Can You Go Against The Will Of God?

This is a question that has been debated for centuries. Many believe God’s will for humanity is set in stone and there’s no changing it, while others believe that man’s free will gives him the ability to do his own thing. No matter what side you fall on there will always be different opinions around the question, can you go against the will of God?

According to the Bible, man has free will to do what he pleases as he lives his life on earth. While it’s God’s will that no one would perish, but that all men would come to a saving knowledge of Him, He doesn’t force anyone to follow or live according to His will.

As I said previously when God created the earth and everything in it, man was never intended to live his life without God’s leading. As we continue through this study we are going to look at the pros and cons of free will vs. God’s will and let the Spirit of God open our understanding further, let’s get started…

Can The Will Of God Be Changed?

In Malachi 3:6, we read, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed”. From this verse, we know that God’s will for man is never going to change. God is not like man who may act a certain way one day and the next day be totally different. With man, one day he may be happy and a couple of days later he may not. Our God is perfect in all of His ways and there is no error in Him. God’s consistency is a tremendous blessing to us because we can depend on Him to do what He says He will do. God is faithful to His Word, His Promises and His People, those who fear Him.

God’s consistency is also the reason that His Word is as relevant to us today as it was so many thousands of years ago. The promises that God makes to one generation often applies to many other generations that follow simply because there’s no fluctuation in His Word or Will. So no, His Will can’t be changed, His steadfastness is one of the many refreshing qualities about Him that are unfortunately often missing in man.

How Does My Prayers Affect the Will Of God?

There so much that can be said about the subject of prayer It blows my mind and although the prayers of the righteous availeth much they won’t change the will of God. Prayer is actually one of the weapons of our warfare, one of the means by which we defend ourselves against the attacks of the devil. Your prayers also serve as an opportunity for spiritual renewal and refreshing. It is the place we go when we need God to recharge us for the battle. Luke 18:1 tells us, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint”.

Ideally, we want to actually be praying for the will of God. We really want to stay before the Lord so much that we know His Will enough to communicate it in prayer. It really does no good to pray a prayer that’s outside of the will of God. God is not going to violate His Will for the sake of giving us what we want, He’s not going to do it. Consider James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. God is not interested in conforming to us, but rather us conforming to Him.

Prayer doesn’t affect the will of God, fervent, effective prayer is the will of God. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 9:38, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest”. This is a perfect example of praying God’s Will, the perfect prayer is to pray what God wants.

What Happens If I Go Against The Will Of God?

What happens when we go against the will of God depends on how much of God’s will we know. In Luke 12:47-48 Jesus tells us, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more“. God is much more merciful to those who are ignorant of His word than He is to those who know it better.

This is why Jesus was so merciful and forgiving to the sinners He encountered like the lady in John 8:1-11, caught in adultery. In John 8:7 Jesus responds, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”. In contrast to this, He was incredibly judgemental of the Pharisees In other cases. When we know what God wants us to do and decide not to do it we should expect a terrible punishment. While God is a great and merciful God, He’s also a God of judgement and we must recognize and remember this.

There’s also another negative that happens when we go against the will of God. Disobedience to God removes us out from under all of the promises and benefits that belong to those who fear Him. Lets take a look at some of the promises and benefits that are given to those who fear the God and live within His will.

• Proverbs 19:23, “The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil”.
• Proverbs 14:26-27, “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death”.
• Proverbs 10:27, “The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
• Proverbs 33:18, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy“.
• Psalms 34:7, “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

• Psalms 145:19, “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them“.
• Psalms 34:9, “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him”.

The list of blessings that we forfeit is far too great to list here but I did want to give you some examples to refer to. The long and short of it is that it’s never a good choice to go against the will of God.

Amen, Well friends I pray these words were edifying to you and I want to invite you to download our free guide, “5 Ways To Fight Worry, Anxiousness, And Anxiety
With God’s Word”, I’m sure it will bless your soul. I want to thank you so much for studying with us and being here, we love you and we are praying with you that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is extended to you. Until next time we pray that your faith fails not.

The Complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 33 Volumes By John MacArthur / Moody Publishers Intellectually stimulating and personally relevant, this commentary series is ideal for pastors, teachers, and laypeople alike. With practical illustrations and clear verse-by-verse exposition, John MacArthur avoids becoming overly technical, even while tackling problematic topics such as the role of women, spiritual gifts, and the rapture. Using a dispensationalist approach, his purpose is to provide life applications.