Because of God’s willingness to die, I have chosen not to doubt or question His leadership but to depend upon His deliverance. Think about it. If He was so willing to die for your sins, why would He not be willing and eager to provide for your daily needs? If He were so willing to die for your sins, why would He not be willing and able to keep you until the day of His return? If He, as God, had not the power to keep what He has redeemed, do you believe that He would have been so willing to die? If He had the power to create you, don’t you think that He would have the power to keep you? When we learn of the power of God, we cannot explain it in human terms. Man’s understanding of an all-powerful, supernatural being is extremely limited. We cannot understand God or relate to His magnificence because we can only view Him from a human perspective. Power, love, compassion, God’s ability to remain consistent—these qualities that He possesses are never totally understood in their completeness in the insufficient understanding of man. In the feeble mind of man, His awesomeness cannot be contained. We, as humans, have the tendency to relate or compare everything to gain our understanding. Our education is gained by our physical exposure to life’s complexities, and we see things the way we are forced to live or experience them. If it is not something that is humanly rationalized, then we discount it as fantasy and will not believe. We cannot understand His total magnificence, and even though we can experience some of those qualities in His salvation, we will never grasp the total extent of His awesome presence. To say, “God is great,” is to speak truth, but what is the complete definition of great? Do we use the word great in worldly terms, or do we speak of great as Him being someone who is far above our understanding? To know the completeness of a powerful God would evoke the terms fear and reverence in all of mankind, for who could resist or confront someone with such total omnipotence? This alone is evidence to prove that humanity does not relate to who God really is. God is someone who we on this earth do not totally understand, but the fact that we cannot know His total magnificence here does not diminish His true existence and power, His true indispensability and necessity. You do not take a chance when you give yourself to God, but you could not give yourself to Him if it were not for the atoning blood of His only Son.
God is not a God of chance but of eternal promise. God will forever keep what is His. His Word says, “No man will pluck them [His children] from his hand” (John 10:25-30). If God is so necessary in our daily existence, and the only hope for our eternal security, why do we refuse to accept His forgiveness and His daily benefits? This is a good question and a question with only one good answer. To deny God’s importance shows a lack of knowledge and a void of all sanity and intellect. Anyone who chooses to answer with any response other than his lack of belief or his desire for self-indulgence, would, in any case, be considered a fool. “The fool has said in his heart there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). And after viewing all the facts, I am left wondering why there are seemingly so many of them. To believe there is a God, and refuse to allow His forgiveness in your life is just as foolish. Any action that does not permit His deliverance in your life, is just as defeating, and will end up placing you in the same dilemma as total disbelief. If dying for a friend does not show love that has been given without limits; what does it show? Many would say that it proves Him to be a fool, but remember, He died for you. Do you consider yourself worthless and without importance?
Confusion, doubt, and deception are all tools of the devil used to place you in a position of unconcern, unconcern about the place of your eternal destiny, a place that will one day be your eternal predicament. Understand, that while you have the influence of God always around you, there is also the will to fulfill the desires of the flesh pulling you in the opposite direction. The Bible talks many times about the war of the spirit over the flesh, which is what makes our earthly existence so difficult and confrontational. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
The enemy has corrupted our society to mirror his desires, to cater to the demands and lusts of the flesh. His ways are sometimes subtle, but when it is needed, he can become brutal and unrelenting. There is no line that he will not cross, no pain that is too severe or havoc that is off limits; his intent is to consume and destroy, and he will never relent. The devil’s intent is not to provide man a better way but to draw all who will listen away from God. His powers are enormous, and a continual resistance of him takes more power than we alone possess. The only power sufficient to resist and defeat the power of Satan is gained through the Holy Spirit of God. Satan’s only purpose is playing the part of a spoiler, and he is only content when he is causing defeat and death, spiritual as well as physical. The willingness of God to die was brought about by man’s indifference to His commands, and, his acceptance of those things that are evil and defiant. At the point of man’s refusal to obey, God had already decided to do what was necessary to redeem. The only plan of Satan was realized when man sinned, and he, Satan, has continued his onslaught unto this very day. The evil of Satan goes to show his unwillingness to honor and worship his creator, almighty God. If Satan were to become good, his significance would cease to exist. For him to be good would stop his resisting and his attempting to destroy those powers and entities that are forever good, those things that are of God. God is the only one who is good; God is the only one who is perfect. There can be nothing that is good unless it comes from God. There can be only one true God; there can be only one Most High. Think for a moment. If there were, as many believe, numerous gods or spiritual masters or powers that control this universe, which one would be the most powerful? How would they all agree or work together to keep this universe in harmony? In earthly terms or perception, it would seem impossible for many gods to agree, and we would all be at their peril. The sovereignty of kings and nations are what conflicts are all about, and there are none who would be willing to give up their right to rule. If there were to be more than one God, which one would be the creator, or if they all had the power to create, would they all make their creation