Understanding sovereignty - Scriptural references

To me this subject has become clearer and clearer the more I find scriptures and the more I simply think logical about this.

This post is simply to share with you the scriptures which I have found on this subject without actually saying much extra. My introduction on understanding the sovereignty of God is for sharing my thoughts.

Please go read the context of each scripture for yourself!

See if any of these scriptures contradict your current beliefs. I recently heard Andrew Wommack say that many christians won't let the bible get in the way of what they believe! How true.

Let me know what you think. I will be updating this list whenever I can. Also let me know if you can think of any verses which I may have left out.

I hope that it is as obvious to you as it is to me!

Deuteronomy 30:19 AMP
"I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live."

YOU can choose life or death. God has given us the amazing gift of free will. YOU can choose heaven or hell.

Psalm 78:41 AMP
"And time and again they turned back and tempted God, provoking and incensing the Holy One of Israel."

Was this God's will?

Psalm 78:41 KJV
"Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel."

Psalm 91:15-16 AMP
"15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation."

If YOU make the Most High your dwelling place (Psalm 91:1) then you will be safe, not 'He will decide who He keeps safe and who He kills'! His desire is to give you a long life, yet in spite of scripture we say it was God's will to take somebody?

Psalm 103:3 AMP
"Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases."

That's pretty clear to me that not everything that happens is God's will.

Proverbs 18:21 AMP
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]."

We can minister life or death.

Jeremiah 29:11 AMP
"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome."

Yet some die drunkards or without a hope and a future! So His will does not automatically come to pass!

Daniel 10:11-13 AMP
"11And [the angel] said to me, O Daniel, you greatly beloved man, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright, for to you I am now sent. And while he was saying this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12Then he said to me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind and heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come as a consequence of [and in response to] your words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief [of the celestial] princes, came to help me, for I remained there with the kings of Persia."

A biblical example of how God immediately responded to Daniel's prayer but the angel of the Lord encountered opposition.

Matthew 6:9-10 AMP
"9Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. 10Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

Why do we have to pray that His will be done on earth if His will is already being done on earth?

Matthew 7:7 AMP
"Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you."

Why do anything if God does what He wants anyway?

Matthew 8:17 AMP
"And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases."

How many people (good people) and even christians die from diseases? All the time! Yet, He said that He Himself carried our diseases?

Matthew 9:30-31 AMP
"30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus earnestly and sternly charged them, See that you let no one know about this. 31But they went off and blazed and spread His fame abroad throughout that whole district."

Jesus earnestly asked them not to and yet they did not do His will. How can we say that everything that happens is His will when we sin out of our own will? How can we say God is holy but everything that happens is His will? That is a contradiction in itself!

Mark 1:43-45 AMP
"43And Jesus charged him sternly (sharply and threateningly, and with earnest admonition) and [acting with deep feeling thrust him forth and] sent him away at once, 44And said to him, See that you tell nothing [of this] to anyone; but begone, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your purification what Moses commanded, as a proof (an evidence and witness) to the people [that you are really healed]. 45But he went out and began to talk so freely about it and blaze abroad the news [spreading it everywhere] that [Jesus] could no longer openly go into a town but was outside in [lonely] desert places. But the people kept on coming to Him from all sides and every quarter."

The same as the verse above.

Luke 9:1-2 AMP
"1Then Jesus called together the Twelve [apostles] and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases, 2And He sent them out to announce and preach the kingdom of God and to bring healing."

How many victorious christians do you know, taking authority and enforcing His kingdom of healing and deliverance over the rule darkness?

John 16:11 AMP
"11About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged and condemned and sentence already is passed upon him."

An evil genius ruling this world. hmm.

Acts 13:22 AMP
"And when He had deposed him, He raised up David to be their king; of him He bore witness and said, I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart, who will do all My will and carry out My program fully."

Meaning some people are not people after God's own heart! We can also say that some will not do all His will and carry out His program fully.

Romans 12:2 AMP
"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]."

This verse silences the argument once and for all! Why would it even mention the will of God if everything was God's will anyway?

God's will is good and acceptable and perfect! It is His will for us that we should have our minds renewed, but do all of us have renewed minds?

Ephesians 1:10-12 AMP
"10[He planned] for the maturity of the times and the climax of the ages to unify all things and head them up and consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth. 11In Him we also were made [God's] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will, 12So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!"

We have been predestined but we can still miss our destiny! Also He 'works out' everything, not 'does' everything.

Ephesians 6:12 AMP
"For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."

This picture is a bit different from God using satan to give cancer to His people so that He might teach them a lesson. Sounds crazy, but how many people (even christians) believe that!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 AMP
"3For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior, 4Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth."

Yet people die and go to hell every day! This verse makes it absolutely clear that it is impossible for everything that happens to be God's will.

James 4:2 AMP
"You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask."

If we believe that whatever happens is God's will, then we will be passive and not ask because we believe that what will be will be!

1 John 3:8 AMP
"[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]."

To destroy the works of the devil - that is God's purpose. God does not use the devil to do His work!