Is God Domesticated?

 

 

Have we converted God

Rather than He converting us?

Have we finally converted Him

Such that in us He trusts?

 

Are we now wagging Him

Like a dog wags its tail

And feel with him in our control

We cannot fail?

 

Oft we pray in this way

As though we are in control

And God has to meet our request;

Why, isn’t this bold?

 

Like domesticated animals

Trained to do our bidding:

The dog, the cat, the horse, the ass;

And I am not kidding.

 

 

 

God is no man’s debtor,

The Bible surely points out,

The fact that everything is His

Leaves no doubt.

 

He spoke into becoming

All that we see and experience,

Without Him was and is nothing

That is in existence.

 

Even our breath is His

From the very first one,

And to the time that is appointed

When the last is gone.

 

So, to the Jewish ethnicity

And to all other peoples

God belongs to no particular nation,

Including Israel.

 

 

 

None can domesticate Him

Or Him monopolize:

No President, no Pope, no Priest;

Or Satan who lies.

 

For it is a blatant lie

That God can be controlled,

Whether by prayer or supplication

Or intercession untold.

 

Whether in church or out

Let there be no doubt

That God is the only sovereignty

And no other has clout.

 

 

 

All power is His

And all kingdoms as well

And nowhere without His jurisdiction;

Not even hell.

 

Read the book of Job

And discover what He saw:

God is the Omnipotent Wise One;

In Him there is no flaw.

 

You’d better be on His side

And do what He requires

For He is no respecter of persons

And does what He desires.

 

Stewart Russell © October 29, 2025

 

Satellites of None

“Friends of all,

Satellites of none”

Admonished Prime Minister Errol Barrow

When this country he had run.

 

Then, it had the ability

To punch above its weight

But this has been called into question

Only here of late.

 

“Friends of all!”

Nothing’s wrong with this

But we must take care whom we join

And with whom we enlist.

 

One country is up in arms

With the very mighty USA

Presumably because its Government

Has contravened the US way.

 

Refusing to recognize

A particular same sex union

It has brought on itself

A colossal problem.

 

America has shown

It is the World’s big bully

Disrespecting the laws of others

As well as their sovereignty.

 

Well, power is might

And this is nothing new,

Developing states must conform

And pay what is due.

 

This US love affair

Has been going on for a while

Even though it appears to me

It is only for style...

 

To make the US look good

Especially in the Caribbean

But the truth be told,

It is all a dream.

 

 

From the Basin Initiative

With its unstoppable hole

All through the Obama presidency

We saw US deceit unfold.

 

A regular intervenor

In local domestic disputes,

That America assumes the big brother,

One cannot dispute.

 

Like the impudent child

Scowling and red in the face

America is telling someone’s diplomats

To leave its place.

 

No extension of contracts

Thus, when the time expires they must go,

This is big bully’s reaction

To a Caribbean country we know.

 

“Satellites of none!”

The great Errol Barrow declared,

It does not matter their size

We must not bow in fear.

 

Giving up one’s sovereignty

Is like giving up one’s birthright,

The right to self-government

Disappears in the night.

 

For indeed, it is night

When one’s freedom is taken,

Especially a sovereign country

That wilts when threatened.

 

America does not care

And her agenda is not hidden,

To allow her absolute control

Must be strictly forbidden.

 

Oh, wretched people we are

When we simply capitulate,

In this ocean of combative bullies

We become only shark bait.

 

Stewart Russell © July 29, 2023

Sovereign

 

 

 

We know of this term

But there seems so much to learn

That our hearts within burn

When its principles are spurned.

 

“Of political bodies

Not controlled by outside forces”

Just one of the meanings

Taken from one of my sources.

 

“Greatest in status

Authority or power”

Is another definition I found

Taking it even higher.

 

“A nation’s ruler or head of state

Usually by hereditary right:

A crowned head or monarch”

With considerable might.

 

Reserved also for countries

Independent and or Republic

But in some cases

Such sovereignty does not fit.

 

Lastly and most importantly

The Sovereign, Omnipotent God:

The I AM That I AM

The One that is All in All.

