The Concept of Divine Control

The Concept of Divine Control

" ... how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11

The past 24 hours have been difficult. Pastor Bill Raws, who has been in the hospital for almost five weeks, took a major step backwards yesterday, we received news that a dear friend had a brain hemorrhage and needed emergency surgery and now his life is hanging in the balances; several of our friends are going through challenging times right now ... and the list goes on and on.

So I needed these words today from the pen of Oswald Chambers in MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST ...

"Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our MINDS filled with the concept of GOD'S control over EVERYTHING, which means that a disciple must maintain and attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, 'My Heavenly Father knows all about this!' This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise.

Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but know you go to GOD about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of divine conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle -- God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. NOT EVEN THE SMALLEST DETAIL OF LIFE HAPPENS UNLESS GOD'S WILL IS BEHIND IT. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him ..."

Wow! I needed that this morning. And my guess is that someone else who gets this daily Freedom Fighter email needs it too. Thanks, Lord, for speaking to our hearts. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Psalm 16-17; Acts 20:1-16 (Take the challenge -- by reading these daily passages of Scripture, you will read through the Bible in one year!)

Think about this: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Giovanni di Bernardone (Francis of Assisi)