iBelieve  . .  in God’s Will

(Part four of “iBelieve”)

Have you ever asked God, “Lord, what is Your will for my life?”  I am reminded of the man who was supposed to be on a diet and, one day, as he was driving to work, he prayed, “Lord, if it is Your will for me to stop at the donut shop, then, let there be an open parking space right in front of the entrance.” Well, after 12 trips around the block, there was an empty parking space in front of the entrance.

John 5:34  "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Three Simple Steps to Live in God’s Will

1. Get to know God. Because once you know God, then you will get to know God’s will.

Question: Do you believe that God speaks to us today?  Yes!  This is what a relationship is all about.  Friendships, Relationships are built on communication. Without communication, the relationship dies. 

In the Discipleship Series, “Experiencing God,” Henry Blackaby says the following . . .  “God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.”

a) Bible. God’s Word is filled with God’s will for your life. The more you know God’s Word, the more you know God. If you want to know God’s will for your finances, it is in the Word.

If you want to know God’s will for your marriage and family, it is in the Word.

If you want to know God’s will for raising your children, it is in God’s Word.

If you want to know God’s will for ministry, it is in God’s Word.

If you want to know God’s will for spiritual growth, it is in God’s Word.

God has a word for you!

b) Prayer. Spending quality time with God every day is vitally important. And prayer is not just about you talking to God, it’s also about God talking to you. Sometimes, we get so busy giving God our “want list” that we forget to take the time to allow God to speak to our spirit.

c) Circumstances. Suppose you are out of work and are praying for a job. And you ask the Lord, “Which job is Your will for me?” You go for three different interviews and two of those do not give you an offer and one of them does. Well, the circumstances have dictated which way to go. Two doors closed. One door is open. 

  One lady got very, very sick. Because she was quite worried about possibly dying, she recommitted her life to the Lord. God used the “circumstance” of her sickness to show her His will to recommit her life to the Lord.

d) Church. I praise God for the church. It is at church, that each of us have the opportunity to grow spiritually. It is at church, where we can experience the presence of God through corporate worship. It is through the church that we can have brothers and sisters pray for us in our time of need.

   A few weeks ago, I was praying for a man who was having a hard time forgiving his dad who had done him wrong. I prayed with him and told him about Celebrate Recovery. He said, “I thought CR was for people with alcoholic addictions.” No, CR is for anyone who is not perfect. We deal with unforgiveness, worry, stress, pride, rejection, workaholism, anger, abuse, bitterness, etc.   If you are alive, then you probably have issues that you have to deal with in life. And we need each other to help overcome those issues. I praise God for the church!

Three Simple Steps to Live in God’s Will

2. Prepare to make adjustments in your life.

Eccl. 3:11   Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (New Living translation)

God’s Will and God’s Ways

a) Moral Will – God’s ways based upon God’s Word. Ephesians 1:4-6 speaks about this . . .

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

For example, someone may ask, “Is it God’s will for me to marry an unbeliever?” The answer is  . . no! Because  2 Corinthians 6:14 says “do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” So, if someone is dating a non-believer, they are not living in God’s will. This is a moral issue.

Another example, “was it God’s will for 3,000 people to die on Sept. 11, 2001?” Answer is  . . . no! Because God’s Word says “You shall not murder!”  This was not God’s will. This is a moral issue.

Another example:  “Is it alright for a man and a woman to live together without being married?” The answer is  . . . no! Because the word of God says in Galatians 5:19, the Bible says that those involved in adultery, fornication and sexual sins will not inherit the kingdom of God. These are moral issues. And they are the same for everyone.

b) Personal Will. God has a plan for every area of your life.

God’s moral will is the same for everyone.

God’s personal will is different for everyone. It is God’s will for me to be the pastor of Fortress Church. It is not God’s will for me to work in car sales. Maybe it’s God’s will for you to be a car salesman, but not me.  God’s personal will is different for each of us. And God has a plan for every area of your life.

