God never, never violates us or our will. Though He asks things of us and will work circumstances to assist us in making a choice, He never forces His will on us. He simply asks. It always floors me how patient, loving, and gentle He is. He asks questions of us leaving it to us to form the answer. He says, “Will you give this to Me?” and then I am free to respond. (Related Podcast: Leaning of the Personality)
God will never demand that we bow because that would make us an automaton… a mindless robot. He asks us and then we are given the choice to answer His wooing. His entreat is such a holy and individual thing, between God and us alone. Neither God nor anyone can ever rightly demand the direction of our choice. He so honors our free will and heart response on which He places incredible value.
I broached a question to someone who was struggling to accept God’s correction. The Spirit gave me the question to ask. I said, “You have one question to answer: Is this God or not?”
I did not say one other thing. I didn’t need to… the Spirit took it and went with it. I simply spoke what I felt He wanted me to say… nothing more. I could not, because free will is so holy and it is His choice of where and how He wants to speak to us. Personal choice is individual and has really nothing to do with other people at all.
On the flip side, when we do make the choice He completely understands that we are totally incapable of performing it. This said, He moves heaven and hell to accomplish our choice. At this point His dealing might seem a little more forceful or direct, because His putting into action our chosen will often can require drastic measures.
In either case, God allows us to respond to His initiation. He is God and we are an autonomous being. His gift to us is our independence. Our gift to Him is choosing His will. In our freedom we remain independent and as a Gentleman He will never demand of you more than you are willing to give. He can make life situations erupt to encourage you strongly, but at the end of every day you are the sovereign of your will.
Related Teaching (Response-Ability)
