This is the longest post I have ever
written. It should have been split into five or so posts, but the Lord said no…
and who am I to say ‘no’ to His ‘no’?
Anyway, I am going to divide it into five
parts, with no criterion for division whatsoever…
*Deep breathe…*
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When I got saved a few years ago - eleven
to be precise - in the first few years of my salvation, I had a hard time
making decisions that would positively influence my life and those around me in
a Christian way. This was because the direction my life had taken demanded that
I make decisions that would please God and still be relevant to me and the
society I was living in. I was terribly overwhelmed.
I was
always hearing about something called "The Will of God", and
that this thing was in the Swahili
Bible I carried (yeah, I didn't possess an English Bible until a year later –
don’t ask me why, that can be a story for another day), but could never really
grasp what it entirely meant.
Now, the
problem was that I had to read my Bible (which right then was harder than
anything I’ve ever tried) and "get" that Will – God’s Will for my life. This made it even more
complicated.
But after spending a few years in a
relationship with the Lord, I have come to notice a few consistent things in
this walk and the way He speaks. This is what I choose to share with us today:
His Will, and simple steps towards understanding it.
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If you
were to make a Google search of this phrase: “the Will of God for my life”, you are likely to get thousands (or
even millions) of answers depending the SEO for various websites. That is how
“smart” Google has become today – providing “answers” to questions it is asked
by people who wish it really possessed such
answers... But the question still remains: does Google really know that much about God’s Will for our lives? Really?
One of
the beautiful things about Christianity is that there is only one source of
answers that is accessible by all and at all times, and that is reliable and
true: its author, Jesus Christ. It doesn’t need a phone or an
internet-activated gadget. It just needs Him. We may try to find answers
elsewhere but we will always hit a wall and come back to where we began: Jesus.
We will come back to the author of life, the author of what we believe in...
That is why Google, with all its databases of information that is just a click away has not yet managed to
answer what Christianity is all about. It may try to define it and give
directions on how it is acquired and lived, but the ultimate source of
information about Christianity and God will always be God Himself.
So how do
we understand the Will of God (what He has planned for
us and what He desires of us as we live in this world – my own definition actually)
at an intimate level, and not just the Google
way? (Because, anyway, this blog is also a “Google way”.)
Let us begin by noting the following;
After
understanding the truth above, let me practically show you what I have found
out over the years in simple terms;
1.
If, at the beginning, you don’t understand much about
God’s Will for your life, don't get overwhelmed. Everything takes time. There
is no formula to understanding God’s Will. Take your time. Relax.
2.
After you’ve relaxed, now start to consistently studying God's Word with a desire to know what He desired/required of the people He interacted with in
the past and the possible ways in which you can relate those life events with
what is happening in your life today - start understanding God's nature. This
means that you’ll need a Bible (and a pen if necessary.)
3.
After beginning to understand God’s nature, relax
again. Relax and begin to desire to know more. Be inquisitive. Ask questions as
you read or meditate: Why did God behave
this way? Why did this person do this? How better would they have done it? Why
was God angry/pleased in this occasion? As you begin to do this, God will start to reveal
Himself more to you by answering those questions by His Spirit in you and
making those past experiences relevant to you right now.
4.
Read His Word again, now seeking that the things you
are reading will transform you. Talk to Him. Talk to God through your reading.
Whisper about what you understand.
There is no “working formula” to
understanding God’s Will. Take your
time. You will understand it soon.
The more you do this, the more you will
find out that His Word has started transforming you, His Spirit's voice starts
becoming more real and louder than ever before, and that you are becoming more
obedient to it.
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Below are
various ways to help you sieve through your actions and reactions to practical
life situations as you progress in this life, which will help you prove whether
you are walking in God's Will for your life or not.
Note: There is a Biblical example for each one of them. Read
it to understand the significance of the point in that context and its
relevance to you. All Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version
Bible unless otherwise.
In
whatever you do;
1.
If it is done in a
hurry or in a rush, and you are overwhelmed by indecision, and it is highly
provocative, God is not in it.
Biblical
example
- Eve in Genesis 3:6 when craving and
rushing to eat the forbidden fruit given to her by the devil (the serpent) and
King Saul in 1 Samuel 13:8-14 when he
was impatient and failed to wait for the prophet Samuel to sacrifice to the
Lord. He instead rushed into war without God’s guidance.
Lesson – Impatience and
hurry are mostly of the devil, and never of God.
2.
If you are doubtful
of the decision you are about to make, it is either you are limiting God or you
are afraid.
