“God’s will”
John 7:17
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
16-18 Jesus replied to them, “My teaching is not really mine but comes from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know whether my teaching is from God or whether I merely speak on my own authority. A man who speaks on his own authority has an eye for his own reputation. But the man who is considering the glory of God who sent him is a true man. There can be no dishonesty about him.
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Clearly the Bible tells us that it is God’s will for “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” 1 Timothy 2:1-4. There have been many books written to help people understand what the will of God is. But the greatest explanations comes directly from the Bible as this is God’s words to all men. It shows us how, when and why it is necessary to apply it to our lives. It shows us how to live happy lives in the midst of our trials and tribulations.
How do we know what God’s will for our lives are: Let’s look at the following:
- Is it Scriptural
- Is it the desire of your heart?
- Is there a need?
If the answer “No” to any of these questions, then it is not God’s will or plan for you. Let’s look at scripture to see what God’s will for all of us is:
1 Timothy 2:1-6 – J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
2 1-2 Here then is my charge: First, supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings should be made on behalf of all men: for kings and rulers in positions of responsibility, so that our common life may be lived in peace and quiet, with a proper sense of God and of our responsibility to him for what we do with our lives.
3-6 In the sight of God our saviour this is undoubtedly the right thing to pray for; for his purpose is that all men should be saved and come to realise the truth. And that is, that there is only one God, and only one intermediary between God and men, Jesus Christ the man. He gave himself as a ransom for us all—an act of redemption which happened once, but which stands for all times as a witness to what he is.
I can gather several things just in these 6 verses that speaks directly to what God’s will is for us:
- Verse 1 and 2 says that we are to: “First, supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings should be made on behalf of all men: for kings and rulers in positions of responsibility, so that our common life may be lived in peace and quiet, with a proper sense of God and of our responsibility to him for what we do with our lives.”
- And why do we do this: So that our Life here:
i. “may be lived in peace and quiet, with a proper sense of God and of our responsibility to him for what we do with our lives”
- In the sight of God, verse 3 this is the right thing for us to do and the reason for this is that:
- “for his purpose is that all men should be saved and come to realise the truth.”
- And the truth that we will come to is the following:
i. that there is only one God, and only one intermediary between God and men, Jesus Christ the man.
ii. He gave himself as a ransom for us all—an act of redemption which happened once, but which stands for all times as a witness to what he is.
God’s will can be found in other scriptures as well, let’s have a look at those:
Romans 12:2 – J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
12 1-2 With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
Awesome scripture and verses in Romans 12:1-2, let’s have a look:
- When we do the following:
- “as an act of intelligent worship, (Our worship)
- to give him your bodies, (Our Bodies)
- as a living sacrifice, (Our Bodies)
- consecrated to him” (Our Bodies)
- and acceptable by him.
- The following happens:
- God re-mould your minds from within,
- so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good,
- meets all his demands
- and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
Let’s look at working out the will of God and what happens when we do:
1 Thessalonians 5:13-22 – J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
13-18 Live together in peace, and our instruction to this end is to reprimand the unruly, encourage the timid, help the weak and be very patient with all men. Be sure that no one repays a bad turn by a bad turn; good should be your objective always, among yourselves and in the world at large. Be happy in your faith at all times. Never stop praying. Be thankful, whatever the circumstances may be. If you follow this advice you will be working out the will of God expressed to you in Jesus Christ.
19-22 Never damp the fire of the Spirit, and never despise what is spoken in the name of the Lord. By all means use your judgement, and hold on to whatever is really good, Steer clear of evil in any form.
When we:
- “Live together in peace,
- and our instruction to this end is to reprimand the unruly,
- encourage the timid,
- help the weak
- and be very patient with all men.” As well as:
- Be sure that no one repays a bad turn by a bad turn; good should be your objective always, among yourselves and in the world at large.
- Be happy in your faith at all times.
- Never stop praying.
- Be thankful, whatever the circumstances may be.
We do the following:
- “If you follow this advice
- you will be working out the will of God expressed to you in Jesus Christ.”