after their own image? It is worthwhile to assume that if there were many gods, there would be one whom we would consider the most powerful. It is said that you should not answer a question with a question, but I say that some questions are so absurd that the right question in response can be the best answer. It should not take a sane individual long to conclude that there can truly be only one God and that this expression from the Bible is true and meaningful. If you were to choose a god to worship, would you not worship the one that was the most powerful? “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34,14). “And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve”” (Luke 4:8). If the most powerful god was not in agreement with all of the lesser gods, would he not destroy them because he had the power to do so? Being the most powerful god, would he allow lesser gods to tempt and pervert his children? Being the most powerful god of all, would that not place us at his mercy and authority? As the Bible states, we are to serve only one God. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6). “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:6). “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:6). “And the scribe said unto him, ‘Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’” Mark 12:32-33
God’s Spirit is constantly calling us to come unto His salvation and rest. The Spirit of God is always around His people, protecting them and giving them the understanding and guidance to do what God, the Father, would have them to do. As sinful man, if the influence of Satan were to be banished, would we continue to do those things that are sinful and evil? If our nature were not to be changed from one that was evil to one of righteousness, we would continue doing what our nature compelled us to do. The death of Christ was intended to defeat Satan and to restore man back to God. If we were rid of Satan and all demonic influence, we would live better lives by not having to resist his constant power and temptation, but we would still be lost until we accepted the gift that God has offered us. As lost souls we must be redeemed by the blood of a loving Savior. It is only when we reach the portals of heaven that the complete influence of sin will be taken away and we will no more be influenced or tempted by its evil intent. The only way we can become truly saved is by aggressively doing what God has required us to do. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30. Salvation, obtained by His ardent sacrifice, is not only about the absence of sin in your life, but about receiving the heart and mind of Christ. Salvation is having a personal experience and relationship with its only provider: Jesus. That is having the intuitive desire to think the way that He thinks, and act the way that He acts, because you deeply desire to please Him. Jesus will always be the one in power. He will always be the one in charge, simply because He is the only one that has the power to do so. If Jesus would say that He no longer had the will or desire to be God, there is no one that could take His place, not even Satan, who wants to do so. Satan, the enemy, does not have the right or ability to reign, and neither does he have the power or intelligence to do so. If God would not have arisen again, everything that He has created and is under His control would also cease to exist. That is the reason we can be sure that God is not dead; because if He were dead, we would also be dead, along with the rest of his creation. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11.
God is in control of the environment, not man. God will see that His universe remains intact until its appointed time. We remain here only because He allows us to, because it is in His perfect will. It is not in man’s power to destroy it. Consider the impossible. If God would have been overthrown, or if God had allowed Satan to rule without restraint, we would have been doomed long ago, because Satan does not have the power or wisdom to keep everything functioning. He could not do without God or His power to keep everything in its proper place and function. Satan wants power; God is power. Satan, the enemy, is not omnipresent. He is not all knowing. God created him. The power and truth of God are indispensable, and they are without comparison. When God died, any triumph or victory that Satan had hopes of achieving also died. The rebellion of Satan had placed him in the predicament of exile, while the blood of Jesus purchased man’s way back to God.
Fact: if I put my hand in a fire, I’m going to get burned. The longer I leave my hand in the fire, the worse the burn. If I am to relieve myself of the pain, I must remove my hand from the fire. It’s common sense you say, but so many people today just don’t seem to relate to the lesson being taught. They, as I have been, must learn the hard way. Living your life as though there were no God, doing those things that are constantly destructive, with no apparent feeling of guilt or accountability can be compared to leaving your hand in the fire. Of a truth, the day that we are born, we begin to die. We have all been put in a place of jeopardy. Without the redemptive blood of Christ, the Lamb, we will one day be plunged into that abominable pit, away from the joy and peace of an eternal paradise. God has provided us a way of escape, a way to remove our hand, our whole bodies, from the fire. Through the precious blood of His Son, we can be taken from that place of eminent danger and placed within His assurance of hope and eternal rest. Just as sure as our days are numbered, we will all one day be called to give account of our past. It is not a game; the forces that oppose us are real; the powers that applaud us are indisputable, and we are plunging head on into a circumstance of our own choosing. The Bible states, “If God be for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b). We do not have to enter into eternity all alone. The mighty Words of an all-powerful God stand undaunted and revealing, telling all about the deliverance provided to us through the atoning blood of His only Son. It’s up to us; we will make that final choice. God has willingly died, an indisputable fact that is both powerful and unrelenting. His death has set aright all that sin had perverted and destroyed. The blood of Jesus has the power to heal us, body, soul, and spirit. By his sacrifice, we are made complete; we are given His second birth. Even though His willingness to die is hard to understand; and, by many, easy to refuse or doubt, it still remains the only way for our redemption.