Who Is Really In Control?

I am a strong believer that Yahweh has control over everything. He is supreme in all matters so whatever exists and whatever happens has a place in his plan. Certainly some things are his direct will and others are his permissible will but it is Yahweh who knows all and is all powerful so nothing is by accident. I believe he also has authority and control over the womb. The "fly in the ointment" is that he has given us free will and if we choose to take control he allows us, no matter the results.

Many people struggle with this because of the various difficulties they have faced. What do you say to a woman who is desperate to have a child and cannot conceive? It seems like a platitude to say that Yahweh is in charge, even when it is the truth. What each of us have to struggle with and eventually surrender to is that we must let go of our will and desires and seek Father's will and desire. It is important that we acknowledge and accept that he has purpose for everything he does and allows in our lives. We have many examples in the Word as well as testimonies of believers that bring this reality into focus.

I often think of Hannah, Samuel's mom from 1 Samuel 1. She was desperate for a child, even though her husband loved her dearly without one. However, Yahweh resisted her. In verse five of this chapter it says "although the Lord had closed her womb". It has always been his desire for us to be fruitful but in this and many other cases he resisted the desire of the woman by closing her womb. But imagine for an instant if he had not done so.

It was because he resisted Hannah that she earnestly sought him. It was because he resisted her that she offered her first born to the priesthood. She became completely surrendered to Yahweh and it resulted in the great priest/prophet/judge Samuel. We may not always appreciate it in the moment but there are times that Yahweh resists us to provoke us to earnestly seek him, to open us to his will, and so we can see the doors he has opened.

When I got married at the age of 22, children were not really on my mind but it was the great desire of my wife. She figured she would get pregnant immediately and start on our family. For six years we tried but her womb was closed. In those six years we prayed, called out to Yahweh but he did not respond and the doctors could not find a cause. But the Lord opened a door and provided our first child through adoption and what an incredible son he has grown into. The Lord has his hand on him and we have not yet seen what will result but we have no doubt he gave him to us for a purpose and it would not have happened if the Lord had not resisted us.

As a foot note, it was when my wife completely surrendered herself and told the Lord she would be satisfied with his will for our family, whether one child or multiple, that her womb was opened and never shut again.

Christians have a struggle over control and Father's will. Jesus set for us an example of what it is to live a totally surrendered life, even one that includes difficult moments. There would have been no resurrection without the cross. There are no victories without battles. If the Lord is resisting you on a matter that you know to be his will, earnestly seek, trust and surrender to him and see what he has been wanting to produce through you. Give him back the control over everything in your life.

Beware Of The Whisperer

Beware of the whisperers in your life. They are like the snake in the garden, coming alongside to whisper doubt into your life. They can take a human form, a book, a movie, anything at all. The whisperers can come through parents, teachers, best friends. It is anything that says, "Did God really say ..." twisting the Scriptures and the clear doctrine that forms the foundation of your life.

It may be somebody who plays a minor part in the story of your life; only present for a very brief period and then gone again. This is what happened in king David's family. An insidious person named Jonadab was a friend of the king's son, Amnon. Now Amnon had some unwholesome desires for his half-sister but he had not brought it to life; it was just something that was there. But the whisperer came alongside and encouraged Amnon to act on these feelings:

So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” (2 Samuel 13:5)

Notice Jonadab did not tell him what to do after that but it was enough to nudge Amnon into a course of action that would bring terrible grief on the entire nation. The enemy did not care about Jonadab, Amnon or Tamar; his sights were set on the throne and causing as much pain as possible. Amnon violated his sister which led to the bitterness of her brother Absalom. In the end it left Tamar in disgrace the rest of her life, Amnon dead, a kingdom divided, hundreds of innocent people dead along with Absalom and caused untold grief to David. All from a simple whisper.

In our age the whisperers are increasing to the point of being shouts. There are a lot of sources that are trying to plant doubt into the hearts of Yahweh's children, causing them to question the King, making them turn aside in rebellion. Open your eyes and take a look. We have preachers teaching there is no hell. We have whole churches accepting and defending immorality (sin) in their church. We have atheists mocking the Bride of Christ and setting up mankind as an idol. We have legitimate followers of Jesus being seduced by the culture of our day. We have immorality splashed across our television and computers screens, contained in every cell phone, in novels and magazines. There is a huge wave of rebellion sweeping across our nations and the whisperers say to the faithful "it's normal, join in".

Beware of the whispers in your life because they are out to destroy you. Their source is the enemy of our soul and he has been working his great deception for thousands of years. I have no new words to encourage you with but I can encourage you with the only Word that matters:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

It is not a new war. In fact, it is a very ancient war and our part is to stand against it, not in our own strength but with that which our LORD has equipped us. Take a good look around, it is only going to get worse. But take heart and be encouraged in the LORD because we are on the winning side. Do not allow yourself to fall victim to the whisperer and do not make alliances with anything of this world. The world has nothing to offer us because Jesus has already given us everything. Shout his praises from the roof top in the face of the whisperer and stand your ground.