Out Of The Slave Market Of Sin

Please reflect on and ponder the following verses relating to our freedom in Christ! 

"Being made free from sin, ye become the servants of righteousness"  (Rom. 6:18, KJV).

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything [namely, sin]"  (Acts 13:38, ESV).

"For freedom [liberty] Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke [bondage to] of slavery [to the Law or legalism]"  (Gal. 5:1, ESV).   

"Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin.  But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is" (1 John 3:6, NLT).  [Carnality is temporary.]

"Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them.  So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God"  (1 John 3:9, NLT).

"So if the Son [only Christ can liberate us from sin's power] sets you free, you will be free indeed [from sin's bondage]"  (John 8:36, ESV).

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything"  (Acts 13:38, ESV). 

INTRO IN ITALICS:
Note that it's the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, performing an open-and-shut case, while the adversary, the devil, merely accuses us of sin.  We are only responsible for what God reveals to us and convicts us of, not any vague sense of guilt or having a guilt-complex.  Jesus challenged the authorities and Pharisees to convict Him of sin (cf. John 8:46), and He knew no sin, did no sin, and had no sin, yet Christ became sin on our behalf and suffered its full penalty.   But He had to live for us also a life of obedience to the Law of Moses, in order for God to impute His righteousness to us.


Theologians define our situation of depravity as follows:  "We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners [we can't help but sin and only do what's natural to our nature]."  We are not basically good but evil: inherently and thoroughly tainted from the image of God:  "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots  Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil"  (Jer. 13:23, ESV).   Paul says in Romans 3 that there is none that does good, no not one! Saint Aurelius Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, proclaimed our predicament:  non posse non peccare or that we are unable not to sin--we can only sin as natural men, even our good deeds are tainted and have wrong motives, our righteousness is as filthy rags per Isaiah 64:6 and our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us (cf. Isa. 45:24).  Our fruit is from Him (cf. Hos. 14:8) and "... [He] has done for us all our works" (Isaiah 26:12, ESV).  Paul said in Romans 15:8 (ESV):  For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...." 

At salvation, we are redeemed from the slave market of sin and set free, no longer in bondage to our old sin nature as its slave, but given the power to overcome.  Indeed if we remain in our sins or continue in them we are not free. There is no category of believer who is in perpetual sin or carnality if he is unrepentant, he is lost--the believer may fail his Lord, but he yearns to obey.  Obedience is the only true test of saving faith, as a Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred by the Nazis, said, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." However, we see the result of salvation:   "For sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace"  (cf. Rom. 6:14).

As believers, we are saved from the penalty of sin at salvation, the power of sin in time, and the presence of sin in eternity.  We are born to become overcomers and be masters of our own domain, and comfort zone, not like fish out of water.  Who is it that overcomes the world, but he who believes in the Son of God? (Cf. 1 John 5:5).  We also know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (cf. 1 John 5:20).  We ought to consider ourselves dead to sin, no longer obeying that cruel taskmaster.

Romans 6:16 (NLT) says, "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey?  You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."   And 2 Pet. 2:19 (NLT) says, "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption.  For you are a slave to whatever controls you."    Jesus said that unless you believe He is who He says He is, you will die in your sins (cf. John 8:24).  

We are to examine our fruit regularly (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5) to see if we are walking in the Spirit and following on to know the Lord in fellowship and obedience.  We have been rescued from Satan's power and the power of our own selves because we are our own worst enemy.  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us to overcome sin and set us free:  "[That] I may know him and the power of his resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10, ESV).

However,  the adversary knows our weaknesses and vulnerabilities and exploits them to catch us at an opportune time after a victory or on a spiritual high.  Epictetus appropriately said that we are never free till we have mastered ourselves.    Everyone has some easily besetting sin (cf. Heb. 12:1) or even pet sin that they find difficult to stop committing and keeps tripping them up.  But the good news is that there is always an escape clause and way to defeat it because no sin is a temptation Christ didn't face and overcome--He is able to sympathize with our weakness and even intercede for us when we do sin.

The whole purpose of repentance is not to change your opinions about your sins, but to come to a change of heart, which means mind, feelings, and will.  It will result in the fruit of a changed life and conduct (cf. Acts 26:20; Luke 3:8).  We "must prove [our] repentance by [our] deeds" (cf. Acts 26:20).  We must also bring forth fruit worthy of our repentance.  No fruit, no repentance.  The key to overcoming sin is genuine repentance, and confession, which implies saying the same thing about as God says and being willing to stop it;  we must be sorry enough to quit!  Our commission:  "... [That] repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem"  (Luke 24:47, ESV).