It’s been God’s will for my mom and dad to live 85 plus years of life. Not everyone is blessed with so many years. It is God’s will for each of us to live a different amount of time here on earth.

12 years ago, it was God’s will for John Murphy to pack his bags and move from Cincinnati, Ohio to San Antonio, Texas. Randy Garcia needed a prayer partner, and it was God’s will for Elder Murphy to come. Not everyone has that calling.

Let’s take the issue of tithing and giving.

You get your paycheck and you are reviewing your budget.

Tithing (paying 10% of your income to the Lord) is a moral issue. Because God’s commands it in Scripture.  If you don’t tithe, you are not living in God’s will. It is the same for everyone  .  .  . 10%.

Yes, Lord (which is our church building fund for the MPC) is a personal issue. God hasn’t commanded you to give to the Yes Lord fund, it is a choice that you make to be a part of the ministry that takes place in the new MPC.  And it is different for everyone. Some of you give $ 50.00 per month. Some of you give $ 200.00 per month. This is a personal issue.

Now, let’s go a step further as we discuss God’s will.

i) First there is God’s perfect will.  God has a plan for your life. You are no accident. God has great plans for you future here on earth and for eternity. Ephesians 1:11 speaks to this . . .

¹¹In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will . . .”

ii) Secondly, there is God’s permissive will. This takes place when we make a wrong choice in life and end up off spiritual track.  For example, it was God’s will for the Israelites to leave the land of slavery, Egypt, and enter into the promised land. But their journey, which should have taken two weeks or so, ended up taking 40 years. 40 years. Why? Because they made bad choices and got off track. Did God’s will change for them? No, God’s will was still for them to enter the promised land. But they chose to live in God’s permissive will.

Psalm 81:10-14   ¹⁰ I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.  Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. ¹¹ "But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.  ¹² So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.  ¹³ "If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!

Have you ever made a bad choice?

Perhaps you’ve even thought, “Does God still love me?” Yes, He does.

Perhaps you’ve thought, “Can I still pursue the will of God?” Yes, you can. You have a choice . . . you can choose to live in God’s permissive will or you can choose not to be in God’s will at all.

The Israelites made some bad choices, but they still – eventually – entered the promised land.

Another example: Abraham. God gave Abe a promise that he would be the Father of a great nation. This was God’s perfect will. Then, Abraham took matters into his own hand and bore a son through his maidservant. That was not part of God’s will. Because Abraham went off track, Ismael was born and so was born the Arab nation, which even today is still in conflict with the Jewish nation.

All this took place because Abraham went from God’s perfect will to God’s permissive will.

Three Simple Steps to Live in God’s Will

3.  Take action on God’s will.

Romans 12:1, 2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If you never take action on the will of God, then you will never be able to experience the will of God in your life.

The reason why many people don’t want to follow the will of God is because it is costly. Yes, it will cost you to follow the Lord.

In order for Noah to be in God’s will, it took action. He needed to spend 120 years of his life to build an ark.

In order for Moses to be in God’s will, it took action. He needed to leave his job of tending sheep and have the courage to approach Pharoah.

In order for David to be in God’s will, it took action. He needed to leave his job of tending sheep and become King.

In order for Peter, Andrew, James and John to be in God’s will, it took action. They had to leave their fishing business to follow Jesus.

God’s will required action.

And the greatest example of all is when Jesus Christ, obeyed the will of God the Father, as He left His throne in glory to come to earth to give His life on the cross of Calvary for your sins.

God’s will required action.

We must first seek God’s will, then obey God’s will before we experience His blessings.

But sometimes, we have it all turned around.

Many people today fall into the “bless it” trap. This is what I mean . . . “Lord, this is what I’ve decided to do, so would you bless it.” It wasn’t God’s will to begin with. It was your will and you want God to bless your will.

“Lord, I’ve decided to marry this man, so would you bless this marriage.” Did it ever occur to you to ask God first?

“Lord, I’ve bought this house, so would you bless it?” Did it ever occur to you to ask God first?