The Pentecostal cliché’ ‘God is in control’, no doubt provides some sort of comfort and succor for its users.

But is God really in Control? Does God even want to be in control? 🙂

We’ll try to give a balanced view to this…..

We learn in the early chapters of Genesis that after God spent some days creating the Heaven and the Earth and everything in it, He created Man.

Why did God create Man?

For 3 main reasons in my opinion;

1. To take charge of everything He’d created
2. To populate the earth, and
3. To fellowship with God

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over everything that creeps on the earth”  Genesis 1:26

This was a kind of discussion between the Godhead {‘Us’} in the above text. God the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost agreed to create man to have dominion.

And because this was, ..call it; ‘a private family discussion’, God handed man his job description post creation;

“Be fruitful and multiply,

Fill the earth and subdue it,

“Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over everything that moves on the earth”.   Genesis 1:28.

So far, I don’t see a picture of a God that wants to be in control of everything! Do you?

I think that if God desperately wanted to be in control, He would not create man in the first place. I mean why create someone to contend powers with?

You know, it is true that the Bible tells us, that Satan practically asked God’s permission to tempt Job’s faith for a while (please note that the whole drama between Satan and Job was targeted at getting Job to curse God, to forsake God, to say; ‘Oh, this thing is not working’, or ‘why have I wasted my time serving an unseen God who cannot even save’ etc).

But I see a picture of a Job who was in total control of his faith. His faith was well guarded and he was in control of his speech, his actions and his reactions!  And the Bible records in Job 2:22;

“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong”

Job’s faith in God did not fail.

A few days ago while studying my Bible, I came across this scripture;
“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan asked to for you, that he may sift you as wheat” Luke 22:31

Again, we see Satan asking for permission to deal with Peter!

And as Jesus continued, once again, Satan’s target is made clear;

“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren”. Luke 22:32.

My heart sank as I read that scripture and the reason is pretty obvious….

I expected Jesus to say, ‘Peter, look I have told Satan to steer clear of you, that you are my disciple,…the rock!, etc. But the Lord said nothing of sort…. Did you see Jesus plan for Peter’s temptation by Satan? Please did you see it with me?

Jesus is just gonna pray for Peter that his faith fail not!!!!

This was really saddening…..

But from that scripture alone, we can learn the following

1. Satan targets a Christian’s faith (doesn’t matter the depth, or type of temptation or trouble)
2. Jesus advocates and prays for us constantly
3. Jesus would not fight the fight of faith on our behalf (He already conquered Satan and gave us all authority).
4. Jesus expects us to win the fight of our faith.
5. When we win our fight of faith and come back to Jesus (when we don’t forsake Him, or curse Him, or leave Him), our faith becomes strengthened, and we are expected to strengthen our brethren.

God does not abandon us when tempted or troubled by Satan, no He doesn’t. He is with us and in us, and He constantly prays that our faith fail not.

“…I will not leave nor forsake you”    Joshua 1:5

He is with us always, through the waters and through the fire. Halleluyah!

So I ask again, friends; Is God really in control of everything? Is there no role for man to play?
Come to think of it; would any parent really want to have a son that they fully control? Wouldn’t that mean building up disaster for a future daughter in-law and the world? I think I want to raise children with some level of independence, but again, with some ‘check’ system in place.

Consider again; when God said in Deuteronomy 30:19;

“…that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live”

Again, God allows man to make his choices, but quickly advises him to choose Life. That’s what we call crunje’ in Nigeria….

It seems to me that this ‘God is in control’ disposition of most Christians is borne out of ignorance and sheer laziness. The undertone or bad side to this is that Christians are not exercising their faith, are not growing and cannot strengthen any other brethren.

Imagine if at the time David faced the Bear, that he folded His hands and just responded with a ‘God is in control’ thing, he’d not have been alive to kill the lion, and then to deliver the Israelite from Goliath the terror! David’s confidence, grew through his experience, but he had to make the decision to put his faith to work. He took control of the situation through faith in God.

We certainly cannot control the many challenges life throws at us daily, but we can choose and control our reactions (actions and speech).

 

Thank You Father,

Because You have made us ‘more than conquerors’ through Christ. We can do all things through Christ. We walk in victory through Christ, we overcome sickness and disease through Christ. Our faith is secured, unshaken in your ability to deliver, provide and protect. We take control as you’ve commanded us by faith in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

 

This article was originally published on my Facebook Page “Talk with Grace Obomanu” on 19/01/2016.

Except otherwise stated, all Bible quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV).