# Chain: Free Will And Gods Plan > *Free will and God's Will are not in conflict; the willing soul is how God's plan manifests* **The argument it traces:** God has an intended end but free will means no straight path → the laws of free will and cause-and-effect must be obeyed, so outcomes are unpredictable in order and timing → God orchestrates through circuitous routes across generations → the willing soul ignited by Divine Love is the treasure through which His Will manifests → the soul's free choice to surrender willfulness is itself the fulfilment of God's plan, not its loss **14** messages · **15** supporting · main statement not yet chosen --- ## Foundation ### 2014-07-26 - [[2014-07-26 Free Will Makes for a Free Wheeling World, Nothing Is Guaranteed|Free Will Makes for a Free Wheeling World, Nothing Is Guaranteed]] The unpredictability step argued from the spirit side. Augustine begins by refusing the premise that events express God's intention: "the events of the world do not unfold to the Will of God but to the will of man," so that "great good and great negativity can be in the world at the same time, because of this choice." Then the claim that gives the thread its shape: "the flow of the events in this world are not altogether predictable, are not altogether under the control of God. There is an element of chaos and changeability." The constraint is described as binding the angels too: "we cannot control the events of the world in the way that you would like us to... we are limited in our efforts as well because of the power of free will and the grave conditions that mankind has established in this world." He stops short of powerlessness, "This is not to say that we are powerless to influence man." Where the thread traces God orchestrating through circuitous routes, this says why the routes are circuitous, and that those working them are bound by the same law. ### 2015-03-24 - [[2015-03-24 There Is Fate and Yet There Is No Fate|There Is Fate and Yet There Is No Fate]] Given in New York to a small circle beginning something new. Augustine sets out the premise the thread rests on: "there is fate and yet there is no fate." God holds an intended outcome and sees the whole of it, "God does see all and anticipates all." But free will pushes against that outcome constantly: "the power of free will buffets the enactment of God's will, turns and twists this flow." God does not answer this by overriding it, and Augustine is explicit that the constraint is legal rather than practical: "the laws of cause and effect, of free will, of creation, must be obeyed." What follows is a delay rather than a defeat. Outcomes are "not altogether predictable nor can they manifest in a predictable order," and "there is an end result which may take many, many years and generations and lifetimes to bring about." Instead of overriding, God works through willing agents, inspiring "His angels and the spirits and the many who wish to serve Him" to arrange events, which "may take circuitous routes and more time than anticipated and different players." What shortens the route is a willing soul that has been lit: the enactment "is not obscured by a lack of understanding of the truth, it is not obscured by a soul that is not ignited by God's Love," and "together the enlivened soul and the willing spirit may bring about miracles." ### 2015-03-24 - [[2015-03-24 There Is Fate and Yet There Is No Fate|There Is Fate and Yet There Is No Fate]] The delay is chosen rather than imposed. Augustine states the greater power without qualification, "the power of God's Love is greater than all the power of man's will," and in the next breath reaffirms that the laws must be obeyed anyway. God is not held back by free will; God declines to use a power He has. ### 2015-03-24 - [[2015-03-24 There Is Fate and Yet There Is No Fate|There Is Fate and Yet There Is No Fate]] What the argument costs, and what it is for. Augustine names "the injustices and the extreme perversions of life, and the innocence of those who are the victims of the great power of mankind's free will, and the sin and error mounted one upon the other for generations," and then locates the remedy in souls who are "unencumbered by these conditions" and "strong enough because they possess the greatest gift possible." The delay is what allows the suffering to continue; the willing soul is what shortens it. ## Elaboration ### 2015-06-21 - [[2015-06-21 God's Will Is above Man's Will|God's Will Is above Man's Will]] God's Will prevails over human will without overriding it: "although the free will of man is strong and powerful, the Will of God is stronger. And there will be resolution... that are a part of this great plan that God has for the salvation of mankind." The willing soul cannot be thwarted by the will of others, "There is no need for you to feel as if you are being thwarted by the will of others, for this is not true. You walk within the Will of God, and this shall always be true as long as you are willing." His own life is offered in a sentence, "in my day I had great opposition, but I was persistent and I felt I was doing God's Will." ### 2015-12-14 - [[2015-12-14 Free Will versus God's Will|Free Will versus God's Will]] God's Will cannot be known from the mind: "you cannot know God's Will from your mind, for a mind that is not informed by the soul filled with God's Essence cannot possibly understand the Will of God. It is incapable." The willful mind's attempt to shape God's Will in the world is "the great folly of mankind," and the world as it stands is "the manifestation of the willfulness, the power of free will... the power of all the choices