Knowing the Will of God – 6th January 2008 am
The best way to study a subject often begins with a definition of that subject.
What do we mean by the will of God? It is that Holy and stated purpose of the Father to make His dear children as much like Christ as possible.
Without doubt the most important factor in finding God’s will is the Bible itself. God speaks to us not in some loud voice, but through the scriptures. Knowing God’s will is the key to prayer, spiritual growth and fruitfulness in our individual lives.
I. The Bible clearly tells us that God has a definite will for our lives
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord
One of the most inspiring truths in all the Bible is the fact that God has a plan for every life. God has a plan for you – where you work, who you marry… God doesn’t just call preachers…His divine will applies to all of us…what is your calling? We all must seek the face of God. Find out His plan!
God knows our strengths and our weaknesses; He knows our capabilities and our inabilities; He also knows our desires and our deepest fears.
No one is more qualified to lead, guide, and direct our lives, than God, and He has a divine plan for your life, and you can find it, if you’re willing to seek God and to do whatever He says to do.
Our God has a deep, vested interest in us, and it’s reasonable to believe that He doesn’t want us to go thru life filled with confusion and uncertainty, but to know where we are, why we’re there, and where we’re headed…to know His will!
Psalm32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.,
How on earth can God guide us with His eye? He did it for Peter, when he was warming his hands at the world’s fire, getting deeper and deeper into a situation too big for him to handle, denying his Lord, cursing and swearing. At that crucial moment the Lord turned and looked on Peter.
That’s all it was, a look. He did not speak to him, simply guided His erring disciple with His eye: “Remember, Peter! Remember! Satan hath desired to have you but I have prayed for you. You’re in the wrong place, Peter; you’re with the wrong people.” It was all that Peter needed.
If the Lord is to guide us with His eye, it means that we must stay close to Him. If our children are doing something wrong and give them “THE” look, we have to be close to them we have to be within sight of them. If we keep our eyes on the Lord He will guide us and make it plain what His will for our lives is.
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
When someone runs a race there is a course set out for them to follow otherwise they would be running anywhere. It is the same for us, God has set out a course for each one of us.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath ordained that we should walk in them
This is an amazing statement. It means that God has a plan for our lives and that we should walk in His will and fulfil His plan. Paul is not talking about an impersonal fate that controls your life no matter what you might do. He is talking about the gracious plan of a loving Heavenly Father.
Good works are a part of God’s plan. They are not the price of salvation but the proof. The believer is not saved as a result of good works; good works are a result of their salvation. They are a result of God’s working in the believers heart. They are the evidence that he is alive from the dead. They are proof of the relationship between the believer and the Saviour.
II. God desires us to know His will for our lives
Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is
Failure to do what the Holy Spirit says is the height of folly. The Greek word for unwise is af-rone and its definition is mindless, that is, stupid, (by implication) ignorant, (specifically) egotistic, (practically) rash, or (morally) unbelieving: - fool (-ish), unwise.
John Phillips said, “Surely it is the height of stupidity to have in one’s hand the very Word of the Living God – inbreathed by the omniscient, all wise Creator of the universe – and neglect to read it, study it, memorise it, and obey it.”
There is no wiser, no more knowledgeable being in the universe than the Author of the Bible. There is no more patient teacher than the Holy Spirit. There is no greater book than the Bible. There is no greater privilege this side of Heaven than to have a copy of the inspired Word of God. Yet we often let it gather dust.
No wonder the Holy Spirit said, “Don’t be unwise (ignorant, stupid) but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Understand here suggests that we use our minds to discover and do the will of God. It seems that many Christians have the idea that discovering God’s will is a mystical experience that rules out clear thinking. But this is wrong… and dangerous.
We discover the will of God as He transforms the mind Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
This transformation is the result of the Word of God, prayer, meditation, and worship. If God gave you a mind, then He expects you to use it. This means that learning His will involves gathering facts, examining them and praying for His wisdom (James 1:5)
God does not want us simply to know His will; He wants us to understand His will. If God saved us, then He has a purpose for our lives, and we should discover that purpose and then guide our lives accordingly.
He reveals His plan through His Word (Col 1:9-10), His Spirit in our hearts (Col 3:15) and the working of circumstances (Rom 8:28). The Christian can walk carefully and accurately because he knows what God wants him to do. Like a builder following the blueprints, he does what the architect planned
III. God’s will is continuous.
Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
It does not begin when we reach a certain age, neither does it stop when we reach a different age. God has a will for children, young people, adults and older more mature people.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
We don’t know it all. We are to keep growing in grace and in the knowledge of Him. How can we do it? Just reading the Bible is not the complete answer; the Holy Spirit must be our Teacher as we read.
The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth. He will lead and guide you into all truth. He guided the apostles just as the Lord said He would, and we find these truths in the Epistles. The Spirit of God came to these men at Pentecost, and He guided them in the truth both in their preaching and in their writing.
We can see how this was fulfilled in the apostles. The ministry of the Holy Spirit has been to complete the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Epistles glorify Christ and show Him as the Head of the church. They speak of His coming again to establish His kingdom. The Epistles are the unfolding of the person and ministry of Christ. They also tell of things to come and certainly the Book of Revelation does this.
Notice the seven steps that are here: (1) The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, has come; (2) He will guide you into all truth; (3) He will not speak of Himself; (4) He shall speak whatsoever He shall hear; (5) He will show you things to come; (6) He shall glorify Jesus; and (7) He shall receive of mine and show it unto you.
IV. God’s will is specific
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
In order to be in the will of God, I have to find and know the will of God…and the only way to find and know it is God’s way Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
What does it mean to trust God entirely? To acknowledge His Lordship in every area of my life. God has a specific will for you but it will be impossible to find if you are harbouring sin, and living in rebellion in a certain area of your life.
This means we must acknowledge His Lordship over every area of our lives…not talking about sinless perfection/not saying we’ll never stumble and fall…
God reveals His will for us when He knows that we are ready and willing to obey! Why should God direct your paths when you’ve purposefully avoided doing what He’s told you to already…
So to trust in the Lord will all your heart means to acknowledge Him as Lord of every area of your life. Acknowledge that God’s will is the best way.
God’s will is best!
Here’s how George Müller set out to ascertain the will of God on a daily basis:
I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are over come when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
I seek the Will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.
Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s Will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
I ask God in prayer to reveal His Will to me aright.
Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.
Conclusion
Christ taught us that knowing God’s will and living in obedience to that will is the key to it all! God is the potter; we are the clay. God keeps us spinning on His potter’s wheel, shaping and reshaping us as He bathes our lives in tears to make us more Christ-like so He can use us for His will. Surrender daily. Keep your clay moist through daily prayer - prayer that’s in accordance to His will.