The trouble with the sinner is that he doesn't see his own sin, according to Martin Luther,  and even flatters himself too much to hate it (cf. Psalm 36:2).  We don't have the power in ourselves to overcome sin, but must learn to walk in the Spirit--the secret to that is to keep short accounts of your sin with regular and frequent confession.  Walking with God is only possible with progressive and continued repentance--it's a way of life, not something we go to confession to do and be absolved by a priest.

We can fall from grace, but not the state of grace, and not absolutely; however, we can and do backslide, but God can heal us of it and restore us (cf. Hos. 14:4).  Paul told the Galatians just that and to stand fast in the liberty they had in Christ.  The whole point of salvation is to be saved from the tyranny of sin and live a transformed life in Christ:  "... [And ] you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins"  (Matt. 1:21, ESV).

Religion is an exercise in futility as one lifts himself up by his bootstraps and reforms himself and engages in a do-it-yourself proposition, while Christ gives us the power for change by grace [a foreign word to world religion]. Conversion is not an acceptable way to have a nervous breakdown, but a transformed life, not done by self-help, an AA-like pledge, nor self-reform, but God changing one from the inside out.  When sin abounded, grace abounded all the more (cf. Romans 5:20).

Victorious living is then learning to put off the old man, and put on the new man, made in the image of Christ. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"  (2 Cor. 3:17, ESV).    In sum, when we sin we are not showing our freedom, but demonstrating our slavery!
Soli Deo Gloria! 

Answering God's Call

 "Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..."  (Rom. 8:30, ESV). [Note that no one is lost in the shuffle of salvation!] 
"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (cf. John 6:29).
"... Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice"  (cf. John 18:37). 
"... [A]s many as were appointed to eternal life believed"  (Acts 13:48, ESV).  

"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision," (cf. Acts 26:19). 

Man gives the outward, general call  (cf. Titus 2:11) of the biblical evangel to the world, exhorting repentance and faith via the preaching of the Word's gospel message--to preach the Word.   Man's call is often rejected and ineffectual, and can fall on deaf ears!  They say that the convert hears the gospel and rejects it 7.6 times before coming to saving faith.  Even the demons believe and tremble (cf. James 2:19) and God requires a faith that is alive with worship and devotion, but also discipline and obedience.  No fruit--no faith (the instrumental means)--no salvation (no evidence)!  We may say in resignation, "Let the chips fall where they may!" but God is the sole primary cause of the universe--we're merely secondary causes used by God to accomplish His will and bring Him glory!  We exist, to bring glory to God (cf. Isa. 43:7):  "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever" (cf. The Westminster Shorter Catechism).

Some people merely produce foliage, not fruit, because they aren't abiding in the vine and they will be pruned.  It is important to note that the gospel in vogue isn't necessarily the one Paul preached--and he pronounced an anathema on those false teachers who watered down the gospel (a different gospel or dumb-downed version) or mixed it with works, and forsook the way of grace alone.  Grace and works don't mix!  We are indeed saved by grace alone, through the channel of faith alone, and this must be invested in Christ alone, all according to the authority of Scripture alone, so as to ensure the glory going to God alone.  There's no merit system in our salvation--God doesn't grade on a curve.

We must respond to the inner calling of the gospel to our souls (cf. Romans 8:30) that must respond to the so-called wooing or drawing of the Holy Spirit.  John 6:44 makes it clear that the Father must "draw" one, and John 6:65 makes it clear that God must "grant" the privilege of believing in Him.   God grants faith and salvation (cf. Phil. 1:29) and it is a gift and not a work (a meritorious one)!  If it were a work we would have reason to boast, but Titus 3:5 says we're not saved "by works of righteousness which we have done."

Paul says in Eph. 2:9 that we are not saved by works--the reason being to eliminate boasting or bragging before God.  Now, the wooing of God is necessary and sufficient to bring us to Christ: no one would come to  Him without it; if we came to Him alone, we will leave alone!   God's call is irrevocable and efficacious, meaning that it is a permanent call and God gets His desired effect."As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (cf. Acts 13:48).  AND WE HAVE "BELIEVED THROUGH GRACE." (CF. ACTS 18:27).  We receive our faith, we don't achieve it  (cf. 2 Pet. 1:1). 