 

Identified are different levels

Of sovereignty

But of infinite greatness

Is the Lord God Almighty!

 

 

All power is His

To raise up and pull down

And there is none greater than He

That can be found.

 

He is the Sovereign God

An there is none other besides

And in the heaven of heavens

Is where He resides.

 

Sovereign Leaders rule

But the Almighty God overrules,

He is Sovereign above all

And this He daily proves.

 

None can overrule His will

Even though they may try,

The haughty and high He humbles

And the humble He makes high.

 

Nothing happens

That He does not see

And whithersoever anyone goes

There He will be.

 

All other sovereignties

Are hopelessly suspect

And however powerful they appear

Their fall we can expect.

 

Sovereignties are only as strong

As their military might

And if one mightier comes along

They lose that right.

 

 

 A current case in point

Is Russia and the Ukraine:

Both of these are sovereign nations

But Ukraine is being claimed.

 

 

Its sovereignty means little

To the Russian might

And at present it seems incapable

Of asserting its sovereign right.

 

Russia’s sovereign head

Is demonstrating to all

That he has the military might

To make this call.

 

It is under the guise

That Ukraine must be De-Nazified

Which I cannot understand

However hard I’ve tried.

  

Therefore, my conclusion is:

God is the only Sovereign,

All else carrying the appellation

Is with a tenuous claim.

 

A very thin line

Based on one’s military might

But it is working for the big ones

Where might is right!

 

Stewart Russell © February 25, 2022

 

God’s Sovereignty Man’s Free Will

How do the two work?

I have heard people ask

And to them, even for God.

This is an impossible task.

One must displace the other

At some time or another,

That is the only way

They can ever work together.

It won’t take rocket science

To see what I see

So, in my simple understanding

Here is what must be.

First it must be an absolute

That God is Sovereign,

After all, He is the Lord of lords

And the King of kings.

 

God is the only sovereignty

That has not been given,

All other so-called sovereignties-

For such, men have striven.

At the level of civil society

That is how sovereignty works,

The stronger takes the weaker

You don’t have to be an expert.

The stronger and the weaker:

These are two human groups,

They have repeatedly changed

In a consistent loop.

Like the World Powers

Of which we read in our history,

Each reign will last

Until the other succeeds.

None can conquer the World

Of this history is replete,

But man will try and try again

Thus, his failure he will repeat.

Man’s reign is always limited

Limited to time and space,

Contrary to this God is not

After all, He created the human race.

 

God gave man his free will

He gave him the ability to choose,

It is a facility that is given for a time

Which at death he will lose.

Lucifer, God also created

And to him He also gave free will,

But Satan forgot it was what he received

And failed in his overthrow bid.

God is omnipotent and omniscient

Creator and Ruler of all,

He is self-existent, the only I AM

And to do what He pleases is His call.

He is sovereign and man is not

Free will is a gift from Him,

Man is finite and God is not

But such a quest brought about the first sin.

That the two can work together

We may not fully understand

But nothing is impossible with God

And this is His divine plan.

I see it in the light of salvation,

God has given man a choice,

It’s just like in the garden of Eden

When man disobeyed God’s voice.

But God in His eternal wisdom

Worked around this catastrophe,

Hence, the coming of His beloved Son

To die for you and me.

Our free will remain intact,

We can say yes or no to God

But that free will is not unlimited,

If you doubt me, ask the Fraud.

Lucifer was the first, you’d recall

To truly understand this

And any that dares to join him

Is taking an eternal risk.

 

When we say yes to God

We are accepting His sovereignty

To order the affairs of our life

For all eternity.

In our ignorance and stupidity

Sometimes we may want to turn back

But having said yes to God,

He keeps each child on track.

This is not a violation

Of the free will He gave to us

But a commitment that God has made

On account of His Son Jesus.

Our free will need not oppose God

Even though sometimes it will

But that “yes” we have said to Him

Keeps us under his covering still.

God will do what is best by us

For His glory and our good

And His indwelling faithful Spirit

Will prompt us to do as we should.

