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Dear Christian,
Are you living in the center of God’s perfect will?
If you’re not sure, maybe the problem is not you, but what
you’ve believed about knowing God’s will.
There are exceptions, but nearly all true believers want to obey God and follow His will, but many of God’s children are
struggling in their attempt to discern God’s will. The main problem seems to be knowing just what God’s will is. There is an approach
to knowing the will of God that has become common among Christians. Simply stated, this approach encourages Christians to embark
on a quest to find God’s will. “Do you want to know God’s will for your life?” it asks. “Are you faced with some important decision
in life and you want to know God’s will in the matter? Than here’s what you do: First, (they say) “Pray! Ask God to guide you.”
Second, “Surrender to God, because God will not reveal His will to you unless you are willing to obey it.” Third, “Study
the Bible to see if God has anything to say in it concerning your particular situation.” Fourth, “Look for circumstances to fall into
place.” (This point usually comes with a warning, because some say the devil can use circumstances to deceive you.) Fifth, “Look
for the peace that passes all understanding.” It is said that if something is God’s will, you will have peace about your decision. Dear
Christian, does any of this sound familiar? Isn’t this the common approach to finding God’s will proclaimed in our day?
Now depending on your background, or the group with which you fellowship, there are two more ideas usually brought
into this discussion. One is referred to as “The still small voice.” Some say that God directs His people with an inner voice. It is
nothing you can hear with your ears, but rather, it is heard from within. Also, some bring in what they call, “Laying out a fleece before
God.” This is taken from the Old Testament story of Gideon. Gideon wanted to know if it was God’s will for his army to attack the
enemy. He took the skin of a lamb, put in on the ground, and in so many words, said to the Lord, “If You want me to attack the
enemy, overnight make the ground dry and the fleece wet with dew.” The next night, he reversed it and said, “Lord, make the ground
wet with dew and let the fleece remain dry. God honored Gideon’s requests, and each morning it was as Gideon asked. Basically
the fleece is a sign. Those who lay out a fleece are looking for a sign from God. For example:“Lord, if you want me to marry this
person, have her bring it up tonight over dinner, then I’ll know You want me to marry her.” That’s a fleece before God.
Give or take a few ideas, this is basically the modern day approach to finding God’s will, and perhaps you’ve used some
of these ideas, perhaps you’ve used them all! But a constant concern many believers have with these ideas is that, in the end, even
though they believed God may have led them, they were still not certain. Even though they may have stepped out in confidence in
certain situations, still deep down in their hearts they were not totally sure about God’s will. For many, these methods seem to be just
too indefinite and vague. They read Gideon’s entire story and learn that even after God gave him those signs, he was still unsure
concerning God’s will. The fleece really didn’t help him.
And when it comes to the,“still small voice” many ask questions like: “How do I know the difference between the Holy
Spirit’s voice, the devil’s voice, and my own voice? How can I really be sure?” They question what it means to sense the peace that
passes all understanding, and how this peace is different from just regular good feelings. They question how to know when favorable
circumstances are coming from the Lord to guide them, or from the devil to trip them up. Dear Christian, have you ever asked these
questions? Do you sense the uncertainty and doubt that is often caused by following this common approach to finding God’s will?
Is there anything clear in God’s Word concerning how to know God’s will for your life? There is in Romans
8:28&29:“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He
foreknew, He also, predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He
might be the first-born among many brethren.” In these amazing verses, the Lord is saying that He is using
all things that come into our lives to make us more Christ-like. That’s the goal toward which all things are working in our lives; to
conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.
This is God’s will for every Christian. God wants each of His children changed; transformed into the image of His Son. In
Romans 8:26&27 we read: “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do
not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind
of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Now, although it’s true, that because we don’t fully know the mind of God, we don’t know how to pray as we should about
anything, but there is one specific thing in this verse, that God has in mind. There is something, He says, which we really miss
when it comes to prayer, and that is the will of God. When it comes to the will of God, God says, “Christians, do not know how to
pray as they should.” So, we read, in this verse, that the Holy Spirit is praying for us, on our behalf, and He is praying that the will
of God will be done in our lives.
