What is God’s Will for My Life? - Part 1
Thesis: Many have asked the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” and when God has answered they have chosen to ignore it, denied it’s God or even been to afraid to do it. But our relationship with God is the determining factor of whether we do God’s will or not. Our willingness to do God’s will is based on our love for God. Many have allowed the concerns of this life to silence the voice of God in their lives.
Opening video Illustration: God’s will – Don’t Wimp Out! (Blockbuster Movie Illustrations, Belknap, page 63).
Overview: Luke and Obi- Wan listen to Princess Leia’s desperate plea for help in defeating the Empire. Obi – Wan invites Luke to help rescue the princess, but Luke refuses, claiming the mission is too crazy and too far away. Obi – Wan counters that Luke speaks his uncle’s words and not his own.
Illustration: God doesn’t get it. When God asks us to do something, it should be a simple convenient task. Instead he always asks the impossible, stretching our faith and risking our comfort!
The reality is doing God’s will requires us to trust him and to take a risk for him. We need to abandon our desire to stay safe and allow God to work through us to accomplish his will. This is the moment of truth of when we decide to follow the will of God or not. Blackaby notes (Page 157):
In many ways, obedience is your moment of truth. What will you do will:
1. Reveal what you believe about Him.
2. Determine whether you will experience His mighty work in you and through you.
3. Determine whether you will come to know Him more intimately.
4. (I add) Your willingness to obey God will determine whether you have a strong love relationship with him and a determination to do His will.
Scripture Texts:
I Peter 4:1-2: 1Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
Introduction:
I wish I had a dollar for every time this question has been asked. I know I would be a millionaire by now. I think this is the most frequently asked question by Christians. I believe it is a very important question. I sincerely believe that each of us needs to know the answer to this question. Because the answer - the knowing and the doing will make all the difference in our lives. I know it will effect our joy, our happiness and our satisfaction level in this life
Don’t you wish that God would send a famous person to your house to clearly communicate what he desires you to do for him? It would make knowing God’s will so much easier and clearer.
However, I really don’t think the will of God for our lives is not that hard to discover. I do however believe many know what God wants them to do but they choose not to do it. Swindoll states, “The truth is, our problem is not a lack of knowledge but an absence of passion…a reluctance to do what we believe God would have us do “(55). This is prevalent in many lives to day because to follow the will of God will take considerable risk and considerable trust in God.
In essence many choose not to follow God’s will for many reasons. Yet I often think if we are children of God then our greatest desire in life should be to do God’s will. Shouldn’t it? We really need to go where He wants us to go and be who He wants us to be. We need to allow him to direct our lives as he desires them to be lived. But for many of us we still are not sure what God’s will is for our earthy lives. Today I hope to point you into a direction that will help you see and understand what God’s will is for you life. That you will see what he desires you to do and that you will actually step out and do it. Just imagine what could happen in our life if we knew God’s will for our lives. What concerns would be relieved?
T.S. – I believe there are 7 concerns of life that hinder us from hearing and doing the will of God. Let us explore what these seven are and learn how to overcome them.
I. The first concern is when God speaks we want to know it’s Him speaking to us.
i. I Kings 19: 11-13: 11The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1. Elijah knew it was God because he called him by name
ii. Judges 6:14-17: 14The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” 17Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.
1. Gideon knew it was God but he wanted to make sure it was God and not another force so he did the fleeces.
iii. How do you know if God speaks to you? How do we learn to recognize his voice!
1. This is done by knowing what His Word says. When you learn the heartbeat of God then you will recognize his voice. To learn what He believes, what He says, and what He sounds like requires an effort on our part. That effort is the study of God’s Bible.
a. The Bible is His voice – His direction given to mankind. It covers every subject in life.
i. See Soul care Bible card on just a few subjects addressed by the Bible.
