DO NOT ARGUE WITH
GOD
I have no
greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. -- III
John 1: 4
What is truth?
Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth. – John 17: 17
God’s Word is truth so we
must study the Word of God to know the truth. And, in turn, this gives God
great joy. Isn’t that what we all really want to do?
This teaching is as
much for myself as it is for you. I had many real life experiences, where, even
though I studied much of God’s Word, at times, I argued with God. Later we will
cover a subject that may shock you pertaining to the Apostle Paul. So often
when we think that we missed out on a great opportunity or were greatly
hindered, or else our life did not turn out as planned, did you ever stop and
think?! Maybe, just maybe, God has protected us from a miserable existence or
from some type of great danger? This subject matter also greatly entails and
involves the great law of believing – positive or negative. Our vote determines
the election.
But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you. –
Matthew 6: 33
When I studied this
verse, I learned that if you keep God first and foremost in your life, then
everything else in your life will fall into its proper place. Then why are we
so unhappy so much of the time even as strong Christians? A great deal of the
reason lies in the old man. If you got involved and learned God’s Word when you
were seven years old and another person learned God’s Word when he or she was
thirty-seven years old, who is going to have the more difficult time renewing
his or her mind? The answer is obvious. One person has seven years of old man
ways and habits to overcome. The other believer has thirty-seven years of old
man ways and habits to overcome. Myself, I’ve had twenty-four years of old man
ways and habits to overcome by renewing my mind to God’s Word. And the degree
of ‘badness’ of the old man plays a factor. I was as bad as you can get. My spouse
had a mild old man – very few, if any, bad habits, good upbringing etc. I spent
about ten years of my life in boarding homes just to get away from my broken
and somewhat very dysfunctional family – if you can call it that. I chose to
live in a one-room hotel than in a brand new beautiful home. I’ve been to hell
and back so I know what I’m talking about. I’m sure some of you can identify
with what I’m saying.
Before using the best
example I know of in the Bible regarding ‘Don’t Argue With God’, let God’s Word
set the stage even more so by taking a good look at the following Scriptures
and let’s compare ourselves honestly with what God is saying.
Therefore we
are [were] buried with him by baptism into death [his burial]: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. –
Romans 6: 4
Figuratively, when
Christ died, we died with him and when he was raised from the dead, we were
raised with him. Because Christ then had newness of life, we should have
newness of life. If Jesus Christ overcame everything that could captivate us
mentally and physically and he did, then how can we have any doubt, worry, or
fear in our lives? We shouldn’t. The more we renew our mind to God’s Word, the
less of an influence the old man ways have upon our thinking. It’s really that
simple. Easy to say – harder to do. It takes a constant effort everyday to
renew the mind and it is a difficult process, BUT it’s a million times better
than living by the world’s way where your life is controlled, manipulated, and
influenced every which way you turn. On your own, take a look at Romans 12: 1
and 2. "BE NOT CONFORMED" . . . . . Do not conform to this world is a
commandment of God. We all have free will to listen or to argue with God. When
we listen, we have life and peace – when we argue, we have death. Tough
choice!? . . . . . . Before moving on, let me give you a literal translation
of Romans 6: 4 according to usage:
Therefore
we are buried with him by his baptism unto death and raised again from the
dead, that like as Christ was buried and raised again from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. – Romans 6: 4
I have often heard it
put that we as believers, walking by the spirit, in fellowship, and enjoying
our newness of life – NOT ARGUING WITH GOD – should have no sweat, no stress,
and no strain in our lives. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Well, it’s true.
You should be well aware of John 10: 10b and that is what the more than
abundant life guarantees you. It has come to my realization lately that I
myself, often argue with God. The great Apostle Paul argued with God and it
altered his life drastically. Do you really think it was God’s Will for Paul to
spend time in prison and under house arrest in the later years of his life?
Paul made one choice that had serious implications and God tried time and time
again to stop him, but Paul would not listen. We’re going to cover that record
in detail soon. And the Apostle Paul was a great man of God – but he was human.
God likes to set the
stage for a teaching just perfectly so we will cover one more Scripture that
has always fascinated and intrigued me.
For the Word
of God is quick, and powerful [living, energetic, alive], and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner [a critic, a
judge] of the thoughts [emotions] and intents [ideas] of
the heart [the innermost part of the being]. – Hebrews 4: 12
This verse says so
much, it is truly fascinating – something to hold on to dearly. Let me have the
privilege of opening up this verse to you so that you too can take joy in
understanding God’s matchless Word.
