El Hombre viejo
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I believe the author of this article is Drew Neal
Is God Really In Control?
I could be wrong, but I think it was Shirley Caesar that sang it... "God's got it all in control, He's got it all in control. He took that reassurance and put it way down deep in my soul. God's got it all in control." She would get her SANG on... if you know what I mean. We used to blare this and many other old Gospel tunes in the house growing up as a child in the early 80's. I also wanted to be a black gospel singer sooo bad. Shirley Caesar and Andre Crouch inspired me. The only problem is that I'm white... lol so that obviously didn't work out for me. Sidetrack... now back on track. (one other note: It's amazing to see how our theology works itself out in our songs of worship, that's why we're constantly needing new worship songs to show our greater revelation of who He is to us as His companion) We sang this song because it's what we believed, but what we were not connecting with is that we were mistaking control for God being Lord over all things, being in charge. Having a great plan and executing His perfect will... thru people who also have a will. (Rom. 12)
Control and complete love cannot co-exist. Love is birthed out of freedom of choice. Control takes away options and leaves only one path. While sometimes this is exercised for good reason, its primary motivation is fear. Perfect love casts out fear. (I John 3 & 4)
Melissa and I have been learning how to raise our children in a freedom culture ("Loving Your Kids On Purpose" is a must read!), not a culture of control. I was raised with pretty strong conservative discipline and it worked with my behavior. I've turned out pretty good too, I'm a provider for family. Never went to Jail. I honor people of authority. I learned how to work hard. Growing up I said yes ma'am and yes sir. I never told my parents "no". Seriously... I don't remember a time I back talked to my parents growing up. It was never an option.
The only thing it didn't do, was unite my heart with my father and mother. THAT was a problem.
Love is the most powerful source that exists in human experience. It's the greatest motivation for life. Every person created on the earth is designed to desire to be loved. It's in our DNA. While many find versions of love thru many different facets, the reality of God's love with the most complete form is found in our revelation of Jesus and His character. Jesus was the perfect picture of love in action. His love towards "sinners" or pre-christians as I've heard it, the poor (in spirit and wealth), the business owner, the dejected, government officials and the sick are amazing. He understood how perfect love would bring their life in line with God's greatest intention of why He created them in the first place. Thru love they would discover who they really are and begin living that way. In the midst of living that way, all other behavior and desires would begin to align or fall to the way side. They were loved INTO living the life God created for them to live. The love they encountered met their greatest desires which in turn, changed their behavior. Jesus walked in this revelation between Him and the father as well. He had to exercise self-control over His own will to perform the will of God. God didn't make Jesus die. He loved Jesus into a place of surrender that allowed Him to choose to die. It was a choice of freedom for Jesus.
We have to die for freedom. We have to kill for control.
While my upbringing changed my behavior, it rarely changed my heart because control usually places emphasis on performance. It breaks the spirit and confuses the mind. It yeilds purely an external transformation. Control has a core value of performance and low value on what was happening internally. While I'm thankful for parents that had strong conviction (that conviction has led them into many new great places of freedom today!) and did their best to raise me to be the man of God I am today... this one element still plays into our relationship today at the age of 32. We have talked often about it and have had many healing conversations, but it's an ongoing journey of new trust being formed and hearts being truly open to receive from one another. We're in a perfecting process. Love offers responsibility with one another's heart while control never creates a safe place for the hidden places of the heart to be encountered. Every choice we make has to take in account the ones we love and how it will affect our whole sphere of influence. Love surrenders joyfully because it prefers others over itself. It believes that success however defined is something that is reaped not conjured or strived into. The bible says we plant and water seeds, but it's God who makes the plant grow. Notice that the plant needs to be a seed planted or "surrendered into the earth" before God ever gets involved. He asks for our permission every time because He wants our heart, not our "orderly" behavior. The cross already paid the price of our behavior.
The bible actually never says that God is in control of us. The only emphasis on control is found in Galations when Paul spoke of the fruit of the spirit. One of them being "self-control". How can self-control be a fruit of the Spirit and yet God still control us? Even when Control is initiated out of protection for those who don't know better, there needs to be a massive understanding of responsibility of equipping those who don't see the snares in their future and a willingness to guide them thru their circumstance. This will cost you something. Your time, your energy, your grace and more importantly... your love. Control costs you nothing. The moment we control them, is the moment they disengage their heart and their brain to think for themselves. This is how immature adults are raised up all over society and even the pervasive mindset of entitlement that has a stronghold on the next generation, it's all founded out of control.
We as Christians have used "God is in control" theology as a scape goat for a lot of bad decisions we have made. It's time for us as the church/christians to accept responsibility for all our actions. We need healing. We need to enter a perfecting process that the church can be trusted again. That love and freedom can reign.
God is in charge and He decided that Love would prevail over all things.
*****************************************************
I think this is a good article. Christians are always telling me of how GOD is in control. If that is true. HE's really not doing a good job. Too many things in this world are totally out of control.