II. The second concern we have is we want to be able to identify God at work in our lives.
i. We want to be able to point to God’s specific activity in our lives and say,” That’s God at work.”
ii. To be able to get to this point requires that we learn to recognize what God’s actions look like.
1. In football they study game films of other athletes to learn their moves and plays. Same is true with the moves of God we need to learn to review the game films of life and learn to recognize the moves of God in the game of life.
2. We need to learn to pray and ask God to show us how he works in our lives.
a. Some cannot see God at work because they do not ask to see Him.
b. We need to take the time to see his actions in our lives.
c. Some do this by writing down their prayer requests and then go back months later to see how God answered them.
d. Others take time to reflect and meditate on God and He then reveals His working in their lives.
e. We see it when others share their testimonies.
iii. To identify what God looks like and acts like requires us to know what and who he is. This information comes from His word. This information is shown to us through the life of Jesus.
1. The Bible tells:
a. God is love
b. God is full of grace.
c. God is merciful.
d. God is forgiving
e. God is holy
f. God is righteous
g. God is against religious legalism.
h. God is ____________ (Read the Word and discover).
2. Scripture also states this about His plays and action moves and how we can recognize Him:
a. As the Holy Spirit reveals himself to us.
i. I Cor. 2:10-12: 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given
b. We see the actions of the Holy Spirit by the fruits of the spirit being in action.
i. Gal. 5:22-25: 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
c. When are hearts are pure this helps us to see the Holy Spirits actions.
i. Mt. 5:8: 8Blessed are the pure in heart,
or they will see God.
III. The third concern we have is that we want the faith – the element of trust- to believe His directive.
i. In essence we want to have the assurance that when we do what He says it will make a difference in the Kingdom of God and in others lives. But deep down we want it also to impact our lives.
ii. We want to know that we know that this is what He wants us to do!
1. Do we not want that absolute assurance?
a. I believe everyone would say “Yes!” But reality tells us this is not always the case.
b. Sometimes we just have to step out into the water.
i. Example: Joshua 3
1. Key verses Joshua 3:15,16: 15Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
2. Sometimes we just need to step into the raging river and watch God stop the water.
2. Trust comes from predictability and God will always be there for you so therefore you learn to trust Him. Have faith in Him believe his direction.
a. James 2:14-17: 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
iii. This means we do have to take risks! We must get out of our comfort zone for God! We have to be determined to walk out on the edge for the Lord.
1. Thought on taking risks:
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing, your true self
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair
To try is to risk failure
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing
They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live
Charmed by their attitudes they are a slave, they have forfeited their freedom
Only a person who risks is free
iv. This concern is only relieved when we learn to trust freely. We learn to step out in faith in spite of what natural circumstances may say. When we get to the point and say “I will obey!” We obey and do because we become driven by extravagant love. Jesus noted in John 14:15-21 that obedience –faith - trust in God is directly related to your love relationship with God.
IV. The fourth concern we have is that we have the ability to adjust our beliefs, our lifestyle, and our behavior to align with what He wants us to do and be.
i. We really ask ourselves, “Can I do what God wants me to do?”
ii. “Do I have what it takes?”
1. In essence if we have a relationship with the Lord that’s all we need!
2. The Bible tells us all things are possible with God.
iii. Blackaby calls this the “crisis of belief”.
1. This is the turning point in following God’s will.
2. Many fail at this point.
3. But it is really about making the decision to go all the way with God.
4. Blackaby explains the Crisis of Belief this way (page 135):
a. An encounter with God requires faith.
b. Encounters with God are God-sized.
c. What you do in response to God’s revelation reveals what you believe about God.
d. True faith requires action
5. This Scripture texts tell us what he wants us to do:
a. Mt 18:3: 3And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
i. We need to choose to humble ourselves and change.
6. This is what Baptism is all about the outward sign of a changed heart on the inside so all can see it.
V. The fifth concern is we want to see the big picture that God sees.
i. In essence we want to see what God sees.