Some believe that God woos all men, this would make God out to be a failure; however, those whom He woos do come and without regret--no one who believes is ever disappointed in God. (cf. John 5:24).  If you are inclined to ascribe universality to wooing, then does He woo equally?  And why do only some respond?  There is no way to avoid this doctrine without assigning merit.  Our salvation is a pure act of grace and there is no room for works--we are not saved by works, but not without them!  This doctrine refers to the irresistible grace of God--God's grace is sovereign and reigns (cf. Rom. 5:21).  Christ is Master of our fate, and Captain of our soul.

Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands, not ours (cf. Psalm 31:15; Job 23:14)!  If we had to do anything for it, we'd fail, and so God does everything in our monergistic salvation--we do not take part in it nor contribute, nor cooperate with "pre-salvation" works either.   God must regenerate us by quickening faith and granting repentance  (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) in order to save us--we don't save ourselves--if you put faith ahead of regeneration, you are effectually saving yourself.   If you can believe without being regenerated, what good is regeneration? If our salvation were in our hands and up to us, we'd blow it or botch it!   Salvation is grace from beginning to end as Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  It is not a human achievement, but divine accomplishment!  God makes us willing and able to believe and repent: Scripture says, "For God is at work with you, both to do and to will of His good pleasure" (cf. Phil. 2:13; cf. Col. 1:29; Heb. 13:21).

God calls and we answer, those who are of the truth hear the words of truth and hear God's voice and calling.   Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.  It is not the calling that saves on, nor faith in the calling, but faith in the One making the call:  "Many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matt. 22:14) refers to the general call of the gospel message to the world at large. "The elect attained unto it, the rest were hardened [blinded]" (cf. Rom. 11:7).   We must always remember that we didn't choose Him, but He chose us (cf. John 15:16).  We are the elected ones, and remember this point of doctrine:  We are elected unto faith (see the ordo salutis and the Golden Chain of Redemption), not because of faith, which is the false prescient view--Romans 8:29-30 militates against it.   For whom He calls, He regenerates unto faith and repentance (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Thess. 2:13), and simultaneously justifies them.  We don't get any credit for believing, it is given or received, not achieved, and we cannot conjure it up--it comes by the hearing and the hearing of the Word of God (cf. Rom. 10:17).

Christians have answered the call and will be fit for being His vessels of honor, we all have to make sure of our calling and election (cf. 2 Pet. 10), though, because assurance is not an automatic fruit of salvation.  "Have mercy on some who doubt, [offer reassurance from the Word]" says Jude 22.  John writes to give assurance of salvation; obviously, it's not a sure thing (John 20:31; 1 John 5:13).  Paul said that if we are faithless, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).  In the final analysis, we must not divorce faith and works, they are distinguished but not separate--we are saved by faith alone, but no by a faith that is alone (from the Reformer's battle cry) as James 2:17 says, "Faith without works is dead"  (can that faith save?).

In sum, God reserves the right to call whom He will and to have mercy on whom He will and harden whom He will (cf. Rom. 9:15).   Some sinners receive mercy, some receive justice, but God is unjust to no one.   God predestined us according to His good pleasure and the purpose of His will, not according to anything we did (cf. Eph. 1:5; Titus 3:5).

Finally, let me sum up citing three verses:  "[W]ho saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works but according to his purpose and grace..." (2 Tim. 1:9, ESV); "God in heaven appoints each man's work"  (John 3:27, NLT).

"... 'A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven'"  (John 3:27, ESV).   Soli Deo Gloria! 

No Plan B

"I am the LORD; if I say it, it will happen"   (Ezek. 12:25, NLT). 
"No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD"  (Prov. 21:30, NLT).   
"It is useless for you to fight against my will [kick against the goads]"  (cf. Acts 26:14, NLT).  
"I will tell you the future before it happens"  (Isa. 42:9, NLT). 
"Have you not heard?  Long ago I did it, From ancient times I planned it, Now I have brought it to pass:  (Isaiah 37:26, NASB--cf. 2 Kgs. 19:25).  

God has no backup plan in case the church is remiss to fulfill the Great Commission!  But God's purposes are fulfilled regardless, and He cannot fail:  "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand" (Prov. 19:21, ESV).  God sees history as a sure thing, under His control and there can be no surprise.  God does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all things, actions, and creatures, from the smallest sub-atomic particle to the largest galaxy (cf. from the divines of The Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646)!

