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the issue of Free-will

You’ve heard it said that “bad things happen to good people”. It is also true that bad things can happen to God’s people, Christians! How can this be? It has to do with the fact that God has given us free will. That is, the ability to make our own choices. 

Free will is important because of the following fact. God loves us with an Agape or unconditional love, God has “decided” to love us. In the same way, God wants us to make the decision to love Him in an Agape- unconditional love as well. This fact alone requires that we have the ability to make a decision or commit to this kind of love.

You have heard and perhaps even thought, “why doesn’t God do something about cruelty, injustice disease, and poverty in the world”? Well think about it, is there anything God can’t do? No, He is omnipotent or all-powerful. Nothing is impossible with God.

However, here is the rub, the only way God can sovereignly right all the wrongs today is to violate or over-ride the will of people! You might think, well that’s not a bad idea, but that would mean taking away someone’s free will. It’s easy to think about violating someone else’s free will, but are you willing to give up your free will to make decisions and choices. You see it is a two-edged sword. It cuts both ways. [it rains on the just and the unjust].

This world system is in the control of Satan

Also, keep in mind who has control over this fallen world. I know that there may be many who don’t believe the following scriptures, but let me present a quote from the mid-1850s by Charles Baudelaire which endures even to this day, “The devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist.” 

1. Satan is the ruler of this world in the sense that the world is still characterized by sin. Jesus said. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me” (John 14:30). This title suggests that he is the major influence over our world. 
2. Scripture teaches that the whole world is in his power. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
3. Satan is the authority over this present, evil world-system. “in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2).
4. Satan is the deceiver of the whole world. This fallen angel deceives the unbelieving world. “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him” (Revelation 12:9). 

I have said all of this to make this point, none of us escape life unscathed. We all bear the scars of making bad choices or suffering the physical/emotional abuse caused by the evil decisions of others.

Satan is a spiritual entity; therefore, his only weapon is to distort God’s truths and insert those lies into our minds. If we obey the lie, then we, in essence, serve him.

Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves, slaves, to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness”? this truth makes it even more clear that the battle we fight is a spiritual one.

The Spiritual War- the battlefield is in the mind

2 Cor 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Let me paraphrase this statement:

Although we live in a physical body, our battle is against spiritual entities. Therefore, we can’t use physical means to battle against a spiritual foe, but Jesus has not left us hopeless or defenseless! 

He has given us powerful weapons for pulling down “strongholds”. These strongholds are those false ideas or lies that we “strongly hold on to”. They are mental strongholds. Ideas like, you are not good enough, you are worthless, you are unlovable, you are ugly, you are stupid, you will never amount to anything, you are always wrong, and any other thought that Satan can put into your mind. 

The Devil can put these thoughts directly into your mind or through the people you have encountered in life. We have the ability to “cast down those arguments or patterns of thinking that are contrary to what God has said about you and your circumstances. 

God has placed His Holy Spirit in you for the purpose of revealing the truth that you are loved, forgiven, accepted, and empowered to resist the lies of the enemy and to accept what is true, but also the spiritual ability to live your life in obedience to your King, Jesus. This is easy to do when you realize that you are a “King’s kid”!

Once you know the truth, the truth will set you free, however, this usually doesn’t happen instantly. Understanding the truth may be instantaneous, but undoing years or a lifetime of lies may take time. It is very much like a physical injury or wound, there is a healing process. The same is true of spiritual wounds.

Next time we will be looking at the process of spiritual healing.

In the creation of man, God gave mankind a unique characteristic that distinguishes mankind from all of the other creations. That is the ability to recognize the difference between good and evil and make a decision. That is what the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden shows us. We get to choose our destiny and we as well as others reap the consequences. 

Only human beings have a conscience, a moral compass as it were, to guide us to do the right things, those things that God intended to be a blessing for us. Instead, mankind has been bewitched by the Tempter, Satan to choose those things that seem pleasant, “to the eyes, to the flesh and to make us wise (the pride of life)”. This very strategy of Satan is the downfall of mankind; the reason that we live in a Fallen World! Many will mistakenly try to blame God for evil in the world and say things like “how can God allow this to happen?”, when in fact God is not the cause of evil. God is good! 

God will never violate your free will because with it you can choose to love God and follow Him. However, your free will is a two-edged sword. You can choose to do right or choose to do wrong in God’s eyes. 

“We have met the enemy, and they are us.” 

This is a twist on Oliver Hazard Perry’s words after a naval battle when he defeated a British squadron in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.“We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” The updated version was first used in the comic strip “Pogo,” by Walt Kelly, in the 1960s and referred to the turmoil caused by the Vietnam War. That statement could easily be used to describe the human condition. Our sin nature. Turmoil in the world is caused by people who do evil and the consequences of that evil impact innocent people too.

Trusting in our own ability to make the right choices based upon emotions, personal experience, and wrong thinking very often leads to wrong conclusions. All of this when rolled up into a package is what we mean when we see the scripture, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Technically to sin means to “fall short of the mark”! God establishes the mark, and we miss it time and time again. 

Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, God gives us over and over again examples of poverty, disease, and crime as the consequence of missing the mark! The root issue is that we rebel against anything that tries to guide or direct us even if it is for our own good. Human nature wants to be in charge of their own destiny. A term that is used several times in the book of Judges is, “they chose to do what was right in their own eyes”! This is the central issue of life. So, how do I choose what is right in God’s eyes and reap the blessing instead of the curse! 

In my last post, Donna S. W. made a comment, “The book of Proverbs in the Bible gives us the outcome of bad choices! We rebel because of our sin nature! Only accepting Christ can change that”! 

This comment reveals the truth that rebellion is part of our sin nature and the ONLY way to overcome this nature is to replace it with a new nature that only Jesus Christ can give when we repent and believe in Him.

The book of proverbs is one of five Wisdom books in the Bible- Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, and Song of Solomon. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs, a wise practice is to read a chapter of Proverbs each day of the month, and when you complete the month… then start over again.

Instruction for a successful life.

For the sake of this post the relevant scripture is found in Proverbs 3:5-13:

• 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
• 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
• 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.
• 8 It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.
• 9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase;
• 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
• 11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction;
• 12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.
• 13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom.

I don’t want anyone to think that simply knowing what is right and wrong enables us to do the right and shun the wrong. Human history has shown that not to be the case. We need help and because the struggle is spiritual, we need spiritual help!

1 John 3:8 says, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God (Jesus) was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil”. The works of the Devil is to lead mankind into sin, away from God. Remember the Devil comes to “steal, kill and destroy”, but Jesus came to give abundant life (Romans 10:10).

The Spiritual War- battlefield is in the mind

2 Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” 

To know Jesus is to trust Him with and for your life. If you only know about Jesus, you will miss out on the work of the Holy Spirit in you. That’s the difference between a personal relationship with Jesus and simply knowing about Him. 

Knowing Jesus as a result of making a conscious decision to believe Him and His teachings means that you are a new creation, the old has passed away, that’s 2 Corinthians 5:17. The Apostle Paul says to the Philippians in Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (His return)”.

So, the question of the day is; Do you know Jesus! Or do you just know about Him?

Perhaps you have trusted in your own self, your friends, your family, and even the Devil himself in an attempt to find happiness. You’ve done it your way. Now ask yourself the hard question, are you where you want to be at this point in your life? 

How about a change, put your trust in Jesus! His love for you will never go away! He wants you to live a blessed life, but you have to do it His way. To do it His way means that you will have to learn to hear His voice then trust and obey.

Step one is learning how to recognize God’s voice.

The reason there is such an emphasis on the Bible is that the Bible is the way we:

1. we take time from our busy day to devote to the Lord. You have to admit when you commit to reading the Bible you are taking time away from all of the distractions that life brings.
2. God often speaks through the Bible to our situations and circumstances. In previous posts, we’ve talked about Spiritual illumination of the scriptures, personal revelation, and the Rhema word. All of these ways are common ways in which the Lord speaks to us.