Put it all together, and this is what the passage is teaching: In Romans 8:26&27, we see that the Holy Spirit is praying for
us, and the content of His prayer is that the will of God may be done in our lives. In Romans 8:28&29 we find the Father’s answer
to the Holy Spirit’s prayer. And the Father’s answer is a resounding, “Yes!” He says, “All things will work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” which is to be conformed to the image of His Son. In my own
words, here is our Father’s answer: Holy Spirit, you have prayed for them to have My will done in their lives, and I promise you that
My will, will be done in their lives. My will is to make them like Jesus, and I will see to it that everything in their lives work together
to accomplish My will for them.
What a tremendous truth this is! It is a truth that can revolutionize your Christian life! The truth is this: As God’s children,
we never have to hunt for the will of God. If you are in love with Jesus, and in your heart you want what God wants for your life,
God’s will is guaranteed in your life! And as a result, all things are working together in your life that the will of God will be done, that
you will be conformed to the image of Jesus!
Therefore, Christians never have to seek the will of God as a goal. Never! Not as long as God is working all things together
to make them more like Jesus. This is the truth of the Bible: that if we have the Guide, we will surely have His guidance. Nowhere
in the Bible do we ever see the encouragement to find God’s will as if it is hidden from us. God does not play a little game of hide
and seek with His children concerning His will. He does not wish to keep it from us. The fact is, the Lord wants us to live in His will
more than we want to live in His will! But no Christian ever ends up in God’s will by hunting for it. We end up in God’s will
by centering our heart on the Lord, and as we do, He guides us in His will. The secret of knowing God’s will, is knowing God! This
is the Bible’s emphasis.
In Proverbs 3:5&6, we read,“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on
your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your
paths straight.” In Psalm 32:8, God said,“I will guide you with My eye upon you.” The Lord does
not say to have Him guide us, we must first pray, and then fast, and then listen for a still small voice, and then look for special peace
in our hearts, and then ask Him for a sign. No! God’s guidance is unconditional in a Christian’s life. It is part of the blessing of being
His child. It is a portion of the wonderful salvation we have in Christ.
What joy and rest comes to the believer when he or she takes their eyes off the will of God and puts them on the God whose
will it is! There is a sweet release of the soul when we stop seeking after guidance and simply begin to trust in the Guide who has
promised to lead us. As Christians, we really don’t need more guidance from God, but we need our eyes opened to the truth that God
will never leave us nor forsake us, and that He is guiding us always even though we may not see it.
Some might say this is all well and good, but is it practical? When I am faced with an important decision that is going to
affect my life for years to come, what do I do? How can I make those decisions in the will of God? Well, God has never said that we
could not use our own understanding, He has just said not to lean upon our own understanding. We can use our understanding.
As we go through life pursing a greater heart union with Jesus, it is His will that we make intelligent decisions. That we study the pros
and cons in things and then make sensible choices. And as we do, we can know for certain that behind the scenes, God is at work
guiding us, and using all of life to conform us to the image of His Son.
In Psalm 37:4 the Holy Spirit addressed this issue, He said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will
give you the desires of your heart.” That doesn’t mean if you delight in the Lord He will give you whatever you
want. It means as you seek the Lord and delight in Him, you can be assured that the desires you have in your heart have been placed
there by God Himself. Not sinful desires; they don’t come from the Lord, but if, for example, in your relationship to Jesus you desire
to move to a different state. Once you’ve worked out all the details; once you’ve done all the research, if that is still your desire, then
move! And move trusting in the fact that God is guiding you, like He said He would. God guides us through our heart desires. As
believers, we can make decisions in life based on our desires, knowing that our desires come from the Lord.