There are no so-called fortuitous events, but only decreed ones, and the blind kismet of Islam is fatalistic and impersonal; both are unsuitable and unfit to our God. God oversees and superintends:  "Can anything happen without the LORD's permission?"  (Cf. Lam. 3:37).  God need not figure the odds, because He reigns.  "Only I can tell you the future before it ever happens"  (Isa. 46:10, NLT).  "The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples" (Psalm 33:10, ESV).

We can see God's fingerprint everywhere:  There is order, purpose, and design--He is "before all things and in Him all things consist" (cf. Col. 1:17).  You may wonder if you have missed the boat for God's will, and you were left behind and will pay the price for the rest of your days:  "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me..." (Psalm 138:8, ESV).  "I cry out to God Most Hgh, to God who fulfills his purpose for me"  (Psalm 57:2, ESV).  The doctrine of Providence is largely ignored by preachers today, but knowing it gives proper orientation to God's sovereign plan for us.  Never forget that God reigns, and is in control--"Dominion belongs to the LORD, and He rules over the nations" (cf. Psalm 22:28).  There is no detail too minute or trivial that escapes His attention, and no problem too big for God to handle--every thing's small to Him! God is not our spectator!  There are no flukes to history as His story!

God is never thwarted and frustrated by His creatures:  "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted"  (Job 42:2, ESV).  God took everything into consideration!  God gets His way and does as He pleases!  "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it?  His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?"  (Isa. 14:27, ESV).  "The LORD of hosts has sworn:  'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand"  (Isa. 14:24, ESV).  God isn't taken aback by us because He is pansophic and knows all--He doesn't just see the future, but controls it and plans it!  God cannot fail nor make mistakes, because He has all power over His creatures, as well as creation itself.

We are part of some grand scheme of God, some chord that will vibrate into eternity, some intricate plan in which God is the main actor who appears front and center, we merely have roles in His play.   There is nothing haphazard in God's plan, there's no happenstance, but all are come to pass of necessity according to John Wycliffe. There are no coincidences, and no chance events, but God even controls the role of the dice (cf. Prov. 16:33).  As Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice!"  He doesn't have to because He also knows all that possibly could be and every contingency.  His sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom, because He wouldn't be completely sovereign then, and things could be up in the air and open to chance occurrence.  But there is no chance event, because He doesn't merely reign as a do-nothing God, but rules on His throne.  Fortunately, God deals in certainties, not possibilities or conjectures. Our future is thereby assured and determined as secure as His throne.


We are not worshiping our sovereign God, but at the altar of Almighty Chance when we don't recognize God's guidance of all events, "who works all things according to the counsel of his will" (cf. Eph. 1:11, ESV).  Nebuchadnezzar cried out, "... [A]nd none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"  (Dan. 4:35, ESV).  The only reason one needs a backup plan is because of lack of foresight or power to follow through on your intentions--God knows all and is able to take all into consideration, and His omnipotence or plenipotence is able to have all power over His creation and manipulate it at will. God certainly governs in the affairs of men and orchestrates all history as His grand story of our redemption--the redemptive narrative.

God cannot fail and the prime example of this is how He defeated Satan on the cross by turning a seemingly evil and calamitous event into good and to bring Him glory.  "Surely the wrath of men praise [God]'  (cf. Psalm 76:10)--this is God's way of defeating evil.  We can see from the crucifixion that God can work with the most diabolical of events (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28), the short-term evil for the long-term good, as He allows and permits them.   There are no "accidents of history" and God means it for our good, when evil happens like Joseph told his brothers in Gen. 50:20, "... [Y]ou meant evil against me; but God meant it for good...."

We are all here for a purpose and that means we should find purpose in what we do, a life without purpose is a waste of time and trivial.  "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep..."  (Acts 13:36, ESV). We are but vessels of God to be used for His glory and He gladly rewards us for what He accomplishes through us:  "For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me..."  (Romans 15:18, ESV). Indeed, "... God has done for us all our works" (Isa. 26:12).  It is an honor to be used!

God leaves nothing to chance--He is sovereign over all creation, and what kind of God wouldn't be?  Albert Einstein said, "God doesn't play dice!"  God works to accomplish His will through vessels of honor and dishonor, nevertheless, it's His will that is completed.  God is not confined nor defined by the time-space continuum in which we are bound and He created, He sees what the future holds and is outside of our dimensions and can control them, meaning He can know all by virtue of His sovereignty and omnipotence and can control all by virtue of His omnipotence and sovereignty--they're distinguished, but not separated, meaning you cannot divorce these attributes!  

