big picture, the grand outcome, of which God is in control.
Without doubt, Almighty God is the Supreme Ruler of the Universe and all that is contained within. He is unquestionably the absolute Authority over mankind. Make no mistake, when the dust settles, when the smoke clears, when all is said and done - we can be sure that God will have had His way. But... until then, and here is the rub for many, God has determined that we are the ones to set the course of our lives; in other words, we have a part to play. Let me be quick to add that it is not by our own power and ability that we do this. We should immediately return the control of our lives back to God by seeking His wisdom and guidance, then strive to be led by His Holy Spirit - allowing the Lord not just to be our Savior, but to be Lord over every area of our lives. Living our lives in such a manner allows us to eventually ovecome all the works of the enemy. The question must then be asked, how do we do that?
God has a way!
God's ways of doing and being:
When it comes to our daily affairs, we must choose which way we will go, what we will have in our lives. God said in Deuteronomy 30:19, and this is from the NKJV: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." When God spoke those words He initiated a biblical mandate that is still in place today; it is up to us to determine what we will have in our lives. This new directive is why the Book of Proverbs would go on to state that death and life are in the power of our tongues, and you can read that in Proverbs 18:21.
Proverbs 12:14 says, "A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth." With such a statement being made, how can we not see that we, as citizens of this earth, have a say as to the direction and outcome of our lives? Another scriptural passage, this time from Proverbs 13:2 says that "A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth." If the Bible mandates that our words will determine what we will experience in life, good or bad, how can we say that God is in control?
John 10:10 says that it's Satan who comes to "Steal, kill, and destroy." If we expect a different outcome when we are faced with the circumstances of life that threaten to "Steal, kill, or destroy" we need to do something. We can't just take a passive approach when Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, thinking God has it under control; God demands that we do something with respect to our words! It is not the will of God for us to thrust our problems with Satan back on God and sit idly by waiting for God to bring about victory, nor will acting in such a fashion bode well for us in trying to overcome the enemy.
Satan is in the driver's seat!
Lyin,' cheatin,' n,' stealin' runs rampant in the earth, so how can God be in control? Well, the fact of the matter is, God isn't in control of this place we call earth... the devil is. (But we have been given dominion! [h=3]Genesis 1:28[/h] Amplified Bible (AMP)
28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.
[h=3]Psalm 8:5-7[/h] King James Version (KJV)
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;...)
The Apostle Paul sets the record straight:
Second Corinthians 4:4 declares that Satan is the god of this world. It wasn't meant to be that way; it certainly wasn't God's will, but because of the disobedience of God's children in a place called Eden Satan gained a foothold in the earth... and we are still paying the price today.
The important thing is not to be intimidated by Satan's being the god of this world, because, as the Apostle John stressed in First John 4:4, greater is God who is in us than Satan who is in the world. Combine that with Paul's comments to the Romans in chapter eight verse thirty seven, that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who loves us, and we can see that there is nothing to be intimidated about!
The statement that Satan is the god of this world may seem to be heresy to some; nevertheless, it is true, and the sooner the Christian becomes aware of this truth, the sooner he or she will be able to overcome Satan's advances.
More "Must know" information!
Another vital piece of information that Christians must comprehend can be found in 1 Peter 5:8 where the Apostle Peter said that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It's interesting that Peter's remarks are alluded to elsewhere in the Bible: in the Book of Job, God asked Satan what he had been up to, and Satan said something to the effect of "Oh, nothing, just walking around in the earth." (And you can read about that in the first chapter of Job.)
Please note that God didn't chastise Satan for being there. Why? Well, because Satan had legal right to be there. Satan had legal right to be there then, and he has legal right to be here now.
Think about this as well: when Jesus was in the wilderness He had several encounters with Satan, the last one is recorded in Matthew 4:8-10, "...the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
Notice that Jesus Christ didn't deny that the kingdoms of the world, and all the wealth that came with them, weren't Satan's to give away... because they were, and with one big exception, they still are... but more about that exception in a moment.
Nothing has changed; Satan has the legal right to be here today, and I think we can all agree, he's here... and he's busy. Now, let's talk about that one BIG exception I just mentioned because:
God expects us to do something!
Resist the devil and he will flee!
Nowhere in the Bible do we see where we are to ask God to resist the devil for us. We have been given every weapon needed to be able to successfuly overcome all the work of the enemy, and God expects us to use the weapons provided to thwart every fiery dart of the enemy.
