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NASB | Matthew 6:9 ¶ "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 6:9 ¶ "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [Luke 11:2-4] |
Subject: Thy will be done, statement or fact? |
Bible Note: Hello Angel, I’m glad we both agree that the Bible gives specific examples of God using people to do His will. Your examples make it quite clear. My point is that if God did it at certain times and with certain people, isn’t He doing it all the time and with all people? Is there enough examples in the Bible to prove it? Are there words from God and Jesus that say that? I would like to take specific words of God and Jesus and see if this is what they are implying. I certainly understand your position when you say that man has the prerogative to believe God or not. I have been taught that my entire life. Now that I have lived some years, I can’t help but to have the feeling that God is in total control of it all. We are merely players, all of us. Even the Bible points to the book of revelation and the climax of life as we know it. In order for the book of revelation to come to fruition, God must make it happen, not us. God is using us to make it happen. The part of the Lord’s prayer that says, in Matthew “ 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” And lead us not into temptation. Does God lead us into temptation, where we are tempted by Satan? Isn’t that amazing that off all the things that we need and could pray about, Jesus gave us that particular concern. Jesus told us to pray and ask God to not to lead us into temptation because God does lead us into temptation. Mathew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” The Father led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Now, Jesus asks us to pray that God not lead us into temptation by the evil one. I believe this is how God works with us. He leads either into temptation or to His Son for salvation. When He leads us into temptation explains all the evil that is in the world that people do. We are born neither good or bad. God leads us into temptation, why, I’m not quite sure. Is it to test us? Maybe. God leads us into temptation throughout our lives and we give in to those temptations more often than not. That is why Jesus told us to repent when God calls us to salvation. We have committed a lot of sins. We sin because we are too weak to resist Satan and his temptations. Now Jesus came to this earth to teach us to pray to God and ask Him to not to lead us into temptation but to deliver us from the evil one. Jesus would not tell us to ask God to lead us not into temptation if God is not leading us. He would not have told us to pray for God’s leading if it were not needed. Jesus gave us the example that we can now resist Satan with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is my other point, we cannot resist Satan without the help of the Holy spirit. We need God to resist Satan. God leads us our entire life into temptation and then He chooses us for salvation and gives us the Holy Spirit to help us resist Satan. He is in control of our entire spiritual life from birth to death. That is why Jesus said to pray, “Thy will be done.” All we do is God’s will. Why would Jesus ask us to pray for God’s will to be done if it were not true. It is not our will that we pray for but God’s will. I believe that we have a physical life and a spiritual life. Jesus told Nicodemus you must be born of water and the spirit. Water represents our physical life and spirit represents our spiritual life. With our physical life we get to exercise our will to make the decisions necessary to take care of our physical needs. Where to work, what to eat, what to wear, etc. I believe God gave us the ability and knowledge to make all the decisions necessary to take from His creation what we need to sustain our well being. But God is in control of our spiritual life, born of spirit. As Jesus said in John 6:44 and 6:65, No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him. The Father decides whom He wants to come to Jesus. God is in control of our spiritual lives. He leads us into temptation or unto His Son for salvation. Jesus was quite clear about the Father drawing us to Himself. Didn’t Jesus pray that He not loose any that the Father placed in His hands. John 17:2 “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.” And in verse 6, "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. “15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” Of all the people that heard Jesus and saw His miracles, only a small number believed He was the Son of God. God granted that knowledge to only those small number of people. As far as our salvation is concerned, God is choosing who He wants to believe in Jesus and who He doesn’t at this time. There will be a second resurrection where everyone will be given the knowledge of Jesus and that will be their opportunity. But not now. May God’s will be done. Steve |