Bear in mind God is "too wise to make a mistake, too kind to be cruel, and too deep to explain Himself!"  Newsflash:  All is going according to plan!  David says confidently trusting in God:  "The course of my life is in Your power" (Ps. 31:15, HCSB).  We may not know the future, but we know who holds the future!    Soli Deo Gloria! 

When God Says "No"

"Before they call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear"  (Isaiah 65;24, KJV)
"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things, that you have not known"  (Jer. 33:3, ESV).

Ephesians 5:17 tells us not to "be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."  Yes, it has been granted unto us the right to know God's will and it is our esteemed privilege to seek it and our joy to do it even as David delighted in the will of God (cf. Psalm 40:8) and was called a man after God's own heart.  We must know God's will to pray in the Spirit and the only prayers that He is obliged to answer are those according to His will (cf. 1 John 5:14).  James tells us that we ask and do not receive because we ask amiss--not according to God's will, with wrong motives of our own pleasures (cf. James 4:3).  It is a sin to be lax in this godly discipline, a sin of omission.

The whole joy of prayer is prayer in tune with God's will and in sync with the Lord, or being on the same page as the Divinity.  The "whole purpose of prayer is prayer" and to attain to the throne room of God and approach the throne of grace with boldness (cf. Heb. 4:16).  The primary reason many do not pray is that they don't know God's will and are not seeking it.  Also, you will never know God's will if you are unwilling to do it and go where it may lead; thus surrender is a key to prayer as we pray in relinquishment, "Thy will be done [Matt. 6:10]."   The easy yoke Jesus was talking about, as opposed to the Law of Moses, was to know, follow, and do God's will in the filling of the Spirit.

God reserves the right to nix our prayers and to decline any will of our own that is interposed on His divine plan and will.  God isn't in the business of naysaying for naught but must honor the harmony and perfect will that has His glory in mind--the end result of all is to the glory of God.  There are many reasons God may refuse to answer according to the way we see things in our limited reality:  He knows the future and time is no essence to Him; we don't know what is good for us, but our Father does; God is not our "genie" and doesn't exist to do us favors; God's wisdom trumps ours; and sometimes God is just saying "Wait."

Finally, it is the love of God that puts divine restraint on Him to always give us what we want.  God may not answer the way we want because of a lack of faith, because this is the primary condition of prayer along with asking in Jesus' name or what is consistent with His nature and will glorify Him accordingly.  The spirit of unforgiveness closes the door until we seek reconciliation with our brother.

Primary reasons God doesn't answer our prayers are that we fail to meet the conditions of prayer:  Jesus said, "If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you"  (John 15:7).  Familiarity, even continuing in the Word (cf. John 8:31) is a prerequisite to knowing God's will, and thus of prayer! One often overlooked the conditions of prayer are obedience and fellowship, for the Lord will not hear us if we regard iniquity in our heart or are willfully disobedient  (cf. Psalm 66:18; Ezek. 8:18).

It is an exercise in futility to fight or attempt to manipulate God and insist on your own way;  God may grant it and say, "Okay, have it your way!" (Psalm 81:12, NASB, says:  "So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices.")   This is what we don't want, believe it or not, because our way is of chaos and will not result in blessing--the Father knows best and we ought to trust Him!   When  God says "No" we must accept it as the grace of God and His refusal is always merciful, as a doting parent withholds candy from a baby.

The problem we have is that we are captives of time, and "time and tide wait for no man" (Sir Walter Scott); however, God is independent of the time-space continuum and sees and knows all, and is the only one in position to answer prayer wisely.  We must realize that most of our prayers are self-serving if we don't commit to God's will and we pray with strings attached, wanting something out of God.  When God says "No" we shouldn't feel disheartened, for the Father said "No" to Jesus at Gethsemane, much to Jesus' dismay. We all have to accept that God knows best and relinquish ourselves--without being fazed or dismayed in our faith--and we should never react or waver because of a negative answer.

One chief reason that God doesn't answer our prayers is that we give up and resign to accept fate, as it were.  "We should always pray and not lose heart" (cf. Luke 18:1).  That is, persevere or be persistent!  The point Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount is that we should keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking (cf. Matt. 7:7).  Cotton Mather prayed for two or more hours every day for twenty years, and the revival he prayed for came the year he died.

