Archive for the ‘Sovereignty’ Category

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY OVER OUR LIFE

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Day 275

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens;
And His sovereignty rules over all”
Psalm 103:19

David had many peaks and valleys in his life. His life was a mixture of good and evil, and some of the evil was of great extent. David was a great man of God, but wrestled with trials, temptations, sin, and persecution. One thing was clear; he was God’s chosen one and David came to understand His sovereignty through his many dark valleys. He came to the knowledge that we need to grasp – that God is the source and controls all things, and nothing comes to be except through God.

The sovereignty of God is a paradox to our minds. Everything that has occurred in your life; the joys and sorrows, your good health and sicknesses, your financial success and poverty, your good and bad relationships, your achievements and failures, are under His sovereignty.

No matter what happens in our life, He will turn it to His purposes and good will come out of it. But, if we just see God as a way out of our trials, tribulations or unable to help us because we sinned and failed, we will live in fear, anxiety and restlessness. We will believe we are not secure in Him and lose hope.

Knowing His sovereignty comes by faith and relationship; it brings peace, rest and a confidence to our lives. God’s sovereignty causes us to rejoice in Him, for He will bring victory out of our valleys. That is why David proclaimed,

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me,
bless His holy name!” Psalm 103:1

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THE DIVINE PLAN

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Day 223

“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand”
Isaiah 14:24

That God has a divine plan is unmistakable. His plan is revealed throughout the scriptures and is both universal and individual, as Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Although some wrestle with doubts about being in God’s plan, it should be the opposite, giving us great peace and comfort knowing He has mapped out the future.

Our plans fail—“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” [Proverbs 19:21]. Even with the best of intentions, our plans fail. Because we do not posses the abilities to foresee the future, our plans cannot take in every scenario. We are limited by our own weaknesses and frailties. John understood that when he gave instructions [1 John 5:14-15] about prayer. We have assurance when we ask anything according to His will. The first part of prayer is to know His will.

It becomes crystal clear that His plan prevails when you read the history of God’s people. Place yourself in the people’s shoes and you’ll see their choices often lead to destruction. As soon as they were out of Egypt they grumbled, complained and rebelled. But, under God’s plan, even when evil is turned against us, God turns it to good (Genesis 50:20). How great of a Father we have that is leading us to glory.

“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”
Isaiah 14:27

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GOD DETERMINES OUR COURSE

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

Day 217

“The lot is cast into the lap,
but its ever decision is from the Lord”
Proverbs 16:33

There is an inherent belief that we are masters of our own destiny, but it is clear that God our Father controls all things by His sovereign will. Politics, for instance, often creates a lot of discussion. Great passions are expressed over choices for head of state, but Proverbs says, “The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord: he directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases”[21:1] and Daniel states, “He sets up kings deposes them”[2:20-22].

Another occupation is our health and longevity of life. Yet, again, it is in God’s hands. Job says, “Man’s days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months and have set the limits he cannot exceed” [14:5]. The psalmist says, “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be” [139:16].

Jesus said, “I tell you, do not worry about your life” [Matthew 6:25]. If we will trust God, His promise to us is that all our needs will be met. They will not only be met, but because of who we are in Him, we will be taken care of far above all other things He created. We can cast all our needs, cares and anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. Because of His love and sovereign will, we are free to praise and worship our glorious Father.

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens”
Psalm 68:19

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THE THRONE

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Day 206

“And there before me was a throne in heaven
with someone sitting on it”
Revelation 4:2

The Apostle John was permitted to look into heaven. There was a door standing open and he heard Christ say, “Come up here.” The Lord speaks; “I will show you what must take place after this.” What does John see?

He saw the Throne with One sitting on it. The Throne is the center of all things and Christ ascended to sit at the right hand of God. He entered heaven in exaltation and took His seat by His Father, and now John was permitted to see this. It is from here that everything may be understood. It is here where God governs. The Throne is the Holy of Holies. Where once there was a Tabernacle in the Wilderness for God to dwell with His people, as a representation of what was in heaven, now there is access to God Himself. Everything led to the Holy of Holies and the Mercy Seat, and now John saw it.

Why did the Lord permit John to see the Throne and record minute details? It was His love being demonstrated towards us who are His children. He opened the door to heaven so we could see the Throne and know what must take place. And this is a great comfort to us for we gain understanding to God’s Divine plan and see the outcome of it. It permits us to have an assurance and knowledge that God has dominion over ALL things, for He created them. It means that every minute detail of our life is in His hands.

“Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool;
He is holy” Psalm 99:5

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GOD’S SOVERIGNTY

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

Day 203

“He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold
back his hand or say to Him:
‘What have you done?’”
Daniel 4:35

Our concepts of free will and freedom clash with the reality of God’s sovereignty. When Adam usurped God’s place, he brought humanity into bondage. Separated from the fellowship of God, our human nature became an independent self-sufficient spirit. We pride ourselves on these character traits. Yet, it is these very traits that cloud our ability to see God clearly. When Proverbs warns us to “not lean on your own understanding,” it is clearly stating that if we do we will be misled in life.

Recognizing our separation from God comes when we see our foolishness and sinfulness. When we acknowledge this we acknowledge the sovereignty of God. “He does as He pleases…” God sets the nations, determines our place, and chose us for Himself. We may plan our way, but the Lord directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9).

God’s divine sovereignty is His Fatherhood and love for us. It is the love that caused Him to send His only Son to become one of us. He permitted the lowering of Himself, a deep humbleness that subjected Him to the frailties of humanity. He did this to show us the way and give us eternal life. He literally presented Himself to His creation that rejected Him!

Now we can live by the grace and mercy of God our Father. “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven” [John 3:27]. Our true freedom rests in the sovereignty of God and by leaning on His sufficiency. With John we can say, we know and rely on the love of God.

“Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed” Revelation 15:3-4

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OUR PEACE

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

Our Peace

Day 190

“And the peace of God, which passes
all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Jesus Christ”
Philippians 4:7

Great peace reigns in us when we know and understand the sovereignty of God. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can shake or dislodge us from our peace in God with this knowledge. We are never in the power of blind forces as God’s children. Circumstances, luck, fortune, chance, and fate do not direct us or force us to follow blind paths.

All that happens to us is divinely planned. Each event of our life is a new opportunity to walk in faith trusting, obeying and rejoicing, knowing that it is for our spiritual and eternal good and welfare; “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God . . .” [Romans 8:28]. God is involved in every event of life, directing all things to their appointed end. He is completely in control and charge of our world. This is so because all is designed to bring glory to Himself.

We can never have rest or walk in His peace until we come to this knowledge. John says he knows and relies on the love of God. That should be our position. Natural man,and even Christians, do not believe in the total sovereignty of God. Some acknowledge it, but when it comes down to it, they believe man has a hand in it. How it goes against our sinful nature! Yet, God’s ultimate glory is the real issue. And that glory is only achieved through His sovereignty.

“He does according to His will in the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth”
Daniel 4:35

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