God’s Determined Will

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God’s Determined Will
READ | Ephesians 1:1-14

Believers frustrated by the Christian life lack two critical pieces of
knowledge: an understanding of God’s will and an awareness of the
steps to discover His plan for our lives. Over the next few days, we
will study the nature of God’s intentions and how to access them.
Let’s begin with a look at His sovereign will.

God’s “determined will” includes His unchangeable plans for the world.
As the sovereign ruler, He is in total control—no government rises to
power and no physical ailment occurs unless He allows it. He is
determined to carry out the plan that He developed before Creation.

God reveals very little of His determined will to mankind. We can
anticipate only those events He has disclosed, such as Christ’s return
and the White Throne judgment. (Revelation 19:11; 20:11-15) Much of
our knowledge comes from our experience and Bible reading. We know,
for example, that the Lord has given us limited free will and that He
has a plan for redeeming us from the sin we choose.

God’s ultimate purpose is His glory. Because of a limited human
perspective that sees only the evil, people wonder how He can allow
crime, disease, or war. But we know that “God causes all things to
work together for the good of those who love him... ” (Romans 8:28).
Look at the cross—that device of torturous death is the greatest
expression of good and glory in Christianity!

God will have His way, whether we believe in His sovereignty or not.
His plan is far bigger than we can grasp, and it is designed to
highlight our need for Him.



Written by Dr. Charles Stanley