Is it God’s Will?

In this verse, we’re looking at the sixth day of creation. All things have been set. The dry land has appeared. The grass, the herbs, and the trees have sprung up. All the animals, all the fish, and all the birds have been created. The sun, moon, and stars have been set in their heavenly cycle.

And in this verse God says, let us, referring to the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let us make him like us. Evidently God’s intention was to make man a reflection of Himself, a godlike creature upon the earth.

Man was not only made to look like God, to be in His image and likeness, but also to have the same function on earth as God had in heaven.

So, God gave the authority and dominion over the earth realm, this created universe, to man. He commissioned man to basically be the god of His creation.

Dominion on the Earth

You see, God gave dominion and authority over His creation to man, or we might say, to mankind. And there’s no place in the Bible where He ever took it back. Man still to this day has dominion on earth.

Struggle Between Good and Evil

Now, throughout the Old Testament as well as the New we see God and men at odds with each other. There has been a sort of divine struggle going on between good and evil, and it continues to this present day.

Freewill

There are evil people in this world. But why does God allow wicked men to do evil things? Because with the blessing He spoke over Adam, He also gave man the freewill to do whatever he pleases, without God’s direct interference. And some men are still doing horrible things on the earth today, seemingly without consequence.

Why Does God Allow Evil?

You see, this is one of the questions people will ask, especially skeptics who don’t really want to serve God anyway. They will ask, why would a loving God allow all these evil things to happen? Well, that’s simple. He doesn’t interfere with the dominion that He gave to man.

Now, this may come as a shock, but God doesn’t force people to do good. If people do good, they do it by their own freewill, by their own choice.

Now, God does promise protection for His people in the word of God. But the promises of His word must be received by believing them, that is, by faith. And those things also involve prayer, which we will discuss shortly.

Not the Lord’s Will

What is the point here? The point is that a lot of the things that go on in this world are not what the Lord would desire. Couldn’t he stop it from happening? Yes, He does have the power to intervene, but He has chosen to allow men to do as they please, and He will not violate that principle, except under certain circumstances.

Remember, the Bible says that the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner repents. So, sinners must exist on the earth. It must be that God allows people to do as they please, and a lot of people do bad things, but on the other hand some of them do turn to God and repent.

Indeed, the Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So, there are lots of sinners. But God never forces anyone to repent and be saved. The choice to come to God is a freewill decision, never forced upon anyone.

Is Everything God’s Will?

But even with all that, a lot of Christians believe that whatever happens in their life is God’s will. And if a particular thing doesn’t happen, then, according to them, it must not be His will.

But God's will is not something that normally happens on earth. If it did, then we wouldn’t have any reason to pray. Everything would be wonderful. God’s will would be established on the earth. Remember the Lord’s prayer?

Thy Will be Done

If God’s will is already being done on the earth, then we would never need to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done. Yet Jesus told us to pray that prayer.

A Sacred Cow

You see, the belief that everything that happens is the will of God is simply not true. It’s what is known as a sacred cow. It’s a belief that’s been passed down to us by well-meaning Christians who thought it was true. And how dare we question it? The problem is that it’s not scriptural.

Because a great deal of what goes on in the earth is not the will of God. And what comes our way may not be His will for us either. And if we just accept it as His will, then we won't make any effort to do anything about it.

Doesn’t God Send these Things to Perfect Us?

Oh, but brother, I’ve always heard that the Lord sends these things our way to perfect us. But no, he doesn't. How does He correct us? The Bible says that all scripture is by inspiration of God, and it, His word, is good for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: God sent us His word to chasten us and correct us.

God is Good

There is a saying, God is good, all the time. That is actually scriptural. The Bible says that He is good, all the time. But some dear people would have us believe that God is schizophrenic, that He’s good one day and bad the next. And you just never know what God’s going to do.

Because many Christians, when something undesirable comes their way, will say, why, God, why? Why are you doing this? Well, perhaps He’s NOT doing it. But because we believe He is, then we shut out the only one who can help us in the situation.

It says that every good thing that comes to us comes down from the Father of Lights, in whom there is no variableness. That means He never changes.

Tribulation in this World

This world produces tribulation, not just for Christians, but for everyone. And if we live in this world, we’re going to experience some of it occasionally. It’s not God’s will for us to have it. In fact, Jesus said, be of good cheer, don’t worry, I have overcome it.

What does that mean? It means that if He has overcome it, then it will not defeat us. We will overcome it, just like He did, because we are in Him, and He is the overcomer. Jesus said that in Me you will have peace.

Be Careful for Nothing

Be careful for nothing. Don’t worry or become troubled about anything. Well, he must be talking about those times when things aren’t going well, when we might be tempted to be troubled or anxious about things.

