There’s a stirring this morning; there’s a voice rising that must be heard. There’s a message and a word that is calling, beckoning and longing to release its freedom. Intercession bubbles; spirits groan.
The Lord would say to you, “Don’t give in to deception. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy. Beware, he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Don’t be devoured by his lies. Have I (God) not said I am for your good, not for your destruction? Have I not said that I am NOT against you? Have I not said you are mine and I am yours? Have I not given ALL to rescue your barren soul and have I not said “It is finished”? Have I not waited and longed to be known by you just as I know you? And I say to you, KNOW ME! Know ME. KNOW me.”
My heart is gripped this morning with a message I must convey. I have seen it over and over again and the same issue comes up continually before me as I minister to others. It sits in front of me like a flashing neon sign that CAN’T be ignored. It MUST be exposed.
I see beloved ones covered in ashes; the remains of a life and heart once lived but no more. I see beloved ones suffering and trudging through their days with nothing but grief and sickness; their lives completely destroyed by another. Lives crushed in the grip of a viscous spiral of sin, hurt, anger, blame, offense, bitterness, un-forgiveness and hate. It ends in death but where does it begin? Know this. KNOW where it begins and you can avoid it all together.
Misunderstanding God. Not knowing God and blaming God. Well He is sovereign, right? He is in control of everything, right? If He wanted to He could stop that person in my life from hurting me, from sinning against me and knocking the wind right out of me, right? But He doesn’t. He just sits by and watches. YES OR NO? This is the question that DEMANDS an answer.
Have you had this dialogue in your head? Is this what you believe? If it is, you my friend are spiraling.
This is where it begins. Your nightmare begins with how you respond to what the other is doing; it begins with a distorted belief about Who God is and Who He is FOR you. It begins with believing the lies the enemy is feeding your mind about God’s stamp of approval on your hurtful circumstances.
You Christian, have an enemy and his name is Satan and Satan’s number one goal is to drive a wedge between you and God; to cause you to become offended at Him. As soon as Satan gets you to agree with that, BOOM, you are off the rails; you are out of bounds, out of fellowship and you are free game for the devil. Don’t do it. Know your God!
Here in lies the tension; sovereignty and free will. If God is sovereign, do I really have a choice? Doesn’t that mean that He controls everything and everyone? If God is sovereign, doesn’t that mean that He ruined my life or at least allowed it to happen? On the other hand, if I indeed have free will, doesn’t that mean that I am in control and God isn’t? And doesn’t THAT mean God ISN’T sovereign?
Contrary to popular persuasion from the enemy, sovereignty and free will are not at opposite ends of the spectrum. God IS sovereign. He is God and there is no other. He is the One Who put the stars in their place and He is the One Who commands the sea and says to it, “this far and no further”. He is the One Who made you and the universe and put all of the laws in place. He is the One that created order out of chaos. He is the One Who decided on the rhythm of life and decided that living things would reproduce after its own. He is the One that has breathed His breath of life into everything. He is also the One that decided at the beginning of time to place man over the earth; to appoint us to steward the earth and rule over it and He is the One Who is eternal and just and doesn’t, in fact can’t, go back on His Word; even when we mess up. He is the One that despite His power and authority, chose to give us authority on His earth and to work through man. He is the One Who sovereignly chose to limit Himself also by giving us free will; free choice to serve Him or not to serve Him; free choice in all of life; free will to choose our spouse and free will to love or not to love.

God did not want puppets or robots that He could control. He wanted family; ones that chose Him and love Him. He wants relationship with us; authentic relationship with a heart connection. Does God attempt to intervene? Yes! Does God attempt to sway our hearts towards the right choice? Yes! Does He move by His Spirit and put love beyond our own ability in our hearts? Yes, of course He does. He can because He’s God but ultimately, we do have the final choice. By His sovereign will He gives us extra grace and the ability to say “no” to sinful things (1 Cor. 10:13). He does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and He provides a way out for us, but we must choose that way out. We must resist the devil and choose what is right. Unfortunately some of us fail at that. Sometimes the people in our lives choose the wrong way, even after God has pulled out all the stops, and they end up sinning against us. Sometimes the people in our lives hurt us beyond imagination and GOD’S HEART GRIEVES. He sees and His heart aches. He sees our tears, our broken hearts and HE WEEPS.
Beloved, stop shaking your fist at God. It is only providing the devil with more ground to encroach upon. It is only serving to defeat you further. Realize that none of it is God’s fault. Resist being offended at God and praise Him for Who He is. Thank Him for being faithful to you in all seasons. Know that God is good and His mercies for you are new every morning. Know that God’s heart for you is for the restoration of all things and that He is walking with you, even carrying you through it all to the other side.
If you will do this and continue on in it despite what is happening around you; forgiving all who have hurt you, THEN, you will see restoration of joy, peace, hope and love and you will be victorious in Christ. God is your answer and your defender; NOT your enemy. YOU ARE extravagantly loved by the Creator of all. This is truth that we must bind ourselves to even in the midst of pain and trying circumstances; even in the midst of evil coming against us in its fullest form. Yes. Lament to God. Cry out to Him and pour out your sorrow truthfully but then stand with God in truth. Submit to His Lordship, stay rooted and firmly planted in the truth of God’s Word and resist the devil; resist his evil manipulations of your mind; resist being offended; resist hate and he must flee.
Simply put, God is love. If what’s happening to you is not love, it’s not God. God is love and God is good…… all the time.