Limited Power

“Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:7-8

“And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Rev. 20:7-10

Who has the last say? Who is really in charge? God or Satan? If it is God, then why does it appear that He is callously indifferent to the critical concerns of many who are in desperate and even mortal need?

Maybe the answer lies in Rabbi Harold Kushner’s commentary in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Because of his personal experience with sickness, death, and grief, he believes (at least he writes) that God may be all-loving, but He is not all-powerful; some things are just out of God’s control.

Unfortunately, many follow such thinking and adopt it for themselves without considering that it completely denies a major scriptural revelation concerning the nature and character of God. Charles Colson carefully titles this unbiblical view of God’s power: “God Isn’t Dead, Just Sick and Feeble.”

Believer, (honestly now) how do you view God’s power? Do you believe and live as if God has the very last word? Or is there a crack in your foundation of believe - a crack which sees God as benevolent but limited?

One of Satan’s greatest charades is to masquerade as an equal to God. Don’t believe it.