Is God in Control of Everything?

[Curtis]

Is God in Control of Everything?

If God is in control of everything, then what are we to do with this scripture.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God and that THE WORLD AROUND US IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE EVIL ONE.

If God is in control of everything then why would we need faith for anything?

I for one would not want to call God the “Evil one”. I don't think he would like that to much. Think about it, if the Lord God is in control of everything then what would be the purpose to have faith if he controls everything with out man's participation? This kind of thinking has been around a long time, and it usually comes when we don't understand how the Lord works. We just throw our hands up in the air and say, “O-well, God is in control, don't worry about it”

I do believe God “knows everything that is going to happen” before it happens, but does that mean he is forcing it to happen? When God created the earth, and made man, he gave to Adam, and Eve dominion, and authority over all the works of his hands. Adam, and Eve defaulted that dominion over to the serpent (Devil). Satan even mentions it in scripture. Satan said to Jesus.....

Luke 4:6 and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for IT HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO ME, and I give it to whom I will.

Jesus comes to earth, and took back that “authority” from the devil, and then Jesus gives that authority back unto his Church. We now have dominion, and authority over all the works of God's hands (which also includes the powers of darkness), in the name of Jesus Christ, backed up by the power of the Holy Spirit. God can not do anything he wants on his own as that dominion is now in the hands of his Church exercised through faith filled words.. We know the Lord God could not send his only begotten Son into the world until he was given “access” to the earth by a man who would believe (have faith) in what God said to him. Abraham's faith in offering his son to God as a sacrifice caused Abraham by faith to prophesy about the true lamb of God who would come into this world.

Gen 22:8 Abraham said, "GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF THE LAMB for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.

God would send himself to be the spotless lamb of God for man kind. This could not have happened if Abraham did not by his faith give God access to this earth.

Noah was warned by God of a impending flood that would destroy this earth, and so he by “faith” moved to build an arch expecting a flood to come. God told Noah what was going to happen before it happened, but God could not bring this flood upon the earth until he found a man who would have faith that this flood was going to happen!! The Bible tells us that it was Noah who condemned this world not God because of his faith!!

Heb 11:7 BY FAITH NOAH, BEING WARNED BY GOD concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. BY THIS HE CONDEMNED THE WORLD and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

It was Noah's faith that caused God to bring this flood upon the world. God has always needed a man / women on earth to give him access to the earth so he can move, and do what man is having faith in him to do!!!
The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews shows us how great exploits were done by men, and women of God by, and through their faith. These great miracles could have only been done by God on earth because of their faith that gave God access to this earth to move, and to control on their behalf.

Do I believe God is in control of everything? I believe God is in control of everything we place into his hands by our faith to control!!! If we just say God is in control of everything without by faith giving him access to this earth by our faith, then no he is not!!

 

[Dave M]

It seems you are putting limits on Gods power in what you say below, perhaps I am misunderstanding you

Curtis said
God can not do anything he wants on his own as that dominion is now in the hands of his Church exercised through faith filled words.

 

[Curtis]

It seems you are putting limits on Gods power in what you say below, perhaps I am misunderstanding you

Curtis said
God can not do anything he wants on his own as that dominion is now in the hands of his Church exercised through faith filled words.

God in his sovereignty can do anything he wants to do, any time he wants ,but, he has decided in his sovereignty to let man have control over all the works of his hands. Man was given "authority", and the Lord God would provide the "power" to back up man's authority.

Heb 2:6 It has been solemnly and earnestly said in a certain place, What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You graciously and helpfully care for and visit and look after him?
Heb 2:7 For some little time You have ranked him lower than and inferior to the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands, [Psa_8:4-6]
Heb 2:8 For You have put everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man's] control. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to him [man]. (AMP)

 

[amadeus2]

What God cannot do is break His own Word. He gave, for His own reasons, dominion to men. This is what we call free will. God will not break His own Word. For the duration of our allotted time, [each of us], the decisions to be made with regard to what we will or will not do are ours to make. Adam and Eve used their dominion to go the wrong way early on. The wrong way was, of course, the way opposed to God's Way.

In the beginning God created everything "very good" [Gen 1:31]. What He gave men was the authority to misuse or abuse that which was very good. The results are what we see around us today in the world of men without God.

All of this is in God's plan, which included the Way to escape our twisted, perverted world. Man twisted it. Man perverted it by using the very things in ways opposed to what God would like to see. God's plan include a way out through Jesus, but the decision is still ours. God does not control us... unless we allow it. We must surrender the control of ourselves to Him. Man thinks he knows how to do things right, but without God's help man doesn't even really know what "right" is.

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jerem 10:23

But... God has a provided a Director to lead us. Scripture names the Director, the Holy Ghost, which is also the Comforter and Teacher:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26

 

[Curtis]

What God cannot do is break His own Word. He gave, for His own reasons, dominion to men. This is what we call free will. God will not break His own Word. For the duration of our allotted time, [each of us], the decisions to be made with regard to what we will or will not do are ours to make. Adam and Eve used their dominion to go the wrong way early on. The wrong way was, of course, the way opposed to God's Way.

In the beginning God created everything "very good" [Gen 1:31]. What He gave men was the authority to misuse or abuse that which was very good. The results are what we see around us today in the world of men without God.

All of this is in God's plan, which included the Way to escape our twisted, perverted world. Man twisted it. Man perverted it by using the very things in ways opposed to what God would like to see. God's plan include a way out through Jesus, but the decision is still ours. God does not control us... unless we allow it. We must surrender the control of ourselves to Him. Man thinks he knows how to do things right, but without God's help man doesn't even really know what "right" is.

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jerem 10:23

But... God has a provided a Director to lead us. Scripture names the Director, the Holy Ghost, which is also the Comforter and Teacher:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26

Even though man was given "authority" over all the works of God's hands, for his authority to become active, man needs to know what the will of God is, because it is only by faith that the power of God is revealed backing up man's authority.
Faith only comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. For this co-labor partnership between man, and God to work, man needs to have fellowship with his creator that gave him his authority.

 

[amadeus2]

Even though man was given "authority" over all the works of God's hands, for his authority to become active, man needs to know what the will of God is, because it is only by faith that the power of God is revealed backing up man's authority.
Faith only comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. For this co-labor partnership between man, and God to work, man needs to have fellowship with his creator that gave him his authority.

Man has authority already, but he usually does not understand what authority he really has. He really only has two choices. They are his own way and God's Way. Adam and Eve chose their own way instead of God's That was their mistake and it has been the mistake of every man as well. [Jesus of course is the exception,] God has provided a Way to fix the mistake, but it means putting Him back in control of us.

Putting Him in control is done by yielding to the Holy Spirit, but every time a person quenches the Spirit, that person has seized back his own reins again. He has caused at least a delay in God's work in him.