And so, it seems that sometimes God isn't' saying "No" to us, but testing our patience and waiting till the time is right.  Only He knows when the time is right and the future is in His hands according to His timetable, not ours.  Knowing God's will is paramount; for if you knew that all that happened to you was to the glory of God, and ultimately served to the advance of the gospel, wouldn't you rejoice and be glad?  Aren't you glad that sometimes God had something better in mind for you? If God answered all our prayers as we wanted, we'd soon mess up our lives if God were to always say, "Okay, have it your way!" 

The motivation to pray is not to get something out of God or to get what we want, but to allow God to display His glory.  We don't pray to get our will done in heaven, but God's will done on earth, it is said.  The joy is in praying or enjoying fellowship and in the secure knowledge that He hears us, not that an occasional prayer is nixed or denied.   Nevertheless, rejoice that God hears you and has inclined His ear to your petitions and that He even answers one of them is a "bonus" or fringe benefit of knowing Him.

The essence of prayer, then, is aligning ourselves with the will of God to achieve His glory.  So get in harmony with God and it will be no problem when He says "No." Your prayers will avail with God, and accomplish His glory and will when you meet all requisites for praying in the Spirit.  The miracle and wonder are that He is inclined to hear us and answer any of our prayers, not that He refuses one petition.   We must realize that fact that prayer is not some abracadabra or mantra to get our "wish list" accomplished by following some formula that God is obliged to obey. There is some type of protocol like praying to the Father, in the name of the Son, in the Spirit (per Eph. 2:18) and know that God is no debtor of man and will answer all prayer that glorifies Him and is according to His plan.  Soli Deo Gloria!  

To Advance The Gospel

 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the church"  (Col. 1:24, ESV)
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake"  (Phil. 1:29, ESV). 
"[T]hat I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings..." (Phil. 3:10, ESV).

Paul rejoiced "that what has happened to [him] has really served to advance the gospel" (Phil. 1:12, ESV).  If we have a meaning behind why we're suffering, we can endure it for Christ's sake.  It serves a larger purpose than ourselves, God is turning evil into good and all of our trials, tribulations, tests, and sufferings are but to bring glory to God as we are vessels of honor in His sight.  We must cling to the promise of Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for our good and God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself; even Job got no reason or explanation for his trial, only a revelation! Even when evil befalls us, God means it for good (cf. Gen. 50:20).  It's not a matter of "Why?" but "Who?"  It is a proven psychological fact that when people are given a "why" for their suffering, they can endure nearly any "how."  This is focused on our attitude, to rejoice in the Lord always! When we see the big picture of God's providence, we can have the right attitude.  Only we can choose our attitudes. 

If we know God, we will trust Him through thick and thin, and when the chips are down our faith will be all the stronger.  There is no kismet or blind fate of Islam, but we have a personal God who gives us a destiny.  We aren't called to be stoics of depressing fatalism though and sing "Que sera, sera," "What will be, will be..." as Doris Day sang, nor to gladly let the chips fall where they may, but seek God's preceptive will through Scripture, knowing that His decreed, hidden will is none of our business (cf. Deut. 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God...").  Stoics are called the philosophers of the "stiff upper lip," because they just believe we have to grin and bear it, no matter what and just accept our fate--resignation or accepting the status quo is not faith.  But Christianity is not determinism!

We have a destiny to participate in and God has plans for our good and to bless us in doing His work. (Jer. 29:11, ESV, says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope." God will fulfill His purpose for us (cf. Psalm 57:2; 138:8).  "He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store," (cf. Job 23:14).   God doesn't have to explain Himself to us and we aren't His judge, but we have to explain ourselves to Him and He is our judge.  We are suffering to bear witness to the world, but we aren't saved through suffering; it's only an honor to suffer for His sake as we fill up the sufferings of Christ in the body. Actually, the blood of the saints was the seed of the church according to church father Tertullian, and martyr means witness--it was the suffering of the church that gave it such growth.

The problem of suffering is not answered definitively in Scripture; we must take God's Word that He means no harm, but our good and is wise enough to work it out.  But then again, no religion adequately answers this question, of why there's evil in the world.  Concerning Paul, who boasted of more suffering than any of the other apostles, and still thought himself unworthy, Jesus said, "For I will show him [Paul] how much he must suffer for the sake of my name" (Acts 9:16, ESV). We must not strive against God's will (kick against the goads) per Acts 26:14.   Paul reluctantly mentioned what he had endured for the sake of the gospel in 2 Cor. 11 and the suffering was really a feather in his cap, to his credit.  Even so, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble, because he had suffered so much for the sake of the Name.