Biblical
example
– Peter in Matthew 14:30-31 when he
doubted if he can walk on water. He sunk!
Lesson
–
Doubt is accompanied with fear. And fear had nothing to do with God: the
righteous shall live by faith – by every Word that proceeds from His mouth.
3.
If it not in line
with God's Word, regardless of who is speaking it - an angel, a mighty prophet, a great preacher, or
whatever - as long as it does not obey the holistic nature of God's Word, He
does not approve of it.
Biblical
example
– Paul says the same thing to the Galatians in Galatians
1:8 and Jesus told off Satan in the same way in Luke 4:1-13 and to Peter in Matthew 16:22-23.
Lesson – Anything that is not in line with God’s Word, even if it is
being quoted by an angel himself, it is not God’s Will for your life.
4.
If it is harming
you (your morals, your body, your mind and good values) or someone else’s, God
is not in it.
Biblical verses – The apostle John says in 3 John 1: 3 that, “I pray that
all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” The apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others” and in Romans 12:2 “Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.”
Lesson – The ultimate good is found in serving others and God. Our bodies are
to be used for His glory. That is His Will for us. Remember WWJD? Yeah, use it
often.
5. If it is hindering
your spiritual growth and maturity, and it is depriving you of peace, God is
likely to be far away from it; and if it does not give you peace when doing it
and your heart and mind are troubled at the thought of doing it, God is far
away from it.
Bible
verses/example - Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peace makers…” In Acts 9:31, it is said, “So the
church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord
and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” And
in Philippians 4:7:
“And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”
We find a good
Biblical example in the book of Psalm 51
when David is deprived of peace because of sinning with Bathsheba and killing
her husband. His guilty conscience indicates that he is out of the will of God.
Lesson – Peace in the heart and in the mind is one of the
greatest indicators that God is with you and that you are in His Will.
6. If it is
being done out of greed, lust, selfish ambition, selfish gain, self exaltation,
jealousy, envy, with a hidden agenda etc, God is not in it.
Biblical example/verses – In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar’s
greed and thinking that he was a god caused him to be sent into the wild for 7
years. King Saul’s envy of David cost him his throne. Judas Iscariot’s greed
led him to a shameful death. Ananias and Sapphira’s selfishness and lies led
them to the grave.
Proverbs 15:27 “Whoever is
greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will
live.”
Prov 28:25 “A greedy man stirs up strife, but the
one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.”
1Cor 6:10 “…nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Prov 20:10 “Unequal weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the LORD.”
Prov 11:1 “A false balance is an abomination to
the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.”
Lesson – Greed and self-centredness are the very opposite of the nature of Christ
who was/is loving, considerate and selfless. If we desire to be in His Will,
we’ve got to be like Him.
7. If the way
or the means by which it is being done, and its end does not glorify God, then
He is not in it.
Bible verses/examples
– In 1Corinthians 10:31,
the apostle
Paul says, “So, whether
you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The pride and
arrogance seen in most Kings of Israel e.g. Ahab led to the fall of many and
their dynasties. Balaam (a weird prophet) sought his own good from his
interaction with Balak (King of Moab) and ended up on his own (Numbers 22 and 23).
Diotrephes, a church elder mentioned by the apostle John in 3 John 1:9, was a man “who liked to put himself first…”. His end was full of darkness.
Lesson – If God is receiving the glory and it is all about Him, it doesn’t
matter whether you are being misunderstood or not, and whether you are facing
opposition or not, stay focused. It is His Will.
8. This article suggests that for many decisions involving the secular world, we need to ask
ourselves the following questions in order to decipher if we are in God’s Will
or not;
a. What do I really
want?
b. Am I truly Seeking
God’s Kingdom first?
c. Have I asked for and pursued Wisdom from God
about this matter?
d. Have I gotten wise
counsel?
e. Do I have all the
facts?
9.
Lastly, if it is not
being approved by the spiritual and Spirit-filled community, I doubt if God is
in it.
Biblical
example/verses:
One person who really sought counsel in the Bible is David – not only from God
but from spiritual leaders too. We see this in his close relationship with the
Prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 12 when he
freely comes to correct him in his wrongs.
Prov 15:22 “Without counsel plans fail, but
with many advisers they succeed.”
Prov 11:14 “Where there
is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counsellors there is
safety.”
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Remember:
1. Problems,
challenges and temptations do not necessarily imply that you're out of God's
Will. They may be part of your trimming into what He has for you, so take
heart.
