November 15th
Perfect Will and Permissive Will of God
Lot was doing very well when he was with Abraham; he became very rich following Abraham because Abraham was walking in the perfect will of God. Abraham had God’s plan and followed it. Abraham was abundantly blessed, and Lot together with him was blessed (Genesis 13).
Easy to Stray from God’s Perfect Will
It came to a point of time when Lot’s herdsmen strived with Abraham’s herdsmen and Abraham said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren” (Genesis 13:8).
Abraham then gave Lot the option and he chose to go and dwell in Sodom. Lot strayed away from God’s perfect will. He also strayed away from the blessings of God. Having no consideration for Abraham who brought the blessings on Lot, he just took the best land for himself and went towards the plains of Jordan and dwelled in Sodom (Genesis 13:10-11). Lot could not see that he was actually in a place of blessings when he was with Abraham in the promised land – the land of Canaan.
It is easy to stray from the place where God has put you thus straying away from the perfect place for yourself. God’s will is God’s perfect place for you.
Easy to Stay in God’s Permissive Will
Joseph was in Egypt and Jacob eventually went there with his whole family. Egypt was not the perfect will of God for them, but the land of Canaan was the promised land where they were to dwell. God prepared Joseph in Egypt and allowed Jacob’s family to go there so as to preserve them from the seven years of severe famine. But the nation of Israel remained in Egypt for a total of 430 years, longer than they were supposed to. The whole nation of Israel was in bondage to Pharaoh and God had to raise up Moses to deliver them. They should have left Egypt, like Abraham did, to go back to the land of Canaan. But they stayed in the permissive will of God way too long. It is easy to stay in the permissive will of God when it gets very comfortable; it may seem good, and it may seem acceptable, but it may not be the perfect will of God. In Romans 12:2 Paul spoke of the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV
Do Not be Completely Out of the Will of God
Lot lived among the homosexuals; Sodom was a city of homosexuals. When the angels came to take him and his family out of Sodom he was reluctant to leave. His two sons-in-law didn’t want to leave. Living among the sins of the people in Sodom had so affected him that it seemed natural to live among the homosexuals that he wouldn’t want to leave. They lingered in Sodom instead of heeding the warning and so the angels had to drag them out of Sodom (Genesis 19:16). In comparison he left Abraham so easily and walked out of the perfect will of God. Living out of the will of God cost Lot everything he acquired while he was with Abraham and he eventually ended up living in the mountain, in a cave (Genesis 19:30).
Perfect Will and Permissive Will – What Do We Do?
We need to continue to live by faith and work out the natural things so as to stay in the perfect place. (Where God places you is the perfect will of God for you.)
We must not get into a rut, staying so comfortable in the permissive will of God and not moving from that less than perfect place into God’s best. Everything in life may be going on well with you, but it may not be the best that God has for you.
We must not come to that state where we become so oblivious to the fact that we are completely out of the will of God.
A pastor shared with me that after teaching for four days in our Bible school and after returning to his country, he saw very clearly what the perfect will of God is and what His permissive will is, concerning the works of the ministry he is currently doing in Europe. He has decided to cut off those works that are only in the permissive will of God. Meanwhile his good wife had been praying for him about getting into the perfect will of God for about a year now. She had been sensing that something seemed amiss concerning his travelling ministry.
God’s perfect will is good and acceptable, but what is good and acceptable may not be God’s perfect will for you!