Does God Change His Mind?

[Paula22466]

I was actually thinking of stop sharing for awhile. Seems that people don't understand what I am saying . . . another place too. Maybe it is God's way of saying to move on for a time.

I think I will do that, unless He tells me otherwise. It will give me more time to get back to my writing too.

Thanks everyone. Much love your way.

Sorry Jo! I hope I didn't offend you in any way. I am trying to be good because I know I am usually quite offensive. The brrr man...lol Who knows?

[iRoswell]

Very interesting and thought provoking questions. but I do have to say, those appear to be loaded questions .

I do believe God reveals Himself to us through anthropomorphic revelation. He does not have eyes, yet, Scripture says He does. It's like when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about rebirth. He asked him how He could tell him spiritual things if he didn't even understand earthly things. If God revealed even the slightest heavenly truths, we probably wouldn't understand it. But that is part of the glory of God. For all eternity, He will be revealing Himself to us!

I agree with your logic. If you run the thought of God having to learn something from His creation, well, I shudder at even the thought of it. It does not coincide with what the overall picture Scripture presents.

But therein lies the paradox. How can our prayers effect God if,
A. He knows all things - 1 John 3:20 and
B. If He works all things together according to His will - Ephesians 1:11.

But, there it is, out comes James 5:16, which says,
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

I'll be honest, I struggle over what the sovereignty of God means. You have a lot of Scripture for both sides of the issue.
Some regard it as God micromanaging every single act, no matter how minute, and saying that free will does not truly exist.
Then you have the other camp which is just the opposite extreme.
One camp says God peeks through time, therefore He knows all, and the other says He knows all because He does all, and doesn't have to peek.
I believe that He is outside of time, He is, and was, and is to come. That changes things as He would be seeing all of history as we see today, the here and now.

I kind of vacillate between the two thoughts because in the end, God can do whatever He jolly well wants to.

As for prayer, maybe it's not us changing God's mind, but Him changing ours? The closer we come to Him, the closer we are supposed to be conforming into the image of His Son. That would show that we are praying according to His will, therefore, He was just waiting on us to get it.

It's late, and I'm rambling. I may or may not of answered a single question, but I don't know if that's why you asked them in the first place. I say that, in part, because of your signature.

[iRoswell]

Accord64 - thanks for your input. Short and to the point.

So, in my humble opinion, what we see here is God changing His mind from our perspective, but not from an eternal perspective.

I like what you said about these narratives often being a way to display God's glory and grace, and I agree. I'd go even a step further and say they also ought to encourage us to pray, talk to God, repent of sin. Seems most of these, if not all, the passages which speak of God relented, repented, changed His mind, etc. accompany some sort of repentance or judgment passage.

I totally agree

[jo555]

I was actually thinking of stop sharing for awhile. Seems that people don't understand what I am saying . . . another place too. Maybe it is God's way of saying to move on for a time.

I think I will do that, unless He tells me otherwise. It will give me more time to get back to my writing too.

Thanks everyone. Much love your way.

Sorry Jo! I hope I didn't offend you in any way. I am trying to be good because I know I am usually quite offensive. The brrr man...lol Who knows?

The last 3 weeks have been very trying for me . . . long story, but I recognize that I am quite sensitive of late. Not just here but everywhere.

I wish I could blame everything on Menapause . . . I think it is a mixture of things . . . I so need some time off . . . may be time for one of my minivacations.

I've been here for awhile. I can join in on the conversation, and disagreements, although I don't care to go on about what I can see as more of a minor difference in perspectives that isn't that important to me.

Yet, I can see the need for others to ask for clarity.

Thanks Paula!

[Paula22466]

But therein lies the paradox. How can our prayers effect God if,
A. He knows all things - 1 John 3:20 and
B. If He works all things together according to His will - Ephesians 1:11.

But, there it is, out comes James 5:16, which says,
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Certainly A & B (above) are both true.