He will not bully or bulldoze us

To do what we should do

But like a loving shepherd with silly sheep,

He will care for me and for you.

There are two theological camps

That claw at each other daily,

One holds the side of man’s free will

The other on God’s sovereignty.

Neither the twain can see

How the two can work together

But standing behind two deceased men

They refused to come together.

Perhaps like the blind man of old

They are not seeing much

And maybe, like that blind man of old

They need a second touch.

Both camps need to remember

It is Christ that died for man,

He did this by way of his own free will

Yet, in accordance with God’s plan.

So, the two can work together

As a matter of fact, they always do,

They combined to process salvation

Both for me and for you.

Man’s free will is limited

And though he has that facility now

There is a time that is yet to come

When all men will be forced to bow.

Subject your free will to God,

Do so willingly,

Do not wait until that time comes

When you will compulsorily.

Then, it will be to no avail

Redemption’s amnesty would have passed,

Therefore, while it is called today

Salvation’s offer you must grasp.

There is absolutely no violation

When we exchange our will for God’s,

The real bully is the devil

Don’t be taken in by this Fraud.

God’s sovereignty, man’s free will-

One is as evident as the other

And given the benefits salvation brings

Why should either be a bother?

God always keeps His word

And that is the key,

At the same time this cannot be said

For you and for me.

Stewart Russell © May 2020

Two Parallel Truths

 

God is sovereign, a truth we should not deny,

God is sovereign, a fact that men defy,

He is the only wise God and our Saviour

And our salvation is impossible in any other.

Man is a free moral agent; God made him so,

Man is a free moral agent; God wants him to know,

Created by God in His image and His likeness,

He was the crowning creation before God took His rest.

Hence man is responsible for the decision he makes,

Man is accountable for the risk that he takes,

Man is indictable when he walks in unbelief

When simply to believe will bring him eternal relief.

Man boasts of intelligence and intellectual capacity

And as he achieves he denounces God’s sovereignty,

But be it known that God will hold him accountable

For to renounce the Creator is asking for trouble.

“Come unto me all ye that are laden and burdened”

In so much that Jesus promised to give such rest

But yet he says no man can come to the Son,

The Father must draw him; that is the reconciling test.

If I cannot come except the Father draws me

Tell me how I can determine my eternal destiny?

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word

Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ is the biblical record.

Jesus implied that there was a certain amount

That the Father had given him as salvation’s count,

None would be lost no matter Satan’s demand,

Nothing or no one can pluck any from his hand.

But look at Judas who was surnamed Iscariot,

The other disciples were restored but he was not,

Prophesied to betray our Saviour and our Lord,

Check Psalms 109 verse 8; it’s there in God’s Word.

In John chapter seventeen in his high priestly prayer

“I have kept all save one,” we hear Jesus say;

The one who betrayed him he prophesied, woe betide,

Judas, son of perdition went out and committed suicide.

  

From long ago men have been trying to understand

What they perceive to be God’s unfair demand

Concerning the clash between God’s will and ours

And how He manipulates us according to His powers.

Is it really true that men have a free choice?

Is that choice not often violated by God’s sovereignty?

It appears impossible for these two to function

Without God’s will over powering man’s at some junction.

In our finite understanding one thing we should note,

In no circumstances does God grab one by one’s throat

To force one to do anything that He, God demands

For such is not God’s nature; it’s not his purpose or His plan.

Bear with me as I cite another of this mystery,

This working of God’s sovereignty and our responsibility,

In Romans 10 the Apostle Paul asks some questions

Concerning the matter of the sinner’s salvation.

How shall they call on him they have not believed?

How shall they believe on him they have not heard?

Furthermore how shall they hear without a preacher?

How shall they preach except they are sent with a word?

It comes right down to these two parallel truths:

God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility is the proof,

The word does not set out to show how they operate

But it is clearly not God’s nature either one to violate.

  

God’s word as it was written is the historic record

Of things that are future, that are current and have passed,

Such is the authenticity and accuracy of God’s Word

That all other historic documents are totally outclassed.