As we spend time in the Word, we begin to learn the spiritual language of God. We learn of His ways and character which then enables us to recognize what is of God and what isn’t. In essence, I am saying that relationship builds awareness of His voice.

Satan, of course, will try to imitate Jesus’ voice, but if you really know Jesus you will recognize the imposter. Just as you know the voice of your closest friend.

Once you know His voice the next step is to isolate His voice from all the noise in the world that we live in. Isolating His voice from the – TV, radio, cellphones, work, and responsibilities. Satan will try to keep you busy and occupied so that you will be unable to hear the “still quiet voice” of God which is spoken of in 1 Kings 19:11-13.

Can you hear what I am talking about? You have to take the time and practice of listening for the “still quiet voice”. 

Many Christians wait for a crisis in their lives and then try to learn God’s voice. In the noise of a crisis, it is so difficult to hear the voice of the Lord.

Remember these things as you learn to discern His voice…

God’s voice encourages the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22,23.

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control”.

Satan voice, on the other hand, will encourage your flesh (old man). Galatians 5:19-21.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”.

Next, God’s voice does not condemn, shame or use guilt to do His will.

 God edifies, encourages and exhorts. In general, He builds us up. 

1. Edify– to instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually. / Antonym – confuse, perplex, puzzle
2. Encourage– to give support, confidence, or hope to (someone). / Antonym – demoralize, depress, sadden
3. Exhort– to strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something. / Antonym – deter, discourage, dissuade
4. Satan will use any means necessary to make you stumble and fall and after he does that, he will use guilt and shame against you.

God’s voice is “still or quiet”.

This means He is gentle and doesn’t have to use many words to make His will known. Satan is verbose and loud, trying to confuse you and trying to drown out God’s voice. He will go on and on…

Be aware… 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.

Demonic Voices or Strategies:

The devil can’t “make” you do anything, but he can try to persuade you to do something that you really shouldn’t do. Here are some methods he will use to tempt you.

He will appeal to your flesh, that simply means that he will tempt you by appealing to your sexual nature, opportunities for financial gain, or personal power over others.

He will use fear, especially the fear of loss…

• 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”.
• 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love”.

These things are not of God but are the tools of the enemy to try separate you from God.

• He will try to discourage you…
• He will try to create doubt…
• He will lead you into depression…
• He will use guilt and shame to coerce you… 

Remember what I said earlier, “The devil can’t “make” you do anything, but he can try to persuade you to do something that you really shouldn’t do. However, as a final note, today remember this important fact.

“Greater is the Holy Spirit in you than all the demonic forces in Hell”. 1 John 4:4… (paraphrased).

What do you believe about the Devil?

As I have said before there are those that don’t believe that the devil or demons exist. On the other hand, there are those who are terrified of the idea of a real Devil and see demonic activity everywhere. I want to assure you and encourage you that as a believer in Jesus Christ the Devil can’t have any control over you other than the control you give him.

It’s all a matter of who you give control to, Jesus or the Devil! The scripture is clear who you choose to obey is the one who is master over you. Listen to Romans 6:16

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness”?

Romans 6:16

I’ve heard people say, “the Devil made me do it”! I hate to sound harsh, but the truth of the matter is that you chose to listen to the Devil. The Devil is not a physical being, contrary to what you’ve seen on TV or the movies. He is a spiritual being and his only weapon is the Lie! Since the devil is a consummate liar, he will try to influence your thinking and try to tempt you into disobeying or disregarding God. The Devil will “play mind games” with your head and convince you that his plan is better than the plan God has for you. The devil will try to appeal to your ego by making you think that God is holding out on you and that he, the Devil, has something better. He will try to appeal to your ego and natural desires; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life as 1 John 2:16 says.

Let’s look at the very first sin in the bible, which is found in Genesis 3. God created Adam and Eve and gave them the Garden of Eden, a paradise, to take care of and live in. They were clearly instructed by God that they could eat of all the plants and trees except for one tree called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That was the one commandment that God gave them and to violate or disobey God’s command was a sin. The same is true today, to violate or disobey God’s command is sin and moves us out of God’s protection.

