The “War of the Wills” begins at a point in time commonly referred to as “the age of accountability.”  This is the point at which one comes to know right from wrong, good from bad, and knows which one he/she should choose.  The descendants of Adam and Eve enter this age totally self-absorbed and self-serving, having little regard for anything outside of their own self-interest and self-pleasure.  From the moment of birth they have been waited on and served, their every wish catered to, or at least considered.  The popular expression: “Youth must be served” states this truth about as well as is possible.  When one reaches the age of accountability the “War of the Wills” between God’s will and man’s will begins and endures until one’s final breath.

There is a third aspect to the will war: man’s war with his own will.  As this series will reveal, “victory” is the result of 1) man’s recognition of the superiority of God’s will over his will, 2) man’s submission of his will to God’s will generally, and 3) man’s continued submission to God’s will on a moment-to moment, case-by-case basis.  As noted in the previous posting, even the Son of God had to forcefully control His human will until His final breath.  Throughout Christ’s ministry Satan sent wave after wave of trouble at Him without letup.  Even on the cross He had the choice of wills–His or the Father’s.  If He had given in to the pain and refuted His message He would have been taken down from the cross and could have lived to a ripe old age.  How many of us would have resisted that temptation?  But the carpenter of Nazareth had mastered His own will and subjugated it to the will of God.

The Lord’s saints also have a war to fight on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis.  Questions such as: “Should I watch that t.v. program?”  “Should I read that novel?”  “Should I say that? think that? do that? ” “Should I go there?”  “Should I be here?”  “Should I wear this?”   “How should I respond to this situation?”  The answers to such questions depend on three things: 1) one’s love for God, 2) one’s knowledge of God’s will (Word/Law), and 3) one’s control over his own will.  Add to this mix the “Satan Factor” that tempts man to fulfill his own will.  Recall what Jesus said to him (Satan) after Peter expressed his own will.  Jesus, speaking directly to Peter, said:  “Get behind Me, SATAN, you are an offense to Me, for you do not seek the things of God, but (rather) the THINGS (DESIRES) OF MAN” (Mat. 16:23).  Satan wants man to obey his own will–to do what he wants to do.  Satan and his angels (“devils”) work to strengthen man’s will.  This Truth is explained by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

As a man Jesus had to wrestle against those same powers and principalities.  Like all other men, He willed peace and comfort for Himself.  But unlike most other men, He subjugated His desires to the will of the Father, thereby qualifying to be the Savior of mankind.  In order to receive the salvation He makes available we must follow His example in every aspect of our lives.  Adam and Eve failed to acquiesce to their Maker, as did Cain.  Abel, however, did not fail.  Able could have followed his elder brother’s example and offered something less than his best.  Instead, he bowed to the will of the Father, Who demands our best.  Because of his subservience to God, Jesus calls Abel “righteous” (Mat. 23:35).

Hear what the Scriptures say about God’s attitude toward His righteous saints.  “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”  “Only the righteous will be saved” (2 Pet. 3:12; 4:18).  “He that does righteousness is righteous, even as He (Christ) is righteous” (1 Jn. 3:7).  Righteousness equals obedience to God’s Word/will/Law/gospel/Truth.  Our righteous Savior was declared righteous by the Father BECAUSE HE SUBJUGATED HIS WILL TO GOD’S WILL.  Are we better than He was and is?  As Jesus told the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22, one is either righteous or unrighteous.  Note in the 2 Peter reference that GOD IS FOR THE RIGHTEOUS AND AGAINST THE UNRIGHTEOUS.  He wrote this Truth to the members of the Laodicean (modern) era of the church, telling them that, because they are both hot and cold, they are to Him spiritual vomit (Rev. 3:14-22).

The easily proved truth of the matter is that 99.99% of all church people refuse to follow the examples set by Abel, Jesus, the prophets, the apostles, the saintly victims of the Inquisition, etc.  As the above Scriptures make abundantly clear, IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR ETERNAL LIFE WE MUST BE RIGHTEOUS AS HE IS RIGHTEOUS (1 Jn. 3:7), for only the righteous will be saved, and they just “scarcely”–barely (2 Pet. 3:12; 4:18).  THE WAR OF THE WILLS CARRIES LIFE AND DEATH SIGNIFICANCE.  I do not enjoy writing about and speaking to the failings of all Catholics and Protestants who, due to their lack of godly leadership, are ignorant of the will of God.  However, THIS MINISTRY IS DIRECTED TOWARD THEM BY GOD’S COMMAND.  THIS IS MY COMMISSION AND I WILL FULFULL IT.  Though I am rejected by family, friends, acquaintances and strangers alike on the spiritual level, I will not have their blood on my head.

