No..He is NOT in Control

If He Is In Control, It’s Out of Control.

One of the things that we hear especially when things go chaotic in life is that God is in control. To our human intellect this would ring true. After all He is God and we are mere mortals. But to have that thought introduces several questions that we cannot answer especially from the unbeliever. Why does He allow bad things to happen to good people? Why did He not intervene in the Sandy Hook situation or the Las Vegas situation or the church shootings? Where was He when slavery and racism took the lives of millions of people? How could He allow His own to die under the hand of the Nazis? He is in control and He is our Father but millions have died via illness, disease and starvation? Children, babies are innocent victims yet bare the ultimate penalty? Where is your God? Where is this Heavenly father? Why, does He let the wicked prosper and allow others suffer? These are valid questions that we sometimes must field from the unbeliever and if you are honest with yourself, ones you have asked yourself. To be honest these questions creates a wrestling in your soul that struggles to produce an answer that is Biblically supported, an answer that makes sense. If that is how He looks after His children, His creation then something is wrong.

But and because He is a good good Father how do we reconcile? I would submit for your consideration that God is not in control. Before you hang me from the highest tree let’s consider if the Word supports this conclusion. Logically, a good place to start is in the beginning. In Genesis 1:26-28 through we read “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He Him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. So what I am hearing that He gave man the authority the edict to run things and rule over His creation. While He is in charge, all powerful, and sovereign that does not mean He is in control of the earth.

Now I know you are probably saying to yourself wait a minute, the Bible says that “the Earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwells therein.” (Psalm 24:1) True…but there is a notable difference between ownership and sovereignty and being in control. As I was thinking on this point, the Father showed me an example. He said you have a car that you own. It is yours, however if you give the keys to someone whom you allow to drive it, say to run an errand, who is in control of that car? What if an accident takes place? Who is in control, the one who owns it or the one who possesses the keys and is behind the steering wheel? A king can be sovereign over a nation having not to answer to anyone yet still not be in control of the activities of his subjects. Consider Psalm 115:16. “The heaven, even the heavens, arethe LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” Yes, the Father created it for man’s use supplying everything needed for man to live and thrive, howbeit retaining ownership. Understand, He has given control of the earth to men and we will have to give an account how we maintained it. I am afraid, however, that we have advocated our responsibility of being a mindful tenant. Being a renter of my place of residence does not mean that my landlord is in absolute control of the residence. It is given to me.

There is a point in the New Testament that many miss that illustrates this point. When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness by Satan in Luke 4:6-7 Satan declares that he would give Jesus the kingdoms of the world along with their authority and splendor, because it was given to him…through the fall, but with the resurrection of Christ ALL power was given to Him. His desire is that God’s will be done on EARTH as it is being done in Heaven. This would point to a probable fact that His will is not always being done on earth. We have advocated our responsibility in parenting, in governance, in the earth maintenance, and nature itself. Sadly we have not demonstrated loving our fellow man. Even to those proclaiming the banner of Christendom have advocated our call, our duty to love our fellowman with the unshakable, the unbiased love of Christ. As a renter it is MY duty to maintain the property as I am answerable to the owner. We Are answerable to the Owner and will one day give an account for that which He left in our hands. God’s sovereignty and ultimate ownership does not abate or eliminate man’s accountability.

 

 

#BringBackOurGirls

This is the popular Twitter handle that is being broadcast across not only our nation but also the world concerning the over 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram. I’ve spent the last couple days, thinking about my mother, as we in America celebrated Mother’s Day this past weekend. I thought of the wonderful, important and often times thankless job of being a mother, a crisis manager, nurse, teacher, chef, maid, seamstress, and nurturer. Like many of you, I thought of my mom’s sacrifices in the love that she showed raising her children and making sure that the family was safe and secure and provided for.

I’ve noticed that there seems to be a dizzy attack towards women, not just mothers, but women in general so I do not exclude those women without physical children. What is the catalyst? Why the call of emotional and physical terrorism against women across the world? Even in this nation, women and women’s rights are being attacked. Is it because of the insecurities of weak-minded men? Is it, because of the society in which we lived, we now can feel free to devalue those who we are to treasure? Do they who would propel us forward in life so easily intimidate us? I look at the nations and cultures that deny women’s access to education and careers that seemingly wants women to languish at home, unseen and unheard, out of sight, out of mind. Now I recognize some of it is cultural tradition but yet when we are stuck in tradition we are also stuck in era of time and ultimately left behind to our own hurt. I am a firm believer in the Word of God and when he declared “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness”, the Bible says male and female He created them.

Out of man came wo-man, or a man with a womb. God made them both to reign and rule over His creation NOT each other. Yet some men have taken it to another level of oppression. Are we, men, so insecure, so weak minded that we do not recognize the treasure of uniting together. Must you force 200 Christian girls to hypocritically accept another religion just to make you feel good? Those men who would perpetrate such thing shows to me a mind that can only fell bolstered by oppressive tactics.

Even in our own country, men who would blatantly lie and blatantly distort, blatantly manipulate, not for the good of the nation as they espouse but for their own personal gain, whether politically and/or financially seek to suppress womanhood. We should stand up and declare that the bully deceptive voice be silent. We should declare that apathy will no longer be our personality or character. When will this cowardly giant standup? I know you might be used to the term “sleeping giant” but sometimes I wonder if the giant is asleep or is he just a coward, afraid of confrontation. When will we recognize that God has given us a treasure? Proverbs ask the question, “Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies”. Men rise up and quit hiding under false pretenses. Be who you are called to be and protect what has been given to you. Build a fence, impenetrable and unyielding against the onslaught. No more politics. No more political games, no party politics. Hash tag… rise up men and be all that you were called to be. Do you want an example, read 1 Samuel chapter 30. Men let us have the mindset of King David. What if it was your daughter, granddaughter, niece that was abducted? What would be your reaction, or even more telling your action? I know others are reading this blog in other countries besides the United States so the call to RISE UP is internationally. Evil only triumphs when good men do NOTHING and the time of “do nothing, say nothing” has long passed.