Does God's perfect knowledge of all outcomes of a situation mean that what He wills cannot be changed, that it is useless to ask God to change His mind? 



“I the Lord do not change…” (Malachi 3:6)

Correctly understood, Malachi 3:6  is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. God’s love, forgiveness,  patience,  mercy,  and other qualities are just not going to change.  We can find great relief in that fact.  God will work with us tomorrow just as He did yesterday and does today.

Incorrectly understood,  Malachi 3:6 can limit us.  We can discourage ourselves by thinking that God will never change His mind once he has determined something – so our prayers otherwise are futile and useless.  This is especially true in areas where it looks as though God has allowed something to happen to us or to others that does not change for the better despite our prayers.  In situations like that, is it possible to change God’s mind?  And if God is all knowing and has perfect wisdom, why should we consider even trying to ask God to change a decision He has made?

Many  situations recorded in the Bible show that God is willing to change His mind.  We will look at only one example in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.  The first example is well known: in the Genesis account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), we see that although God did destroy those cities and had clearly decided to do so (Genesis 18:17-32), He nevertheless relented in at least sparing Lot and his family as a result of Abraham’s persistent intercession (see our article on Abraham’s request here).

The second example is less frequently remembered, but the New Testament account of the Syrophoencian woman who pleaded with Christ to heal her daughter (Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30) is a parallel.  Jesus made it clear to the woman that he was not sent to the Gentiles and that he would not answer her pleas. Yet when the woman persisted, he relented and essentially made an exception to the rule he himself had explained regarding his not helping the Gentiles (see our article on the Syrophoenician woman’s faith here). 

These examples point up something we should always remember. The fact that God is all-knowing  and all-wise doesn’t mean a decision He makes is the only wise decision possible in a given circumstance.  The truth is, by virtue of the fact that God is all-knowing and all-powerful,  He can look at a situation and adjust things to make another outcome work just as well if He knows it will still be for the best.

I remember reading, many years ago, a short science-fiction story ("The Game of Blood and Dust" by Roger Zelazny) in which two unimaginably powerful alien beings played out a game of  chess-like strategy on Earth by adjusting history through injecting the slightest little changes – the death of a great potential leader here, the  support of a scientific genius  somewhere else – until the whole of history was affected to the desired outcome. The story illustrated in an imaginative way how even the  smallest  changes  could alter the way things work out.

God obviously has the power to do exactly that kind of changing, and asking God to change His mind by considering other outcomes is not disrespectful as long as we are willing to accept His answer - it just means we have a healthy understanding of how all-knowing and all-powerful God is.  That is perhaps why we read that:  “… Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

Could you use some encouragement right now? Do you know anyone who could?   Either way the new book just published by our sister site, TacticalChristianity.org is for you! 

This new eBook is a collection of practical essays – some from past blog posts on our sites and some specifically written for this book – on a subject we all need to hear about: encouragement.

Some Days We Soar: Words of Encouragement for the Christian Life is available in different formats (including PDF so you can read it on any electronic device). The book  is written from a non-denominational perspective, is completely free and free of advertising. You do not need to give an email address or any other information to download the book (just click on the link on our sister site's "Downloads" page and enjoy).  Like all our books, if you enjoy Some Days We Soar and find it profitable, feel free to make a copy of the file and pass it, or the URL, along to your friends and others you know who may find the book helpful.

This book may not make your problems go away, but it may help you soar over them, so download it now and remember the encouraging fact we mentioned – it's free!

For other free eBooks, see the "Downloads" page on this site here.

From The Grace and Truth Paradox, by Randy Alcorn. Multnomah Books, 2003. 

 
“Truth is quick to post warning signs and guardrails at the top of the cliff.  Yet it fails to empower people to drive safely – and neglects to help them when they crash. 
      Grace is quick to post ambulances and paramedics at the bottom of the cliff.  But without truth, it fails to post warning signs and build guardrails.  In so doing, it encourages the very self-destruction it attempts to heal.
       Truth without grace crushes people and ceases to be truth.  Grace without truth deceives people and ceases to be grace.
   Truth without grace degenerates into judgmental legalism.  Grace without truth degenerates into deceitful tolerance. 
      Christ’s heart is equally grieved by grace-suppression and truth-suppression, by grace-twisting and truth-twisting. 
       Grace and truth are both necessary.  Neither is sufficient.
       We need to examine ourselves and correct ourselves.  We who are truth-oriented need to go out of our way to affirm grace.  We who are grace-oriented need to go out of our way to affirm truth."     

