The Will of God

THE WILL OF GOD

"Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:15-17, AMP)

"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." (1 Peter 4:1-2)

"in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, AMP)

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)

"Submit yourselves to [the authority of] every human institution for the sake of the Lord [to honor His name], whether it is to a king as one in a position of power, or to governors as sent by him to bring punishment to those who do wrong, and to praise and encourage those who do right. For it is the will of God that by doing right you may silence (muzzle, gag) the [culpable] ignorance and irresponsible criticisms of foolish people." (1 Peter 2:13-15, AMP)

"Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” " (Acts 21:12-14) 

Our daily cry should be that the will of God be done in our lives. But what is the will of God? The will of God is not attained by popular vote. The will of God in rooted in who God is, His sovereignty, His omnipotence, His attributes and His Word.

The Will, Way and Word of God are intertwined and inseparable. In other words, it is impossible to walk in accordance with God's will and disobey His Word.

The will of God is not subject to governmental decree. For example, divorcing a person according to the law of the land does not necessarily make it right in the sight of God. 

"Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]." (Romans 12:1-2, AMP)

The will of God is good, acceptable and perfect, at the same time. 

There are prerequisites for knowing and proving God's will -

1. Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, 
2. Not conforming to the world, 
3. Being transformed by the renewing of our minds 

The Commandments of Jesus:

The commandments of Jesus are the will of God. 

"And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]." (Luke 9:23, AMP)

"Whoever does not carry his own cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow after Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:27, AMP)

IT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US TO TAKE UP OUR CROSSES DAILY.

The disciple of Jesus follows Him, obeys Him and abides in Him. However, to be a disciple one must (without exception) take up his or her cross daily and follow Jesus. 

Do you know your cross for today? If not, why? If so, are you carrying it?

The will of God is in addition to denying ourselves and taking up our crosses daily:

1. To firmly grasp what the will of God is (Ephesians 5;17)
2. To be aware that only those who do His will shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21)
3. That we should no longer live in the lust of the flesh (1 Peter 1:2)
4. That we should continually give thanks to God (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
5. Our sanctification and abstinence from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
6. That we do right and thereby silence the ignorant and irresponsible criticisms of foolish people (1 Peter 2 :15)
7. That our ultimate desire should be that God's will be done in all situations (Acts 21:12-14)
8. That we fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12;13) 

The good, acceptable and perfect will of God is only fully revealed to those who yearn after God, who seek His face daily, who fear Him and keep His commandments, who pursue holiness and righteousness, who humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. Boastful, proud, self-centred individuals are resisted by God (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). God does not throw pearls to swine. The Bible says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29, NKJV)

It is God's desire to reveal more of Himself to anyone who truly yearns for and seeks Him. Are you one of those who longs for God as a deer pants after water?

We should be reminded that while it is good to call upon God for our needs and miracles, Jesus said emphatically in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (NKJV). The Kingdom of God and His righteousness must be our priority. We must remember that the things of the world are temporary and we will be wasting our lives if we only focus on them. Whatever achievements one has made in terms of earthly goodies, will not be of any use or advantage in Heaven. So in conclusion, I would like to quote the words of Jesus:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21, NKJV)

May the Lord God Almighty enable and empower you to do His will just as Jesus did. have a blessed day.