As for prayer, maybe it's not us changing God's mind, but Him changing ours? The closer we come to Him, the closer we are supposed to be conforming into the image of His Son. That would show that we are praying according to His will, therefore, He was just waiting on us to get it.

Yes, this is profound, yet so many Christians do not "get it." If we are truly being changed to become more like Christ, than what we pray for will increasingly line up with God's will. We will be asking for those things which are actually good for us and good for others.Let's face it, we have no idea what actually is good for us (I'm speaking of earthly things).

I think this makes it easier for us to understand how A & B, plus James 5:16 can all be true without doing damage to the sovereignty of God.

I'll be honest, I struggle over what the sovereignty of God means. You have a lot of Scripture for both sides of the issue.

I have to disagree, although I didn't always. Even young Christian believe (or say) they believe that God is completely sovereign. Yet when our minds start working out what that actually means for things like salvation, we say WHOA. "That's not fair."
After years of kicking and screaming with careful Bible study in between - I think the Bible as a whole reveals that God is completely sovereign without holding man hostage. We all have free will, yet we all will choose the thing we desire most at that moment. No one will ever choose what they don't want. Therein lies the rub, yes?

God can do whatever He jolly well wants to.

[Paula22466]

I wish I could blame everything on Menapause

You can and it would be completely just. Menopause is a demon straight from Hell. I began going through it early, in my late thirties and finally finished at 42. I thought I was losing my mind and knew I didn't have much to spare. Hang in there - it gets better!

I don't care to go on about what I can see as more of a minor difference in perspectives that isn't that important to me.

That's cool, Jo. If you don't want to "debate" something with me just say so, I wont be offended.

[iRoswell]

But therein lies the paradox. How can our prayers effect God if,
A. He knows all things - 1 John 3:20 and
B. If He works all things together according to His will - Ephesians 1:11.

But, there it is, out comes James 5:16, which says,
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Certainly A & B (above) are both true.

As for prayer, maybe it's not us changing God's mind, but Him changing ours? The closer we come to Him, the closer we are supposed to be conforming into the image of His Son. That would show that we are praying according to His will, therefore, He was just waiting on us to get it.

Yes, this is profound, yet so many Christians do not "get it." If we are truly being changed to become more like Christ, than what we pray for will increasingly line up with God's will. We will be asking for those things which are actually good for us and good for others.Let's face it, we have no idea what actually is good for us (I'm speaking of earthly things).

I think this makes it easier for us to understand how A & B, plus James 5:16 can all be true without doing damage to the sovereignty of God.

I'll be honest, I struggle over what the sovereignty of God means. You have a lot of Scripture for both sides of the issue.

I have to disagree, although I didn't always. Even young Christian believe (or say) they believe that God is completely sovereign. Yet when our minds start working out what that actually means for things like salvation, we say WHOA. "That's not fair."
After years of kicking and screaming with careful Bible study in between - I think the Bible as a whole reveals that God is completely sovereign without holding man hostage. We all have free will, yet we all will choose the thing we desire most at that moment. No one will ever choose what they don't want. Therein lies the rub, yes?

God can do whatever He jolly well wants to.

Well, I really enjoyed the conversation. Hope to have many more as the years roll by, God willing.

[evangelist-1]

Now I know that anything He reveals to me, will be revealed through His perfect Word.
We have His Word in our hands to refer to so we can, know, that we are not going astray.
Praise God for His mercy!!!

Let's look at this a little deeper ...
God's word says to go into all the world to evangelize.
But, this cannot apply to every believer (except perhaps @ home).
God calls YOU to go overseas to evangelize (you think, but aren't positive).
Several trusted spiritual people pray and receive confirmations about it.
Now, you're positive that you've been called to go.

I've always wondered about those missionary groups who went to Africa 100-200 years ago,
and after about one week they were all killed by the natives.
Did they go in the flesh or in the Spirit? ... I guess we'll never know here on earth.

[iRoswell]

Hello Evangel,

The Scripture does declare for us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Whether or not you do it from the comfort of your very own couch, (I'm refering to online conversations), at work, or school, or in a remote village, doesn't really matter. The Word says go, so... go .

