Our Sovereign God!

(1Timothy 6:15) “--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Chance or co-incidence is there room for it in God’s economy? It is an important question for us to find an answer; as this will help us apply with precision the shield of faith to our lives. Come let us reason together…

God is Sovereign; Sovereignty (dominion, rule, power, authority and dominance) belongs to God and we all accept that, the debate is now over there is nothing else then to consider. Why then do we not live with that understanding? The last two nights I have had disturbing dreams and they have worried me, not to the point of desperation but rather leaving me with a plaguing question, why? Is it just a co-incidence and nothing more? Many would say, it’s just a dream don’t worry about it. But when I ask myself these types of questions what can I learn from it? It puts a different spin on the outcome. We far too often do undermine the lessons of life! We use this type of rational far too frequently; it plays into the hands of our enemies. Everything is designed to teach us to become more like our great Redeemer; Let me explain…

The best example for us to use would be the children of Israel who were once slaves in Egypt as we too where once slaves to sin. We both have something in common, a journey to the Promised Land. And many of them fell along the way in the Wilderness; they never made it across the Jordan River; In fact it was only Joshua and Caleb from the original masses that made it across, a rather sobering thought. We too are on a journey, what will be our end? We have been given instruction to examine those who journeyed across the Wilderness and to learn from their mistakes. It was their sin that lead to their unbelief which in turn caused them to disobey resulting in them never arriving at their final destination. When we face a test in life we often are inclined to rebel. I know this as I have often rebelled, thank you for your forgiveness Father! However, we must eventually arrive at a place of accepting our responsibility and we must face our challenge head on; “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)   

Let us now with soberness consider the ironies in our lives. A hardship brings us to a junction in the road, how do we reason and what do we say? Woe is me! It is too difficult so we run to sin in order to find an escape, we drink or we swear or we respond with anger or sink into a cocoon of depression and the like. It is the easy out, but we forget from where we have been saved. Testing is there for our good, although it would not seem so if we misunderstand their purpose. Christ ransomed himself for our sin; we have been afforded the opportunity to no longer be slaves to it. Paul is very clear on this; “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

I have concluded that there is no such thing as coincidence in the life of a believer; it is only a hireling and not the good shepherd that leaves a lamb to fend for itself. We have the greatest of shepherds; it is the Lord Jesus, who is God and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We have His Spirit! It is now of great importance that we learn to use the shield of faith skilfully. Everything in life that carries with it chance is not of God. If we place any hope on the “lotto of life” we hanker after our own lusts and play into the hands of the devil. How many of us have been ensnared into this type of thinking, I am guilty as charged! Just maybe if I take a lotto ticket I might win; a life full of uncertainty. This is not the way of our God! He has left nothing to chance!

Therefore when we reach our crossroad in life we must conclude that God is behind it and He is teaching us to wield our shields of faith, regardless of the trial. We must believe it! He is fashioning us through the test to become more like our glorious Saviour. There can be no if’s and but’s! We must embrace His promise to us by grace through faith. There is no short cut or any other way for us to arrive in the Promised Land. Let us not overthink it, but just in childlike faith, we must trust our God. He has promised to get us home so best we leave all doubts aside and believe.

Regardless of the challenges of life, in fact they are obstacles allowed by God to help us learn to trust in Him. They are also needful; let not deception rob us of God’s great plan for our lives. Even the Lord Jesus as a man learnt obedience through the things He suffered. Remember His account in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed asking if possible for the cup to pass Him by, but God had orchestrated the trial for His and our benefit. It was such a daunting test that the Lord began to sweat drops of blood, but once He was through it He found peace; “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.” (Luke 22:44-45) – Sleep causes sorrow!   

  

Victory through suffering teaches us to put off sin; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” (1Peter 4:1)

I realise how far off I am from obediently living out this truth. “Abba Father”, please help us to come to grips with this truth for our lives, so that through the trials of life the critics both on earth and throughout the heavens may be silenced bringing glory to your name, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone