Let me say for starters that God can’t do everything. God is limited. He isn’t as sovereign as we like to give him credit and blame for.
Before I defend this opening assertion, lets just contemplate for a minute what this would mean if its true. God is limited. God can’t do anything He wants to. When we pray for healing, deliverance, provision, anointing, etc… God wants to but can’t.
I just finished reading a book called “A Better Way to Pray” by Andrew Wommack. When I have the resources I’m going to order a bulk of these to give out. The book has and is revolutionizing my prayer life and in a very biblical and powerful way. I’d highly recommend it, plus it’s a short book and a great bathroom read. Yes, you don’t want my copy.
Oh, before I go into full blown heresy let me defend my assertion.
God is limited by himself. God cannot lie. God cannot be untrue to his Word. God is truth and is incapable of deceit. God will not go against the free will of man. God honors the system of authority that He has established. Basically I would argue (from the biblical truths listed above) that God is limited. He can’t just do anything He wants.
Now, whether or not you completely agree with my argument please humor me for a bit and see if its worth it.
The factor that limits God’s power the most? Satan? No, its us. Incompetent man. Operator error. The problem is between the chair and the keyboard.
And where does our biggest mistake lie? Good question, but first an illustration.
The Bible clearly teaches us that God is bigger, more powerful and that God will win. We know the storyline and ultimate destination. What is often forgotten when looking at the big picture is the role that you and I play in it.
The illustration that makes the most sense to me is that God is the football coach. He will have a winning season and will win the Superbowl. We are the players. Some of us are benchwarmers. Some play limited minutes. Some specialist. Some starters. And some, who prepare themselves with zeal, are the star players. Ultimately the coach calls the plays, pulls and puts in players and motivates his team. But the Coach can’t throw a single pass, tackle a single player, intercept, leap or run a single play. He is limited to the sidelines. It is up to the players how the game unfolds.
For instance. Should we pray that God would heal the sick? The Old Testament teaches this, but the New Testament says simply “Heal the Sick.” (Matthew 10:1 & 8, Luke 10:8-10) It sounds like we have it within ourselves (through Christ who dwells in us) to Heal the Sick. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and earth and he now resides on the inside of us and we are his ambassadors.
I believe that a lot more is up to us then we may feel comfortable admitting. Its comforting to say God is in total control because then we can shirk our responsibility. But it seems to me from a simple reading of the bible that Jesus has authorized and equipped us. Its our responsibility to preach. Teach. Heal. Evangelize. Comfort. Minister. And God would be unjust to tell us to heal the sick if he didn’t empower us to do just that.
So am I saying that if someone isn’t healed then we’re to blame? Like Jesus I’m going to answer this question with a question of my own. Why does someone have to be to blame? I think the better question is, did God empower us? And if He did empower us to heal the sick, then what do we need to change in our prayers and lives to see this manifest?
My falling out with the Faith movement is well documented on this blog and in numerous conversations and arguments I’ve had with many in my life. But what if this belief in the literal reading of the scriptures regarding Faith is right? Or mostly right?
And this brings us to the role of the Satan. Beelzebub. Satan literally means the Accuser and this is his only means of stopping God’s potent coaching. He delays the game, fouls, stalls and occasionally even takes our players out of the game (typically when they aren’t supported by their teammates). But his most powerful evil-dote is to get us to quit before victory is achieved.
And this is where we prove our incompetence time and time again. We quit too soon.
Let me rephrase that. We quit. We should never quit. To quote Bryan Duncan, we should be “giving up, giving up now.”
A final illustration would be a hand of poker between us and the devil. God’s the dealer and has dealt us a loaded hand – Royal Flush. The only way we can lose is by folding. The devil isn’t playing his cards (which are by the way crap), he’s playing us. He raises, bluffs, intimidates, and postures. The difference between real life and a hand of poker is that the rounds of betting can go on and on. But there will be a final revealing and if we haven’t folded then we win it all.
In conclusion, God will win, but the role we play in this victory is up to us. If you are sick and tired of the devil hurting you, your family, your community and the world with sickness, poverty, violence and pain then don’t pray to God to change it. Pray to God that he’ll give you the plays, motivation and support and then you go and (quoting Gandhi) be the change you want to see in the world.
And don’t let the devil condemn you for any past defeats, God’s already forgiven you and is calling the next play. Get back in the game, strap on your helmet and be competent. Remember its not up to you how the game ends – that is in God’s sovereign hands. How you perform in the plays (life) that you’re in is totally your responsibility.
To quote Randall Wallace (more on him later) you can let the wolves eat you, or you can eat the wolves.
I’ve never been much of a wolf eater, but I’ve seen how they have devoured friends and family and I’m thinking a little wolf steak, once properly tenderized, is a better way to play.
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