The battle of the will is one that has spanned the ages. But no matter how many decades, centuries and millennia pass by, man is not content to honestly settle the issue of who knows best. Or who has supreme authority. This can extend into human authority that God has ordained as well.

Somehow, even after observing failure after catastrophic failure because of rebellion against God, men and women still feel confident that a smart enough person hasn’t tried yet. They think—even though history consistently proves otherwise— that there are untried alternatives to the way God has ordained humanity to function.

The fact is, the more imaginative and supposedly intelligent man becomes, the less his plans seem to work. This is because imagination and innovation are not proper tools to evaluate the human condition. I believe God gave us creative power for other reasons. He gave us His word to apply to the human condition. It takes no imagination or creativity—only obedience as the Holy Spirit guides us through the word of God.

But imagination and innovation are applied to the human condition—now more than ever. And the more it doesn’t work, the more people look for even more imaginative solutions. This leads us further from the balance God has created. It can become a never ending cycle. But God in his grace has put an end to such cycles with various methods throughout history, only to have them start all over again.

One could therefore conclude that we really are not the sharpest tools in God’s shed. And yet somehow he loves us tremendously. We are fearfully and wonderfully made according to the Psalmist. Created in His image, given status above everything else on earth. Maybe this is why the enemy inspires us to behave as described above.

You see the man or woman who finally becomes wise and puts him or herself in a position of simple obedience and surrender, is a great threat to the enemy. He or She is also for the first time a real asset in the army of God. For the only real way to become an asset to God is to become a vessel of the Holy Spirit. And the only way that happens is by surrender and doing things His way.

So even though mankind at large remains corrupt, rebellious, and proud, we can individually choose differently, as God draws us. And as He draws us, let us put aside our own ways, and all our brilliance, to surrender to a God who knows best!