Preparing to Receive Gods Will
Romans 12:1-2 Jan 9th, 2011
Every Christian should be occupied with finding the will of God. They should be obsessed with finding the will of God. If only finding our way into God’s will was as easy as turning on a GPS. Finding our way geographically is so easy now.
I really like GPS’s. I used to have one until last summer I exposed it to one too many torrential downpours – well it was supposed to be waterproof, but I guess it still isn’t smart to let electronics be out in driving rain. Anyway now, when I go somewhere new, I have to prepare; Google maps or a road atlas; I’m back to doing it the hard way.
It would be nice to have a GPS for God’s will – a Godliness Positioning System. Hit the “find God’s will button” and the Godliness Positioning system plots a course and points you in the right direction. When I was a teenager I was surrounded by temptation. I thank God that He blessed me with a dad who liked to talk to me – especially if I was ever up really late – he would wait up for me. I’d come in the house and he would make me sit down and “rap”. Usually I just wanted to get to bed, but really – I deeply appreciated that he cared about me and I liked to talk to him. There was one thing that bothered me though – he would never tell me what to do. I could tell him about a decision I had to make and ask; “what should I do” and he would say: “what do you think you should do?” I would tell him about something that was really bothering me and ask him “what can I do about it” and he would say “what do you think you should do about that”.
I think secretly he wanted to be a psychiatrist and he was taking out his secret aspiration on me; “And how did that make you feel?”, he would ask - but I wanted answers and instead of giving me answers, he asked questions ... to help me find my own answers. Funny how at the time you never realize how your parents really are smarter than you.
The people who really love us usually know better than to run our lives for us. They know that giving someone something doesn’t help as much as showing them how to get it. God is like that and that is why He hasn’t given us electronic devices to know His will. It wouldn’t be good for us to get the answer without the work. He doesn’t spoil His children. If He ever caved, answering our every prayer with a “yes child – here you go”; soon we would be praying for BMW’s and indoor swimming pools.
God’s wisdom is so different than what we want. We want clear answers to instantly solve our problems. We are ruined by the advertisers are more than eager to do that for us. Buy ACME roll-on deodorant and all your wildest dreams will come true. Use BRUT aftershave and you will have to chase off the girls with pointed sticks.
They make some really outlandish promises:
At a gas station: eat here and get gas
On the road: if this sign is underwater the road is flooded
At a gift store: we exchange anything; bring in your wife for some good bargains
In the paper: Dog for sale – eats anything – fond of children
Funeral parlour: ask about our layaway plan
Some of the decisions we make don’t matter so much, but others take time, take prayer, take reasoning and take counsel. Questions like: who should I marry? Young men – the best thing you can do to help you figure this out is to ask your mother. Young women: ask your father. They have years of reflection on their own experiences and their opinions are not clouded by infatuation.
Questions like: What career path should I pursue? God will help you with this question, but don’t expect him to drop it in your lap. He will help you work it out, He will prepare you for it, He will make a path for it, but the whole process of the decision MUST be a process that you go through; don’t be impatient – keep asking him.
Knowing God’s will is never as easy as we wish it would be. Who hasn’t sat up late at night and prayed, “God give me a sign God send fog or bright lights or gold dust and I will never doubt You again.”
I like the movie The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews plays a potential nun who ends up not becoming a nun, but getting married to a widower with 7 children. At one point in the movie the head nun asks her; “what have you learned here” and she replies “to learn God’s will and do it wholeheartedly.”
To learn God’s will and do it is such a simple and straightforward truth and I love it for that reason. Is there any better way to describe our duties as Christians? Julie Andrews did that very thing, and her life was a rich and fruitful one but it was a long and painful process for her. At one point she ran away from her destiny – not knowing at that time that it was her destiny – she ran back to the convent. The wise Mother Superior asked her what was up and then told her that the convent is not a place to escape from the world and sent her back.
I know that you love God. I know that you have strong desire to know God’s will and do it. I also know that some of you are like me – you are seeking God’s will and have at times been frustrated in your search. We need to understand that this is not a problem. God has not abandoned you – it isn’t that He doesn’t care. We have to know that we are going through a process. He is revealing His will to us in a way that will make it possible for us to do it. He is guiding through this time of discernment so that when we come out of it, we will be better equipped, more committed and more able to do His will. He wants us to be successful and He is more patient because He is wiser than us.
If God gave us instant answers to our most profound questions about His will – it would be like a baseball coach putting a kid on third base and letting him take credit for it when he gets home. What effect would that have on the boy’s character – his respect for the coach – how would it improve his baseball skills? The easy way isn’t the best way.
In Romans 12 God gives us an idea of the process we often have to go through to know His personal will for us. Before He reveals our mission, there is a period of preparation, a moment to proclaim our allegiance, a time of training and strengthening, a time of engaging the enemy and finally a revealing of His plans for your mission.
1. Preparation:
Rom 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
We need to prepare to receive God’s will. Preparing ourselves means we will receive it. In a way it is the pearls before swines thing. We do not value what comes too easily. I waited for many, many long years before I was allowed to buy a motorcycle. As time passed one of 2 things was going to happen: Either I was going to forget about it – or I was going to want it more and more. Both of these would be good things – Either way I would be better off.
I don’t think God deals out His will to just anybody. They have to ask for it and they have to really really want it. If they really really want it – when they get it they will take good care of it – they will use it wisely, they will appreciate the giver and value the word He gives greatly.