As for those who lose their lives so quickly after going, we do have to trust God with that. The Bible also says that His Word, never returns void, (Isaiah 55:11). So they didn't die for nothing. They died carrying His most holy Word to those who may have never heard it before.

That reminds of the Auca tribe and the five missionaries they killed. If you're interested, here is a link that shows how God's Word never returns void.

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/stories/missionary/11-auca.htm

[tomoral]

As for prayer, maybe it's not us changing God's mind, but Him changing ours? The closer we come to Him, the closer we are supposed to be conforming into the image of His Son. That would show that we are praying according to His will, therefore, He was just waiting on us to get it.

I am not a Bible scholar, being a relatively new Christian I am still learning and studying. That' s why I read this topic. It can be confusing at times, but this jumped out at me as being what I feel is the truth....

[Paula22466]

As for prayer, maybe it's not us changing God's mind, but Him changing ours? The closer we come to Him, the closer we are supposed to be conforming into the image of His Son. That would show that we are praying according to His will, therefore, He was just waiting on us to get it.

I am not a Bible scholar, being a relatively new Christian I am still learning and studying. That' s why I read this topic. It can be confusing at times, but this jumped out at me as being what I feel is the truth....

You don't have to be a Bible scholar to have discernment. I love your humility, btw.

Check this out:
John 15:7–8 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

See the explicit qualifier? If you abide in me. The more we abide in Christ (study scripture, pray, obey, serve, etc) the more we will be able to discern God's will for our lives and know what to pray for. And the more we pray according to His will, the more likely our prayers will be answered the way we ask. Also, notice the prayer is connected to bearing fruit, which makes sense because the more we are "abiding," the more fruitful we will be.

[iRoswell]

As for prayer, maybe it's not us changing God's mind, but Him changing ours? The closer we come to Him, the closer we are supposed to be conforming into the image of His Son. That would show that we are praying according to His will, therefore, He was just waiting on us to get it.

I am not a Bible scholar, being a relatively new Christian I am still learning and studying. That' s why I read this topic. It can be confusing at times, but this jumped out at me as being what I feel is the truth....

You don't have to be a Bible scholar to have discernment. I love your humility, btw.

Check this out:
John 15:7–8 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

See the explicit qualifier? If you abide in me. The more we abide in Christ (study scripture, pray, obey, serve, etc) the more we will be able to discern God's will for our lives and know what to pray for. And the more we pray according to His will, the more likely our prayers will be answered the way we ask. Also, notice the prayer is connected to bearing fruit, which makes sense because the more we are "abiding," the more fruitful we will be.

That is a perfect Scripture and lesson!

I also agree, if we could all be so humble when it comes to how little we know of Scripture. It's so easy to think I know so much, when I haven't even scratched the surface of His wonderful Word!

[Paula22466]

I see from the poll, one person said "Yes of course," God changes His mind.

To that person (because I don't think they have yet commented) please tell us why you think so. And if God does change His mind, how do we know He wont do it again?

[Paula22466]

I see from the poll, one person said "Yes of course," God changes His mind.

To that person (because I don't think they have yet commented) please tell us why you think so. And if God does change His mind, how do we know He wont do it again?

Bump.

[NetChaplain]

Hi Sis! Nice poll-turnout. I've ran into this before and haven't taken the time yet to read all of the replies but would like to share what I've learned. Comprehending what His omniscience involves will aid in explaining why He never needs to change His mind, even though Scripture occasionally appears to exhibit He did.

The most mysterious and profound concept concerning God is that He has never had a beginning, which obviously infers He has always existed. Therefore everything about Him is from eternity past (ep), if you will. This designs the intention that He foreknew all He will do and all everyone (angelic and human) will do, even prior to creating them (ep).

Therefore it's not unreasonable to realize, since He foreknew everyone's thoughts and decisions (ep!*?) and everything that will transpire, changing His mind would be an impossibility, because that would infer there was something He didn't know, which would disqualify His omniscience.