God tells us in I John
5: 3 that his commandments are not oppressive.
For this is
the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous. – I John
5: 3
When God says His Word
is quick and powerful, He is saying that the Word of God is alive. This is a
figure of speech meaning that walking by the spirit as opposed to the five
senses is exciting – it is life in the fast lane. People are taught to believe
that studying the Bible is the opposite. Who teaches them this lie? The god of
this world. His ministry is to steal, kill, and destroy. How can you expect him
to do anything else? I have had more excitement in my life than maybe 10 or 20
or even 50 people have ever experienced. Why would I be doing this? I don’t get
paid for it. I want to share with you the secret of living – God’s blueprint
for living.
The Word of God allows
us to separate and distinguish the joints/bones from the marrow. This means we
can see what is physically impossible to see with just the five senses alone.
We can separate truth from error by operating the manifestation [NOT GIFT] of
word of knowledge. We become spiritually sharp – sharper than a two-edged
sword. Did you know that it is impossible from a medical standpoint to find the
point of division between bone and marrow?! God is using this figure of speech
to let us know that with an accurate knowledge of His Word, believed and
applied, we can recognize points of division that, with the senses alone, is
not possible.
Hebrews 4: 5 also
states that His Word is ‘a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.’
More literally, it says the Word is a CRITIC of the EMOTIONS and IDEAS of the
heart. The Word living in the renewed mind of a believer is a critic or a judge
– it cuts out the old man thoughts. Once this takes place, the true emotions and
ideas of the heart are made manifest. That is why we should not argue with God.
Many believers are impatient when it comes to waiting on God.
The Word of
God will show you what you should be doing with your life and also what will be
most enjoyable to you. However, the old man will fight you. The following Scripture is dynamic
and will clearly explain to you what takes place.
For the flesh
[the five senses] lusteth against against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh: and these [desires] are contrary
the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
– Galatians 5: 17
Even after we learn to
walk by the spirit, we still may have a tendency not to listen to God because
our old man ways, the five senses, still interfere. We will always have an old
man and he must be kept under control. If we continue to argue with God, we
will eventually be defeated in many areas of our lives.
Let’s now turn to a
record in the Book of Acts concerning the Apostle Paul. When it comes to
revelation, God will always tell you first. When we don’t listen, He will tell
another believer to tell us what God wants us to know. We ALWAYS have free will
to obey God or not to obey God.
Now I’m going to share
something with you that you probably were never aware of before. Yes, believe
me, the Apostle Paul was a great man of God. God gave Paul more revelation than
any believer at that time. God told Paul about the great mystery of ‘CHRIST IN
YOU’. But you do know that Paul was a man and like all men, he was not perfect
and he made mistakes. Being more specific:
It was NEVER God’s Will for the Apostle Paul to go to Jerusalem.
Let’s examine this
record closely beginning in Acts Chapter 20 and Chapter 21. There were actually
SIX (6) different warnings given to Paul NOT to go to Jerusalem!
Remember I said that God will always tell you first. God may do this in a
number of ways, and one of them is to be bound in the
spirit. Let’s go over this phrase so that we completely understand it.
Were you ever about to
do something and you felt that something was actually holding you back?
Something was telling you "DON’T DO THAT!" We have all experienced
this type of situation at some time in our lives, if not often, have we not?
When this happens to a believer, it is referred to in God’s Word as ‘bound in the spirit.’ This is not a difficult
concept to understand.
And now,
behold, I [Paul is
speaking] go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that shall befall me there. – Acts 20: 22
God never told Paul to
go to Jerusalem but maybe Paul’s own mind told him. We need to be very careful
of this type of mistake and we will make mistakes. I, myself, battle with this
often. I won’t get into the Old Testament right now, but one of the keys to
knowing you received proper revelation is that God’s voice is "a still small voice". You’re personal
adversary will do whatever he can to give you false revelation and you need to
learn what is coming from where. Revelation also cannot be at cross-purposes
with the Word of God, but it can go beyond God’s Word. There must also be
profit in revelation – especially long term profit. If we as Christians could
master the source of all revelation, we could walk a perfect walk. That is
simply not available in this day and time. So we do our best. Often, true
revelation will align with our heart. And finally, we must be in fellowship
with God to ever receive revelation from Him.
