Last week while reading in this book:

 

I read something that really that I had never thought of before but it makes a lot of sense to me. I am just now getting enough time to sit down and type I out for you all. I have typed up the entire section for you all to read along with me.

I hope you are blessed by this and that you will better under stand the importance of living in God's will.

 

What hinders God's will?

 

While God's will is already perfectly implemented in heaven, it isn't yet on earth- hence the prayer " ' on earth as it is in heaven.' " What is it that has prevented God's agenda, His plan and purpose from being implemented?

 

According to Scripture, two main factors are at work: a satanic one and a human one. First, the satanic factor. Tradition has it that when God decided to create us in His own image and likeness, the archangel Lucifer, a creature depicted in Scripture as

 

"the signet of perfection,

full of wisdom

and perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 28:12)

 

protested out of fear that his position was being threatened by the new creature. Using the kind of Babylon as a symbol, the prophet Isaiah described what happened:

 

"you said in your heart,

'I will ascend to heaven;

above the stars of God

I will set my throne on high;...

I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14)

 

Apparently, a battle followed between the angels of God and those of Satan, and the former archangel and his forces were defeated. Revelation describes it as follows:

 

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our breather has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God... Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!" (Revelation 12:7-12; see also Ezekiel 28:12-19)

 

In our daily life under God an in our ministries of reconciliation, we are constantly threatened by these evil forces. They flatter us, tempt us, and try to dissuade us from giving priority to the kingdom of God. We have been told- as we have experienced in so many ways- that in our struggles to remain loyal to God and His agenda for our life, "we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12) That's why the apostle Paul urges us not to take these demonic forces and the way they operate lightly, but to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" and to "put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (verses 10,11).

Of course, D-day has dawned in this war too. The devil has already been defeated, His place is no longer found in heaven (Luke 10:18). His powers have been greatly curtailed. God, not this prince of darkness, is in control of our lives, times, and circumstances. Christ, the One who sends us on our mission of reconciliation, holds all authority, and He has given us " ' authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you' " (Luke 10:19; cf Matthew 28:18-20) Consequently, when we pray with Christ the petition " ' they will be done.' " we are expressing our desire that God make an end to all the powers of evil in us and around us so that His plan of salvation will be fully implemented" 'on earth as it is in heaven.' "