As you enter New year, there is always a curiosity to know what God has planned for the New Year, to know the promises many use the watch night service in new year eve, some look for promises from the pastors they are follow, some spend time in presence of God to seek his promise, all are ok to do, beyond this God is eager to bless his children with new promises. We hear promises from our Church / Pastor’s and is this different from Gods will ?
What is God’s will?
God’s promise for each of us is unique. It may or may not be in line to what’s given to the Church.
God expects some actions from us to acquire that promise. The actions from us are driven by our objective to surrender to his will.
The will of God accomplishes God’s promise.
Many times, God uses weak humans like us as his instruments to accomplish his will (e.g., David was Shepheard, God raised him to become the King of Israel., All the disciples were fisherman, he turned them become disciples with many powers to heal, spread the Gospel to the world.)
God can use even a donkey or anything to accomplish his will, we read how he used a Donkey to accomplish his will with Balaam’s Numbers 22:30-31 'The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. '
Gods will be centered around his eternal goals.
Through the accomplishment of eternal goals, we inherit the worldly blessing. It’s not the other way around.
Learning from Abraham’s Promise & God’s will.
God’s promise for Abraham on his calling Genesis 12:2-3 '“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” '
How did God accomplish that ? God will was to accomplish the promise that he gave to Abraham (I have listed only 3 for your understanding not in any order, just for ease of understanding, there are many more which I have not covered here)
1st – He went to Egypt – Genesis 12:10-20 – God protected Abraham & entire lot from a severe famine and make known to Pharaoh that he is the Lord; God’s will accomplished that he protects his children in famine & no adversary can touch his children, he is our “keeper”.
2nd – Abraham / Lot Got Separated Genesis 13 – A quarrel between Lot’s clans and Abraham’s clan made them Separate. He gave Lot Sodom and Gomorrah and gave Abraham great trees of Mamre at where he built an altar to the Lord. God’s will accomplished were Abraham built a, Altar for God, this is the 1st recorded Altar that was built by anyone.
3rd – Abraham and Abimeleck Genesis 20 – Abraham moved from a region of Negev and stayed in Gerar, where the King of Gerar (Abimeleck) sent his men for Sarah. God revealed to Abimeleck in his dreams that Abraham was a prophet and spared his life with Abraham’s prayer. When Abraham prayed God healed Abimeleck and his wife and all female salves so that they may have children. God’s will accomplished were Abraham was revealed as Prophet, when he prayed God did not only heal Abimelek’s wife & all the salves so that they can have child.
God’s promise was fulfilled – We read the same in Matthew 1:1,17 'This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 17- Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. '
Different types of Will
Perfect will
Romans 12 Speaks about understanding the perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 'Do not conform 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. '
There is a will of God for your life, which is perfect.
From the time you are born again, from the time you have given your life to Christ, till the end of your appointed days on earth, God has chalked out, mapped out, marked out, and prepared a perfect blueprint, a perfect plan for every detail of your life; where you should live, whom you should marry, what you should do, what your earthly occupation should be, what all trials you should go through, what all temptations you should face, and what ministry you should have in His Body.
These are all part of God's plan for your life. You will never know or fulfil that plan unless you have a longing for his will.
God doesn't force anyone to walk in this plan. God doesn't even force people to go into heaven. He doesn't stop people from going to hell if they want to go to hell.
God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Psalms 33:11 'But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. '
The Holy Spirit is in the world, moving around, turning people towards God, steering believers to respond to his call, to surrender, and seek God's perfect will. But if the Holy Spirit finds that you are not really serious about doing God's perfect will in your life, He will just leave you alone. He won't pursue after you.
He may cry a few times, but if he finds that you are not eager about doing God's will because you won't be able to make so much money, or you won't be able to get on in the world if you seek God's will, well then, He will just leave you alone. And in eternity, you will have a lot of regrets.
Permissive will
God’s permissible will does not have his full blessings.
Sarah was impatient to wait for Gods promise to have him give her a child, she agreed to have a child thru Hagar (who was a salve) Genesis 16:1-4 'Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. '
God gave Ishmael thru Hagar Genesis 16:15-16 'So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.'
After Isaac was born Sarah wanted the Ishmael out of the house along with Hagar, so that he may not share any inheritance from Abraham, but God was merciful to give his blessing to Ishmael Genesis 21:9-13,17-18,20
We read Ishmael lived for 137 Yrs. He and his descendants lived in hostility towards all tribes related to them. Genesis 25:12-18
He was not blessed like Isaac, God blessed Isaac from him came Jacob from him the nation of Israel is formed.