God has made provision for all our questions. His wisdom surpasses that of the wise and we can see by just a few examples of scripture how we can find God’s will for our lives if ever we were unsure. We use judgement and we hold on to what is good and steer clear from evil at all times. This is another way of working out the will of God in your life.
Here are a few more scriptural references on God’s will for you:
Romans 8:28-29: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Ephesians 6:5-7: Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man
1 Thessalonians 4:2-4: For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor
1 Peter 2:13-16: Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
1 Peter 3:17: For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
1 Peter 4;19: Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
1 John 2:16-17: For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
When you are looking for God’s specific “plan” for your life you must fervently pray for God to show it to you. Remember when you are praying that God will open and close doors along the way. When God opens a door – walk through it. When God closes a door; do not open it back up. Make your plan as though God will bless it and then execute it. He will reveal to you what He wants for you and don’t ever forget that His grace is sufficient for whatever come what may.
Then as believers we are “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” That’s a promise!
Romans 8:29
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
28-30 Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God, in his foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son, that he might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. He chose them long ago; when the time came he called them, he made them righteous in his sight, and then lifted them to the splendour of life as his own sons.
The Belt Of Truth
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
Ephesians 6:14
The first piece of armor for the Christian warrior is the belt of truth . Jesus said, "I am . . . the truth" (John 14:6). And because Christ is in you, the truth is in you. However, continuing to choose truth is not always easy. Since Satan's primary weapon is the lie, your belt of truth (which holds the other pieces of body armor in place) is continually being attacked. If he can disable you in the area of truth, you become as easy target for his other attacks.
You stand firm in the truth by relating everything you do to the truth of God's Word. If a thought comes to mind which is not in harmony with God's truth, dismiss it. If an opportunity comes along to say or do something which compromises or conflicts with truth, avoid it. Adopt a simple rule of behaviour: If it's the truth, I'm in; if it's not the truth, count me out.
When you learn to live in the truth on a daily basis, you will grow to love the truth because you have nothing to hide. You never have to cover up to God or anyone else; everything you do is in the light. Furthermore, when you live in the truth you dislodge the lies of Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44). Remember that if Satan can deceive you into believing a lie, he can control your life.
Jesus prayed, "I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). How? "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is truth" (verse 17). You will only dislodge Satan's lies in the light of God's revelation, and not by human reasoning or research.
The only thing a Christian ever has to admit to is the truth. Walking in the light and speaking the truth in love may seem threatening to some. But in reality truth is a liberating friend and the only path to fellowship with God.
Prayer: Father I thank you for the word of truth and for getting me out of darkness. Give me courage to face the truth and to speak the truth in love in the Name of your Son Jesus Christ Amen.
The Breastplate Of Rightousness
14 having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Ephesians 6:14
The second piece of armor God has provided for us is the breastplate of righteousness . When you put on Christ at salvation, you are justified before our holy God. It's not your righteousness but Christ's (1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:8, 9). So when Satan aims an arrow at you by saying, "You're not good enough to be a Christian," you can respond with Paul, "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies" (Romans 8:33). Your righteousness in Christ is your protection against Satan's accusations.
Even though we rejoice in our position of righteousness in Christ, we are well aware of our deeds of unrighteousness when we think, say, or do something apart from God. Standing firm in our righteousness requires us to live in continuous agreement with God according to 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Confession is different from saying "I'm sorry" or asking forgiveness. To confess ( homologeo ) means to acknowledge or to agree. You confess your sin when you say what God says about it: "I entertained a lustful thought and that's a sin"; "I treated my spouse unkindly this morning and that was wrong"; "Pride motivated me to seek that board position and pride doesn't belong in my life."
Satan will make confession as difficult for you as he can. He will try to convince you that it's too late for confession, that God has already erased your name out of the book of life. That's another one of his lies. You're in Christ; you're already forgiven. You are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), and He will never leave you. Your confession of sin clears the way for the fruitful expression of righteousness in your daily life. We should be like Paul, who said, "I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men" (Acts 24:16).
Prayer: Lord, I put on the breastplate of righteousness today and seek to maintain a blameless conscience before You and the people around me in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen (So be It.)
Kind Regards
Sean Ali
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