Romans 12:1-3
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 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.”
How do you know when something is God’s will? Over the years I have been aware of the number of people who wanted something so badly that they convinced themselves that it was God’s will for them to have it. That is not always the case. Sometimes the thing that seems so pleasant is the thing that will cause us pain.
I had a telephone call today from a woman who suffered an injury several years ago. She was very upset about all of the pain—both physical and emotional—that she had endured. It was hard to know how to respond and give godly counsel for her situation.
After listening to her sobs for a few minutes, I quietly asked if she considered the effect her injury had on others around her? It could be good or bad, depending on how she reacted. It was almost as if God’s hand had reached down and touched her heart.
She then shared that she has had a large number of friends who have called or stopped by to ask her how they could deal with their own pain. They knew she was going through a real trial and she was the one they wanted to give them hope. Just before our conversation ended she asked, “Cecil, do you know how many people I have led to receive Jesus as their Savior through all of this?” I said, “No I don’t.” She replied, “Thirteen!” She hung up the phone with praising the Lord rather than a complaint about her situation.
I have no idea why this topic has come to me just now. It may be that you are faced with an issue in your life right now, or it may be that someone is asking you for advice about a particular decision. It makes no difference whether it is your own situation or trying to advise others, we need to understand that God is at work and wants us to seek guidance from Him.
Please, please – – – please, above all else, do not make any significant decisions in your life without waiting on the Lord for an answer. It is all too easy to rush ahead into things and then afterwards realize that it was one’s own desires rather than Divine leadership that brought us to the situation that was not to our advantage. Let’s just talk about ways to know and do the will of God.
1. Desire to know God’s will. One of the difficulties that often is encountered is not having the desire to know and do God’s will. That is why it is critical that the first step be to always have the desire to know God’s will.
2. Keep looking for God’s will. Consider this illustration: It seems that a man was caught in a flood and was barely able to scramble up a tree to escape from the raging waters. He began to pray to the Lord to save him. While he was praying, a huge log came floating by within easy reach, but he kept waiting for God’s answer. As he continued to pray, a man came near in a row boat and asked if he wanted to get in with him. He said no, that he was waiting for the Lord to answer his prayer. Later a helicopter hovered over him and told him to grab hold of the rope and be pulled to safety. He waved them away saying he was waiting for God’s answer. Before long, the tree, weakened by the flood, was swept away and the man drowned. When he arrived in heaven he asked the Lord why He had not answered his prayer for help? The Lord said He had sent help. He sent a log, a man in a boat and a helicopter!
3. Pray to know God’s will. It is not enough to just think about knowing God’s will, or wanting it; we must pray to discover His will. Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” This is an example of praying for guidance.
4. Search God’s Word to find His will. There are many times when the answer will be found in the precious Word of God. Psalm 119:105,6 “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous laws.” Here the Psalmist is saying that God’s Word will be the guide. It cannot be our guide if we do not read it. Have it ready, search the concordance in the back and pray for insight to understand what it says.
5. Covenant to follow God’s Word. The above passage speaks of making an oath to follow the Word of God. Do that! Tell the Lord that when you find an answer in His Word, you will obey and do what He says to do.
I guess there could be more said, but let me just leave you with this observation. It has been my own experience that when I follow the above steps, God reveals Himself in wonderful ways. It may be a song we hear, a passage of His Word that just comes alive, a sermon on the radio – – – any number of things that confirm that He is interested in guiding and directing in our life. GO FOR IT!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil