How do we find out what God's will is?
How do we find out what God's will is?
First, we have to present our body in prayer to God as a living sacrifice. Then we have to ask the Lord's help in cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
We must spend some time each day waiting on the Lord. We also must read the Bible each day. The Spirit of God will speak to us from the Bible. I cannot overemphasize the importance of reading the Bible daily.
We must look for a group of fervent Christians and assemble with them. If no such group is available, perhaps Jesus will lead us to start one. This is not at all impossible.
We must obey the commands of Christ and His Apostles. But some of Christ's commands in the New Testament are difficult to obey, and we must ask Christ to show us what to do about them; how to apply them to our own lives.
We always must seek Christ's help in applying the Scriptures to our own life. To attempt to obey the Bible without looking constantly to Christ for help is to attempt to follow Christian principles without Christ. The product of this approach often is a harsh, unloving, doctrinaire, individual who knows the Word but not the Author.
Such were the Pharisees of old.
Many Christians hear Christ speak in their minds frequently. This is a great help when we are seeking to live in the rest of God. Others do not hear nearly as often. When we acknowledge Christ in all our ways, the result is the same as if we heard Him speak. We end up doing His will. He is faithful to confirm His Word.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6)
I do not know if it always has been this way, but I think Jesus may be drawing closer to us at this time to prepare us for the days of moral and physical chaos that are near to us in America. We have been so blessed of the Lord, but we have turned to the ways of the flesh. Divine judgment is on the way, because we have been given so much and now are ignoring the Lord.
The Bible is becoming clearer. We now can understand that the goal of salvation is not eternal residence in Heaven but fellowship with the Father and the Son no matter where we are.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (I John 1:3)
In order to have fellowship with God we must come out from the uncleanness of the world and live a righteous, holy life before God. Jesus will help us do this if we ask Him.
Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." (II Corinthians 6:17)
The Bible is filled with examples both of obedience and disobedience. God tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice, and to listen to God is better than the fat of rams.
Obedience!
I have heard numerous exhortations to believe in Christ; to go out and bear witness for Jesus; to give as much money as we can; to come to church as often as the doors are open.
I have not heard an equal amount of emphasis on listening to Jesus and obeying the Lord.
I think this is because we do not know how to find what God's will is, or else we do not believe that God will give us specific directions for our life.
I know of a lady who claims that at the beginning of each year God speaks to her and tells her what the new year will be like.
This is not nearly sufficient for my needs or desires. I want to know what Christ wants every moment of every day of every week.
I frequently look up to the Lord Jesus and I ask, "Am I doing exactly what You want? Am I exactly where you want me to be?"
I do not hear "No" to either question very often. But when I do, I make every effort to find out what the problem is. I ask the Lord Jesus to "fix it."
As you that anxious to maintain the Presence of Christ in your life?
Remember, the issue is obedience. It is not works or lack of works, it is the motivation for the works that is critical.
Perhaps in time past all we needed was a general idea of where we were supposed to be and what we were supposed to be doing. Well, that time is no more. Because we are nearing the climax of the battle between good and evil, the "conflict of the ages" as one saint put it, it no longer is sufficient to have a general idea of what we are supposed to be doing or where we are supposed to be.
When the nuclear bombs fall on America, or when there is a civil war, are we going to go about wondering what to do? Or are we accustomed to listening to Jesus so we know right then how to take care of ourselves and our families.
Now is the time to prepare for the Divine judgment that is approaching America. We must press close to the Lord Jesus, looking for His will and Presence every moment of every day, as I stated previously.
All that is truly important in life is to know the will of God and to do it. In the day of judgment, people who do not know what God's will for them is will be as so much chaff blowing about in every direction. They will not be able to help themselves or anyone else.
If we or our loved ones are killed in the coming days, it is only to go to a land of peace and safety, that is, if we have been a decent person and have not rejected Christ if He has been presented to us.
Children especially will be brought by God's angels into a land of delight where other children are playing in the Presence of Jesus.
The all-important issue in our life is to do God's will. Do we know what it is? Are we being strictly obedient to it? That is all that really matter.
Our goal in prayer is not to be a combatant, seeking to move God according to our will. Rather our purpose is to find what God wants and pray that way.
Is it better to seek God's will and way and move in that direction; or is it better to persuade God to do our will and go our own way?
If you are not seeking God's will each day, why don't you begin right now. Ask our Lord Jesus to help you find out what His will is. If you will make the effort to live always in His will, then righteousness, love, peace, and joy will be your portion—even in the coming days of chaos in America.
God grant you to find your place of safety and peace under those overshadowing wings, so you can sing and dance in Zion when the world is in flames.
There is nothing better in life than to obey the Lord Jesus Christ.
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26,27)
Where did the Christian churches ever get the idea that believing about Christ is more important than obeying Christ?
Satan has two primary objectives. The first is to convince people that it is not necessary to obey Christ. The second is that it is not necessary to behave righteously in order to please God.
Satan has advanced three doctrines in order to promote his agenda.
First, the goal of salvation is eternal residence in Heaven, rather than conformation to Christ's moral image and rest in God's will.
Second, any moment now, all Christian church-goers will be removed from the pains and problems of earth, which is God's training ground for His future rulers, and whisked away to Paradise where they may sing and dance all the day.
Third, Divine grace is God's alternative to growth in righteous behavior.
Whenever you hear a minister emphasizing one or more of these errors, you know he or she is being influenced by Satan rather than by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace as an alternative to growth in righteous behavior has been preached so emphatically that numerous people who profess belief in Christ would be hard put to describe what righteous behavior is.
This is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions since the Christian salvation is supposed to create righteous behavior in a believer. The good works of Christians are the light of the world, the testimony of the Person, will, and way of almighty God, and the coming of His new world of righteousness.