KNOWING AND DOING GOD’S WILL
God can safely be depended upon to bring you successfully through the maze of life. He is totally trustworthy. His plan for you is not new to Him. He has known you from the time He created you and desires to reveal His plan for you one step at a time, even though He realizes that you are not forced to embrace that plan. He has entered into an “agency agreement” with you where you have been granted free moral choice during this lifetime. God will honor that agreement with you.
Knowing that God has a wonderful plan for your life and can be depended upon to reveal that plan to you will give you the confidence and assurance needed to face each circumstance throughout your life.
The subject of God’s Will is at the center of every aspect of your Christian life. From the earliest of your spiritual experiences to your most recent lesson in spiritual maturation, you will find that God’s Will is the pivot point of every situation.
You will recall from the FAITH session that “faith” was explained as “being so convinced of God’s Plan, that you waive all your own personal rights in favor of pursuing His Will.” Faith’s security is grounded firmly in God’s Will.
In the previous session on OBEDIENCE you learned that obedience is the carrying out of God’s Will. If you are not aware and confident of God’s Will, then how can you obey?
Since the subject of God’s Will is obviously such a vital part of our entire study of salvation, it would seem the part of wisdom at this point to explore and investigate the subject for better understanding.
A TREASURE TROVE OF SCRIPTURES ON GOD’S WILL
In my own personal spiritual journey, I have found some very clear and extremely helpful references in God’s Word regarding the subject of God’s Will. I want to share those scriptures with you here, for your own future benefit and quick reference:
But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God. And you know that he became man so that he could take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him, no missing of God’s will at any time in any way. (I John 3:4,5 TLB)
And we can be sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will.And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us. (I John 5:14,15 TLB)
Do not let this happy trust in the Lord die away, no matter what happens. Remember your reward! You need to keep on patiently doing God’s Will if you want him to do for you all that he has promised. (Heb. 10:35,36 TLB)
If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him;he will not resent it. (James 1:5 TLB)
Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God.Happy are all who search for God, and always do his will, rejecting compromise with evil, and walking only in his paths. You have given us your laws to obey – Oh, how I want to follow them consistently. (Ps. 119:1-5 TLB)
Your laws are wonderful;no wonder I obey them. As your plan unfolds, even the simple can understand it. (Ps. 119:130 TLB)
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest. (Jer. 29:11-13 TLB)
Help me to do your will, for you are my God.Lead me I good paths, for your Spirit is good. (Ps. 143:10 TLB)
Morning by morning he awakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Lord God has spoken to me and I have listened . . . Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know that I will triumph. (Isa. 50:4-7 TLB)
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God –which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:1,2 NIV)
GOD’S WILL AS IT RELATES TO EVERYONE
Everyone is included specifically in the broad scope of God’s Will:It is God’s Will that All Be Saved:
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to parish, but everyone to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9 NIV)
It is God’s Will That All Be Spirit-Filled and Holy:
It is God’s Will that you should be Holy. (I Thes. 4:3 NIV)
. . . be holy; without holiness no one can see the Lord. (Heb. 12:14 NIV)
It is God’s Will That All Spread the Good News of the Gospel:
You are the salt of the earth. . . You are the light of the world . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-15 NIV)
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV)
GOD’S WILL AS IT SPECIFICALLY RELATES TO YOU
God’s Will is not just generalized to the whole world, but is very specific and tailor-made to each individual person. No one else was created just like you, and no one else has a plan just like yours. You are special and you are especially loved for who you are!
. . . “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. . .” (Jere. 29:11-13 NIV)
Morning by morning he awakens me and opens my understanding to his will. The Lord God has spoken to me and I have listened. . . Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will and I know that I will triumph. (Isa. 50:4-7 TLB)
God not only expects you to do His Will, but is inside you eagerly wanting to help you do it. God is working on a moment-by-moment basis in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.
You can now see, again, the importance of the session on the Spirit-Filled Life. Through the infilling and empowering of the Spirit-Filled life you are full of God through your union with Christ. You have His mind revealing God’s Will to you in individual situations and then empowering you to carry out His Will:
The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but now is disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you the hope of glory. (Col. 1:26-27 NIV)
. . . so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col. 2:2-3 NIV)
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fulness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Col. 2:9-10 NIV)
God’s Will need not be a mystery to the one who has the very heart and mind of Christ indwelling in the Spirit of that person. He wants to reveal His plans to you.
We are accustomed to thinking that we understand such matters with our physical head. But when it comes to discerning God’s Will we discover that understanding has everything to do with the heart. . . God is eager to let you know what He wants you to do next in carrying out His Kingdom Business. His reputation is at stake in your body actions:
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s Will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:1-2 NIV)
You see, you become His hands and feet and arms and legs. Do you suppose for a moment He would not inform His body members where to go and what to do?
Being yielded to God’s Will is simply making ourselves available to having God live His life and mission through us. There comes to us at certain points in our adventure that we are not begging to know God’s Will. But the sweet revelation comes to us that we are presently being God’s Will. That revelation is reward in and of itself.
So, do not throw away your confidence: it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. (Heb. 10:35-36 NIV)
Understanding God’s Will is dependent upon -- Christ in us, our only hope of glory. That possibility is awesome. There is no attitude of pride or haughtiness there. We have to be broken and humble and realize that we cannot make it through the maze of life on our own. We must be open and broken and want to receive God’s direction more than anything of this life. There will be other voices and there will be other attractive options, but we must come to the place where we realize that His way for us is by far the best way.
Problems with our understanding of God’s Will usually arise as a result of our spiritual attitudes that are not characterized by brokenness and openness. We carry certain little pet notions and learned opinions and pre-conceived ideas into our new relationship with Christ. When we demand to hold on to our own little bag of determinations, we hinder the growth process (which was explained in a previous session), that would otherwise make it easier for us to determine the gentile leading of the Holy Spirit.
We then have a tendency to become insecure and defensive. If not checked and corrected, that attitude will render us brittle and intolerant and more and more protective of our own ideas and conclusions.
There is another exciting aspect of the Christ in us, our only hope of glory revelation. The “hope” element is a very influential factor. Have you ever noticed that bitterness, criticalness, and hardness of Spirit nearly always occurs where there is little or no sense of “hope?"
Being in constant pursuit of perceiving and carrying out the Will of God in our lives increases our quotient of hope and sets us on an adventure that only becomes more exciting and intriguing with every passing day.
If we are tuned into the very heartbeat of God and share the mission and direction of His Will, then we will be saved from the cynicism of attitude and meanness of behavior.
Next Week: God’s Will Part 2: Discerning God’s Will