Are We Dictating to God What He Can and Cannot Do?

Many Christian’s would adamantly shun the thought that they or anyone else could tell God what He can or cannot do. Emphatically they would declare that God is above us all, that we are His creation and are therefor subject onto Him. That as His servants we are called to obey His commands and to walk in His ways and not our own. Yet without thinking or realizing what we are doing, many of us are daily seeking to do this very thing each time we insist that God must except our sins and not expect us to change.

It is true that when we first come to the Lord, we come with all of our baggage. As we begin to realize our need of Jesus and to realize His deep love for us, we fall at His feet with all our or faults, our burdens, and our sins. In that moment the Lord takes us as we are and exchanges His perfect life for that of our sin sick one. And in that moment we are saved.

But is that where we stay? Is that desperate point, encumbered with our love for the perishable things of this world, where our love for God will leaves us? Or in that wondrous moment when we give our heart and life to Christ is the old man left behind and a new life, where the perishable things of this world begin to lose its attraction as our hearts inspired by the love of God seek to become more and more like Him, begins?

Sadly many Christian’s have come to believe the lie that God does not care if you obey His words because obedience is impossible. Therefore we are free to enjoy are most treasured sins.

Sadly, many Christians chose to stay at the same point where the began their walk with God. They chose to remain chained to sin, bemoaning their unfortunate position, and animatedly claiming that victory from sin is impossible. Mournfully declaring their unfortunate lot as prisoners of evil, incapable of being extricated from their bondage to sin until somehow at the coming of Christ, He miraculously gains the power to break their chains.

Wallowing in sin, they make their way. Declaring with their mouth the goodness, power, and mercy of God, but with their actions declaring the Almighty God to be impotent. Their actions telling one and all that they believe their Devil to be more powerful than their Redeemer.

But why is this? Does not the Bible promise that we can do all things with God’s help?

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Yet many Christians claim that we can do all things except living a life of victory over sin. Insisting that we will remain chained to our sins until Christ comes and waves a magic wand transforming us into faithful servants whose hearts now desire to serve our Lord more than serve the sin that held us under its sway even though the Bible says,

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37

But why, when the Bible declares that we can be more than conquerors with His help, do so many remain hostages of sin?

If it was not possible to live a life of victory, why does God call us to a live of obedience?

Part of it is that while we love God, many of us seek to hold onto the sins we love and the idea of giving them up frightens us. Having loved and cherished them all of our lives, we fool ourselves into believing that life the way God has outlined is impossible upon this earth. Because deep down we love our special sins, and have convinced ourselves that God does not mean what He says when He says,

If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:5

even though the Bible repeatedly speaks about keeping God’s commandments

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: Proverbs 3:1

He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Proverbs 4:4

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:10

many Christian brush off these verses as if they were put in their as filler and not meant to be taken seriously until some future time. Telling God that He did not mean what He said when He told us that we could overcome, or told us that if we loved Him to keep His commandments. Fully believing that in the long run, because He loves us, He will accept our life of sin, and wave the wand to change our heart’s temperament,  and welcome us in. That He will accept that by our mouth we claim to love, but our life has proven that we loved another, our precious basket of favored sins.

Many have mistakenly come to believe that God will instantly transform our hearts at His return. But if this were possible, why must God wait so long and let us suffer so much misery? If He desired the mindless obedience of thousands of robots, would it not have been easier to make us that way at first?

 

In this way, many Christians are dictating to God. Telling Him that because He claims to be a God of love, He must not only accept us as we are, but must leave us to wallow contentedly in our muddy pig pen. Living life the way we want, for as long as we can, until reluctantly Christ comes and instantly transforms us into completely new beings, instead of gradually learning, growing, trusting, and faithfully following Him. And bring an end to our sin loving party as he somehow gains the power at this point to effortlessly morph us into pure hearted beings who now long to obediently follow their Lord’s commands.

But this is not the picture that the Bible paints. The Bible tells us that the right to the tree of life shall be given to those who overcome,

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7

that the second death will not hurt those who overcome,

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Revelation 2:11

and that those who overcome shall inherit all things.

The bible calls us to live a life of victory now and be an overcomer today, it would not do this if with the help of our Savior, victory was impossible.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:7

A clear indication that overcoming is not impossible, as long as we trust in the promise that

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

and  motivated by love, put our reliance in our Savior. Trusting that if He promised, He can and will help us. Holding us up by the same mighty arm that created the worlds, that calmed the waves, and fed thousands with only a handful of loaves and fishes. Showing not only be our words, but by our actions, that we loved God and that He is indeed mighty to save!

If we love God, why would we wait until Heaven to start to keep His commandments. Strangely we ask our children to obey our word, yet we think that we are free to disobey our heavenly Father, and by this we lose so much joy and happiness in this life, and potentially the life to come.

Please take a moment to prayerfully ponder these things, as you ponder if out of love for your treasured sin, you are seeking a way to dictate to God what He must accepts, and without realizing it, telling the world that your devil is more powerful than your God.