What does the phrase "God is in control" mean to you? How "in control" is God?

[Questioning Christian]

The reason I started this topic is because often we hear conflicting statements in the church. We have all heard the following in our lifetimes:

1. "God is in control."

2. "Satan is the god of this world." [god of this world, meaning "god of this age", "god of this world's system", or "god of principalities", depending on your take]

3. "Man has dominion over the earth."

All 3 cannot POSSIBLY be true! Or can they? They are ALL authoritative statements in God's word, are they not? I wonder how "in control" God is sometimes. I know that God would not cause little children to be abused [physically, emotionally, or sexually], so I don't believe God predetermines every event, like some kind of cosmic Puppet Master. I'm not sure that "control" is what God is after anyway; I don't think God seeks to "control", as we think of it. When he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he asked Himself, "Shall I hide this thing from my friend Abraham?" In other words, he didn't want to keep back the knowledge of his will from the one with whom he had relationship. Also, it says in Amos, "surely the Lord God doeth nothing, but revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

So when I hear the phrase "God is in control", sometimes I wonder if this is a cop-out for Christians to hide behind fatalistic tendencies so as to alleviate the responsibility of doing all they can to effect God's will into the earth by the obedience which comes after faith.

Just some random musings of mine.

 

[ralangley]

...
So when I hear the phrase "God is in control", sometimes I wonder if this is a cop-out for Christians to hide behind fatalistic tendencies so as to alleviate the responsibility of doing all they can to effect God's will into the earth by the obedience which comes after faith.

Yep. I see your point.

Perhaps God in His sovereignty transferred authority over to us to forward God's Kingdom. As such, we have delegated authority. God could override our authority, but as long as we're operating in obedience to His will, I don't think He would. He'd have to violate his own word to do so.

On the other hand, a lot of Christians don't do anything to forward God's Kingdom. They don't heal, they don't free the oppressed, they don't evangelize, etc. I wonder if God gets tired of waiting around for us to do something. It seems that when we're doing nothing, we're being disobedient, so He could intervene without violating His word or our free will. He could heal, raise the dead, cast out demons without our involvement. I think.

Its an interesting subject and it could go in a lot of different directions.

 

[The Time Traveller]

GOD IS in control.

Isaiah
46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and
[there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me,
46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Isaiah foretold the suffering of Christ 700 years before it happened.

50:5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not
rebellious, neither turned away back.
50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and
spitting.
50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be
confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I
know that I shall not be ashamed.

Acts
2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a
man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and
signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know:
2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain:

Yes, GOD IS in control.

The Time Traveller

 

[Strong in Him]

The phrase "God is in control" means, to me, that our Father is an all seeing, all knowing, all powerful God. He knows everything that is happening in his world and what we are going through, nothing can take him by surprise, there is no thought, action or natural disaster that will cause him to say "oh dear, that's ruined things a bit, I don't know what to do about that." The devil can never get the better of him; he tried once, at a place called Calvary. But the devil's plan - to get rid of the Son of God - was in fact God's greater plan, to break the power of the devil, once and for all.

Jesus called the devil "the prince of this world". Yes, he is. But God is King and the prince will never ascend to the throne.
That is to say, we live in a sinful, fallen and broken world. Sickness came into the world when sin did; people suffer either because of sickness, or because of man's greed (famine), anger (gun/knife crime), desire for power (rape, invading other countries,), arrogance, (I can drink and drive), and many other things. The devil uses all these things to turn us away from God, and try to thwart his purposes. Sometimes it appears as though he's succeeding, sometimes we can't understand why God is allowing something, or why he is silent on an issue when he could resolve it or wipe it out, sometimes our little prayers seem insignificant against the war, disease and famine of the world, and it's easy to get disheartened.

But I believe that God is ultimately in control, that everything is in his hands. Jesus promised that no one can snatch us from his Father's hands, and Paul said that nothing can ever seperate us from his love. However bad things get, we belong to God, and nothing - barring perhaps our own freewill - can change that. Also, nothing and no one can ever have more power over the world than it's creator.

 

[Elijah2]

The reason I started this topic is because often we hear conflicting statements in the church. We have all heard the following in our lifetimes:

1. "God is in control."

2. "Satan is the god of this world." [god of this world, meaning "god of this age", "god of this world's system", or "god of principalities", depending on your take]

3. "Man has dominion over the earth."

All 3 cannot POSSIBLY be true! Or can they? They are ALL authoritative statements in God's word, are they not? I wonder how "in control" God is sometimes. I know that God would not cause little children to be abused [physically, emotionally, or sexually], so I don't believe God predetermines every event, like some kind of cosmic Puppet Master. I'm not sure that "control" is what God is after anyway; I don't think God seeks to "control", as we think of it. When he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he asked Himself, "Shall I hide this thing from my friend Abraham?" In other words, he didn't want to keep back the knowledge of his will from the one with whom he had relationship. Also, it says in Amos, "surely the Lord God doeth nothing, but revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

So when I hear the phrase "God is in control", sometimes I wonder if this is a cop-out for Christians to hide behind fatalistic tendencies so as to alleviate the responsibility of doing all they can to effect God's will into the earth by the obedience which comes after faith.