made through the ages, creating this reality." The answer is to pray for the Love, so that a soul may "know with great certainty and clarity God's Will for you." ### 2016-01-18 - [[2016-01-18 How the Gift of Love Can Touch a Soul and Change the World|How the Gift of Love Can Touch a Soul and Change the World]] "you are given the gift of free will. But, my beloveds, this is your destiny." Applies Augustine's premise to the individual's inner struggle: the soul determines the timing, but alignment with God's Will is the destiny free will exists to choose; resistance burns away as the soul gains ascendency. Pairs with the Augustine foundation. ### 2016-03-16 - [[2016-03-16 The Resonance of Love Amongst You|The Resonance of Love Amongst You]] The plan worked out at the scale of one life. The willing soul is named as the means, "Every thought, every deed will be a part of this work, this flow, this great, great effort which is God's Plan for the salvation of mankind," and the surrender step is given in a form the thread does not otherwise hold, the seeker's own method for serving God superseded from within: "the fantasies of your minds projecting how you will do God's Work will be replaced by a sure knowledge of your souls, how you will proceed with each day. Each day will build upon the other and the other as you walk within God's Plan and serve within His Will." The unpredictability follows, "ways unanticipated," and "great works will be accomplished, surprising in their effects." The circuitous road is then denied the meaning a hearer would give it: "none of you are lost upon a circuitous road but each walks his road, guided by God and you shall accomplish what your heart desires." ### 2016-03-17 - [[2016-03-17 You Must Be the Examples|You Must Be the Examples]] "You cannot devise a plan to save the world. This is not possible for any human being or even any angel. It is God's plan." The willing soul serves by surrendering ego and ambition into the flow of God's Will; Alec offers his own Earth-life ambition as the cautionary case. Companion to his fuller biographical treatment (2018-05-09). ### 2016-03-18 - [[2016-03-18 Talk on Service to God|Talk on Service to God]] Adds the pre-incarnation choice to the thread: "you have chosen this... Each one of you has incarnated into this world for this purpose. You chose this," paired with the willful-self-release move - "you continue to release that willful part of yourself and you continue to allow the knowing of the soul to eclipse the ideas of the mind." Frames alignment with God's Will as the joyful fulfilment of a choice the soul already made, not a surrender imposed from outside. ### 2016-03-31 - [[2016-03-31 The Purpose of Divine Love|The Purpose of Divine Love]] Grounds the free-will premise in the design of the soul itself. God gave free will so that the soul's reflection of Him would be "full and rich," and made the Essence a choice rather than an imposition: "there is no sure way to bring another to these living waters and to get them to drink, for God gave each soul free will. God allowed each soul to choose. And so it is, my beloved friends, and so it shall always be - a choice." The plan is that everyone be offered, not that everyone accept: "That all humanity will be given this choice and you are a part of God's plan to bring this choice to humanity." The history the message narrates, the Gift offered, declined, restored through Jesus and held open since, is that freedom working itself out across generations. ### 2016-05-12 - [[2016-05-12 How to Be a Fearless Channel of Love in the World|How to Be a Fearless Channel of Love in the World]] Supplies the working protocol for the willing soul: "it must be a mutual agreement between you and God. This does not mean also that you cannot take initiatives, but it does require for you to bring it forth to your Heavenly Father and ask that this may be guided and blessed." Closest member [[2016-03-17 You Must Be the Examples|2016-03-17-af-alec-gaunt]] (human plan-making ruled out absolutely); Augustine qualifies it with the operating rule, initiative permitted but submitted for guidance and blessing, turning the thread's premise into workable practice. ### 2019-01-29 - [[2019-01-29 Does Every Soul Have a Purpose|Does Every Soul Have a Purpose?]] Restates the free-will premise in the register of personal calling: the invitation is "deep and well-embedded" but "this does not mean that the soul will listen," and God "has seeded many souls with this invitation to fulfil their purpose" within the plan for the salvation of mankind. Confirms the thread rather than founding it. ## Objection-removed ### 2016-09-13 - [[2016-09-13 Move in the World|Move in the World]] Clears the passivity belief in three sentences. "So many sit and wait, thinking that God will make manifest His Will without any effort upon their part. This is not true. You must move in the world." The failure mode is then named outright, "But the one who sits and waits is lost." Nearest to it is [[2016-05-12 How to Be a Fearless Channel of Love in the World|2016-05-12-af-augustine]], the working protocol, where initiative is permitted but must be brought to God and asked to be guided and blessed. Augustine licenses the seeker's initiative; Goldie makes it a condition, so that God's Will does not manifest without the seeker's movement, and names the cost of waiting. The thread's other members treat the human contribution as willingness and surrender; none says the plan stalls without motion. Recorded with the message's weight: it is 217 words and the argument occupies three sentences. Objection-removed because the text explicitly negates a stated belief, "This is not true", which is the role's definition. --- ## Also touches on this *These messages restate or echo the idea rather than carry it forward, so they sit alongside the thread rather than in it.