But in all these things [these bad things] by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. In other words, go to God and tell Him what you need. What do you want Him to do? Jesus said, if you ask the Father anything in my name, He will do it.

Well, isn’t God sending these things my way? No. God didn't send it. But He does want us to come to Him and tell Him what we want HIm to do for us. Yet we forget to go to Him and tell Him what we want. It seems like such an unnecessary step. But doesn’t He know what I want? Doesn’t He know the situation I’m in? Surely He can tell by the way I’m crying and begging.

The Peace of God

But, if we do actually take it to Him in prayer, what does He promise? The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

There is a Devil

If everything that came our way in life was the will of God for us, then why would we ever need to stand against the wiles of the devil?

It seems that most modern Christians don’t believe there’s such a thing as a devil. Otherwise, they wouldn’t blame God for what the devil’s doing in their life. But the Bible does talk a lot about the devil. Paul says, put on some spiritual armor, so that you can withstand the devil’s trickery, his cunning craftiness, his wiles.

The Sword of the Spirit

What is that armor? Well, one of the pieces of that armor is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Paul tells us to take the sword of the Spirit. Do you ever take the word and remind the devil of the scriptures when he’s trying to bring something on you? We ought to do that. He does not like being jabbed with that sword.

Resist the Devil

Is there a devil? Yes. And we are specifically told to resist him. Stop crying and begging God, and go to Him in prayer and tell Him what you need Him to do for you. And then turn that sword of the Spirit on the devil. Resist the devil, and he will go somewhere else. He will look for an easier target. He likes the path of least resistance.

Like a Roaring Lion

The Bible sure does talk a lot about a devil that many seem to believe doesn’t exist. It says he walks about as a roaring lion, he comes at us like a lion with a scary roar, some earth-shaking situation, and he’s seeking to find someone who will let him devour them, someone he MAY devour.

But Peter says, resist him steadfast in the faith. Use that sword of the Spirit till he runs.

It Seems that God is Limited by our Prayer Life

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and the Methodist Church is often quoted for saying, “It seems that God is limited by our prayer life – that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him.”

That’s a strong statement. He said that God can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him. Wow! Now, that’s not a scripture verse, but it is an observation made by a powerful man of God, John Wesley, after walking with God for many years. And he is known for being a man of prayer.

God Will Intervene

Wesley’s assertion is that God does nothing on the earth unless someone asks him to. In other words, He doesn’t interject Himself into this natural world where man has dominion unless He is asked to by a person, someone who does have authority on the earth.

And by doing that, He is not acting on His own authority as God Almighty and thus violating man’s authority, He is operating on the earth by the authority of the person praying the prayer. Glory to God!

The statement by John Wesley is a revelation we need to understand, that God is limited by our prayer life – that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him.

Let me make a slight correction to that statement. God can do all things. He is all powerful, He is all sovereign, His ability to do things is unlimited. He is God Almighty. But He chooses to limit Himself to doing those things that people ask Him to do. He chooses not to violate the authority and the dominion on the earth that he gave to man.

If I Pray in an Unknown Tongue

Even Paul, the great apostle, did not understand what he was saying when he prayed in tongues, but he points out emphatically that when he did pray in an unknown tongue that he was truly praying. He said, my spirit prays, but I don’t understand what I’m praying for.

When we are speaking in tongues, when we are praying in tongues, we are truly praying. We are not just speaking gibberish. The words have meaning, but we don’t know what that meaning is.

Let me say it again. Praying in tongues is indeed an actual form of praying, it’s not just making sounds. Reading from the Amplified version, Paul said, my spirit, by the Holy Spirit, prays. It is praying by the Holy Spirit. That’s why it’s called praying with the spirit, or praying in the Spirit.

Well, it seems likely that God gave us the gift of tongues so that we could ask Him to do things for us, things we don’t even know we’re asking.

Remember what Wesley said, It seems that God is limited by our prayer life – that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him. Guess what. When we’re praying in tongues, we are asking. Let that soak in for a minute. When we pray in tongues, WE ARE ASKING.

But that requires us to do what? Pray in tongues. The gift does not do a thing unless we use it. We need to change our thinking and believe that something is happening when we pray in tongues, because it is.

And, with that in mind, I don’t understand how anybody could ever say, well, I don’t think I really think I need the gift of tongues. Are you kidding? Of course we need the gift of tongues. It connects us to a type of “prayer on steroids.” We ought to be praying in tongues every single morning, and then keeping it going as much as possible all day long.

Do you want to pray the will of God into your life, and make intercession for others? Then pray in other tongues.