1. To be able to see what God sees requires an individual to deny the flesh – to deny self. We will never be able to see what God sees if our flesh is in control of our lives.
a. The formula is this: Die to self = seeing through the eyes of the Lord!
ii. To do this we must know and experience God in a personal way. To see this you must read and understand the Bible and the character of God.
1. Once again the flesh has to die to the spirit of the Lord.
a. If we die to self then our eyes are able to see through His eyes.
iii. To learn what the big picture looks like you must continue to keep the flesh under and allow the spirit to dominate your focus in life. We must allow the Bible to speak to us so we can see what he sees.
1. To see this you can read about the Great Commission of Jesus. See Matthew 28:16-20
a. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
2. To see this read Revelation 21, 22.
VI. The sixth concern is we want to know what specific actions we are to take to respond to God’s direction for our life.
i. We want to know what step one is and step two and so on.
ii. We have to learn to walk by faith one step at a time.
iii. What exactly is the first step that I am required to do.
1. I honestly believe that we need to understand that God gives us direction one step at a time.
2. For most of us this all we can handle at the moment.
iv. Really the key to hearing God’s specifically will start with getting the self under control. These texts tell us to do so:
1. I Tim. 3:2: Overseers are to be self controlled
2. Titus 2:6: 6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
3. I Peter 1:13-16: 13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
4. I Peter 4:7: 7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.
5. I Peter 5:8: 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
v. We die to self then follow the Lord and He will make His will plain to you for your life.
1. Rev. 14:4: 4These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
2. I Cor. 14:1: 1Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts…
VII. The seventh concern is we want to experience the presence of God as He works through our lives through what we are doing for Him.
vi. The reward for doing God’s will is that we want to experience the presence of God in our lives.
1. The promise from Scripture is: I John 3:18, 19: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence.”
vii. We want to see God use our life to affect miracles in other people’s lives.
viii. The promise from the Word is He will do this because he desires to do this with our life. He wants our life to count for all eternity.
Conclusion:
Summary of points:
1. The first concern is we want to know it’s God. Therefore we need to learn to recognize his voice. This is best accomplished by studying the Bible (In two weeks I will cover this point in more detail).
2. The second concern is we want to be able to identify God at work in our lives. Therefore we have to study his actions. Therefore this is to be done by studying the Bible.
3. The third concern is we want the faith to believe God. Therefore we have to learn to trust God’s leading. The Bible helps show us he is faithful and as we experience God by stepping out in faith we will have our trust and faith grown.
4. The fourth concern is can I adjust my beliefs, my lifestyle, and my behavior to align with what He wants. For this to happen I have to decide to change and decide to go for it. This is what repentance means.
5. The fifth concern is we want to see the big picture. Therefore to see the big picture show read about Jesus and read Revelation 21, 22.
6. The sixth concern is we want to know what specific actions are required of us. Therefore we need to pray and ask for direction. We also must get our self under control so when God speaks to us we are able to act.
7. The seventh concern is we want to experience the presence of God as He works through our lives. Therefore we need to be acting out His directives and we will experience the presence of God as we work for Him.
Application: To have these concerns answered and relieved takes God’s involvement in our lives. I cannot address these concerns only God can. But we need to remember that Jesus addressed all these concerns when he stated in John 14:26, “The helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things.” Yes, God knew we would have these concerns and he tells us that the Holy Spirit will be there to help us with them. But for many of us we ask “How does the Holy Spirit do this?” In reality he does it by using God’s Word to speak to us. Blackaby states, “The Bible is God’s word to you. The Holy Spirit honors and uses God’s word in speaking to you. The Scriptures will be your source of authority for faith and practice. You cannot depend on human traditions, your experience, or the experience of others to be accurate authorities on God’s will and ways. Experience and tradition must always be examined against the teaching of Scripture” (4).
Closing Thought: Imagine what will happen when we follow the will of God? We will be able to fly high like never before and find true fulfillment in this life.