* - **2015-10-26** [[2015-10-26 Guidance about Our Choices in the Flow of God's Love|Guidance about Our Choices in the Flow of God's Love]] (sighting) - Worry dissolved by surrender, "As you begin to release your will to the Father's Will, so your worries and cares are absorbed in your faith and trust in your Heavenly Father." - **2016-01-08** [[2016-01-08 Encouragement from Jesus|Encouragement from Jesus]] (considered and set aside) - An encouragement-level echo only, God's plan and doors opening in His timing, with no development of the will-reconciliation argument, so not a member. - **2016-04-12** [[2016-04-12 Lesson on the Falsity of the Vicarious Atonement and the Unsure Nature of Written Truth|Lesson on the Falsity of the Vicarious Atonement and the Unsure Nature of Written Truth]] (witness) - The plan needs people and the person need not understand their part in it, "God will guide you to those who are seeking and open and who will receive, even those with false beliefs, will receive something from God through you. It is not for you to understand in a complete way what that is." - **2016-06-27** [[2016-06-27 You Are a Harbinger of Love|You Are a Harbinger of Love]] (sighting) - "God is waiting for you to be in alignment with His Will... each soul will manifest God's Will and this great Grace in unique and beautiful ways"; asserted, witness level. The unique-manifestation facet is also close to [[Chains/Soul Purpose Emergence|Soul Purpose Emergence]]. - **2016-08-27** [[2016-08-27 Be Open to New Directions|Be Open to New Directions]] (sighting) - The core tension in miniature, asserted; the Foundation holds it developed. - **2016-08-29** [[2016-08-29 This Place Has a Role to Play|This Place Has a Role to Play]] (sighting) - The thread's tension in one message, unargued. - **2016-09-05** [[2016-09-05 Be Secure upon the Path|Be Secure upon the Path]] (witness) - The willing soul as the means, with the qualification that willingness need not be perfect: "God will use the instruments that are secure upon this path... And this is not to say that God does not use those who waver somewhat, for you are human and we do not expect perfection." That chain has the willing soul ignited by Divine Love as the treasure through which God's Will manifests; this message adds that God also works through the imperfectly surrendered. - **2016-09-18** [[2016-09-18 I Will Lead You upon the Path|I Will Lead You upon the Path]] (sighting) - "what will be will be within the Will of God and unfold in the timing of God's great Wisdom and Plan", with the counsel "Do not worry of things you cannot change or influence". The premise asserted; the Foundation holds it developed. - **2016-10-15** [[2016-10-15 There Is a Purpose for You|There Is a Purpose for You]] (witness) - "though within your minds you do not see the plan unfolding, but indeed it is, beautifully and in accordance to God's Will". Nearest to it is [[2015-12-14 Free Will versus God's Will|2015-12-14-af-augustine]], God's Will cannot be known from the mind. The invisibility of the plan to the mind is already the thread's property; this asserts it. - **2016-10-19** [[2016-10-19 Divine Love Brings Surprises|Divine Love Brings Surprises]] (witness) - The plan asserted at the level of the individual life, "God has a plan for each soul", with the seeker's part given as non-resistance, "Do not resist God's Will but accept in gratitude all the blessings that come to you". Nearest to it is [[2016-05-12 How to Be a Fearless Channel of Love in the World|2016-05-12-af-augustine]], the working protocol, initiative permitted but submitted. Asserted rather than argued. - **2016-11-29** [[2016-11-29 Your Capacity to Love Is Limited by Your Mind's Impediments|Your Capacity to Love Is Limited by Your Mind's Impediments]] (sighting) - The willing soul as the means of God's plan, "To have willing workers, equipped with a soul awakened, fully healed in love," stated as a hope rather than argued. - **2016-11-29** [[2016-11-29 The Budding Potentials of Our Souls|The Budding Potentials of Our Souls]] (witness) - Letting God plan as how the plan unfolds, "when you allow God to plan for you all will unfold in harmony and often surprisingly so for God has the best intention for all," with the part people play named as a gift, "it is a gift to be a part of His great plan." - **2016-12-07** [[2016-12-07 Pray from Your Heart|Pray from Your Heart]] (sighting) - Surrender without loss, "God indeed requires your acknowledgement to acquiesce to His Will... in this you will not lose yourselves but gain an entire universe of joy and truth and peace." Asserted. - **2017-03-27** [[2017-03-27 Release Self-Will and Embrace the Perfect Will of God|Release Self-Will and Embrace the Perfect Will of God]] (sighting) - Self-will released into God's Will at the scale of one life, "What holds you back, beloveds, is not so much those old conditions within you as it is your willful desire to plant your feet, one within the world of man and one within the world of God. At some point you must choose." - **2018-11-29** [[2018-11-29 The Power of Prayer|The Power of Prayer]] (witness) - The limit on intercession stated from the law rather than from God's reluctance, "God cannot contravene the gift of free will and thus you cannot expect God to orchestrate every part of your life... This contravenes the laws that God has set into motion from the very beginning of time."