God's sovereignty

Our God has many names, each representing different aspects of His nature. We see some of His characteristics in our own nature, such as love and justice, because we are made in His image. But some of God’s characteristics remain solely His, such as Omnipresence , Omniscience, and Omnipotence. We have nothing in our personal lives to compare these aspects of God’s nature to, and it is by His Word and our own personal relationship with Him that we become acquainted the characteristics of His sovereign greatness.

In knowing God, many times we are satisfied with what He chooses to share about Himself through our daily lives. We experience and live out grace, mercy, forgiveness and many other parts of God’s nature as our relationship grows. We grow in His likeness, yet not all of His nature is in us.

At times, God’s people become bored with their every day relationship with Him. Some want to experience His power and glory, so much so that they think they can pull it to themselves by their faith. It is a sad day when Man thinks that the kingdom of God will come down because of his own efforts. Power and glory isn’t the sum total of God’s nature, nor is it the entirety of His kingdom. Yet these things are what some believe mark God’s presence amongst us. Their yearning is for the supernatural manifestation of God.

Though God is supernatural and He shares supernatural gifts with us, His desire is that we would know all His nature. If we become focused on the supernatural and addicted to the thrill of these things alone, we will become bait for deceiving spirits. Jesus told us that in the end times there would be many false Christs and false prophets performing great signs and miracles, “to deceive the elect – if that were possible,” (Mt 24:24). These are those deceiving times which Jesus spoke about.

Men and women who are not content with their place in God’s kingdom will become bored, and want more excitement. The walk of faith can have long pauses in it, and trials. Those who long to be heroes will focus on changing things through works of power, and they will teach the younger generation to do the same. So it is they, who are discontent with the everyday walk with Christ, who will seek for manifestations of God’s power. They cannot bear the trial of waiting, nor silence.

Before a man becomes bored with his own relationship with God he will be found to be questioning his own worth. This stage is the playground of the enemy. Satan will accuse people who doubt their worth by condemning them for their inactivity and accusing them of lacking faith. The unstable man will then perpetrate his own dreams, which he calls “faith”, and he will take action, which he calls “serving God.” This man will lose sight of God’s nature because he seeks only to know what he can see concerning God’s sovereignty; His works of power. As in the parable of the Tenants (Mt 21:33-40) these people want the inheritance of the kingdom without the Son ruling over the circumstances of their lives. But those who seek to know God, to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, will endure waiting and trials, for their desire is to know all of His nature.