Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach

COMMENTS

It is rare to find a Christian who does not hunger to know God’s Will. The Bible tells us this should be part of our daily routine:

Acts 20:27 – For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God

Acts 22:14 – And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth.

Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Colossians 1:9 – For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Ephesians 1:9 – He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Knowing-God~s-Will

The issue is for many of us: how do we figure out God’s will for our lives? I would suggest there are at a minimum four (4) steps to reach each day.

First, we must be wholly committed to God. That means repenting of our sins and making Christ Lord of our lives. We rely solely on God’s guidance, not our own.

Second, we seek God’s guidance through daily prayer. This is not pulling a verse out of the Bible, claiming it, and expecting it to happen. This is earnestly seeking God, His desires, not yours. That is what the Holy Spirit and Christ do: they take our mish-mash of words, send them upward, and intercede on our behalf.

Third, being resigned to the fact that God’s will and yours may not align. Just because you want to teach or preach does not mean God is calling you to do so.

Fourth, recognizing God’s sovereignty in all things. It is “His Will” as creator of all, He can do anything He pleases.

These key steps in seeking God’s will are, for me, at least, the only path to understanding His Will. The theological word most closely associated with this is Discernment. We will look at this and the Will of God in the following sections.

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COMMENTARIES

WILL OF GOD God’s plan and purpose for His creation and for each individual. God does whatever He pleases (Ps. 135:6) and desires that all people do His will. Only people fully mature in Christ are able to do God’s will consistently (Col. 4:12; cp. Ps. 40:8). God’s will is always good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom. 12:2). Doing God’s will sustained Jesus for life (John 4:34). Sometimes, however, the will of God leads to suffering (Rom. 8:28; James 1:2–4; 1 Pet. 3:17), as it did for Jesus (Isa. 53:10; Matt. 26:39, 42).

Christians are to strive to know the will of God for their lives (Ps. 143:10; Eph. 5:17; Col. 1:9; cp. Rom. 1:10). Christians are to discern God’s will through prayer (Col. 1:9) and also pray that God’s will for the world be done (Matt. 6:10). Jesus counted those who did God’s will as His own family members (Matt. 12:50). They, like Jesus, will live forever (1 John 2:17).

Chad Brand et al., eds., “Will of God,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1673.

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DISCERNMENT

Discernment is an act of wisdom or detection marked by an insight into a person’s character or by an event that comes through insight that goes beyond the facts given. In Scripture people can discern matters in an explicitly spiritual manner (1 Cor 2:14) or through their own cultivated powers (Job 34:4).

Discernment is always to be desired. Those without discernment are looked down upon (Deut 32:28), whereas the discerning are considered wise and knowledgeable (e.g., Prov 8:9; 14:6; 15:14; 16:21; 17:24). Discernment is often sought in political matters (Gen 41:33, 39; 2 Sam 14:17; 1 Kings 3:9) as well as in spiritual matters to guide us in holy living (Prov 28:7; Hos 14:9; 1 Cor 2:14; Phil 1:10). Even God uses discernment in examining our actions and state of heart (Ps 139:3).

The thirst for guidance or discernment is universal; the righteous and unrighteous alike have a perceived need for insight, but it is only truly available through God. Paganism uses magic and divination to gain insight (1 Sam 28); kings and rulers have their advisers (Gen 41:33); and moderns turn to friends, therapists and consultants. But God’s children are advised to look to him (1 Kings 3:9; Ps 119:125). For example, God gives Joseph, the wisest and most discerning man in Egypt in his time, the ability to discern the meanings of dreams (Gen 41:1–40).
One of the clearest examples of discernment is Solomon. Rather than grabbing for riches or fame or power, Solomon asks the Lord for a discerning heart (1 Kings 3). His request is granted, and he quickly becomes renowned throughout many countries for his great wisdom. As the epitome of a wise, discerning person, the bulk of the book of Proverbs is assigned to him, dedicated to his son “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight” (Prov 1:2 NIV). His voice echoes in the book of Ecclesiastes as the one who searches “to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven” (Eccles 1:13 NIV), looking for meaning to life. The conclusion is this: the whole duty of man is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Eccles 12:13 NIV). In fact Solomon’s wisdom was so great, he kept peace between Israel the surrounding nations, making him the only OT ruler whose reign was filled with peace and prosperity.

In contrast, Lot displayed a real lack of discernment a number of times. When he and Abram parted company to settle their flocks, Lot chose the fertile land near Sodom and Gomorrah, even though it was filled with wickedness (Gen 13). Later, when the three messengers of the Lord came to take Lot out of Sodom, he offered his daughters to the men of the town who want to rape the messengers (Gen 19:7–8); and he hesitated before leaving his home to flee (Gen 19:16). Because of these unwise actions, his wife was killed (Gen 19:26), he was forced to hide in a cave (Gen 19:30), and his daughters turned to sleeping with him in order to continue the family line (Gen 19:31–38). None of this would have occurred had he used discernment in leading his family.

Leland Ryken et al., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 207–208.

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STUDY SERIES

In our opening posts of this series, we looked at discernment and our feelings. Discernment is not something that is guided by our feelings, but rather a matter of using God’s Word under the guidance of the Spirit to determine what is right and wrong or good and evil. Our decisions, then, should not be the result of having a peace about something, or feeling some type of emotion or sense leading us to do ‘this or that.’..

CONTINUED @ SOURCE

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SERMONS

A Call for Discernment

Three-part series by John MacArthur

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God’s Will and Man’s Will

March 30th, 1862

by C. H. SPURGEON 1834-1892

“It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”–Romans 9:16
“Whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”–Revelation 22:17