God is not obligated to bless what He hasn’t ordained.

If you are pushing up against something, if you are chafing against something, it could be because of this very thing:

God is not obligated to bless what He hasn't ordained. (1)

It could also, of course, not be God that is providing the push-back. It could be the enemy causing resistance.

If this is resonating with you...

When this is our experience, it is of benefit to us to pause and consider prayerfully which it is. Submit yourself and your situation to God. 

Ask Him: 

What is the pushback?

Is it You?

Is it the enemy?

Am I trying to push my agenda and expecting You to comply? 

The Spirit of God will bring clarity ~ if and when we're open to it.

We know dealing with a closed-minded individual is hard and often doesn't meet with a lot of success. Don't be that person. Be willing to let your plans go if it goes against the heart, the will and the Word of the Father.  And if it is the enemy fighting against you, push into the Father.  Take up God's weapons of warfare and fight for breakthrough in His way, with His help, and by His ordaining. 

But if the resistance is coming from God…?

Why would God resist us?

That initial sense of resistance is a fabulous kindness of God. If we heed that, we see that He is prompting us to check in with Him to modify and correct our course.

Here are few reasons we may find Him resisting us:

Because our actions are against God’s will for us.

Because He wants to protect us from things He can see but we can’t.

Because He has a better way for us.

Because we are being disobedient to His direction, or are trying to manipulate what we know is right to suit our agenda.

Because we are acting pridefully.

In 1 Peter 5b-6 we read:
“…be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time…” 1 Peter 5b-6

Pridefully!? Pridefully? You might ask? But what I’m doing is not a bad thing, is it? I surely can’t be acting pridefully, can I? 

The Amplified versions adds extra clarity: “God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favour, blessing) to the humble.

The breakdown of what pride can be defined as in this verse is quite informative.

Insolent - rude and pouty behaviour

Overbearing - too confident (in self and not God), domineering and dictatorial

Disdainful - disrespectful contempt, thinking others unimportant or unworthy of attention

Presumptuous - overstepping due bounds, taking liberties (one day I hope to share some thoughts on this sin alone)

Boastful - being cocky and bragging, exhibiting excessive and exaggerated self-satisfaction - achievements, abilities and possessions etc

The sin of presumption can often be a big one for us - presuming God will be ok with something, presuming we know enough and don’t need God’s direction or wisdom, presuming we can get away with a small tweak to something He’s told us to do. 

If having prayerfully determined that the resistance we are experiencing is coming from the Lord trying to get us on course , and not from the enemy wishing to take us off course, it is worth sitting with the Lord further to consider in what way we are indeed resisting Him and His will for us. May that then lead us to repentance and then a commitment to get back on course with Him.

My biggest encouragement for us all is to heed that first little nudge of resistance, to not continue blithely on our way, ignoring it. It is in that nudge that God has gold for us to help us. Remember, His resistance is not to frustrate us, but to free us into His best.

Why settle for ok, alright, good, when we can have best?! 

PS While God is not obligated to bless what He hasn’t ordained, there are indeed some situations where, in His grace, He will bring blessing. But that is a subject for another post!

(1) [I am talking of those situations where we are setting a course for something, but have not sought the Lord about it, or we have sought Him but may not being doing in the way He desires for us.]

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Belinda Tigell is an Australian singer-songwriter, speaker, teacher, worship leader and author. Find her regular blogs on belindatigellministries.com. 

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