Just some random musings of mine.

I believe that those exact words, "God is in control" didn't appear in His Insipred Word. I do agree with you that it's one those new age cop-outs that flow through the foyers of the Body of Christ like many well reheared and heard phrases that are not Biblical whatsoever, and come from those easily accepted new age gospel bibles that are sold at a dime a dozen.

Sad as it is, many churches should be held accountable and responsible for what they teach and promote.

These last days of perilous time we believe that if it all sounds spiritual then it must be of God, but then again, which God are they talking about, little "g" or the big "G"?

 

[JimB]

The phrase “God is in control” does not necessarily mean that God controls everything. He doesn’t because He has given mankind freewill. If things appear out of God’s control, remember, it is only temporary. God allows people to control things now and we are making a mess of it.

But one day God will once again exert His will over mankind.

That is the “blessed hope”.

~Anita Knapp

Contentment is not found in having what you want, but in wanting what you have​

 

[GrapeGirl]

When I say "God is in control" I mean that I know that no matter what the situation, God is "working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes", and that I am one of those people. I know that no matter if it's my biggest mistake ever or just a little blunder, that Jesus still loves me and calls me His own. I know that all of this stuff in the world isn't going to last but that the Love of the Lord endures forever. That's what I mean when I say "God is in control".

 

[nephilimiyr]

1. "God is in control."

3. "Man has dominion over the earth."

I believe both of these. I think I've always believed that ultimately God is in control even from my days of being a young boy growing up in the RCC. That is what we were taught.

For a few years now however, after reading Myles Munroe book "Rediscovering the Kingdom", I believe it's a bit more complex than simply saying that God is in Control, even though I still believe that. God is still in control but He remains in control by always having at least one person to work through here on earth.

Myles Munroe says that since God has given, or decreed, that man has dominion over the earth that that has made man a prerequisite for God to operate on earth. God does this by always making sure that there is a group of people, no matter how large or small, that He can speak to and will believe in him.

Munroe says that the Holy Spirit was the vital link between man's dominion on earth and God's dominion in heaven. he revealed the will of God to man and provided wisdom and guidance so that man could carry out God's will on earth. In the original order of things, with Adam and Eve, perfect harmony existed between God and them.

Whatever God wanted, the Holy Spirit revealed it to Adam and he manifested it on earth. God wanted his kingdom rulership to come to earth, but He could only do this through his children who are connected to him by the Holy Spirit. With God's Spirit living inside him and directing his thoughts and life according to God's will, man could manifest God's kingdom on the earth.

 

[whatfor]

Even when it seems He is not in control He is.

Look at Joseph, he was sold into slavery by his brothers, it looked bad but God was still in control.

 

[Peaceful Dove]

When I use the term, "God is in Control", it means a personal thing to me.
It meas I choose to submit totally to God and instead of me trying to deal with everything on my own, I submit to the Lord.

That is not a cop out for me. It means I must pray about what is happening in my life and then be silent and listen to the Lord speaking to me. You know what I mean.
It means submitting to the Lord.

 

[Tobias]

God is in control of my life because I give Him control of my life. He is wise and powerful enough to control all of the circumstances that befall me, so that no mistakes happen and all things work together for His purposes.

Not everyone has chosen to give Him control, so obviously He is not in control over them. He may step in from time to time, because the Holy Spirit is always trying to draw all men to Him, but freewill is a major factor here. When we submit ourselves to God, then we can rest in the comfort and knowledge that He is indeed in control.

 

[Cassidy]

He has a lot more control than we think he is.

 

[N67896]

Greets, QC!

As someone (I forget who) far more eloquent than I could ever hope to be once pointed out...

... this is a cop-out for Christians to hide behind fatalistic tendencies so as to alleviate the responsibility of doing all they can to effect God's will into the earth by the obedience which comes after faith.

Bingo.

Part of this goes to the nature of what they believe Christianity to be. Is it 1) A comfort for the dying that they will someday - after the grave -have peace? Or is it 2) death, resurrection and empowerment?

If #1, a Christian's only responsibilities are to suffer and surrender. If #2, the responsibility is to grab the sword and attack.

(That Christians seem to derive great enjoyment from swinging the sword at one another is best left to other threads, lol.)

I would throw this out for your consideration: Mar 11:23...whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea..."

 

[N67896]

(sorry, couldn't get the hang of correcting fonts/sizes, etc. anyway...)

Can't seem to find verses that talk about "Whosoever shall pray about this mountain, ask God to move the mountain, or acknowledge God is in control of this mountain."

I can't really pick on Christians who believe that way; it's how they've been taught.

But I can wonder what they could accomplish if we could get the fur on the back of their neck to stand up.

 

[Seeking Him]

God being in control means to me, that He is the Almighty. All power is his. We as his children dwell under the shadow of the Almighty. Nothing in this world or any other can take us out of His hand, He is our strength and refuge.