God will not go back and change what has happened

And all history as God sees it is already written,

He knows the end from the beginning, no need to amend,

He knows each mind, each thought and what we intend.

So that we shouldn’t blame God when we do wrong

And make the excuse that we are weak but He is strong,

And when to Satan’s taunts we constantly bow

Say, that what God does not hinder he simply allows.

No need to fathom how God’s will and ours unfold,

He that believes in Christ will be saved we have been told,

It is God’s sovereign will to save whomever He chooses

But a man will be held accountable if salvation he refuses.

God has a work to perform and perform it He will,

He has called time and again and call He does still,

If you hear His voice you’d better harden not your heart

Lest after a while that stirring conviction from you depart.

As His sovereign will says come and as His Spirit draws,

Do extricate yourself from the lure of man’s applause,

For you have a responsibility to respond to God’s call,

As the invitation comes to you do no longer stall.

For God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy

And have compassion on whomever He will,

So then it is not of him that wills or of him that runs

But of God that shows mercy; He shows mercy still.

Stewart Russell© 2016

Hell Bent: Whose Decision?

Here are some questions that are puzzling to me:

Why would God send a person to hell eternally?

Why not stop that person from being born?

Why send him to hell as the punitive norm?

What evil could a man do in just a few short years?

How could he merit an eternal hell and utter despair?

How could such a God be gracious or even merciful?

Could He really be a loving God and yet be so terrible?

Well look at what he did to His Son on the cross

To save you and me from being eternally lost,

I guess you would argue that that does not add up

But Jesus really drank from death’s bitter cup.

And consider this; God has given man the choice

To choose heaven or hell as his eternal abode

It is man who chooses on his own to go to hell

Heaven could be his home if he chooses that road.

Note the progression of a man that rejects Christ

He scoffs at the Creator and the Son’s sacrifice

And professing to be wise in his very own eyes

Worships the created while the Creator he denies.

Open your Bible to Romans the very first chapter

And see how man is hell bent in his behavior,

See how he progresses on his downward spiral

Openly and blatantly disregarding God in his denial.

Don’t blame God when it is the man that refused,

Man had two clear options from which to choose,

Opting for the created while the Creator he abused

Man left himself without any worthwhile excuse.

Not only do men participate in these idolatrous sins

But they also approve of any other who does them,

While God-given consciences convict them of wrong

They pursue the broad way with the hell bent throng.

Jesus came in the flesh so that we all might believe,

Believe on the Son of God and God’s offer receive

So that in believing we may have life in his name,

Disregard this and we have only ourselves to blame.

  

Because Christ came to pay the price of our sin

God willingly accepts all them that come through him,

God allows people to be born to give them opportunity

To choose Jesus Christ and make heaven their destiny.

This may still be a difficult concept to grasp,

For some it may present a herculean task

But the real issue, do not allow anyone to mask

For it is a simple requirement that the Master asks.

Let’s cling to what we know about God’s nature,

Believe that His sovereignty and mercy work together,

Whatever He does or allows is for His own glory

And His love in Christ is towards you and me.

Almighty God is the Rock and his work is perfect,

All that he does is precise and accurate,

He’s the God of truth and without iniquity

A just, loving, merciful and gracious God is He.

Hell needs not be your destiny; heaven can be your home,

The choice of either of these is yours and yours alone,

Not a thread of truth that God will cause one to go to hell,

It’s the choice we make and to whom our soul we sell.

For there are two that are bidding for our soul,

To steal, kill and destroy is the devil’s only goal

But Jesus is come that we might have abundant life

And so avoid the second death and eternal strife.

Would God send you to hell?  Yes with your consent

For to reject the Son of God is to declare your intent,

No way you can escape if you neglect God’s salvation

For to do so is a one way ticket to your own perdition.

God spared not His Son but gave him up for us,

The sin debt we owed was paid in full by Jesus

As he hung there from that cross at dark Calvary

Hell was obliterated for all who would be free.

I will praise my Redeemer for hell is not a worry for me,

Having been washed in his blood I am eternally free,

His free choice to give up his life for all my sin

Is reason enough why I surrender my all to him.

Stewart Russell © 2015