Know the Difference between the Permissible and the Intentional Will of God

 

It is amazing to me how quickly we will put God in something in order to give credence and credibility to our own actions. We are quick to say what God told us to do or what God is in. Anything you do that contradicts God's word is not something God has told you to do. You can't set out to destroy somebody and their character and reputation and claim that God told you to do it...contradiction. You can't hold grudges and treat people with disgust, contempt and malice and claim God told you to do it...contradiction. Don't be so quick to incorporate God into your own selfish advances and activities...because God will find a way to show you that He is not in it. The same can be said for events and situations that happen in life that don't turn out in the favorable way that you desired. Don't always assume and speak that God caused it.

One of the great examples of this truth can be found in an incident out of the life of the prophet Elijah. It is found in 1 Kings chapter nineteen. God has come to Elijah several times now and given him instructions on the necessity of moving forward in order to continue to walk in his purpose and divine calling. He has felt like he was alone in the fight and God now wants to show him once again that He is God and that this was not about him (Elijah). 

And the text says that several natural forces come by. The one I want to point out is the one that had the potential to cause the most devastation. After the wind an earthquake...BUT GOD WAS NOT IN THE EARTHQUAKE. May I suggest to you that just because God allows it does not mean God is in it. Nothing happens that God does not allow, but that does not mean that God is in it. There is His permissible will...that is what God will allow to happen, and then there is God's intentional will...that which God will be in. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE. There are many things that God allows that I do not understand... but I learned a long time ago that even when I don't understand Him I can still trust Him. Just because it happens does not mean God is in it. Just because you got a divorce does not mean God was in it. Just because you failed the test and so you didn't get the job does not mean God was in it. Just because your child has become rebellious and turned their back on you does not mean God was in it. Just because you didn't get what you wanted does not mean God was in it. 

Here is the thing though, even when God is not in it He can still use it because He had a reason for allowing it. There have been things God didn't do... you did... but God took it and used it for your good. In the same way, anything that God allows, God will use if you allow Him the space through faith to take it and show you that He is still God.