Looking at example of Ishmael - Perfect will accomplishes God’s 1st grade living, Permissive will accomplishes 2nd or 3rd grade living.
How to seek God’s will?
1. Bible - The Bible is the first and primary source for determining God's Perfect will. You need to learn what the Bible says and use that knowledge in your life, thru the obedience to what you read. It is never the will of God to do anything if it’s contrary to any Biblical command or principle. Colossians 1:9 ‘... We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, '
2. Prayer. One must pray honestly for God's will over any matter, making it known to God that he is willing and ready to do anything God reveals to him. If a person is not open and honest before God in prayer, then he will never know the perfect will of God. Prayer is not to change God, but to change us to fit into his plan. Colossians 4:12 'Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. '
3. Fellowship. It is important that as a Christian be always in fellowship with Christ. Where we are and what we are to do are not nearly so important as what we are to God. He wants us to be always constantly in fellowship with Christ no matter what the circumstances may be. While reading a Bible passage, it is not enough if we know what it SAYS; we must also understand what it MEANS, it can happen with only when fellowship with him. There are different means to fellowship with God Meditation, worship, singing hymns & songs, thank offering etc..
4. Obedience: It’s important to hear God’s will thru the word and act to that. All the God’s people from Abraham to David, Paul, and all the disciple’s obeyed to God instantly to inherit the will of God - John 14:23 'Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. '
5. Common Sense. A Christian must use all his God-given natural ability in studying all factors in finding the will of God. However, all reasoning must be directed by biblical principles and guided in prayers, for the mind is still tainted by sin and the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Follow what Paul advice in Romans to renew the mind to have the common sense prevail in you and be led by Holy Spirit to his perfect will. Romans 12:2 'Do not conform 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. '
6. Conviction. Quite often the Holy Spirit gives a strong conviction which cannot be shaken. It is the still small voice of God speaking to the conscience that we are to do something for Him. The inner witness of the Spirit is a reality for every Christian in fellowship with his Lord. John 14:26 'But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. '
7. Peace. If God is in some move, He will give a peace which passes all human understanding (Colossians 3:15 'Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.’). A person should pray until he has divine peace. He may be afraid emotionally of the situation but may have peace that he is doing the right thing.
Will of God & Satan
The purpose of Satan is to make you ignorant of the will of God and rob your blessing from God and lead you to bad decisions and get involved to Sinful activities and build a wrong life.
We must be watchful on the following so that we don’t get into the trap of Satan.
1. Deceptions of Satan (Lies) - He counterfeits the word of God, Satan deceives thru Lies of his native language John 8:44 'You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. '
2. Suffering - Satan is the prince of the world and everything in the world is controlled by him, he will control the circumstance around so that the believer will suffer. These situations are created to make us believe the situation is painful and all have forsaken God to abandon the will of God.
3. Patience –
Patience is important Christian virtue. Unless we are patient, we may never learn many truths that will lead into deeper and fruitful ministry James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’
Impatience is a mark of immaturity
Impatient is also a mark of unbelief. Isaiah 28:16 NIV “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.”
Faith and patience go together, if we trust God, then we will wait on him to accomplish what he has promised Hebrews 6:12 NIV “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
4. Pride - Pride glorifies man and robs God of the Glory that he deserves, once Pride comes, we fall off from Grace of God to make us be dependent on our human strengths where we can never be successful to accomplish Gods will. Proverbs 16:18
'Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. '
5. Disobedience – Satan brings a spirit of disobedience when we walk with God, many times these are very tricky, we will not obey instantly, we will postpone listening to God, the blessings will be stopped from God due to this disobedience, he will use every trick to distract and make us disobey Gods word. Proverbs 16:20 'Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord . '
6. Independence – We humans are dependent creature, he must depend on God, We live and move and have our being that’s the level of dependence we have on him, but we are made to believe that we can act and think independently of God’s will and control our life Acts 17:28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ '
7. Unfaithfulness – Satan wants our Faith to be broken from God and make our faith be dependent on the world. We out to fight back day and night thru Prayer so that our Faith is with God to do his will 1 Thessalonians 3:10'Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. '
8. Sins of us to make Unholy before God- Sins which give us a foothold for derailing God’s will in our life’s. Colossians 3:5-8 'Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. '
So, as you start the new year, seek Gods plan and his will that’s unique for you and spend time with God to understand this and experience his magnificence this new year. Happy New Year to you. God bless you...
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