Whatchatink?
Is God Really In Control?
I could be wrong, but I think it was Shirley Caesar that sang it... "God's got it all in control, He's got it all in control. He took that reassurance and put it way down deep in my soul. God's got it all in control." She would get her SANG on... if you know what I mean. We used to blare this and many other old Gospel tunes in the house growing up as a child in the early 80's. I also wanted to be a black gospel singer sooo bad. Shirley Caesar and Andre Crouch inspired me. The only problem is that I'm white... lol so that obviously didn't work out for me. Sidetrack... now back on track. (one other note: It's amazing to see how our theology works itself out in our songs of worship, that's why we're constantly needing new worship songs to show our greater revelation of who He is to us as His companion) We sang this song because it's what we believed, but what we were not connecting with is that we were mistaking control for God being Lord over all things, being in charge. Having a great plan and executing His perfect will... thru people who also have a will. (Rom. 12)
Control and complete love cannot co-exist. Love is birthed out of freedom of choice. Control takes away options and leaves only one path. While sometimes this is exercised for good reason, its primary motivation is fear. Perfect love casts out fear. (I John 3 & 4)
Melissa and I have been learning how to raise our children in a freedom culture ("Loving Your Kids On Purpose" is a must read!), not a culture of control. I was raised with pretty strong conservative discipline and it worked with my behavior. I've turned out pretty good too, I'm a provider for family. Never went to Jail. I honor people of authority. I learned how to work hard. Growing up I said yes ma'am and yes sir. I never told my parents "no". Seriously... I don't remember a time I back talked to my parents growing up. It was never an option.
The only thing it didn't do, was unite my heart with my father and mother. THAT was a problem.
Love is the most powerful source that exists in human experience. It's the greatest motivation for life. Every person created on the earth is designed to desire to be loved. It's in our DNA. While many find versions of love thru many different facets, the reality of God's love with the most complete form is found in our revelation of Jesus and His character. Jesus was the perfect picture of love in action. His love towards "sinners" or pre-christians as I've heard it, the poor (in spirit and wealth), the business owner, the dejected, government officials and the sick are amazing. He understood how perfect love would bring their life in line with God's greatest intention of why He created them in the first place. Thru love they would discover who they really are and begin living that way. In the midst of living that way, all other behavior and desires would begin to align or fall to the way side. They were loved INTO living the life God created for them to live. The love they encountered met their greatest desires which in turn, changed their behavior. Jesus walked in this revelation between Him and the father as well. He had to exercise self-control over His own will to perform the will of God. God didn't make Jesus die. He loved Jesus into a place of surrender that allowed Him to choose to die. It was a choice of freedom for Jesus.
We have to die for freedom. We have to kill for control.
While my upbringing changed my behavior, it rarely changed my heart because control usually places emphasis on performance. It breaks the spirit and confuses the mind. It yeilds purely an external transformation. Control has a core value of performance and low value on what was happening internally. While I'm thankful for parents that had strong conviction (that conviction has led them into many new great places of freedom today!) and did their best to raise me to be the man of God I am today... this one element still plays into our relationship today at the age of 32. We have talked often about it and have had many healing conversations, but it's an ongoing journey of new trust being formed and hearts being truly open to receive from one another. We're in a perfecting process. Love offers responsibility with one another's heart while control never creates a safe place for the hidden places of the heart to be encountered. Every choice we make has to take in account the ones we love and how it will affect our whole sphere of influence. Love surrenders joyfully because it prefers others over itself. It believes that success however defined is something that is reaped not conjured or strived into. The bible says we plant and water seeds, but it's God who makes the plant grow. Notice that the plant needs to be a seed planted or "surrendered into the earth" before God ever gets involved. He asks for our permission every time because He wants our heart, not our "orderly" behavior. The cross already paid the price of our behavior.
The bible actually never says that God is in control of us. The only emphasis on control is found in Galations when Paul spoke of the fruit of the spirit. One of them being "self-control". How can self-control be a fruit of the Spirit and yet God still control us? Even when Control is initiated out of protection for those who don't know better, there needs to be a massive understanding of responsibility of equipping those who don't see the snares in their future and a willingness to guide them thru their circumstance. This will cost you something. Your time, your energy, your grace and more importantly... your love. Control costs you nothing. The moment we control them, is the moment they disengage their heart and their brain to think for themselves. This is how immature adults are raised up all over society and even the pervasive mindset of entitlement that has a stronghold on the next generation, it's all founded out of control.
We as Christians have used "God is in control" theology as a scape goat for a lot of bad decisions we have made. It's time for us as the church/christians to accept responsibility for all our actions. We need healing. We need to enter a perfecting process that the church can be trusted again. That love and freedom can reign.
God is in charge and He decided that Love would prevail over all things.
*****************************************************
I think this is a good article. Christians are always telling me of how GOD is in control. If that is true. HE's really not doing a good job. Too many things in this world are totally out of control.
Whatchatink?
