(This article picks up a few significant side tracks along with the main question.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
++ Can God put the screws to One of His Own, when it is necessary to turn him, and bring him back around to obedience ?
That is question one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
++ If God tightens the screws to make His Dear Child change, does that mean He overrides the person’s free will ?
That is question two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
++ Can the above reasoning of theology apply to groups, churches, nations ?
That would be question three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t think a person can deal with questions one and two with theological reasoning, unless you’ve been to God’s woodshed, face-to-face with your own wickedness (no bland generalities as in corporate confession and absolution), and wrestled over it with your sinful nature, until you come clean before God where He wants you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The questions address a Christian, “One of His Own”, “His Dear Child”, living with something displeasing to God.
More that once, God talks about wickedness in His People.
Each of us must pray, if we dare, if we mean business, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me (test me) and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (response of my free will)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He knows our hearts, our thoughts, we don’t, until He pours it on thick sometimes, tightens the screws, and gets our attention.
Many Christians exercise free will in advance and never consider praying the verse above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to go deeper, deep in the Word of God on this:
From Lamentations 3:22-32 (consider reading the whole chapter).
“Through the Lord\u2019s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
\u201cThe Lord is my portion,\u201d says my soul,
\u201cTherefore I hope in Him!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
Let him put his mouth in the dust\u2014
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul—
Did God force Saul on the Damascus road ?
First of all, Saul was the enemy of Jesus (not One of His Own), dead set on getting rid of Jesus’ followers.
Actually, God asked Paul, “Why?” for starters.
“Saul, why do you persecute me ?”
Saul responded, “What should I do, Lord ?”
Sounds like free will intact, under pressure.
Thank God for the results, for all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nebuchadnezzar—
Despicable tyrant turned into a ‘believer’—talk about some serious screws from the Almighty.
The Bible just tells the story, and the results.
Do read it for yourself, believe it (Daniel 4).
Just remember, a caution, from the Bible about the word ‘believe’:
“The devils also believe, and tremble.”
“I know who you are, the Holy One of God !”—–A demon said that, before Jesus cast him out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Question three:
Can God put the screws to groups, churches, nations—and override their free will ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, reading the historical accounts of God’s dealing with His Chosen People Israel, without adding any rationale, the answer is YES—as in half of the Old Testament and beyond.
Seems like sometimes God forced them to turn around—no choice, no free will ?
Wait a minute, they exercised their free will to not repent plenty of times—and paid, and then paid some more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But where we get into dilemmas and trouble, is in perennial debate whether commands, promises, punishments with Israel apply to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I take personal issue with highly intelligent, learned theologians who determine which verses apply only to people at that time, and which verses we can take for comfort and promise and warning today.
That implies that you have to know what they know, and reason like they reason, to know how to read the Bible, particularly the Old Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If—
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Then—
Every Christian can read the Bible with enthusiasm and confidence in the above declaration, just like they experienced new, 500 years ago.
The Reformation was Revolutionary, for that reason (reading the Bible for themselves) more than any other. (read a lot on Reformation on this site)
Let’s not miss it today.
Or else we fall into repeating the millennial trap of history, depending more on those who “know more” to tell us what God says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More on question three . . . – – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about America today and question three ? – – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n God works in the affairs<\/span> of nations. This article is all about a Child of God giving Him all authority in everything without question or reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n Free will under pressure may be forced to say God is God. – – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soul searching— – – –<\/p>\n\n\n\n FOR NOW— BUT ONE DAY— (This article picks up a few significant side tracks along with the main question.) ++ Can God put the screws to One of His Own, when it is necessary to turn him, and bring him back around to obedience ?That is question one. ++ If God tightens the screws to make His Dear Child change, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,2,7,9,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational","category-faith_based","category-inspire_lifter","category-political-cultural","category-time"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5990"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5990"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6066,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5990\/revisions\/6066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.awordforthought.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The same Old Testament history, HisStory, clearly records how God uses any nation to accomplish His purpose, even raising up a godless nation to punish His People, then using another to crush that same evil nation.
Fact is, He’s running the big show—we’re not.
Remember that, when trying to figure it all out, with your own spin.
Be sure to read the whole story of Nebuchadnezzar, how God used him to punish His People, and then did a rare, one-of-a-kind move to give this despicable, narcissistic dictator an opportunity under pressure<\/span>, to repent.
Nebuchadnezzar did have to acknowledge the God of heaven, but did he declare Him to be his<\/span> God ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
America runs a close second to Israel in chosen by God, trusting God, blessed by God, faithful to God, used by God to spread His Kingdom.
Only God knows how America’s story will play out, whether we will survive the natural consequences and God’s punishment for our national wickedness.
We pray for revival, for this sinking ship that already hit icebergs (sacrificing children, vile affections, forgetting God).
I’m afraid that that prayer is like Israel on the way to exile praying for a quick turnaround.
NO—seventy years for repentance and revival and restoration (prerequisites, in that order).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God only works in the hearts<\/span> of individual people.
God only works His Ways<\/span> in His People<\/span> who have given their hearts to Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Free will under pressure may not be forced to surrender to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each of us is capable of resisting accountability to God, and rationalizing how we think God should deal with us.
We don’t want to give up our wicked ways, and God shouldn’t use force to make us.
We don’t want God to tell us, and show us, that we have wicked ways.
In fact, we don’t believe we have wicked ways.
The old line, “I’m a good person” is alive and well—no, alive and sick—in each of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God does not overrule our free will to reject accountability to Him, for now<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“One day<\/span> every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"