Week 1 Replies 1
Does God’s sovereignty in one’s life demand obedience (see Matt.16:24 and Phil. 2:8)?
How does God’s forgiveness impact God’s sovereignty?
Does spiritual maturity affect God’s sovereignty (see Heb. 5:11-14)? If so, how?
Hello Philips
Life will always flood us with challenges so that we can grow with experience to tell our stories
as testimonies or history. That is why I share your thoughtful experience and life story of how
God has revealed himself to you. As Jesus said, if the world hated and mistreated me, you should
be prepared to suffer the same fate so that where I am, my disciples will also be (John 15:18-27).
That was why Jesus begged the Father to send us the Holy Spirit as our teacher, advocate, and
counselor. So, as you stated, during the most challenging struggles, there came a time when I
knew that God was holding onto me and that He would never allow me to be snatched from His
hand (John 10:28); it was the Holy Spirit who was gradually leading you towards the will of
God, so in that moment when you were walking in the shadow of darkness the mantel of the
Lord made you realize that God was the supreme authority in your life. That was why you could
submit your will to that God in obedience. In this case, submitting to the will Of God also means
total surrender of self-denial, as Matthew 16:24 tells us, “If anyone would come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. So, to deny ourselves for God opens us to his
forgiveness and the infilling of the Holy Spirit to grow and mature in wisdom and understanding
of things of God. The more we draw closer to God to acknowledge his sovereignty, the wiser we
become with the help of the Holy Spirit to acknowledge God.
References.:
Boa, Kenneth.:Conformed to His Image: Biblical, Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
Whitney, Donald S.:Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs: NavPress,
2014
Week 1 Replies 1
Does God’s sovereignty in one’s life demand obedience (see Matt.16:24 and Phil. 2:8)?
How does God’s forgiveness impact God’s sovereignty?
Does spiritual maturity affect God’s sovereignty (see Heb. 5:11-14)? If so, how?
Hello Codey
I thoroughly enjoyed the insightful sharing of your spiritual journey with Jesus through the door
of faith into the Seminary. I have always had hope in God regarding the things of the past, now,
and the future, as Psalm 37:5 always encourages me. When I expressed the desire to go to the
Seminary, my heart was filled with so much doubt because I felt unworthy of God. However, I
decided to surrender my will to Him in obedience as Matthew 16:24 tells us, “If anyone would
come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. In my doubt, I asked
for his mercy and love and prayed for the infilling of the Holy Spirit to grow and mature in
wisdom and understanding of God. Releasing that the more we draw closer to God to
acknowledge his sovereignty, the wiser we become with the help of the Holy Spirit to
acknowledge God, I called on Him to direct my heart and mind towards his will as Prov. 3:5- 6
directed me to “Trust in the Lord with all my heart, and not lean on my understanding. When
both parents died during my seminary training, I almost gave up on God, but He gave me so
much assurance from his word that he kept me to be a true and faithful servant, and I give him
glory for that. I desire to remain faithful to him till the end for a reward of salvation as Paul tells
2 Timothy 4:7-8 to fight the good fight till the end in total obedience to His power.
References.
Paul E. Linzey, B. Keith Travis, and Jeff Iorg,:Military Ministry: Chaplains in the Twenty-First
Century:(Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2022) 31–32.