God says that we are to resist the devil not expect Him to do it for us. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." In the Book of Genesis we see the mandate set forth by God that His children were to "take authority" over the earth; that has not changed. The ability to "take authority" was restored to us when Jesus Christ went to Calvary, and God expects us to do just that!
It's important to understand that God has determined that His children have power over the enemy, and as I mentioned, our power over the enemy comes from the finished work of Calvary, and through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. In other words, God's way of doing and being in the earth, is for us, His representatives in the earth, to take authority over the enemy at every turn by loosing words which allow God's Holy Spirit to bring His words of victory to pass. That is a little hard to do when God's children simply sit on the couch and wait for God to intervene in their lives.
As Christians we must come to know some things!
As Christians we must know the proper order of things. For us to think that God has control over our lives just because we are His children is to be very naive. More importantly, such thinking will ultimately result in our inability to be victorious over Satan. In a more practical way, such foolish thinking will allow Satan the opportunity, as Jesus put it in John 10:10 to, "... steal, kill, and destroy."
Looking back again at First Peter 5:8 we can see a significant truth which will illuminate our way, so let's take another look at what Peter said: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." This translation from the NKJV tells us that the devil is looking for those "whom he may devour." Well then, there must be some whom the devil isn't able to devour; there must be some people whom the devil isn't able to destroy. What is the difference between these two types of people? What is it that some people have, and others do not, which prevents Satan from overcoming and destroying them?
The answer is that some people know some things and others do not. In other words, the missing ingredient is knowledge.
The prophet Hosea said that God's people would be destroyed for their lack of knowledge. That statement is still true today and is exemplified by one of the biggest lies reverberating through the corridors of many churches today - that God is in control.
Christians, Bible believing Christians, sit in church or prayer meetings lamenting over a troubling situation or a horrible circumstance and often end their testimony with something to the effect that, "God is in control." They conclude their prayers with the reasoning that the proper course of action is one of waiting upon the Lord; their logic being that, in His time, God will prevail over the situation... of course, that reasoning is usually accompanied by an "If it be Thy will." Unfortunately, such a lethargic approach to the promises of God will do nothing to move the Lord's hand.
In matters of involvement, God isn't sitting around desiring that we "wait upon the Lord;" rather, He is waiting on us to "call upon Him." Big difference! Remember what Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." In other words, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered from evil, kept safe from harm, brought out of poverty, restored to health, and made to walk upon the high places of the earth, which is what the word saved means in that verse of Scripture.
The key to the salvation of the Lord is to call out to Him, or in other words: to pray to Him, to converse with Him; to speak to Him... and that has to be done in a correct manner. Now again, God's mercy is new every day, but His blessing comes by way of obedience to His Word.
So let me ask you: are you calling out to Him with the thankfulness of knowing that God meets all of your needs through Jesus Christ and the finished work of Calvary? Are you facing every obstacle of life with the the confidence of knowing that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ? Is your heart full of good news?
As Christians, we must do some things!
God expects His children to take action and He sets the criteria for the course of action we should take in the Book of Ephesians; let's read Ephesians 6: 11-18:
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
More Revelation: we were meant to be victorious!
To sum it up: The good news is... we win!
We must understand that just because Satan is the god of this world: all is not lost for us. Hey... we have a Saviour! But it's not just enough to believe in Jesus Christ; we can't just sit with our Bibles and wait for the Lord to intervene in our situation; we must take action.
Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished at Calvary we can be more than overcomers in the earth. In fact, Jesus said in the seventeenth chapter of John that while we are in the world, we are not of the world. Because of the finished work of Calvary, we should never let Satan's trash lie on our lawns for any length of time at all. Let me give you a classic example: Poverty.
[h=2]Poverty comes from Satan.
[/h]To really understand that God's will is not poverty for His children we must understand where poverty comes from; to do that we must have some knowledge of God's Word.
Proverbs 10:15 says, "the destruction of the poor is their poverty;" compile that with John 10:10 which states it's the thief who comes to "steal, kill, and destroy," and immediately we can see who is responsible for poverty in the world; we can readily see it's the god of this world, Satan, who is the culprit. Examine those two verses of Scripture again and you will notice that poverty destroys and it's Satan who comes to destroy; the only logical conclusion is that poverty is from Satan.