Back to Acts 20: 22,
Paul stated himself that he was "bound in the spirit". You will never
be bound in the spirit when carrying out true revelation. Paul also states that
he did not know what would happen to him there. What did happen to Paul when he
arrived at Jerusalem? He was apprehended and bound in chains. He spent the rest
of his days in prison and under house arrest. Would you worship a God that got
you into this position? I wouldn’t.
By being bound in the
spirit, God was clearly telling Paul that it was not His Will for Paul to make
this journey. Remember from before: God always tells
you first. If we are not listening, God will tell someone else to tell
you. Now watch how much trouble God went through to try and stop Paul from
going to Jerusalem. God feels it is quite important to understand this record
if He took the time to make sure it was recorded in the Book of Acts. Acts 20: 22 was the first time God tried to stop Paul from
going to Jerusalem.
And finding
disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit,
that he should not go up to Jerusalem. – Acts 21: 4
These disciples were
hot on God’s Word and were operating the manifestations of Holy Spirit – namely
speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. The interpretation was
inspired by God who clearly said to Paul NOT to go to Jerusalem! Paul wasn’t
listening to Him so God had other disciples tell Paul. As we will see, Paul by
his own free will, would not listen to the disciples. Again, Paul was human,
and this time he argued with God adamantly. Why? I do not know. That’s for God
to know. The fact THAT he did not listen is what’s important in this lesson. Acts 21: 4 was the second time God tried to stop Paul from
going to Jerusalem.
A great man taught me
God’s Word, and at one time, wanted to go to Russia to teach the Word of God.
However, God told him NOT TO GO! He listened to God and did not argue with Him.
Do you know what would have happened if this man of God went to Russia? He
would never have returned.
Remember that the Word
of God, at times, interprets itself in the context. As we examine God’s third
attempt to stop Paul, you need to remember context.
And the same
man had four daughters, virgins [unmarried], which did prophesy.
– Acts 21: 9
[You should read Acts
Chapters 20 & 21, especially the first 15 verses in Chapter 21.]
In verse 8, we see that
Philip was an evangelist and he had four unmarried daughters who were skilled
in the operation of the manifestation of prophesy. Based on the context of this
chapter, what do you think they prophesied about in verse nine? God worked
through these four women, by their own free will, to WARN PAUL NOT TO GO TO
JERUSALEM. Is God doing everything He can? He’s not done yet. Acts 21: 9 was the third time God tried to stop Paul from
going to Jerusalem.
Do you see what a
loving Father we have? He will do everything He can to help us – if only we
will listen and not argue with Him.
Now let’s look at the
next two verses where God tried the fourth time to stop Paul.
And as we
tarried there many days, there
came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. – Acts 21: 10
And when he
was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and
said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man
that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. – Acts 21: 11
Can you imagine this?!
God sends a prophet down from Judea and he gives a physical demonstration to
the apostle Paul as to what awaits him if he goes to Jerusalem. How did this
prophet Agabus know what to do? God gave him word of knowledge and word of
wisdom – revelation. That’s how Agabus knew what to do. Agabus did not argue
with God – he simply did what God wanted done. Acts
21: 10 and 11 was the fourth time God tried to stop Paul from going to
Jerusalem.
After all of this, Paul
was still set to make his journey. You really have to wonder what Paul was
thinking at this point. Wasn’t he paying attention to these warnings? Did he
think that the adversary was trying to stop him? Was it human pride? We will
get a partial answer to this shortly from God’s Word.
Now, let’s look at the
next verse where the fifth, but not final, warning occurred. In this verse, we
will see that a large group of believers warned Paul, but to no avail. Let me
interject here for a moment. You have to be very careful in this life for
‘Satan’s endless suggestions’. You’re always better off to do the opposite of
what an unbeliever will suggest that you do. But this is not the case here.
There were strong believers operating the manifestations of Holy Spirit such as
Philip’s daughters and Agabus. There were also many believing believers
present. These were all men and women of the true God – in fellowship with God.
Remember that God will tell someone else TO TELL YOU if you are not listening.
In my own life, God often tells my wife something He has been trying to tell
me. I’ve learned to listen.
And when we
heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go to
Jerusalem. – Acts
21: 12
‘We’ here could include
a number of believers. When you look back at the context, you see that we could
include the elders of the church from Acts 20: 17. It did include many of the
believers mentioned in Chapter 21 such as Philip, his daughters, and Agabus.
