Blaming God

Acts 16: 6-15

If you spend time with ministers they will tell you that Christian people blame God for much of the bad choices they make in life.  Examples are numerous, but this one I’ve heard from more than one pastor: “God told me to leave my wife of 25 years (I just picked a number) because I have found that a much younger girl makes me happy.”  Now that is how evil man can be, to lust and desire, and then to blame God for the evil that is in his heart and actions.  We would be wise to read the Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit our teacher to give us understanding of God’s character.  For we are told: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV)

So that being true and it is, how can we discern the warning, the do not’s and the do’s when it comes to His calling on our life?  As we look at Acts 16: 6-15 we are given an account of Paul, Timothy and Silas being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  And how they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.   And this is what doctor Luke tells us; “So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.  So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:8-15 ESV)

The Holman study Bible on page 1893 in the footnotes: “The place of prayer refers to the place where Jews of the city gathered.  Philippi apparently did not have a synagogue, since only women and no men are mentioned.  The establishment of a synagogue required the participation of at least ten Jewish men.” 

Have I answered the question: How can we discern the warning, the do not’s and the do’s when it comes to His calling on our life?  First, it is impossible for a non-believer to hear anything but a repent message from the Holy Spirit.  We know that from 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”  I also believe that an arrogant proud Christian has a very difficult time in hearing the voice of the Lord, in that they are consumed with themselves.  But one who has the same heart attitude as Christ, who thought He was God in the flesh did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant.  Never forget this truth, God has a plan for you; it is a good plan to use your life in the advancement of His kingdom, for it is God who works in and through you, to will and to act according to His good purpose.

God used a vision for both Peter and Paul to change the way or in Peter’s case the way he looked at Gentiles.  God is the same today as He was then; so do not be surprised if you get a word from God in a vision.  But do remember that God will never tell you to do anything that is in contradiction to His word, the Bible.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice