The world is turning to an octopus and a parrot to know what’s in store. Man with a more than one Kg brain is turning to birdbrain. This shows that the seconds are ticking away towards midnight and the human race is about to take a fatal plunge. That brings us to the million dollar question: “Lord, what will you have me to do?” It is more than a million dollars, because it means life and death. All of us ask the question, umpteen number of times, from the most mundane to the headsplitting decisions, especially when life takes unexpected twists and turns. Many bungle in this matter and wreck their lives. If you think God’s will is a mystery, remember:
God’s will is like our jewels in the locker. We have the key. A little effort will unlock it. All God’s children can find His will. It’s the Father’s will to bare His heart to the child; but the child must be willing to listen.
Is it so very important to know God’s will? Oh yes, it is! “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21). Our great work will not recommend for us on that terrible judgment day. Willful defiance to God’s will seals our fate. Jesus added, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,” emphasizing that the Scriptures are the main source of finding God’s will. It is our lifeline and written for the man on the street. If Jepthah had known the Pentateuch he would have realized that our God hates human sacrifice and would not have made the grave error of killing his own daughter (Rom 2: 17,18).
The devil tries to make us his captives to do his will. Our own will keeps us pinned down to the earth. But if we stretch out our hands for help, God’s right hand is always ready and mighty to pull us up to do His will. It is a battle of wills (2 Tim 2:26). The first son said, “I will not” but afterward regretted his decision and went to work in his father’s vineyard. It was he who did his father’s will.
First of all we must be clear in our minds about the absolute will of God as revealed in the Scriptures. We don’t need to get confused about these and pray to find God’s mind.
1. We are predestined. We should never ever think that we may not find a place in heaven because we are not predestined. The Bible says in no uncertain terms that, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ... In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will ...” (Eph 1:4,5,11). The condition that goes with it is that we should pursue holiness.
2. We will not perish. How often, like the disciples caught in the tentacles of the storm we scream, “Lord, we perish.” Jesus spoke of a man who left his ninety nine sheep and went in search of the one lost sheep. He added, “Even so it is not the will of the Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Mt 18:12-14). The antidote for straying is exhorting one another as is given in the same chapter.
3. Deliverance from this evil world. As a ship without anchor is drawn into the sea, if we are not secured by the grace of God we will drown in this evil world. But take heart. Our Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Gal 1:3-6). The message of the Epistle of Galatians is ‘Only Grace’.
4. Our sanctification. “This is the will of God, your sanctification...” (1Thess 4:1-3). Do not be flummoxed by the messages you receive from all around. People tell you not to be superspiritual. They tell you to bring down your standard of holiness so you won’t hurt others. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” said Jesus (Jn 14:15). If your mind is set on pleasing God in every way, there is no chance that you will miss the will of God, even your sanctification.
5. A grateful heart. It is easy to focus on our bereavements than on our blessings, our sufferings than on our solaces, our hurdles than on our heights. The Lord Jesus was hurt when out of the ten, only one came to thank Him. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Thess 5:18). Let us learn to thank God for whatever God may bring across our way, because we know that He will make it good for us. Not only to God, be grateful also to people who help you and don’t forget to express your gratitude in words.
6. Salvation of all men. How often we quicken our steps to move away from a ruffian or a drunkard because it is impossible for us to believe that God loves him and wants him saved. Paul, writing to the young disciple, Timothy to dispel his doubts says, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3,4). Next time you have an urge to talk to somone about Christ do not doubt the will of God.
7. Doing good. “This is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet 2:15). If you habitually do good to anyone at anytime, those who are against us cannot speak anything against us. We do not give them a foothold. Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38). “Do good to those who hate you” (Mt 5:44).
8. Suffering for doing good. It is when we go through sufferings that our whole being is tested and our faith is shaken. When we do good and suffer for that, we get confused and question the validity of our good act. We cry to God asking, “Why, why, why? Did I not do the right thing? Then why?” God’s answer is, “It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1Pet 3:17).
Search the Scriputres and try to understand God’s will in a said issue. We must be totally committed to do His will. In other words, we must live to do His will. Doing God’s will must be our life’s passion. (1Pet 4:1-3). Why was Balaam blind to the Angel and not wonderstruck at a talking donkey rather conversing with it? It was because his mind was elsewhere, not in finding God’s will. If we are not keen to do the will of God we will miss it by a million miles. God may alert us about the voice of Jacob but we allow ourselves to be misguided by the hands Esau.
When we do not have a mind to do God’s will, it is unlikely that He will bare His heart to us. “If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out ...” (Jn 7:17). Jesus was bent on doing His Father’s will and therefore had no difficulty knowing the mind of God. “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (Jn 5:30; 6:38). It is imperative that we quash self-will before attempting even to know the will of God. We should not be like the Jews who came to Ezekiel to know God’s Word for them, yet had their own plans. “So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Eze 33:30-32).
We should be hungry to do God’s will. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (Jn 4:34). Even in mundane affairs, whether at home or workspot, we must be totally committed to do God’s will. See what Paul writes to slaves: “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but as bondservants of Christ; doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph 6:5,6).
No one will dally in choosing between bad and good. But to pick up the best between good and good needs thought and precision. We must make it a perpetual habit to think spiritually. When our spirit is tuned to God’s Spirit we will be led in the Highway. The spiritual mind will easily discern the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:2).
When we are bent on having our own way, God will leave us to our self-will like He did to Balaam. The elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to know God’s will. The answer of God is shocking: “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let myself be enquired of at all by them? ... I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols” (Eze 14:3,4). Let us put away all the idols that can cause us to stumble from finding God’s will before we even kneel down to pray.
We cannot hope to lean back on our easy chair and expect God to come knocking at our door with His will in a plate. If you are looking for a job you don’t sit at home and pray, “Lord, if it is Your will, give me a job.” You have to go knocking at doors and pouring over Newspapers. God doesn’t lead lazy people. When we work hard at knowing God’s will everything in our life will point in the same direction. “Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5: 17).
Sometimes it is better to just sit back, clam up and hope for the best. The prophet Agabus dramatized the arrest of Paul in Jerusalem. Paul shot down all of them saying that he was ready even to die for Christ. So Paul’s companions accepted it and said, “The will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14).
It is also wise to accept what cannot be changed. In acceptance is peace. Husband and wife, Parents and children, Worker and coworker, Boss and subordinates should learn to live with each other without trying to manipulate God.
All said and done, there are times God takes us through a discipline of darkness when even by groping we don’t get hold of any threads to lead. It is at these times that Isaiah 50:10 should flash across our minds. “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.”
A father holds his little son’s finger and takes him along. But a father leading an adult son like that will be an awkward sight. When we grow into spiritual maturity God expects us to use our commonsense and proceed the logical way.
Samuel gave Saul a piece of good advice: “Let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasiondemands; for God is with you” (1 Sam 10:7). If we are walking with God, we can go ahead boldly doing what seems to be the right thing to do, prayerfully, trusting God. Paul wrote a lot of instructions to Timothy in two epistles. His clinching statement is, “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things” (2 Tim 2:7). If we are full of the Scriptures, that is the general counsel of God, the Lord will give us the understanding in specific situations. Moses’ father-in-law did not push his counsel down the throat of Moses, but helped him change his mind set. He allowed Moses to take the final decision. “Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you ... If you do this thing, and God so commands you ...” (Ex 18:19,23).
Appraise the situation and go along what you believe to be the logical course. Listen to your instinct. If it just doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Go by your intuition buttressed with facts and the counsel of spiritual leaders. Heed the green flags (Lydia’s invitation to Paul and team) and the red flags (the donkey refusing to proceed and finally lying down under Balaam).
There is usually an element of doubt when we walk ahead. God’s Word came to Jeremiah that his uncle will offer his field to buy. When indeed his uncle came, only then the renowned prophet Jeremiah was sure of God’s voice that came to him. He writes, “Then I knew that this was the Word of the Lord” (Jer 32:6-8). The interim period was cloudy for him. He had to keep his fingers crossed. “If ”, “may” and “I hope” are all words that denote indefiniteness which are aplenty in Paul’s writings ( 1Cor 16:6,7).
God does not unravel His will for our entire life or ministry. He leads us one step at a time, one day at a time. When Saul Paul wanted to know what to do, a seemingly insignificant step was shown him. “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6). When he obeyed the simple step he was ‘told’ all the way down to the end of his life. Sadly, when the other Saul was asked to go to Gilgal and wait, it was partial obedience. He went but did not wait (1 Sam 10:8). After Samuel’s death, he desperately wanted to talk to him because he knew only Samuel, not God. When he woke up to the developments, it was too late and he reaped the wages of his past negligence. “When Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by urim or by the prophets” (1 Sam 28:6). It was a downward spiral of decadence and he ended up with a medium trying to find God’s will! How many of us are of the ilk, looking to octopuses and parrots? When we do not obey the revealed will of God like Saul, God will not further reveal His will to us.
Let not doing God’s will be a burden for us. David said, “I delight to do Your will” (Psa 40:8). So God delightfully led him. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” says the Lord (Psa 32:8,9). Do you remember a time when God had to put the bit and bridle to draw you to the Highway? When we are defiant, God will bring embarrassments in our private, domestic and social life and will enmesh us on the right hand and on the left. Early detection of telltale signs may help us back-pedal.
I have formulated some indications for God’s will and self-will taking the examples of Jesus and Judas respectively which will help us choose the direction when we stand between the rock and the hard place.
|
God’s Will - Jesus |
Self Will - Judas |
|
May not be what I like (often). Mk 14:36 |
I like very much |
|
Gradual |
Sudden |
|
Scripture support |
Driven by worldly desires |
|
Still small voice of God (1Ki 19:12) |
Loud noise of the devil |
|
Common sense |
Emotional |
|
Counselors |
Often those who incite— High priests, Job’s friends |
|
Fruit of prayer for guidan ce. “Let Thy will be done”. |
Prayerless decision |
|
Difficult |
Easy |
|
Retrospection happy |
Restropection sad |
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). “Teach me to do Your will” prayed David (Psa 143:10). David’s smashing success in life was because of his desire to do things God’s way. We mature in doing the will of God over the years and prayer helps in the discipline. It helps us in split second decisions. Prayer is not to armtwist God but to untwist us. Paul and Epaphras labored together in prayer for the new Christians that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col 1:9; 4:12). Have we ever done that for ourselves or others?
The rewards of doing the will of God are far fetching. By that we become Jesus’ immediate family. “Whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother” (Mk 3:35). When we fall in line with His will it becomes easy for us to understand the Scriptures (Jn 7:17). When we ask according to His will, He hears us (1Jn 5:14). “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1Jn 2:17).
Our ultimate goal is to “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Our God will “make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight” (Col 4:12; Heb 13:20,2 1).
Even though the ramifications of missing God’s will could be disastrous, if perchance we miss the will of God we must learn not to take failure as the last word. If we are educable we can still go ahead and find the gates of our lost kingdom swing open again. We learn valuable life lessons from a failure. Ultimately God will work out our failures for our own good. We also should do our best to rectify it.
“Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God” (Heb 10:9).
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
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Vellore 632006, India
+91-416-2242943, +91-416-2248943
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www.bymonline.org
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To buy books written by Dr. Lilian Stanley, kindly reach to us in the follwing address
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The world is turning to an octopus and a parrot to know what’s in store. Man with a more than one Kg brain is turning to birdbrain. This shows that the seconds are ticking away towards midnight and the human race is about to take a fatal plunge. That brings us to the million dollar question: “Lord, what will you have me to do?” It is more than a million dollars, because it means life and death. All of us ask the question, umpteen number of times, from the most mundane to the headsplitting decisions, especially when life takes unexpected twists and turns. Many bungle in this matter and wreck their lives. If you think God’s will is a mystery, remember:
God’s will is like our jewels in the locker. We have the key. A little effort will unlock it. All God’s children can find His will. It’s the Father’s will to bare His heart to the child; but the child must be willing to listen.
Is it so very important to know God’s will? Oh yes, it is! “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Mt 7:21). Our great work will not recommend for us on that terrible judgment day. Willful defiance to God’s will seals our fate. Jesus added, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,” emphasizing that the Scriptures are the main source of finding God’s will. It is our lifeline and written for the man on the street. If Jepthah had known the Pentateuch he would have realized that our God hates human sacrifice and would not have made the grave error of killing his own daughter (Rom 2: 17,18).
The devil tries to make us his captives to do his will. Our own will keeps us pinned down to the earth. But if we stretch out our hands for help, God’s right hand is always ready and mighty to pull us up to do His will. It is a battle of wills (2 Tim 2:26). The first son said, “I will not” but afterward regretted his decision and went to work in his father’s vineyard. It was he who did his father’s will.
First of all we must be clear in our minds about the absolute will of God as revealed in the Scriptures. We don’t need to get confused about these and pray to find God’s mind.
1. We are predestined. We should never ever think that we may not find a place in heaven because we are not predestined. The Bible says in no uncertain terms that, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ... In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will ...” (Eph 1:4,5,11). The condition that goes with it is that we should pursue holiness.
2. We will not perish. How often, like the disciples caught in the tentacles of the storm we scream, “Lord, we perish.” Jesus spoke of a man who left his ninety nine sheep and went in search of the one lost sheep. He added, “Even so it is not the will of the Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Mt 18:12-14). The antidote for straying is exhorting one another as is given in the same chapter.
3. Deliverance from this evil world. As a ship without anchor is drawn into the sea, if we are not secured by the grace of God we will drown in this evil world. But take heart. Our Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Gal 1:3-6). The message of the Epistle of Galatians is ‘Only Grace’.
4. Our sanctification. “This is the will of God, your sanctification...” (1Thess 4:1-3). Do not be flummoxed by the messages you receive from all around. People tell you not to be superspiritual. They tell you to bring down your standard of holiness so you won’t hurt others. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” said Jesus (Jn 14:15). If your mind is set on pleasing God in every way, there is no chance that you will miss the will of God, even your sanctification.
5. A grateful heart. It is easy to focus on our bereavements than on our blessings, our sufferings than on our solaces, our hurdles than on our heights. The Lord Jesus was hurt when out of the ten, only one came to thank Him. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Thess 5:18). Let us learn to thank God for whatever God may bring across our way, because we know that He will make it good for us. Not only to God, be grateful also to people who help you and don’t forget to express your gratitude in words.
6. Salvation of all men. How often we quicken our steps to move away from a ruffian or a drunkard because it is impossible for us to believe that God loves him and wants him saved. Paul, writing to the young disciple, Timothy to dispel his doubts says, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3,4). Next time you have an urge to talk to somone about Christ do not doubt the will of God.
7. Doing good. “This is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet 2:15). If you habitually do good to anyone at anytime, those who are against us cannot speak anything against us. We do not give them a foothold. Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38). “Do good to those who hate you” (Mt 5:44).
8. Suffering for doing good. It is when we go through sufferings that our whole being is tested and our faith is shaken. When we do good and suffer for that, we get confused and question the validity of our good act. We cry to God asking, “Why, why, why? Did I not do the right thing? Then why?” God’s answer is, “It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1Pet 3:17).
Search the Scriputres and try to understand God’s will in a said issue. We must be totally committed to do His will. In other words, we must live to do His will. Doing God’s will must be our life’s passion. (1Pet 4:1-3). Why was Balaam blind to the Angel and not wonderstruck at a talking donkey rather conversing with it? It was because his mind was elsewhere, not in finding God’s will. If we are not keen to do the will of God we will miss it by a million miles. God may alert us about the voice of Jacob but we allow ourselves to be misguided by the hands Esau.
When we do not have a mind to do God’s will, it is unlikely that He will bare His heart to us. “If anyone chooses to do God’s will he will find out ...” (Jn 7:17). Jesus was bent on doing His Father’s will and therefore had no difficulty knowing the mind of God. “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (Jn 5:30; 6:38). It is imperative that we quash self-will before attempting even to know the will of God. We should not be like the Jews who came to Ezekiel to know God’s Word for them, yet had their own plans. “So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Eze 33:30-32).
We should be hungry to do God’s will. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (Jn 4:34). Even in mundane affairs, whether at home or workspot, we must be totally committed to do God’s will. See what Paul writes to slaves: “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but as bondservants of Christ; doing the will of God from the heart” (Eph 6:5,6).
No one will dally in choosing between bad and good. But to pick up the best between good and good needs thought and precision. We must make it a perpetual habit to think spiritually. When our spirit is tuned to God’s Spirit we will be led in the Highway. The spiritual mind will easily discern the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:2).
When we are bent on having our own way, God will leave us to our self-will like He did to Balaam. The elders of Israel came to Ezekiel to know God’s will. The answer of God is shocking: “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let myself be enquired of at all by them? ... I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols” (Eze 14:3,4). Let us put away all the idols that can cause us to stumble from finding God’s will before we even kneel down to pray.
We cannot hope to lean back on our easy chair and expect God to come knocking at our door with His will in a plate. If you are looking for a job you don’t sit at home and pray, “Lord, if it is Your will, give me a job.” You have to go knocking at doors and pouring over Newspapers. God doesn’t lead lazy people. When we work hard at knowing God’s will everything in our life will point in the same direction. “Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5: 17).
Sometimes it is better to just sit back, clam up and hope for the best. The prophet Agabus dramatized the arrest of Paul in Jerusalem. Paul shot down all of them saying that he was ready even to die for Christ. So Paul’s companions accepted it and said, “The will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14).
It is also wise to accept what cannot be changed. In acceptance is peace. Husband and wife, Parents and children, Worker and coworker, Boss and subordinates should learn to live with each other without trying to manipulate God.
All said and done, there are times God takes us through a discipline of darkness when even by groping we don’t get hold of any threads to lead. It is at these times that Isaiah 50:10 should flash across our minds. “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.”
A father holds his little son’s finger and takes him along. But a father leading an adult son like that will be an awkward sight. When we grow into spiritual maturity God expects us to use our commonsense and proceed the logical way.
Samuel gave Saul a piece of good advice: “Let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasiondemands; for God is with you” (1 Sam 10:7). If we are walking with God, we can go ahead boldly doing what seems to be the right thing to do, prayerfully, trusting God. Paul wrote a lot of instructions to Timothy in two epistles. His clinching statement is, “Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things” (2 Tim 2:7). If we are full of the Scriptures, that is the general counsel of God, the Lord will give us the understanding in specific situations. Moses’ father-in-law did not push his counsel down the throat of Moses, but helped him change his mind set. He allowed Moses to take the final decision. “Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you ... If you do this thing, and God so commands you ...” (Ex 18:19,23).
Appraise the situation and go along what you believe to be the logical course. Listen to your instinct. If it just doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Go by your intuition buttressed with facts and the counsel of spiritual leaders. Heed the green flags (Lydia’s invitation to Paul and team) and the red flags (the donkey refusing to proceed and finally lying down under Balaam).
There is usually an element of doubt when we walk ahead. God’s Word came to Jeremiah that his uncle will offer his field to buy. When indeed his uncle came, only then the renowned prophet Jeremiah was sure of God’s voice that came to him. He writes, “Then I knew that this was the Word of the Lord” (Jer 32:6-8). The interim period was cloudy for him. He had to keep his fingers crossed. “If ”, “may” and “I hope” are all words that denote indefiniteness which are aplenty in Paul’s writings ( 1Cor 16:6,7).
God does not unravel His will for our entire life or ministry. He leads us one step at a time, one day at a time. When Saul Paul wanted to know what to do, a seemingly insignificant step was shown him. “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6). When he obeyed the simple step he was ‘told’ all the way down to the end of his life. Sadly, when the other Saul was asked to go to Gilgal and wait, it was partial obedience. He went but did not wait (1 Sam 10:8). After Samuel’s death, he desperately wanted to talk to him because he knew only Samuel, not God. When he woke up to the developments, it was too late and he reaped the wages of his past negligence. “When Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by urim or by the prophets” (1 Sam 28:6). It was a downward spiral of decadence and he ended up with a medium trying to find God’s will! How many of us are of the ilk, looking to octopuses and parrots? When we do not obey the revealed will of God like Saul, God will not further reveal His will to us.
Let not doing God’s will be a burden for us. David said, “I delight to do Your will” (Psa 40:8). So God delightfully led him. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” says the Lord (Psa 32:8,9). Do you remember a time when God had to put the bit and bridle to draw you to the Highway? When we are defiant, God will bring embarrassments in our private, domestic and social life and will enmesh us on the right hand and on the left. Early detection of telltale signs may help us back-pedal.
I have formulated some indications for God’s will and self-will taking the examples of Jesus and Judas respectively which will help us choose the direction when we stand between the rock and the hard place.
|
God’s Will - Jesus |
Self Will - Judas |
|
May not be what I like (often). Mk 14:36 |
I like very much |
|
Gradual |
Sudden |
|
Scripture support |
Driven by worldly desires |
|
Still small voice of God (1Ki 19:12) |
Loud noise of the devil |
|
Common sense |
Emotional |
|
Counselors |
Often those who incite— High priests, Job’s friends |
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Fruit of prayer for guidan ce. “Let Thy will be done”. |
Prayerless decision |
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Difficult |
Easy |
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Retrospection happy |
Restropection sad |
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). “Teach me to do Your will” prayed David (Psa 143:10). David’s smashing success in life was because of his desire to do things God’s way. We mature in doing the will of God over the years and prayer helps in the discipline. It helps us in split second decisions. Prayer is not to armtwist God but to untwist us. Paul and Epaphras labored together in prayer for the new Christians that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col 1:9; 4:12). Have we ever done that for ourselves or others?
The rewards of doing the will of God are far fetching. By that we become Jesus’ immediate family. “Whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother” (Mk 3:35). When we fall in line with His will it becomes easy for us to understand the Scriptures (Jn 7:17). When we ask according to His will, He hears us (1Jn 5:14). “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1Jn 2:17).
Our ultimate goal is to “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Our God will “make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight” (Col 4:12; Heb 13:20,2 1).
Even though the ramifications of missing God’s will could be disastrous, if perchance we miss the will of God we must learn not to take failure as the last word. If we are educable we can still go ahead and find the gates of our lost kingdom swing open again. We learn valuable life lessons from a failure. Ultimately God will work out our failures for our own good. We also should do our best to rectify it.
“Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God” (Heb 10:9).
Dr. Lilian Stanley
13 Church Colony
Vellore 632006, India
+91 9843511943
lilianstanley@gmail.com
Blessing Youth Mission
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