DUNAMIS_ PERMISSIVE WILL AND PERFECT WILL OF GODDUNAMIS_ PERMISSIVE WILL AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD
Resilient Truths
Whose will are we walking in? Are we walking in the perfect will of God or are we catering to our flesh in His permissive will? We walk in the permissive will of God when we lean toward our own understanding and live in the flesh to glorify ourselves. We...
41:20•6 Mar 2024
Permissive Will, Perfect Will and Dunamis Power with Dr. Theresa M Bell
Episode Overview
- Permissive will is described as living in the flesh, doing what you want while God allows you to keep breathing in grace and mercy.
- Perfect will is linked to obedience to God’s word and is where favour and entry into the kingdom of God are said to be found.
- Temptation is compared to the serpent in Eden, with modern versions including drugs, alcohol, adultery, fornication and gossip.
- The conscience and inner nudging are presented as signs that the Holy Spirit is still present and calling a person to repent.
- Walking in God’s perfect will often means doing uncomfortable things you don’t want to do, rather than following your own desires.
““You can’t be a prisoner of the gospel if you like doing what you’re doing.””
Bell explains that permissive will is “when we walk in doing what we want to do,” and God simply allows us to carry on in grace and mercy, even while we’re stuck in gossip, addiction, adultery or other “works of the flesh.” Perfect will, on the other hand, is where favour sits – “Favor is when you walk in the perfect will of God… you have to be following what he say and what he say do.” Using the story of Adam, Eve and the serpent, she compares the tree of knowledge to modern temptations – cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, adultery, fornication – anything you know you shouldn’t touch but are talked into anyway.
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Resilient Truths brings a raw, faith-filled message from Dr. Theresa M Bell as she talks about what it means to live in God’s permissive will versus His perfect will – and why that difference matters for anyone trying to break old habits, including alcohol and drug use. Speaking straight from scripture and everyday life, Dr.
She links this to how people end up in destructive patterns, including substance use, just by listening to the wrong voices a little too long. Dr. Bell keeps things honest and humorous as she shares her own struggle with obedience, from refusing to attend an event full of people who once used her, to realising that skipping it would put her back in permissive will.
“You can’t be a prisoner of the gospel if you like doing what you’re doing,” she says, showing how following God’s lead often means doing the very thing you don’t want to do. For anyone wrestling with addiction, relapse temptations or messy relationships, this message offers a straight-talking reminder: are you just surviving on grace, or are you ready to walk in favour?
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