What is God's Design?

Does God have a plan?  Does God have a specific design for things in mind?  Does man have the ability to interfere with God's plan?  Does God change His mind about His plan?


These and many others are interesting questions to consider.  I want to take a moment and do that together in today's blog.  We will look at some Scriptural foundation for understanding the answers to these questions.  First off, I want to address the last question first:  Does God change His mind about His plan?  There are 3 Scriptures I want to give to establish that the answer to this question is "NO".


^{James 1:17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)


This verse declares that God does not change and that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above.  All that has been given to us by God is good and perfect and He does not change.  Therefore, we can also understand that if what we have is not as God gave it it is no longer good and perfect.  We will touch on this more later.


^{Hebrews 13:8} Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.


This verse declares that Jesus is consistent - He is the same.  


^{Revelation 13:8} And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (KJV)


This verse tells us that Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth.  Sending Jesus to earth as a man to die for the sins of man was not a change in God's plan.  It was God's plan from the beginning.  God knew, understood and realized the sinfulness that man was capable of and made provision for that in advance.  I have heard many times it said that after the fall by Adam and Eve in the Garden that God had to readjust and do things a different way.  That simply is not true.  God had His plan in place from the beginning and it never changed.




We find that God does not change as Who He is and He does not change from what He intends or plans.  So, the question becomes what is God's plan and how do we know and understand that plan?  From a Scriptural standpoint we can understand God's plan and design by realizing what God said about an issue "from the beginning".  What is the first thing God said about something?  That establishes His plan.  Since He does not change, then the first thing He says about something or does in regard to something will establish His ideal or His plan.  After that, anything else that we read in the Bible or in history that differs is not God's plan, but is how the issue has become due to man's involvement.  


Just because God allows man's involvement and interference to change things from His original plan does not mean that He approves or that man's adjustment suddenly becomes God's plan.


A few examples:

1. The Church (Acts 2:42-47).  God described the church as a unified body who worshiped together daily, had all things in common, witnessed and experienced God's presence and power, and saw people being saved and added to the church on a daily basis.  This is God's design for the church.  Anything we read about that describes the church either in the Bible or since that does not line up with this description is not God's plan, but rather how the church looks as a result of man's involvement and interference.
2. Marriage (Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 2:18-25).  God created male and female as a unit or team.  God saw that Adam had no suitable helper and therefore from Adam's own rib God created Eve.  Eve is the only creation that didn't come from the dust.  God specifically designed the woman for the man and gave them to one another.  His instruction to them was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with His glory.  That is God's design on marriage.  From that point we read various stories of polygamy, incest, rape, homosexuality, adultery, bestiality, and the like. None of these line up with God's plan, but represent man's involvement and interference.  
3. Baptism in Holy Spirit/Gifts of Holy Spirit/Supernatural (Book of Acts, 1 Corinthians 12-14).  God established the work of Holy Spirit from the beginning (Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.)  We read about various leaders and prophets in the Old Testament who operated in the gifts of God (Moses, Joshua, Samson, Elijah, Elisha, etc).  Then we find that the early church was endued with the ongoing and abiding power of Holy Spirit.  This correlates with #1 above.  God's design is the blending the the church and His Spirit.  Anything else is man's involvement and interference and desire to do church on their own way/terms.

Just a couple of hot button examples so to speak.  I could go on, but you get the point.  If you want to know God's design or standard, find His first recorded description or design.  Anything after that is man's involvement, interference, and attempt to change things to fit as they want.  The ultimate thing to remember is that we are created in the image of God . . . it is not the other way around.

Until next time . . .

Rodney

You Are Not a Heap of Ruins

I have been doing some study lately on the nations conquered by the children of Israel as they were possessing their land of promise.  Joshua records that the people conquered thirty-one kings and cities in all (see Joshua 12).  In defining and researching the names of the cities, I am putting together a thirty-one day devotional on keys to possessing your promise.  Some of the cities represent things we must overcome.  Some of the cities represent characteristics and qualities that would be of great benefit to us.  Today, I am sharing from Day Two - Ai.



Day 2 -- Ai – Heap of Ruins

            Following the dramatic victory over Jericho, the children of Israel came to a small area known as Ai.  Joshua sent some men to spy the land and the report was that Ai was small and it would only take a portion of the army of Israel to defeat them.  Joshua sent only some of the fighting men against Ai and surprisingly the children of Israel found themselves defeated by this inferior army.  The reason was that Achan had taken some things from Jericho when God had clearly told the entire camp not to do so (see Joshua 7).

            We closed out Day One by stressing the importance of breaking away from darkness (Jericho) and not taking or keeping anything as a token or trophy from that place of victory.  We see in the battle against Ai why this is so important.  By the choice of one man, Achan, an entire army was put into a precarious position and thirty-six men lost their lives.  Until Israel got fully away from the darkness, they were unable to progress and possess their inheritance. 

            After the sin had been dealt with, however, they gained victory against Ai.  Ai means a heap of ruins.  Oftentimes after a person overcomes darkness and sin they are confronted with a life and circumstances that appear to be a heap of ruins.  How many times have you yourself asked, “What can God possibly make of or do with me?  In order for us to march forward and possess what God has for us, we must overcome our own perspective of things being a heap of ruins.  A person is not defined by where they have been.  God defines a person by where He wants to take them. 

            The enemy would love to convince you and me that we are a heap of ruins and that we have no potential to be used by God in any way.  But we must deal with that notion and lie in the same way that Joshua dealt with the city of Ai.

And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.   Joshua 8:28

            Let us learn to turn into a heap what the enemy does to try and convince us is a heap already.  God wants to take you to great places in Him and put you into a position to do great things for Him.  Do not allow the enemy to deceive you to believe differently.  Ai is referred to as being next to Bethel.  On Day Sixteen we will discuss Bethel which means house of God.  The heap of ruins was near the house of God.  Isn’t it interesting how the enemy often tries to get us to give up when we are so close to where we need to be?  The enemy fears that we will realize who we are in Christ and wreak havoc on his kingdom.  May our hearts be awakened today with the truth and knowledge of who we are in Christ.  I am not a heap of ruins.  You are not a heap of ruins.  We are exactly what God is looking for to use for His Kingdom.

How the Enemy Feels

Often in our lives as Christians we face trials, difficulties, tribulation, persecution, etc . . . (Don't wanna scare ya away by making the list too long :) )


When things of this nature are going on in our lives we can be guilty of cowering to the work of the devil - the enemy of our souls.  If we are not careful we can allow circumstances to paralyze us spiritually.  If that becomes the case then the enemy has won.  


In reading the book of Joshua I find something interesting about the physical enemies of the children of Israel that I believe can be applied to our spiritual enemy as well.  Listen to this:


Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.  Joshua 5:1


The enemies of the Israelites were so afraid of them because they had heard about all that the Lord had done on their behalf.  The same is true about our enemy - the devil.  He knows about all the great things the Lord has done for you and me and in reality he is fearful and defeated.  His true motive in attacking you and me is to get us to forget what God has done and to get our eyes on what is going on in the moment.  


The enemy wants nothing more than for us to view God through the eyes of our circumstances rather than to view our circumstances through the eyes of God.


By coming against us with trials of many kinds, the enemy is trying to distort our perspective of who God has been and of who God is in our lives.  If he can distort the way we see things, he has succeeded in deceiving us into believing his lies.  Jesus tells us that lying is the only way the devil speaks (John 8:44).  And if he is able to deceive us then he has put us on a path of and with destruction.  


We don't lose the battle to the enemy, we lose the battle to ourselves when the enemy causes us to see things differently from the way they really are.


Joshua records how the enemy truly felt.  That is a far cry of how the ten spies sent to the land by Moses believed the enemy felt.


"We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”  Numbers 13:13


Had this group of spies seen things as they really were, their generation would have inherited the promised land.  As the story plays out we see the children of Israel did indeed inherit the land, but because of the devil's distortion 40 years were lost unnecessarily.  


Don't let the enemy steal from you by distorting the reality of who God is and what God has said.  Walk in the victory given by God and don't give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).