Effective Bible study can be a lot like good photography. If you are a photographer, or know someone who takes professional level pictures, you know that good photography is all about lenses. Different lenses give you a different view of your subject and reveal different aspects of it.

Using BibleGateway.com (BG) for personal study of the Scriptures gives you an equivalent situation for effective Bible study – ways to open up the subject and reveal more that you might not have otherwise seen. BG has a host of features you can use in daily Bible study, and many of these work like lenses you would use on a fine camera:

Standard Lens:  Photographers use standard lenses for general use. They are quick and give a clear overview when special effects are not needed. In the same way, just calling up a Bible verse, chapter or book on BG can give you quick access to its basic message. And that’s a good perspective – it’s the primary way the Bible was designed to be read and should never be neglected. Besides, BG gives you some useful bells and whistles to help with this: you can highlight sections for future study (and, unlike printed Bibles, change the highlight whenever you wish) and also add and save notes as thoughts come to you in your reading.

Wide Angle Lens: That’s what photographers use when they want to get a wider view – get more details into the picture by “stretching the screen.” You can do that in BG study by setting up the page with a number of translations side by side to see extra details that you would have missed using just one translation. Simply click the “Add parallel” button (looks like two pages side by side) above and to the right of the scripture to add more translations – it’s as easy as clicking a shutter button!

Close-Up Lens: You have doubtless seen some of the amazing pictures people take of flowers and insects using a close-up or macro lens.  Once you enter a keyword, topic or Bible passage in the BG search box, you can click the blue “STUDY THIS” button at the top right of the scripture to take a close-up look at a verse or chapter in some of the available commentaries. You may be amazed at the details and insights a good commentary can add that you wouldn’t have seen without that close-up “lens.”

Telephoto Lens: Photographers use these lenses not only to bring distant objects up close, but also for taking portraits.  On BG use the “Keyword search” feature (under “BIBLE” on the black drop-down menu tab at the top left of the page) to see scriptures on specific topics from the beginning of the Bible to its end. Or,  just like focusing a lens, you can set this feature to “focus” on the Old or New Testament or specific books or groups of books. You may be studying the Book of Acts, but the keyword search will pull up a relevant scripture that may be quite distant from where you are studying. This feature is also good for “portraits”: use the keyword search like a telephoto lens to give a good view of all the scriptures on a biblical person you may want to see more clearly.

Zoom Lens: These lenses are so popular because they give many of the benefits of the individual lenses – you can let the lens show close-up details or a wide view depending on what is appropriate. That’s great when you don’t want to have to change lenses all the time and don’t need to focus on just one part of the “focal range.” With BG you do this simply by selecting and using some of the devotionals (under the “STUDY” tab at the top left of the page). The devotionals are carefully selected and many have done much of the preliminary work for you, so they may move quickly from a small detail such as the meaning of a word to wider, overall concepts.

So take advantage of the different “lenses” BG makes available to you to enhance your personal study of the Scriptures.  And remember, unlike expensive camera lenses, BG is free.  Photographers are known for telling people to smile, but BG’s free and varied features are something to make you smile. 

If you haven't already done so, there’s just time to read our free ebook on the Parables of Jesus before we publish a new book.  The City on a Hill is available in three formats – Kindle (.Mobi), PDF, and ePub – so you can choose one or more formats to read on your computer or eReader device.  And we don't ask for your email address, registration ID, sock size or anything else. Just download from our Downloads page and read. And, yes, like all our books and other materials, it is totally free! 

By Terrell Perkins

There are those who claim they know “the secret key” to understanding the scriptures. There is indeed a key that unlocks the scriptures and in some respects it is a secret... at least to some people. Do you want to know the key to understanding the scriptures? It’s love. Every page, every paragraph, every word, every punctuation flows with Gods love for His children.  That the scriptures exist is proof of God’s love. He created us out of love. He gave us His law out of love for us. He allowed His only begotten son to become one of us, to suffer pain, humiliation and death at the hands of human beings out of His love for mankind.

The problem arises when we misunderstand what love is and what it is not. Love is NOT just what we feel... love is what we DO. Scriptures tell us the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Most of the fruits of the spirit are qualities about dealing with someone else.

Bliss is most commonly confused with love because bliss feels good. Bliss isn't bad as long as it is not mistaken for spiritual growth. We can experience bliss while looking at a beautiful sunset or experiencing a “perfect moment.” Just like there are counterfeit gospels, there are also counterfeits for love. Bliss can also be a counterfeit for love. In Eastern and New Age religions bliss is often mistaken for love. Bliss can be a counterfeit love for “spiritual” people. Bliss is what those who are “spiritual but not religious” most often feel.

