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Do we have freewill or does God direct our steps?


Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;

    it is not for them to direct their steps. Jeremiah 10:23
            God’s will WILL be done.  But do we have a (free)will in all of this?  Yes.
            There is God’s determined will—what will happen no matter what anyone says or does.  Then there is God’s permissive will—what He allows to happen according to our will. 
            Let’s say you are going on a trip with your family.  That is your plan and your will.  You will get them there in four hours by car—straight through.  But, uh-oh, little Suzy needs to go to the bathroom two hours in.  You hear the cries and agree to stop.  Suzy goes to the bathroom.  Everyone’s happy, but your family is ten minutes late to arrive.  You could have chosen your will over Suzy’s and cleaned up the mess when you arrived at your destination.
            You eventually arrived according to your determined will, but you permitted bathroom breaks according to the needs (will) of others along the way.
            God has a life for us that He has determined.  He does whatever He can to get us there to fulfill the bigger will He has for all humankind—accepting and praising Him in heaven.
            If God made us do anything, forced us, then He disqualifies the trait He created in us that is in His image—freewill.  However, God knows us so well and knows where we will end up, that He can influence our choice and knows the ways to get to our heart.