The Acts of God

Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths (Psalm 25:4).

Many were brought up under a system where out of ignorance, God was portrayed as a despot and a destroyer. They were taught in school that the earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis and famines that have ravaged lives, cities and even nations are "the acts of God." But those are not acts of God. The Bible says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). This simply lets us know that whatever is not good and helpful couldn't be from God, for He's a good God, and His gifts and acts are good all the time.

Sweet water and bitter water don't flow from the same fountain (James 3:11). Therefore, God, who is goodness personified, cannot at the same time be the one responsible for sufferings, destructions and disasters that take place in the world. The Bible shows us that the real destroyer is satan. He's the evil one responsible for the terrible disasters and catastrophes that steal people's health, joy, money or peace.

But thanks be unto God, the world is not at the mercy of satan and his filthy acts of destruction! God has given us the power to subdue, tame, and forbid satan from carrying out his manoeuvering and manipulative acts of wickedness around us: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpians, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). Observe that it's God who gave us, His children, power over all the works of the enemy. Hence, He couldn't possibly be the one responsible for the works He gave us power to forestall.

Acts 10:38 lets us in on the kind of works or acts that can be ascribed to God: "How God appointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." The devil is the one responsible for the evil and oppression in the world today; they're his works. But the Bible says in 1 John 3:8: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. "

Every time you hear, see or read about a supernatural intervention in human affairs that defies conventional or natural sequence, resulting in the preservation of life and the general good of humanity, that is a miracle; and that is an act of God. God loves people and it's His pleasure to see them healthy, prosperous and normal. You can trust Him even now to bring His unlimited power to bear on your situation for you to recieve a miracle.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly Father, I pray for the greater manifestions of your power in the Church so that your children, through the power of your Spirit and revelation of your Word, will experience your love continually, in Jesus' Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities January 28, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome