The Battle of the Will-Free Will Versus God's Will

The Battle of the Will. Free Will Versus God's Will

 

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will .

 

Too often we hear the tried and true Christianisms being used to excuse inaction in our walk with God. "Well, God is in control of everything" or "It's in God's hands" are frequently heard amidst Christian dialogues. While it is true that God is always in control and that everything is in His hands; that does not absolve us from responsibility within our walk. The truth of the matter is that we are in a constant struggle in life. The struggle is between the will of God and our own free will. Remember that while God has His will for your life; that does not mean that we play no part in it. We can still step outside of the will of God for our lives through our own exercise of free will.

 

We see this play out in the story of the Israelites. They had seen the mighty works of God in their lives. They had seen Him unleash the ten plagues upon Egypt as they were delivered from the bondage of Pharaoh. They had seen the Red Sea parted. They had seen the Lord provide for them in the wilderness with manna from heaven and water from a rock. They had seen the greatness and glory of God in their lives. Here they were, within striking distance of the land God had promised their forefathers on oath. A land flowing with milk and honey, already sworn to them. Yet when the 12 scouts come back from searching the land out, ten of them came back with a negative report. The bible says these ten spread the bad report throughout the camp of the Israelites and the people rebelled. The only two who had faith that God could deliver what He had already promised were Joshua and Caleb but their assurance was not enough against the negativity of the report of the other ten. The Lord was not pleased:

 

The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." Numbers 14:11-12

 

God was ready to wipe them all out and start over with Moses! But Moses interceded for them and God spared their lives, He did not spare them the loss of His promise for their lives however:

 

The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. Numbers 14:20-23

 

What can we learn from this? God had promised the Israelites the land already. It was already a done deal! Yet Israel chose to rebel against the promises of God and believe the report of man. They allowed the negative report of the ten dissuade them from the word they had already received from almighty God Himself! They certainly must have remembered all of the miracles he had performed in their lives, yet still exercised their free will in stepping outside of the will of God. Remember, it was the will of God that they take possession of the land, yet every one of them except Joshua and Caleb would die in the wilderness instead of stepping into the Promised Land; into the promises of God for their lives.