Do you give God credit for everything? I mean EVERYTHING? If so, why?
Now, before you go giving me grief, hear (read) me out.
There are some people who give God credit for everything, and I mean everything, whether it comes from Him or not. Yes, that is correct, not everything comes from God. The enemy also "gives" to us.
Did you ever do something that you were unsure was the right thing to do because, if you had to be honest, you really wanted to do it? Were your motives selfish, or was it really right? Did you justify the decision by saying that you know that it was what God wanted you to do because if He did not want you to do it, then He would not have let you?
"Let you?" That is a bit of a lame excuse because God gave us free will. You are capable of making your own decisions and taking your own actions. Yes, God will most certainly "let" you make mistakes.
I have heard it said that people ask God, if something is not meant to be, to please put up roadblocks. Then, when obvious roadblocks appear, they do what it takes to get around them in order to do what they wanted in the first place. God would have prevented a person from getting around a roadblock if He did not want them to have or do that something, though, right?
Now, before you go giving me grief, hear (read) me out.
There are some people who give God credit for everything, and I mean everything, whether it comes from Him or not. Yes, that is correct, not everything comes from God. The enemy also "gives" to us.
Did you ever do something that you were unsure was the right thing to do because, if you had to be honest, you really wanted to do it? Were your motives selfish, or was it really right? Did you justify the decision by saying that you know that it was what God wanted you to do because if He did not want you to do it, then He would not have let you?
"Let you?" That is a bit of a lame excuse because God gave us free will. You are capable of making your own decisions and taking your own actions. Yes, God will most certainly "let" you make mistakes.
I have heard it said that people ask God, if something is not meant to be, to please put up roadblocks. Then, when obvious roadblocks appear, they do what it takes to get around them in order to do what they wanted in the first place. God would have prevented a person from getting around a roadblock if He did not want them to have or do that something, though, right?
We are not marionettes! God does not control us. He does guide us and give us direction. Do we really want His guidance, or do we just want to feel "righteous" for asking?
Think about this:
Think about this:
The evil one tempts you with something that you want. Let us use a car as an example. You want this car. You pray about it and ask God if this is the car that you should buy. When you go back to look at it a second time, you notice a paint drip on the fender and ask why the car was painted. The person selling the car says that it was in a minor accident but is fine. RED FLAG? Your spouse does not think that buying the car is a good idea. CLUE #2? The bank will not approve your loan for the car. HINT #3? You really want this car, though, so you do whatever you can to get the money to buy it. After all, the car was fixed after the accident, so it is probably fine. You buy the car.
You are so excited, and you thank God for making it possible for you to buy that car.
Then it turns our that an axle is bent, the frame was damaged, and several other damages must have happened in that accident that you did not realize when you bought the car. The car is costing you more money that you can afford and lots of stress, and it is causing problems in your marriage because your spouse thought that you should not buy the car in the first place. That car is causing you more trouble in your life than it is worth. Why? WHY? WHY?!
God, why would you let me buy a car that was going to cause so many problems? I prayed and asked you about it, and you did not stop me!
Huh?
Is it possible that God gave you at least three reasons not to buy the car? Is it possible that you did not pay attention to God? Is it possible that the evil one gave you that car because the evil one wanted to mess with your life? Is it possible that the evil one brought that car to you in the hopes that it would make you question God? Is it possible that by thanking God for this car, you gave Him credit for something that the evil one did?
Now I will go back to my original question: Do you give God credit for everything? I mean EVERYTHING? If so, why?
James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, comig down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
ReplyDeleteThe things should not be why we praise, though. We are supposed to praise him ALWAYS, not just for His blessings. We should praise Him for who He is, not what He's done for us.
I think you are more concerned with people's wishy washy faith. "Thank You, God!" "Why'd you do that, God?!" Very inconsistent, but unfortunately we've all been there. Thanks for sharing!
Ammy, I admit that I am a bit confused by the word "concerned" and wonder if that is actually the word that you meant to use. I used a hypothetical scenario to portray something that I have seen happening around me, and I do believe that sometimes "things," be they physical or otherwise, come from places other than God.
ReplyDeleteJames 1 is a neat chapter. Verse 2 also says that we should consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. That is not what I was going for here, though.
One of the things that I sometimes enjoy about blogging is that people do not always read things the way that I intended them. We each have our own perspective. It is yet another example of how we are so different and unique even as so many of us strive to be the same...like Him. 8^)
Thank you for your comment, Ammy, and for another perspective.