“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17 BSB)
“I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your Truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2 NKJV)
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10 NLT)
As with most of these blogs, there is so much more to say. However, once again I am being led to wrap up what I am sharing and move on to the next lesson. (I am confident the Spirit will bring me back to this another day in the future.) So how do I bring this to a conclusion?
Here is “where the rubber meets the road” for me. As I have pondered this whole idea of “control,” the Holy Spirit has shown me very clearly just how inconsistent, and even hypocritical (ouch), I have been. If I truly believe that God is in control, then I need to back off and stop fighting what He is doing. For example: If God is in control of my health, then when sickness and disease come into my life I am fighting against Him when I go to the doctor and seek medical treatment. However, If God has delegated control to me, then I am not doing my part when I just sit back and wait for Him to heal me without doing anything on my part.
As the Spirit opened my eyes, it became very clear to me that I can’t play both sides. I need to make a decision on what I believe scriptures teach, and aggressively live in faith and obedience to whatever that is. If I truly believe that this sickness (or any other calamity) is from God (who is in control of every situation and circumstance), then I need to accept it, and let it run its course in my life. If I am persuaded that He has delegated authority to me, then I need to go to battle and fight the good fight of faith for healing (or any other need in my life). This applies to everything that comes at me (health, finance, emotional well being, etc.).
I have learned that a far better way of stating God’s position in all of this is that, “God is in charge.” He is all powerful, He holds all authority, and He is the All Mighty Ruler of all creation. By His own will He has chosen to delegate authority and control over this world to His children. Giving the Earth to Adam and his descendants was God’s idea. Giving His children power and authority over Satan and the powers of darkness was His choice. Our Father in Heaven, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, by His own plan and purpose has bound Himself to His Word. He designed how things will operate and clearly expressed His design in His Written Word (the Bible).
God is in charge, and has delegated a portion of His power and authority to me. He expects me to pick up the weapons of warfare that I posses in Christ and enforce the victory over Satan that He accomplished for me in the cross. It is Satan that attacks my life in order to kill, steal, and destroy. It is Jesus who brings life and abundance. Anything less than the Heavenly Fathers will and way in Heaven is from our enemy and is under my control. I have the Name and Blood of Jesus, and the full armor of God.
Hopefully the Spirit will allow me to come back to this again. Until then please prayerfully ponder…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 69: “Time to turn over the apple cart.” Part 4: God is in control. What in the world does that mean? (conclusion)