Job CCVI

Just as there is a difference between knowing and presuming, there is a difference between acknowledging that while God can do all things, and nothing is impossible for Him, it is within His purview, in light of His omniscience and ultimate purpose for your life, whether or not He will. Yes, God can. Will He? That is an altogether different question, the answer to which is dependent on whether what you are asking for is in harmony with Scripture and if receiving it will lead to greater sanctification for your spiritual man.

If we are asking for things that will make the flesh more comfortable while being detrimental to our spiritual man, because He loves us, and His purpose for us extends beyond this present life, God will say no. We may not see it as a kindness, a blessing, or a grace in the moment, but given enough time, in hindsight, we will come to understand that God said no for our own good.

If you have children, odds are you’ve had to say no to them at some point. It likely wasn’t because you didn’t love them, or were indifferent to them, but you understood that eating a three-pound block of chocolate fudge in one sitting likely wouldn’t have a positive outcome. Yes, they really wanted it, pleaded for it, insisted that they wouldn’t get a tummy ache, or that the sugar rush wouldn’t keep them up half the night, bouncing off the walls and asking what board game we could play at a quarter past midnight, but as a parent, you knew better.

You knew that even though they meant it when they said they wouldn’t get sick, once they consumed the entire block of fudge, they would not have control over the outcome. They could not control whether they got sick or not.

God tells us in His word that sin kills. It’s an across-the-board statement that allows for no exceptions or carveouts. Yes, there are some who, having read what the Bible says, roll their eyes and insist that they will be the exception to the rule, that although sin might kill weaker men, it will not bring them low. Although they might believe wholeheartedly that they can walk the fine line between God and the world, juggle satisfying the appetites of the flesh and being pleasing in God’s sight, by the time they figure out they overestimated the magnitude of their self-restraint and ability to say no, it’s too late.

The Word instructs us to flee youthful lust, abstain from every form of evil, and resist the devil, not because God doesn’t want us to have any fun, blow off some steam, or make merry. He instructs us not to do them for our own good, knowing that their end is death and destruction, and His desire for us is to have life, and life more abundantly.

That some have convinced themselves God is miserly because He tells us to walk circumspectly, pursue righteousness, pray without ceasing, rejoice always, and hold fast to what is good, reveals their ignorance of both God’s character and the dangers of sin. It’s like one’s children thinking their mother a villain for insisting that they eat their broccoli and putting the fudge in the high cupboard. If you do not possess enough maturity to see the benefits of what God instructs in His Word, the worst thing you can do for yourself is grow bitter and resentful and conclude that you know better.  

We can tell ourselves that if a sack of money dropped out of the sky, we would use every dime to do good, show charity, and be magnanimous, and perhaps even mean it at the time. That does not ensure that we will follow through once the money falls from the sky, and rather than causing our love for Him to wane and be replaced by the love of money, God declines our request.

I know individuals personally whose entire lives would be turned to ruin if they ever had more than four figures in their bank accounts. Whether it’s an addictive personality or an inability to budget, whatever sum would show up would summarily be squandered, with a bit extra to boot, making the latter end for them worse than the beginning.

If the end result of what we ask for is not God’s glory, then although God can, for our own good, He will politely decline the request. If our first reaction to God saying no to something we’ve been asking for is, that’s not fair, it reveals the truth that we were not seeking His kingdom, but the things of this world, which, had we been given them, would serve as both shackle and quicksand for our spiritual man; Ever sinking, yet unable to escape.

If you want to have it your way, Burger King is still an option. If you want it God’s way, then by definition you must submit to His authority, His will, His sovereignty, and His plan for your life. The reason so many find spiritual progress slow and difficult is because they’re spending their days digging in their heels, resisting the urging of the Holy Spirit, and attempting to debate God on whether where He is leading them is the best possible path. You see, they’ve done their research. They read dissenting opinions on the interwebs, and they seemed more practical and in harmony with their five-year plan than just praying, fasting, reading the Word, and spending time with God. All of that seems so tedious. Why not fork over the three grand, get yourself an authentic, freshly printed prophetic degree, and proceed to be the prophet to the nations you always knew yourself capable of being?

Where He leads, I will follow is simple enough in theory, but what if He leads where the flesh doesn’t want to go? Do I have to submit to His will? Yes, yes, you do. Life is easy when it’s easy, as are obedience, faithfulness, and living out your convictions. It’s when the road gets hard and what we are tasked with requires sacrifice and self-denial on a grand scale that we must be determined to press on, continuing to follow after Him, knowing He will lead us to green pastures and still waters. Try as we might to convince ourselves otherwise, it’s not about us, but about Him, and His working through us to bring about His glory in us. 

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.