I’m going to read Genesis 3:1-6,

“1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, (those words have created more pain and chaos than you can imagine)‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die (the lie). 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (creating doubt about God’s motive).”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (the temptation – the pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate”. 

As you can see the very first sin in the bible is a testimony to the Devil’s lie that God is holding back something from you. Eve was not forced into sin. She was deceived, as was Adam when he ate the fruit as well. They both chose to sin because they chose to doubt God and believe the Devil. 

Let me share with you an old American Indian tale about choosing sides it’s called:  The Tale Of Two Wolves 

“A Cherokee elder was teaching his young grandson about life.

A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. 

One wolf is evil- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

The other wolf is good- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. 

This same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too. The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, which wolf will win? The elder simply replied, the one you feed. 

The Two Natures

As a Christian, the two wolves are the two natures, the old and new man. In Christ, you have been made new, but the old man still hangs on. The devil will try to appeal to your “old man”. Here are some things to keep in mind.

The Fact, we are New Creations! 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.

The Process, Renewal of the mind Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.

The Practice, Out with the old and in with the new

Ephesians 4:24 and that you put on the new man whichwas created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

In closing…

What I am about to say in closing may not apply to you because you have already found that following Jesus and His teachings have made positive changes in your life. But, for those who are still questioning and have doubts about going “all in” for Jesus let me say this. 

Every day we make choices. No one is exempt from making choices. The question is, are we making the right choices. It would be wonderful to know the outcome of our choices before we make them. If that were the case, we would never experience disappointment or the repercussions of making the wrong decision. Obviously, that isn’t possible.

The truth is we never make decisions that are totally objective, we are always influenced by our experiences and … by the voices we allow into our lives. Friends, family, and the spiritual voices of God and the Devil. So, the real issue is who will you trust? God has already demonstrated His trustworthiness… He sent Jesus so that you might be forgiven of all of your sins, placed His Holy Spirit in you to guide you, and provided you with His word the Bible. What more proof do you need of God’s love for you?

Perhaps you have trusted in your own self, your friends, your family, and even the Devil himself in an attempt to find happiness. You’ve done it your way. Now ask yourself the hard question, are you where you want to be at this point in your life? 

How about a change, put your trust in Jesus! His love for you will never go away! He wants you to live a blessed life, but you have to do it His way. Learn to hear His voice then trust and obey. 

10. Ruler Of This World– Satan is the ruler of this world in the sense that the world is still characterized by sin. Jesus said. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over Me” (John 14:30). This title suggests that he is the major influence over our world. Scripture teaches that the whole world is in his power. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

11. God Of This Age– He is the god of this present age. “in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

12. Angel Of Light– He appears as an angel of light. “And no marvel; for even Satan fashions himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). This means that Satan can come disguised as an Angel.

13. Belial– The idea behind Belial is “vileness.” This title may be applied to the Devil only by implication. “What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:15).

14. Ruler Of The Kingdom Of The Air- He is the authority over this present, evil world-system. “in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2).

15. Adversary- This being stands in opposition to everything holy. The word “Satan” means adversary. “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

16. Roaring Lion- He is likened to a lion who goes about seeking its prey.  “Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

17. The Angel Of The Abyss – There is some question as to whether this is a description of Satan, or merely another powerful evil angel. They have as king over them the angel of the pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, he is called Apollyon (Revelation 9:11). The idea behind these terms is “destroyer.” Satan has been filled with hatred against God from the beginning and has attempted to destroy every good thing that God has done. 

18. Dragon or Old Serpent- Satan is called the dragon. The term dragon is associated with those who oppose God.  “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him” (Revelation 12:9).

19. Deceiver Of The Whole World- This fallen angel deceives the unbelieving world. “And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him” (Revelation 12:9). Deception is what this being is all about – he is the master deceiver. 

20. Accuser Of God’s People- God’s people are constantly accused by this evil personage. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10).

Satan, or the Devil, is known by a number of names in Scripture. All of these names point to his evil character. The chief characteristics we find in this creature are his hostility, cunning, power, and evil intent toward God and His people. Despite this shrewd enemy remember this, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” 1 John 4:4.