We also learn something profound about worship in this passage. Worship is an understanding of who God is. He is our Father and if we are right with Him He is our friend, but He is also ultimately powerful and wise. If we come to Him looking for His will with any residual pride, we come unworthily. If we come with any ulterior motives, we come unworthily. If we are selfish and sinful in our request – we are not ready to receive an answer. Worship is sacrifice – it is submission – it is without condition.
Too often we make plans and ask Him to bless them – that is not worship. We have to come looking for His will without conditions or preconceived ideas of what that will will be. It’s like the missionary who prays: “God send me anywhere but Mongolia – I will go anywhere you say – except Mongolia.” You know what is going to happen – God is going to say “You are going to Mongolia” and then He laughs and the missionary learns something about God and submission and trust.
2. Proclaim Your Allegiance
(2) Do not be conformed to this world,
I think it is good if in some way we proclaim our allegiance to God. How many Christians have been waylaid in their adventure with God. They have set out to do God’s will, been successful – maybe too successful for their own good and fallen prey to the temptations of the world. Money, adultery, lavish lifestyles, sin.
I think if we are looking for the will of God, somehow, in some way we have to let Him know that we are serious about serving Him in it for the rest of our lives. I believe it is a good preparation to receive a divine calling to say; not my glory Lord – always for You – always for You.
This is a very different attitude than asking for things from the world. When we make a purchase we want features, value and we expect it to serve OUR needs. Our attitude must be upside down when we go looking for God’s will. I want to serve You, I want to get your desires met, I want You to be the Ruler of a bigger Kingdom. I want what I do to glorify You – to be for You.
How long would it last if you went to work for someone, but ran your own business from His office? – Took in some work on the side and pocketed the money. Jesus is Lord and Saviour. The Lord part means He’s the boss – the proceeds are His – we work for Him and represent Him and grow His business for His good. It isn’t about us. Be conformed to Christ – not to the world.
3. Be trained and Strengthened and Tested
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing...
Where do spiritual battles happen?
2Co 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (5) We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Strongholds, arguments, opinions, knowledge, thoughts.
Strongholds, arguments, opinions, knowledge, thoughts.
Battles happen in the mind. When you go looking for the will of God there will probably be a time of training and strengthening because if you are not ready – you will not be strong enough to persevere in carrying out His will. You can bet that someone – and it could come from the person you least expect it – someone is going to call you crazy.
You could never do that ...and... further more God would never ask you to do that. Are you crazy – giving up that 6 figure job? What about your baby? You are capable of so much more. This idea of yours isn’t from God it is from Satan. Who do you think you are? You don’t even have a degree from Bible College! Will you be ready to face these kinds of obstacles?
How can you be ready to do the will of God if you can’t stand criticism? Was Jesus criticized? Well then I guess we should expect opposition and be ready for it.
God may withhold His will so that when He gives it we are ready to withstand the testing that will come. He makes it hard to hear the will of God because it is hard to do the will of God.
This testing will come from people and during this testing period you are going to discover something – you are going to find out who your friends are. Don’t get me wrong – friends are not the people who always tell you how great you are – they are the people who always tell you the truth.
What I mean is you will know who your friends are because they will be thinking about what is best for you – not what is best for them. Have you ever gone shopping for something big and met a salesman you really liked – I mean – he was suddenly your best friend – he was going to bat for you to make sure you get what you wanted for a price that no one else could ever get. What happens when the thing breaks next week? He doesn’t remember you.
Paul mentioned this too:
1Co 16:9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
What is a friend – what is a true brother or sister in Christ? They are people who WANT you to be in the will of God. They want what is best for you and if God wants you to do something, they encourage you to do it – even if that thing seems to bring them harm.
God does something really amazing when love is tested – it becomes stronger. I will never forget the things people have done for me that required sacrifice from them. I think you are the same way. When someone gives to you something you need and it costs them something – that is memorable love. When they bless even if it takes you away from them - that is memorable love.
Why is testing of friendships important to God when we are looking for His will? Because we will need them. God’s system relies on our relationships with Him and our relationships with each other. Who we choose to partner with is integral to our success in doing His will. Unity and brotherhood is essential to our witness and our progress.
4. Receive Your Mission
you may discern what is the will of God,
If you really are sincere about your quest for the will of God, and He has seemed to be silent – no visions – no angelic visitors – no column of fire; you have probably gone through an ordeal. The process of preparation and training, the inner gut wrenching self examination leading to proclamation. Hopefully you have been strengthened by it and maybe even found some answers to who you can trust to partner with if He ever does get specific with you. You have engaged the enemy and you are ready for God’s direction. It wasn’t as easy as you thought it would be, you wondered why He was taking His time getting back to you, but you know that:
Mat 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (8) For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
And so you continue to pray and petition Him. Through all this you are getting to know Him. We recognize the voices of those who we spend the most time with and making prayer a way of life greatly helps us to recognize the voice of God. It isn’t precisely the sound of His voice – it is more the sound of what He says. The content might be confusing and unexpected, but somehow in your spirit, through your communion with Him you know the sound of what He says. You know...
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The Bible, our circumstances, the Holy Spirit, those godly people we interact with – all things line up as if to say – this is God! A clear divine call to a close and fruitful partnership with Him.
This is something that will change you – it is something you will never regret. Too often we tire and stop short of God’s perfect, good and acceptable will because it is too difficult – a door seems to be shut, when actually it is wide open – it’s just that there are obstacles. We may be like the church at Philadelphia to whom Jesus said:
Rev 3:8 "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
There may be obstacles in the way of you knowing God’s will; you may feel weak in the face of them, but don’t give up. It is a tragedy when someone turns back from an open door just because it isn’t easy to face opposition.
God`s will doesn't come easy – but then does anything that is really worthwhile.