Affliction is inevitable:  David says in Psalm 34:19, NLT, "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time."  "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God," (cf. Acts 14:22).  In summation, it is to be noted that only in our faith is there meaning behind suffering--Eastern thought of karma just says you get what you deserve in life or the next time around, but doesn't offer a higher understanding. Karma is negated by the undeserved sufferings of our Lord, of Joseph, and of Job; note also Psalm 103:10, "He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve."  Mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don't deserve--only Christianity fully embraces in these doctrines.

In sum, "adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials inevitably happen to all Christians," but Christ was honest enough to warn us and doesn't expect anything of us that He didn't experience and didn't exempt Himself from suffering (He learned obedience through suffering, cf. Heb. 5:8)--in fact, our crosses pale in comparison!  Remember: no cross, no crown!  Soli Deo Gloria!  

The Puzzle Of Life

 "The LORD directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives"  (Psalm 37:23, NLT).  
"Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory"  (Psalm 50:15, NLT).   

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble"  (Psalm 46:1, NLT).

God gave us the Great Commission and the Great Commandment as the general plan of action we should pursue, but the details are up to us to fill in the blanks and walk by faith day by day.  We have a general plan to know the direction we should go (to know Him and make Him known) but doesn't usually give us the specifics or details, which we work out as we go on our spiritual journey and grow in faith. No one knows the whole outline of his life, the whole plan:

God may call us to the mission field, but we will not know this of our own wisdom, we don't appoint ourselves to God's work, but are sent and called.   We basically learn from our mistakes and hopefully won't make the same one twice--no one ever learned anything new from the second kick of a mule! We must realize that God is the Lord of all, and His sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom, as we learn to trust and obey.

We can't figure out what God is doing behind the scenes, but must learn to trust God for His providence, that He knows what He is doing and that all things will work out for our good (cf. Rom. 8:28).  God doesn't lay out His will for our whole life, but in increments so that we will learn to walk in the Spirit, one day at a time.  "This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it"  (cf. Psalm 118:24).  God directs us through Providence as it is written:  "A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?"  (Prov. 20:24, ESV).  We can make our plans, but God's will is done:  "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."  "I know O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps"  (Jer. 10:23, ESV).

Following the LORD is a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with no picture to guide or all in one color!  "For we walk by faith, and not by sight"  (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7).   We must get our act together and know what we are doing, following a rational and systematic methodology.  We must trust that God knows what He is doing and wouldn't deceive us that the puzzle is unsolvable--God doesn't waste our time!  God has a purpose and design for everything, and, if we have enough patience, we will eventually solve the puzzle. We don't see the end result but must trust God for bringing us to it.  However, we have a guide to lead us, the Holy Spirit, and if we walk in the Spirit, we will find answers or the answer.

Our life may seem like trial and error to us, but there's a method to the madness if we know Christ.  We see doors open and close and seize the day when God grants it one day at a time.  God has a plan for our lives and it's never too late to get with the program; there's no Plan B!  We may not be inclined to put this jigsaw together, because we don't have that kind of patience, and don't even want it, but if Christ were helping us we'd be glad to do it, having Him as our enabler and partner.

It would take 1.35 trillion years for a blind man to solve Rubik's Cube, making one move per second, and so we conclude that it's impossible for a blind man to do it in his lifetime.  But it is possible to solve this jigsaw, it just takes time, patience, and organization.  We are a work in progress that only God sees what we will look like when done, and solving this puzzle seems like an exercise in futility, but we would get the fulfillment of knowing we accomplished the seemingly impossible.  It's the same with the Christian life; it's not hard, but impossible.

God gives us an assignment or chore that we cannot complete on our own without the aid of the Spirit guiding us. He wants us to learn to trust and obey Him and lean on Him!   But we should know that whatever we do in the Lord will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ; our faithfulness will be reckoned, not necessarily our success. He doesn't want our achievements, He wants us!   God only gives us assignments we can handle and to whom much is given, much is required.

We don't have to understand why we are going through trials, but just to realize that they serve to further sanctify us.  Job and Joseph are examples of someone who didn't know what God was up to,  never given a reason for their sufferings, but Job was just humbled before God and found out that God is too wise to make a mistake, too kind to be cruel, and too deep to explain Himself.  Soli Deo Gloria!