The Book of Acts was written by Luke and he is more than likely included. The
point is that the believers present came together as a group and approached the
Apostle Paul and BESOUGHT HIM NOT TO GO UP TO JERUSALEM. You think by now Paul
would have begun to wonder, but not so. Watch what Paul says in the next verse.
Summing up so far: Acts 21: 12 was the fifth
time God tried to stop Paul from going to Jerusalem.
The following is Paul’s
human reaction to everything that has happened so far. I am not criticizing
Paul, I am stating what God’s Word says about this important situation and
record so that we can learn that any man can be tricked. We need to be careful
that we at least, do not make major mistakes. Paul somehow was making and did
make a major mistake here. God had it recorded for a reason. After all of this,
Paul said the following:
Then Paul
answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to
be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. – Acts 21: 13
Can you understand that
we are of no use to God once we are dead? Paul’s love for God was possibly
taken to an extreme. Extremes are not of the true God. He said to these
believers: ‘Why are you trying to make me feel bad and deter me? Why, I would
not only be willing to be bound for the Lord Jesus Christ, but I would die for
him!’ This was not God’s Will. It was Paul’s will. I have had things like this
happen to me many times and I have suffered a great deal at times. Finally, I
learned. God does not want you to be in trouble past the point of normal
tribulations (mental
pressures). Paul’s short statement in verse 13 sounded quite heroic and very
emotional, didn’t it? Paul was making a mistake.
Let’s go back to
Chapter 20 and add some more light to this subject from God’s Word.
And now,
behold, I [Paul is
speaking] go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not
knowing the things that shall befall me there. -- Acts 20: 22
Save that the
Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide
me. – Acts 20: 23
But none of
these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. – Acts 20: 24
Paul said that none of
these things move him BUT they surely moved God, didn’t they? God moved six (6)
times to stop Paul from finishing his course and his ministry in this manner.
Paul was acting upon either wrong revelation or his old man which is basically
the same thing. His emotional comments were touching, weren’t they? But
remember, SINCERITY IS NO GUARANTEE FOR TRUTH.
Let’s now examine the
sixth and final attempt by the true God to stop Paul from his journey to
Jerusalem. This verse is a very important lesson in the original God-breathed Word
as compared to what we have available to us today. REMEMBER that the original
God-breathed Word of God had NO PUNCTUATION! There are added commas in this
verse that throws the whole Word of God to pieces. I will point this out to
you. They were placed there by the scribes to make it appear like Paul was
doing God’s Will and everyone else was wrong. There are many errors like this
throughout our modern printed versions. This one is one of the most harmful. I
will first present the verse to you as it is written in the King James Version.
And when he [Paul] would
not be persuaded, we ceased [stopped],
saying, The will of the Lord be done. – Acts 21: 14
If you leave most of
the commas in, you have error. It is obvious by now that God did not want Paul
to go to Jerusalem. Paul went and got into no end of trouble there. He almost
lost his life. Paul, this great and mighty man of God who, under his ministry,
Asia Minor heard the Word of God in two years and three months. In the
following two years, AFTER he went to Jerusalem, he
did not win one soul for the Lord Jesus Christ. The closest he came was
"almost" in Acts 26: 28 when he witnessed to Agrippa, the king who
said to Paul, "….Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
Now let’s take most of
the commas out of Acts 21: 14 . . .
And when he [Paul] would
not be persuaded, we ceased [stopped]
saying The will of the Lord be done. – Acts 21: 14
Paul was determined, by
his own free will to go to Jerusalem, so his Christian friends and believers
stopped telling him not to go. Now the Word of God fits like a hand in a glove.
We must study and pray
every day to be able to recognize the counterfeit from the genuine. Revelation
from the true God will not necessarily line up with our senses. But it will
line up with our heart. The enemy always has a new device to coincide with what
man calls progress. I must have been listening to God years ago when I gave
away an older sports car and sold the muscle car. Did God know that gas prices
would rise so sharply? He surely did. Did He tell me and did I listen? I surely
did. But yes, there are other areas of my life where I continued to argue with
God and almost brought calamity to my own life. The importance of this teaching
is that we don’t make this mistake very often – but less and less. That is why
I brought up such a striking example of this from God’s Word in the book of
Acts – an example you will never forget.
To escape the lies and
deception of this world, you must addict yourselves to God. God is His Word and
remember: Commitment starts with obedience.
Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation [wholeness] with fear and trembling [reverence and obedience]. – Philippians 2: 12
For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. – Philippians 2: 13
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