Fletcher I KNEW another Alabama man would appreciate that !

:)

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Tim

I will accept anything that GOD sends into my life. But having said that, here is the all important question...Did God send this (whatever "this" is) into my life?

There are times when God's plan for my life includes hardships for me. Look at Joseph. I recall a verse in 1 Peter that says that sometimes we suffer according to the will of God. I know that I usually do not grow or mature very much in the easy times, but rather in the times when I am having to go through some stuff.

But we have to be careful that we do not interpret every circumstance of life as having come from God. There are things that come our way that are NOT from God.

This brings to mind another thread going right now about hearing the voice of God directly, outside of what we read in scripture. I think we MUST be able hear the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us. Sure, scripture is the plumb-line that judges all special revelation, but God has given us the Holy Spirit for a reason, and one of the foundational reasons is found in 1 Corinthians 2. We need to be able to know the mind of Christ so we can properly judge what comes from God and what does not.

I would add to Mr. Keller's quote..."and do not accept what God does not send into your life, but rather use the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to resist and deal with it."

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Travis

I have found that God allowed things to come into my life which harmed me but to say that He sent them would make Him unjust.

He just did not intervene and allowed the results of the sins of others or medical neglect and ignorance to have very negative effects.

It was later that l was able to understand that all things work to the good of those in Christ, and the sufferings that l have been through have enabled me to grow in wisdom and to be sanctified through them.

You wrote-

"But we have to be careful that we do not interpret every circumstance of life as having come from God. There are things that come our way that are NOT from God."

How?

The real question is - is God in TOTAL control or not?

If He is not in TOTAL control than he has NO control!

Look at Job. Do not forget the devil has to get permissive from God to affect your life.

Also

1 Thes 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

So glad this subject was brought up. There is a belief system that teaches "accept everything in your life as from God."

Briefly, two scriptures to think about:

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom RESIST stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Christians resist the truth often, by receiving from evil spirits what is not of God. This is the reason we need discernment of spirits, to understand what to receive and what to reject. Not everything that comes to us is from God. DO NOT agree with the teaching that everything that comes to us is from God. You will become passive and receive teachings and manifestations from evil spirits. Have you forgotten, there is a Deceiver and you are in a war with the powers of darkness which counterfeits everything of God? Have you forgotten Ephesians 6?

Following from War on the Saints (page 90)

We need to refuse and resist the following:

"influence" of evil spirits.
"power" of evil spirits.
to be "led" by evil spirits.
to be "guided" by evil spirits.
to "obey" evil spirits.
to "pray" to evil spirits (familiar spirits)
to "ask" anything of evil spirits.
to "surrender" to evil spirits.
all "knowledge" from evil spirits.
to listen to evil spirits.
"visions" from evil spirits.
the "touch" of evil spirits.
"messages" from evil spirits (angels of "light").
all "help" from evil spirits.

The believer must revoke the consent he unknowingly gave to the workings of the deceivers. They have sought to work through him, therefore he now declares:
"I, myself, WILL to do my own work. In the past I willed not to do my work (passivity). This I NOW REVOKE for ever."


(from War on the Saints, page 24)
Since evil spirits can counterfeit God as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, the believer needs also to know very clearly the principles upon which God works, so as to detect between the Divine and the Satanic workings. There is a "discernment" which is a spiritual gift, enabling the believer to discern "spirits," but this also requires knowledge of "doctrine" (1 John 4: 1), so as to discern between doctrine which is of God, and doctrines, or teachings, of teaching spirits.

There is a detecting, by the gift of discerning of spirits, which spirit is at work; and a test of spirits, which is doctrinal. In the former a believer can tell by a spirit of discernment, that the lying spirits are at work in a meeting, or in a person, but he may not have the understanding needed for testing the "doctrines" set forth by a teacher. He needs knowledge in both cases; knowledge to read his spirit with assurance in the face of all contrary appearances, that the supernatural workings are "of God"; and knowledge to detect the subtlety of "teachings" bearing certain infallible indications that they emanate
from the pit, while appearing to be from God.

In personal obedience to God, the believer can detect whether he is obeying God in some "command," by judging its fruits, and by knowledge of the character of God, such as the truth that (1) God has always a purpose in His commands, and (2) He will give no command out of harmony with His character and Word. Other factors needed for clear knowledge are dealt with later on.

(War on the Saints, page 24)

Keller came from a school of thought that had God involved in everything to the point where the term "free will" was almost considered heresy. The basic problem with that, and the quote itself is that it contradicts the ministry of Jesus. There are numerous times where Jesus is recorded both rebuking the "doers of evil" and Satan himself. He even used terminology defining the source of certain thoughts and positions as being from the evil one.

If the Christian takes the time to get to know Jesus'; ministry, what he taught, what he said to those he interacted with and what he did and why, such quandaries as this will not be anything more than moot.

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Robert

Amen, Bobbeers! If we accept the teaching that we should receive everything as from God, then we will see that attitude first in our Forerunner, Jesus. Yet, Jesus routinely rejected, resisted and refused the powers of darkness, rather exposing them.

The teaching that "God is sovereign and whatever happens to me is God's will, is nothing more than gross passivity teaching".

1 John 4:1
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

The question on the table, at least for me, is whether God (not the devil) brings things in our life to see how we will react. Maybe he is not always pleased with wimpy submission.

What if He does not want to just "accept" it? What if He is testing our willingness to fight, or resist?

I think Joseph is a good example. It seems fairly clear that God wanted him in prison. He could have whined and complained and laid on his cot and just sat there saying "i must submit to my imprisonment." Or he could have done what he did- worked and schemed and figured out a way to position himself to get OUT of prison.

In other words, if God brings something into my life that is hard or difficult or painful or depressing, do I just have to sit there are take it? Maybe He is waiting for me to quit whining and change the atmosphere.

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Todd

Starting at the beginning, Adam and Eve are a prime example of being deceived thinking everything is of God. Innocence and ignorance on Eve's part, although Adam willfully disobeyed. They were deceived by the Evil One and should have resisted with the words that God gave them (Word of God).