Do You Know God’s Will? (Part 1)

 

How many times have you said that?

Not my will Lord but your will be done.

Did you mean it?

Did you try to follow through on your declaration, or did it amount to just another religious platitude?

I admit that I’ve said it many times. In good times and bad times. In times of prayer and worship when my joy, faith in, and reverence for God felt at an all-time high. At times when I’ve felt lower than low, when I’ve felt angry at how I’ve been mistreated, or disappointed that my prayer wasn’t answered in the way I wanted things to go, or discouraged because I just didn’t understand what God was doing.

Not my will God, but your will be done.

I’ve said it and truly meant it, even though I didn’t realise just what road this declaration would take me down. I’ve said it as an act of humble submission with sincerity, yet at the same time fearful of where God would lead me, fearful of how many more devastating scenarios I’d have to face, fearful of the next rough terrain my circumstances would demand I traverse.

And then there were the times when I’ve said it grudgingly because I knew or felt it was the right thing to do but, inwardly I was torn. Of course I want God’s will and power to be manifested in my life but I had wanted it in my timing. I wasn’t sure I wanted God’s will any longer. I didn’t want to accept that his will was the right thing for me at this juncture of my life. Surely, it’s too late now! Besides I have other responsibilities, other ambitions and goals and right now, your will Father-God would just be an inconvenience, it would be too much of a burden, a challenge. I was ready, willing and able years ago, but now I’m not so sure, now I don’t feel 100 percent willing!

Is there anyone who can relate?

Allow me to fast forward to today. During my devotional time, the following scripture was the theme text:

 

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:17 (NKJV)

 

Now the above verse represents another one of my frequent prayers throughout my discipleship history. A prayer that makes absolute sense if you are going to utter the words: not my will Lord but your will be done.

 And it is this verse that provided me the idea for today’s post.

So let me ask you, do you understand what God’s will is?

Of course there is the specific will God has for each human being on earth. That specific will determines our pre-ordained purpose in life. Whether we know what that purpose is or not, whether we fulfil it or not, I believe God has a specific purpose for each one of us—a purpose that represents his will for our lives.

But there is also the general will that God has for his people. Now whilst the onus is upon us as individuals to discover God’s specific purpose for our lives, we only have to pay heed to the things God shares openly in his Word, to understand His general will for the members of his beloved family, indeed for the entire human race.

Dear reader, do you know your Father-God’s will? Do you understand what his will is… what his general disposition toward you is?

Now the Enemy (God’s and ours), is quick to try and undermine our confidence in our Heavenly Father and loves to sow ambivalent seeds in our hearts, suggesting that God’s will involves constant hardship, hassles and hurts.

So that’s why I feel it important to encourage my readers about what God’s Word reveals concerning his will for us as brothers and sisters in Christ. And not just for us, but for whosoever wishes to commit their life into his capable hands. I feel it is important that we use God’s Word, our understanding of His will to counteract the Enemy’s lies, which daily accost and seek to overwhelm our minds.

Let’s begin with the word understanding.

Chambers 21^st Century Dictionary defines the word as follows:

 

• The act of understanding or the ability to understand
• Someone’s perception or interpretation of information received
• An informal agreement
• A sympathetic harmony of viewpoints
• A condition agreed upon

 

For the purposes of this post, I will be focussing on the first two noun definitions.

Let’s look again at this first definition, together with the verse quoted from Ephesians 5:17.

God’s Word implies that we are capable of discerning and understanding His will. So whilst I take you on my theme’s journey, whether or not it is your current experience, may I ask you to please bear this definition and scriptural truth in mind? May I encourage you to mull over and accept the following statement as fact?

You are capable of knowing and fully understanding God’s will.

Perhaps you are thinking: “Well what makes you say this Lady Cee? What makes you so sure?”

At this point, let me ask you to look at definition number 2:

• Someone’s perception or interpretation of information received

 

God has given us his Word, Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit to teach and help us interpret it and, as humans, we possess the mental ability to analyse biblical truth, to reason and deduce.

Let me reiterate – we have three powerful means by which we are able to know and understand God’s will:

• The Bible
• The Holy Spirit and
• The exercising of a renewed mind

Consider also the following three scriptures:

Do 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. (Romans 12:2 NIV)

…the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Romans 8:27)

for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)

 

To be continued…

 

This Week’s Prayer Focus:

Let’s invite God to work within our hearts, making us agreeable to his will. And where we are unsure, or where we have had our faith shaken regarding his will for our lives, let’s ask him to open our understanding, so we can know and walk in conformity with his plan and purpose for our lives.

Prayer warriors and interns, don’t forget to put on your spiritual armour!

 

Father-God,

I love you. My heart’s desire is to know you better, to know and understand your good and perfect will for my life. I thank you for your Word, which reveals your heart and will for me. Whatever I may face, empower me by your Holy Spirit, to follow Jesus’ example and say in all sincerity: “not my will Lord God but let your will, your good, perfect and acceptable will be done, be fulfilled, in and through my life.”

Loving Father-God, it is not your will that anyone should perish. I therefore bring before you those amongst my readership, who do not have a relationship with you. I ask that you reveal to them the reality of your existence, the awesomeness of your power, the all-embracing quality of your love and mercy. I ask that you present the truth of your being to their spirit, that you cast down all blinding and erroneous beliefs, all false and deceptive arguments, all ungodly mindsets, which govern their lives and exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ.

With regard to myself and your beloved children, those brothers and sisters in Christ, represented amongst my readership, I ask that you stir up within us an ever-increasing desire to be a diligent student of your Word. May we yearn to become more intimately acquainted with you, to be filled with the wisdom that comes from above, so that we may know, understand, be in agreement with and fulfil your will for our lives.

In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

© Carol Hind

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Sunday’s Supplications

Sunday’s Supplications invites you to not only read the posts but also participate in the prayers. Each week, I hope to introduce a new theme and prayer focus. You are welcome to print off and use each prayer provided, either verbatim or adapted for your particular circumstance. Even better, you can construct your own prayer and share with others by linking to this post. Please note, you do not have to be a blogger to participate.

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Women of Warfare followers and visitors have a blessed and victorious week!

 

If you do not have a close, meaningful relationship with God and would like to know how you may become one of his children, please don’t hesitate to read the following post (click here)

And if you’ve been touched, or challenged by this post I’d love to hear from you. You can connect either through a comment box below, or via my contact page.

CREDIT: the above CC0 image comes courtesy of Pixabay.com

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