Christians always seem to place much emphasis on location and vocation. They often ask, “Where does God want me to
live, and what does God want me to do for a living? Understand dear friend, that those things do not affect the will of God for your
life, which is to make you like Jesus. Whether we decide to become bankers, or bakers, or teachers; whether we decide to live in
Chicago, or Madrid, or London, as long as we are doing honest work, as long as we are progressing in the heart knowledge of God
through the study of His Word, God’s will (to make us like Jesus) will not be affected.
The Lord can conform us to His image whether we are bankers, or bakers, or teachers; whether we live in Chicago, Madrid,
or London. We need not hassle ourselves over these decisions. All we need to do is use our brain, and make the best decisions we
can, and do what we want to do and live where we want to live, and love God in all things, knowing that He is leading us because
He’s promised to. Many times, as we are in the process of making decisions, it will seem like we are all alone, and the decisions we
make have been all up to us, but we know better! We know God is behind the scenes of our lives, guiding, overruling, rearranging
our likes and dislikes.
In reality, God only has one will for our lives, not two or three or four, only one: to conform us to His image. And when our
heart is set on Him, we never need fear missing His will. If you were God and one of your children said, “Lord, with all my heart I
want to do what You want me to do.” Would you let your child fall into a hole? Never! Let’s say one day a little boy came up to his
father and said, “Daddy, I want to do your will, and then went into his bedroom and cleaned it up. The father might then say, “That’s
great son! That’s what I wanted you to do. I’m happy when you keep your room clean. That’s my will!” But what if this same child
walked into the room where his father was, opened a window and started to crawl out. The father would not allow his son to fall out
the window, be hurt and then say, “No, my son that wasn’t my will.”Any responsible father would run to the son and stop him from
falling. Well, God loves you, dear Christian. He will not let you get hurt in your attempt to please Him in all you do.
In the Bible, we have many general principles given to us concerning God’s will, and as believers we ought to learn and
follow those principles by the enabling grace of God. We know, for example, that the unequal yoke does not please God.
We know about a Christian’s responsibility to support his or her family. From God’s Word, we know not to be lazy, and not to steal.
We know not to ask God if it is His will to cheat on our income tax. God’s Word teaches us it is never His will to cheat on our income
tax. It also teaches us to avoid every appearance of evil. In the Bible, we have general things as to the will of God for our lives. God,
for example, is not going to led us to rob a bank. That is sin, and God will never lead us to sin. And if we are living in a vital
progressive union with Jesus, we are not going to want to disobey a clear teaching from His Word.
But when it comes to those things that the Bible doesn’t say anything about. When it comes to those things that are not in
themselves sinful, like: Which car to buy, or what house to own, or what college to attend, or what job to take; as we seek the Lord,
He will guide us. And in most cases, we will never see His guidance as He guides us through our likes and dislikes, and through the
engineering of our circumstances. But we can know for sure, that if we are Christians desiring to please the Lord, He is guiding us.
He is working to conform us to the image of His Son, (His ultimate will for our lives.) And He will use all the decisions in our lives
to accomplish this, even (Praise God) our wrong and stupid decisions. Now of course, we would be fools to seek wrong decisions,
but our God is faithful, and He can be trusted. But dear Christian, please don’t be like those who can’t or won’t believe God is guiding
them unless they see it or sense it. God has called us to life by faith, not sight.
In conclusion, a Christian who is seeking the face of Christ, to know Him more through His Word, is never in any danger
of missing God’s will. Not because Christians are so wonderful, but because God is so faithful! So may I encourage you, dear
Christian; Don’t seek the will of God, or pray for God’s will to be done in your life as if it isn’t being done. Simply seek a greater heart
knowledge of Christ through His Word. The Bible is clear: guidance is promised to all of God’s children simply because they are His
children. May the Lord give us eyes to see this wonderful truth, and come to know Him as our Faithful Guide.
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