I recently preached a message, and have gotten so much positive feedback from it that I decided to put it into a blog form. I hope this is a help.
In Colossians 1:9, Paul is praying for the church to be filled with the knowledge of HIS will. Now, that only means one thing: it is possible to KNOW what God’s plan and desire is for your life.
Now, obviously, God has certain things that He desires for all of us. He desires for us to be good parents, friends, hard workers, diligent, and wise stewards of the things He has entrusted in our care. However, more specifically, God has a will for each and every one of us. It is individualized specifically for each of us. For some, God has called us to be Sunday School teachers, Deacons, AWANA workers, Nursery workers, Choir members, Ushers, Parking Lot Attendants, etc. I think we all have a basic idea of what this entails. But what do you do when you have no idea what God’s will is?
Let me start off my telling you that from the time that I was 15, I knew what it was that God wanted me to do with my life. I was at the Gospel Light Youth Conference in Walkertown, North Carolina, and a preacher by the name of Steve Roberson spoke. I couldn’t tell you what the man preached on. I couldn’t tell you the book of the Bible or one thing that the man said. To be honest, I couldn’t even tell you if he preached on surrendering your life to full time Christian service.
In the moment that the pastor was preaching, I knew what God wanted for my life. I fought it for a while; however, I eventually caved to “not my will, but Thine be done.” From the time that I was 15, I knew what God’s desire for my life was. I knew the “what” of the will of God; however, everything else remained a mystery. You see, even though I knew what my future held, there were still times that I wondered about how God's will was to unfold. I knew the “what” of God’s will for my life; however, I have found myself many times trying to discover the “how” or the “when” or the “where” of His exact plan.
I remember wondering at one point, where I was gonna go to Bible college. There are a lot of choices out there. I knew what God had wanted me to accomplish, but I didn’t know the “where.” I wanted His will but I didn’t know “where” it was.
I remember wondering at one point, who was I to marry. I prayed for years about the person that I was gonna marry. As a matter of fact, I prayed for years for the right person to marry. I knew some of the trials that a pastor’s wife goes through as I saw my Mother play that role. Let me tell you something, a pastor’s wife goes through more than you will ever know. Being a pastor’s wife is lonely at times, discouraging, sacrificing (time, money, family), and heartbreaking; however, there are some pretty big rewards too! I prayed for a wife, but I didn’t know “who” of the will of God.
I remember just before I got out of college, the girl that I thought I was gonna marry left me. I thought I knew the will of God was, but evidently, I did not. (Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever thought that you had life all figured out only to find that the floor came out from underneath you?)
I remember getting out of college, I knew God wanted me to preach, but I didn’t know to what church God was calling me. Needless to say, God gave me wisdom and direction as He led me to a place of service. Since that time, I have experienced several transitions in ministry where I have not known various facets of what God’s will was to entail, and I know that there will be many more in the future.
Perhaps that is you today. Maybe you know the general idea of what God’s will is for your life. I know as sure as I’m writing this blog that God has called me to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Maybe that is you… maybe you know exactly what God has for you, but you are searching for the “who” and the “how” and the “when” of God’s will.
Friend, scripture tells us that we can know what God’s will is. God is very plain throughout scripture to tell us exactly what His will is for our lives. Consider these four things that scripture plainly tells us is God’s will:
#1 - SALVATION
Listen, in order for you to know God’s will, you must first know God. Listen to the scriptures below:
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. - II Peter 3:9
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. – I Timothy 2:3,4
Before you search any further on a quest for God’s will, you must make sure that you know God.
#2 - SHARE YOUR FAITH
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. – Luke 14:23
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. – I Timothy 2:4
If you are searching for God’s will, the best thing you can do is be saved, then you should help someone else find God. It is said, “you can’t lead in a direction that you are not going.” When you are spending time in His word and pointing others to the Savior, you cannot help but be attentive to His voice.
#3 - SPIRIT FILLED / SCRIPTURE FILLED
We are to filled by the Spirit. Sometimes we fail to understand this concept properly. To be filled with the Spirit is not like going to a gas pump and getting “filled up.” You cannot run “empty” on the Holy Spirit. When I am filled with the Spirit means that I am controlled by the Spirit. Let me ask you something: do you know that you have as much of the Holy Spirit today as you will ever have? It’s true. The Holy Spirit does not enlarge himself; instead, we must decrease our self. John the Baptist said, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Consider the verse below:
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit...” - Ephesians 5:15-21
Here it is again, God is telling us what His will is for our lives. It is His will that we be not drunk with wine; however, we should be filled with the spirit (or controlled by the spirit). Why do you suppose that drunkenness and Holy Spirit power are listed as contrasting in this verse? Here me out for a moment:
I have seen some people intoxicated. It is amazing what someone will do when they are impaired. It is amazing what someone will do when they relinquish control to external addictions. I have seen people do things that they never would do otherwise because they allowed for some “outside influences” to control them.
I’m gonna tell you something, when you allow the Holy Spirit to control you, you will do things that you never thought possible. You will find yourself with wisdom you do not possess, grace that you do not deserve, and blessings that you have not earned. When you allow the Holy Spirit to control you, He takes over and does phenomenal things.
#4 - SANTIFICATION / SEPERATION
"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour…” - I Thessalonians 4:3, 4
To properly understand sanctification, we must realize that Biblical separation is not separation FROM the world, but rather separation TO God. The Mormons, Jehovah Witness, Muslims, etc – all of these people are separated from the world. Are they close to God? I tend to think not. Therefore, just staying separated from the world is not enough. I must exercise personal holiness by identifying myself with Christ. I Peter 1:16 – “It is written, be ye holy as I [God] am holy.”
In closing, let me tell you that God is not going to reveal any more of His will until we are doing what His KNOWN will is now. What is His known will? That’s very simple, His will is that you be saved, share your faith to others, be Spirit controlled, and live sanctified lives. I guarantee you, once you do these known things, God will reveal to you the unknown.
I know how frustrating it can be searching for various aspects of the will of God; however, trust me, it’s worth it. God has a reason for not revealing His will just yet. It may not make sense. I remind you what Isaiah recorded for us in chapter 55, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Do all you can for Him now! He will reveal His purpose, plan and program for your life. In the meantime, it is imperative that you exercise good stewardship and be faithful with what He has told you to do.
• Salvation is a must
• Share your faith
• Spirit filling is imperative
• Sanctify yourself unto the Lord
Pastor Micah recently spoke this message at Faith Baptist Church (www.fbcbelong.com) as the Senior Pastor was on vacation and asked him to preach in his stead. To find out more about Pastor Micah, please visit www.gbcfamily.tv. If you would like to listen to this message in its entirety please cut and paste the internet link below:
http://www.fbcbelong.com/media1.asp