To show real love, there must be another. And the other is always imperfect. That’s what makes love so special. Love is getting into the trenches and getting dirty. We don't love just the perfect... we love the imperfect. Bliss doesn’t feed the hungry, visit the lonely, comfort the sick or give a coat to someone who’s cold... love does these things.

Love may be said to be like a pearl. Do you know how pearls are formed? You put something 
irritating in an oyster, like a grain of sand, and a pearl is its response. Love covers imperfections like a pearl covers a grain of sand.

Bliss is what we feel. Love is what we DO.

Bliss is about ourselves. Love is always about another.

Bliss is content to remain alone. Love always reaches out.

Bliss is not doing. Love is DOING.

Bliss can be completely self-absorbed. Love is NEVER self-absorbed.

Bliss is static. Love is dynamic.

Bliss can be like a stagnant pond... Love is like a river of living water. Love always grows, always moves.

Christ didn’t condemn a fig tree to die because he didn't like trees... it is a lesson for us. We MUST bear fruit! The fruits of the spirit are all about dealing with other imperfect people.
God’s Word defines what spiritual growth is the way DNA defines what physical growth is. True spiritual growth is always guided by the template of love like physical growth is guided by DNA.

Don’t be deceived. We don't grow by watching a sunset... we grow by reaching out of ourselves to others. We first have to learn to love ourselves then we have to learn to extend, to grow, our sense of  ourselves. That’s what love is... extending our sense of ourselves to include others. Hurt doesn't stop it, misunderstanding doesn't stop it, disappointment doesn’t stop it, pain doesn't stop it... Love keeps coming like a pounding wave that eventually turns a mountain into sand. Love is what will transform the universe and us if we let it.

Scripture: James 1:5-6 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

Something to think about: Although the immediate context of this scripture is about asking for wisdom, the principle clearly applies to asking in faith for anything.  It makes the point that just as waves rear up and then crash down again (see Psalm 107:26), our faith must not be based on our feelings – which unavoidably rise and fall – but on our belief which firmly underlies our conviction that God can and will provide what we ask according to His will.  As long as we remember the answer will be according to God's will, we need never waver in our trust. Our Faith Need Never Waver, Because God's Faithfulness Never Does.

Pastor and writer Brad C. Shockley is one of our favorite newer Christian bloggers.  His new blog hasn't been active very long, but he is already putting up some fine material.
We especially like a couple of Brad's latest posts and he has kindly given permission for us to reproduce them on our sites. Today we have uploaded "When God factors your failure into His plan" which he published on January 23, and we are also running another of Brad's posts on our sister site today at  TacticalChristianity.org .  We think you will like them.

By Brad C. Shockley

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” Luke 22:31ff

Not all that long ago I suffered a setback so intense it knocked me into a crisis of faith lasting three years. I ran from God, even shaking my fist in His face a time or two, swearing never to serve Him again. It was that bad. But He slowly brought me back, even restoring me to ministry. After returning, I struggled with guilt for losing it when life turned on me, for taking off when things went south instead of turning to God. But one day I came across Luke’s account of Jesus and Peter’s interaction just before the crucifixion, and it changed my perspective.

Jesus knew Peter was about to suffer a crisis of faith, one brought on by the devil himself. So He prayed Peter’s faith would hold and he’d strengthen his brothers after coming back. But what Jesus prayed for seems contradictory. How can you pray for unfailing faith and for a turning back after failing at the same time? Wouldn’t the answer to not failing mean in the crisis he’d hold strong? And yet Peter lost it. The one who gallantly told Jesus, “I am ready to follow you to the bitter end,” ended up cursing and denying Him. His guilt was so great, Luke tells, he went away “weeping bitterly.”

Having been a pastor for almost twenty years, I’d read this text, probably even preached it, more than once. But this time I saw something new. Peter’s denial of Jesus had to have been a given because He said “when you have turned again,” not “if.” It was his coming back and ultimately leading the church one day that Christ prayed for, which was answered. Jesus actually factored failure into His plans for Peter, and that means you can fail miserably and still be in the middle of God’s will.

I can’t help but think Jesus prayed something similar for me when He knew a faith crisis loomed on my horizon. He didn’t stop it, letting me fall face first into defeat. But He did ask the Father that my faith hold, making sure I turned back in the end. I wouldn’t want to go through it again, yet I’m comforted knowing my experience may encourage and strengthen others.