The sovereignty of God means this to so many, “well, whatever happens in life, it’s just the will of God”
Some tragedy happens and they say “I don’t know why God meant for this to happen.. I don’t know why we lost the business, we worked so hard. But we know God has a purpose in it all”
It’s stupid, because there’s no biblical basis at all for God planning your tragedy. In fact, the full revelation of Jesus is continuously Him fixing the tragedy, healing the broken stuff.. but the spirit of stupid gets on the brains of God’s people and they just accept whatever happens as being the will of God.
So much of what is supposed to happen on the planet is directly connected to your and my response to the delegated place of authority that we’ve been given, to carry out this work of the gospel.
Too often, people look at tragedy and say “well, it was just the will of God” No! No! it wasn’t the will of God.. “well then why did it happen?”
I don’t know… Let me tell you one of the most freeing things you can learn is to say “I don’t know”
We have people who are forced by the pressure of man to explain things that God isn’t explaining.. It is valuable for you and for me to live in the midst of mystery, without blaming God.
The secret to your victory is in what you already know. He only leads us in places where He has already prepared us for victory.
Here’s the strategy of the enemy.. If he can get you and me to become fearful and anxious, we lose awareness of the tools that God has put in our life. They’re already there, but anxiety and fear cause us to lose track of what’s going on… The enemy works through accusation, through intimidation, through this fear, anxiety stuff… so that I become so conscious of this problem, that I’ve forgot the tools. And I am suddenly without equipment for a victory. And yet I’m only here because I’m ready. That’s heaven’s conviction.
The bible says “God is not willing that any should parish, but that all should come to repentance.” That’s the will of God. Is it happening? No… Do people parish? Yes… Is it the will of God? No.
He has granted a season, whereby man gets to partner with Him and choose their destiny. He has made full provision for success.
C.S. Lewis put it best, he says “when the author steps on the stage, the play is over.”
Jesus says “Blessed is he who has not offended me.”
Here’s the key… Learn how to live in adverse situations that you cannot explain. Do not force yourself to have an opinion where He’s not talking. It’s foolish to have an opinion on something when God is not speaking.
The importance of living with mystery is so valuable, cuz that’s what brings us into the faith that attracts the invasion of God to fix stuff.
I live in a realm of peace that is superior to the storm, and to the conflict… That’s not meaningless theology. That is invitation for a divine encounter, so that your experience becomes exactly what the bible teaches. That we gain divine perspective… and from that place of divine perspective, issue divine authority over circumstances… So that those circumstances do not imprison us… So that those circumstances yield to the expression of the kingdom.
God is more passionate about my intimacy with Him than He is about my comfort. He will break that part of my life.
Is He a God of promise? Absolutely a hundred percent of the time… He’s 100% good… “well then why did this horrible thing happen?”
I don’t know, He hasn’t said a word… So I’m not saying a word.
All I need to know is that it wasn’t Him. This much I know, He is so good, He is incapable of giving someone that disease. Why? Because He doesn’t have it. You can’t give what you don’t have… well then how did it happen? I don’t know, we’re in a world of conflict.
So we live in this world of continuous conflict warring for your mind, because He is determined to raise up people that know His presence, that know the intimacy, the subtleness of His voice, the subtleness of His move.. It’s not just this contractual relationship. It’s not just this legal document that I hold up to Him to force Him to do what He has promised; it is not that.. Because that may work once or twice, but He will break you in that, because it defiles the very thing that He called you into… and that’s into the intimacy, and the relationship with God. He despises that kind of rigid… that’s the thing that Jesus died for was to destroy the rigid thing that brought people to God
The armor of God is not some abstract element that you memorize and quote and pronounce to get it on. It is God, my armor… Abiding in Christ is my armor, I need no vacation from His presence.
The bible makes it clear, “Today is the day of salvation” Today… Salvation means, forgiveness of sin, healing of disease, deliverance from torment… Today is the day.
In weakness, through contending, in lack of breakthrough, it’s in the contending… it’s I’m being invited by God into my greatest triumph, into my greatest victory… it’s an invitation by God… these are not circumstances that have the right to rule over my life.. I have been ordained by God to rule over these circumstances, so these things that seem to testify against His goodness will testify to His goodness.
—Bill Johnson—
