WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
TOPIC: WHO CAN STOP GOD?
BY T. O. BANSO
âThe LORD Almighty has spoken â who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?â (Isaiah 14:27 New Living Translation).
Many questions are recorded in the Bible that could be studied further. One of them is âWho can stop Him?â In other words, âWho can stop God?â Some things happen that are beyond human comprehension and power. They are the acts of God that nobody can question Him about.
God determines whatever He does and nobody can query Him. When God decides to do something, nobody can stop Him. Daniel 4:35 says, âAll the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He has the power to do as he pleases among the angels of heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop him or challenge him, saying, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’â (New Living Translation).
Job said, âIf he sends death to snatch someone away, who can stop him? Who dares to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’ And God does not restrain his anger. The mightiest forces against him are crushed beneath his feetâ (Job 9:12-13 New Living Translation).
Nobody can stop God. God stops only when He decides to stop! The prophet Isaiah also tells us that nobody can stop God. âThe LORD Almighty has spoken â who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?â (Isaiah 14:27 New Living Translation).
While responding to the series of questions God asked him, Job said no one could stop God. âI know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You ask, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’  I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentanceâ (Job 42:2-6 New Living Translation).
All these scriptures emphasize that no one can stop God. He does whatever He wants to do. But why is this so? Why is it that nobody can stop God?
1. God is God! God is in a class of Himself. He declares about Himself in Isaiah 43:12b-13, ââYou are witnesses that I am the only God,â says the LORD. âFrom eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse my actionsââ (New Living Translation). There is no one like God. And there is only one God. He is! All other gods are idols! Â Jesus called God the only God (John 5:44). Isaiah 45:14 (New Living Translation) and 1 Timothy 1:17 (American Standard Version) also refer to God as the only God. Therefore, He is the only one who can do what God can do. Â Who can stop Him?
2. God is the creator of everything and created everything for His pleasure. God created the heavens and the earth; He created everything (Genesis 1; Revelation 10:6; Ephesians 3:9). Revelation 4:11 says, âThou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were createdâ (King James Version). The writer of Hebrews says that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that the things which are seen were not made of things that are visible (Hebrews 11:3). Because God created everything, who can stop Him?
3. Everything is under Godâs control. God didnât just create everything; everything is under His control. He has not renounced His ownership or abdicated His responsibility for His creation. Nobody can stop Him. He has not lost control over His creation! Psalm 103:19 says, âThe LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over allâ (New King James Version). Â The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses (Daniel 4:32b). Â Who can stop Him?
4. He is all-powerful. If you are more powerful than someone, you can stop him. But how do you stop Someone who is all-powerful? Thatâs who God is. He is all-powerful. Elihu, one of Jobâs friends, said, âLook, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him?â (Job 36:22 New Living Translation). God is the Omnipotent. He is the Almighty. His power is unlimited. He can do and undo. All power, including the power of Satan, is inferior to His power.
Philippians 2:9-11 says about Jesus, the Son of God, âTherefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Fatherâ (New King James Version).
Who can stop God? âIf God comes along and puts a person in prison, or if he calls the court to order, who is going to stop him?â (Job 11:10 New Living Translation).
5. God is all-knowing. God is not just all-powerful; He is all-knowing, all-wise. He is omniscient. Because God knows everything, who can stop Him? He knows what anyone is going to do before he ever thinks about it. 1 John 3:20b says God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.
God says in Isaiah 46:9-10, âRemember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Â Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasureââ (New King James Version). Who can stop Him?
6. God is all-present. He is Omnipresent â He is everywhere at the same time. God sits in one place and sees everywhere at the same time. As 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. Who can stop Him when He is present everywhere and sees everything?
How can someone who is not everywhere at the same time and doesnât see everything stop the Person who is all-present and all-seeing? Is it the devil who only goes to and fro on the earth, walking up and down (Job 1:7; 2:2) that would stop Him? Never! You should be happy that you serve this God â if you do. He knows the thoughts that He thinks toward you â thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). If He stops anyone, who will stop Him?
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Â Father, I thank You for being a God that no one can stop. Thank You for the thoughts that You think toward me â thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give me a future and hope. Father, let Your work continue non-stop in my life. Let Your counsel prevail.
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org