Those outside the Institutional Church (the “unchurched”) are not involved in the War of the Wills in that they raised the white flag of surrender upon reaching the age of accountability.  And unless there is a total reversal in their spiritual lives, they will never experience will warfare.  Rather than resisting their own selfish will, they give in to it–EXACTLY LIKE CHURCH PEOPLE.  With one exception.  The unchurched are not required to repent following each sin.  THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHURCHED AND THE UNCHURCHED IS REPENTANCE, WHICH IS MEANINGLESS IF ONE CONTINUES TO SIN.  Once having been forgiven of all past sins (justification), the Lord requires that we “Go and sin no more,” which is what Jesus told the prostitute and the man at the Bethesda pool after forgiving their sins.  Paul tells us that if we continue to sin we do not receive forgiveness even though we ask for it.  Instead we, “treasure up” (accumulate) sin until the day of judgment (Rom. 2:1-5).

However, “the churched” are caught in the middle of the will-war.  Knowing little of God’s Word and being misinformed about right and good, they are expected to choose correctly and live accordingly.  The problem is that their concept of right and good is dictated by Satan’s gospel which is the exact opposite of God’s gospel.  The Apostle Paul railed against this truth throughout his ministerial life.  In Galatians 1:6 he tells the church that they are believing and obeying a “perverted” (Satan-dictated) gospel.  He told the church at Corinth that if someone presented “another Jesus” they would follow him (2 Cor. 11:4), which the entire church does to this day.  Why do billions of salvation seekers embrace the false Jesus Satan presents to them through their hirelings?  BECAUSE THAT JESUS ALLOWS THEM TO FULFILL THEIR OWN WILL WITH IMPUNITY, which is what so-called “Sinners Saved By Grace” proclaim repeatedly, proudly and loudly on t.v. and radio, on the internet and in books and movies.  From all these sources the devil’s will is spewed out as “Bible Truth.”  And the Biblically ignorant masses voice a silent “Amen.”  The modern day (Laodicean) church is the church’s golden calf which allows its followers to sin and get away with it.  Just as the people of Israel told Aaron at Mt. Sinai, “Make us gods which will lead us back to Egypt (sin).”  Nothing has changed.  The vast majority of church people believe what Satan says through his modern day prophets.  Note that God killed about 3,000 of them and threatened to kill them all.

The man God placed in charge of the Israelites in Moses’ absence failed to lead the people in way of righteousness.  Again, noting has changed.  Modern day churched people are doomed to failure because they have no ministerial help to lead them to victory over self and Satan.  And it is not because God has not provided such help for them.  But when Truth-bearing ministers preach and teach His Word Catholics and Protestants are told by their false prophets to ignore God’s man and to reject the message He (God) speaks through him.  I have had this happen to me.  For example, God sent me to teach an uber-religious churchite His Scriptural Truth concerning His Sabbath.  Instead of believing God’s Word, she asked her pastor about it.  His response was: “There’s nothing to it.”  The same thing happened again with another woman.  Both summarily dismissed His Word.  After telling me and showing me in vision that He was going to kill them for their unbelief, He did so shortly after warning me.  According to their doctors, both women died for no “medical reason.”  The Lord did the same thing to a man whom I had been teaching the Bible.  I was told to tell him that if he did not stop drinking God would kill him.  I told him.  He unexpectedly dead about two weeks later.

As a result of their attitude toward God’s Word and the men He raises up to proclaim it, billions of  people  find themselves alone in a war they do not know they are in, fighting an enemy they do not recognize while believing that they are serving the God whose Word/will/Truth/gospel/Law they reject.  They reject the witness of “holy men of old who spoke as the Holy Spirit moved them” (2 Pet. 1:21).  They reject the teachings of the prophets and apostles upon which God’s church is founded (Eph. 2:20).  Truly, Satan is alive, well and in total control of his Catholic/Protestant church system.  Having “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3), they listen to and obey the gospel of their “hirelings” (Jn. 10:12) who blind them to God’s Truth, thereby denying Him His “good pleasure.”

To be successful in war one must know with whom one is fighting.  With the exception of a minute few, those trapped within professing Christendom do not know against whom they are waging a two-front war against 1) the Biblical God and 2) their own will.  Being repeatedly assured by Satan’s prophets that they are saved, born again and rapture-ready, they wave the white flag of surrender as soon as they complete their “salvation experience.”  Having hoisted the white flag of surrender, they then spend the rest of their lives worshiping and serving their master–the god of this world.  Ironically, their flag has a cross on it.  These misguided souls have been conquered by the same white horse rider who has also conquered the unchurched.  This is the god on the white horse pictured in Revelation 6:2 who had gone throughout the world “conquering (men) and to conquer (more men).”  Both the churched and the unchurched have been conquered by him and therefore do his “good pleasure.”

One of his “good pleasures” was recently celebrated world-wide on December 24 with the arrival of Santa Claus who brought smiles and good cheer to billions of people.  This was the one who “knows what you are thinking,” and who “knows when you are sleeping and when you’re awake.”  He “knows when you’ve been bad or good (naughty or good).”  Only God knows these things about mankind.  Churchman’s god knows these things.  He is easily identified each year on his supposed birthday when he returns in order to give people what they want.  Satan gives church people what they want.  Satan is the god of Catholics and Protestants.  Satan is also the god of the unchurched.  And the world, including the church world, wonders why, as a little girl ask her mother after a severe earthquake: “Why is God so mad at us?”  Why indeed?  L.J.