There
is suffering that is out of sin (1 Peter 2:20
and 2 Corinthians 7:10-11), and
suffering that that is part of your Christian growth (James 1:2, 1
Peter 2:19-20 and Romans 8:18. )
2. Sin deviates us
from God's Will, but that is not final. Like the Prodigal Son in Luke 16, we can still come back running to the
mercy seat. He is faithful to forgive. (1 John
1:9)
3. Our good plans may
or may not be part of God's Will. We may need to inquire with Him first before
concluding that those good plans are
His Will for us. Not every good plan is in God's Will for us, but all evil is
of the devil. (An example is King Saul in 1
Samuel 15 when he chose not to kill all the plunder and the
Amalekite people after war in the name of "keeping the best sacrifice for
God").
4. God has said
something about everything in our lives. We just need to read more of His Word
to understand this. Minus His Word, we are only left to speculation, empty
proclamations and constant wishful thinking.
5. There is nothing
like "God's permissive will"
and "God's perfect will".
That's a human philosophy that seeks to deviate us from the Truth; and it is
like saying that there exists "God's
permissive Word which can be compromised" and "God's prefect Word which cannot be compromised". There
is nothing like that. God’s Will cannot be compromised. It is infallible. The
Word of God is perfect (Psalm 19:7)
and 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "Every
scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness..." There is only
but the Will of God: His Word. Nothing more, nothing less.
6. We cannot change
God's Will for our lives: it is intact. Nothing can change it. We are
predestined for many great things which He planned beforehand for us... But,
yes, but, sin is the only thing that will derail us from His Will. So there is
nothing like, "once saved, always saved". No. Romans 6:23 "For the payoff of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
7. We can, through
prayer and intercession, ask God to change some things that are in contrary to
His Will, or things that we know
should be part of His Will for our lives or others' lives. Abraham in Genesis 18 pleads for the salvation of Lot and
Sodom and Gomorrah
and we see Moses in Exodus 32 and 33 pleading for the salvation of the children
of Israel.
8. God punishes His
children when they wrong. It is part of His Will for our lives. (Hebrews 12:7
"Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For
what son is there that a father does not discipline?").
9. God wants the best
for us and nothing else. The devil wants what is evil for us – that is why his
name means “man’s opponent” or “adversary”.
10. We can never FULLY
understand God’s Will. Never. But as long as we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we know His Will. This
is not ambiguous, but plain Truth. Meditate on it.
11. God does not lie.
God does not manipulate. God is all-knowing. God can do all things. God is
everywhere (the devil is not). God loves us so much that He gave Himself up to
save us from sin and the devil. God is pure, perfect and holy. The way God
works transcends all human understanding. God can hide some things from us and
yet reveal others for our own good. God does not compromise or show favoritism.
God is mighty and sovereign above all things known, unknown, living or
non-living. God is not limited by situations, circumstances or lifestyles. God
is infinitely eternal. God is above everything known or unknown. God knows you
better than you know yourself. God is the Creator of all things.
12. The devil can use
God's Word to deceive us into sinning (like he did with Jesus in Luke Chapter 4 during His temptation in the wilderness),
so we need to use God's Spirit in discerning the lies and sieving them with the
Truth when the situation arises.
13. In a
“black-and-white-situation”, calmness, patience, prayer and resulting peace
lead us to making more Godly decisions than rushing in and trying to “figure it
out” on our own.
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You may ask, "How am I to differentiate between God’s voice and the devil’s?"
I will share with you a few differences between the two;
1. God's voice is
calm and brings peace (See 1 Kings 19:12 when He speaks to Elijah and when He talked to
Gideon or David before they went to war). Queen Esther waited for this voice
for days before approaching the King in Esther 5
– in the fullness of time, she took action to report Haman’s plot.
The devil's voice is cunning, authoritative and enticing (as seen in the
actions of Cain, Esau and in David when lusting over Bathsheba).
2. God's voice brings
you to purity, leads you away from sin and is in line with His Word; the
devil's is not: it takes advantage of your weaknesses, manipulates you and
seeks to control you.
3. God's voice does
not lead to a guilty conscience and self-condemnation, but the devil's voice
lies to you, deceives you and condemns you even after repentance.
4. God's voice is
patient, while the devil's voice commands you to MOVE NOW!! Or DO IT NOW!!
I hope this post has helped you or will
help you in understanding a few things about God's Will for your life.
Stay blessed.
Bonface
Morris.
