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“How to Know You Are
Walking in God’s Will”
Psalm 37:1-5, 23
We spoke last
week about understanding God's will.
Now, nothing is more important in a believer’s life than finding
and doing the will of God [not just for preachers, but also
plumbers!]
The will of God is not something we HAVE to do but something that we
GET to do if we play our cards right!
Jesus said,
My meat is to do the will of God [bread and butter]
God’s will for your life could be defined as: “you, as a believer, walking in the steps that God has ordered for your life.”
We live in
dark days, but God wants for us to be able to walk in the light.
Proverbs
3:5-6
Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
And the Lord
shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make
fat thy bones… [big boned!]
Success is
finding God’s will [as early in life as possible],
following God’s will, and
finishing God’s will [well done, good and faithful…]
Some try to spell success w/ only 5 letters:
M-O-N-E-Y
---------------
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct
thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee
with mine eye. [He can see further ahead!…]
For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
v. 4
As a kid, I wanted to be a pilot [...on our horse ranch.
What does a pilot do on a horse ranch?
Pile it here and pile it there!]
I
surrendered [not a bad word!] and God gave me new desires!
We have bought a lie from the pit of
hell, namely, that God’s will makes miserable!
No, it will be filled w/ joy, contentment, and fulfillment!
Phil. 2:13
For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Some say: “God
isn’t showing me His will!”
If God has a
will for our lives, then it stands to reason that He wants to reveal
it!
But there are
some
pre-requisites to being in God’s will…you don’t just stumble into
it, you have to find it/seek it/want it!
How do we
find God’s will? Not the world’s
way:
The Bible says, the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked!
Or, modern psychology--“Let your
conscience be your guide”
The Bible says, your conscience may be seared w/ a hot iron!
Pre-requisites to finding God’s will:
There are three key things that must be
present in the life of a Christian before he can know that he is walking in
God’s will.
I.
First, a Godly, pure
lifestyle.
vs. 23
A.
The Bible clearly teaches that the steps of a “good” man are ordered
by the Lord.
B.
We see this principle throughout
this entire psalm. vs. 3, 8-9,
16-18, 27, 29-31, 34, 37-40
“A Good Man”—does not mean perfect…but nowhere does the Bible promise guidance to a believer w/ known sin in their life.
We can divide God’s will into 2 parts:
God’s personal will for my life [my direction]
God’s moral will for my life [God’s directions!]
It is impossible to zero in on God’s
personal will for your life if you are living in rebellion to His
moral will for you!
In other words--more important is what
you are than what you do…and what we are is much more
important than where we are (physical location)
God’s moral will for us is oftentimes spelled out for us in His Word:
For this is the will of God,
even
your
sanctification…
After salvation comes sanctification…it
is God’s will that we live holy lives!
[examples?]
God’s personal will for your life will elude you until you get
that nailed down…and some Christians will go to the grave, never
having let God do spiritual surgery on their life after salvation:
“well, that’s just how I am/like it or lump it/I ain’t changin’!”
You will never be able to zero in on God’s personal will for
your life as long as you are harboring sin, and living in rebellion in a
certain area of your life.
This means we must acknowledge His
Lordship over every area of our lives…not talking about sinless
perfection/not saying we’ll never stumble and fall…but that we have no sin
we’ve grown comfortable with/nurturing/harboring/no habitual sin/too
familiar with.
Tithing/morality/fornication/faithfulness/unforgiveness/
Priorities [my will be done or Thy will?]/pride/dedication/service/attitude/bitterness/gossip/prejudice/s.s./daily devotions/lust/bad friends/wrong associations?
And one of the biggest mistakes you as
a Christian can make is to try to make a decision regarding God’s
personal will for your life, while you knowingly and willfully have sin
in your life.
Here’s why:
because the channel of communication has been short-circuited (sin does
that). [spiritual earplug/cataract that clouds vision]
You see, God does not reveal His will
to us that we might consider it (tho’ that’s what we want…freedom to
consider whether we like His way)…no, it doesn’t work that way.
God reveals His will to us when He
knows that we are willing to obey!
And why in the world would God reveal His personal will to
you, when you are blatantly and repeatedly violating His moral will?
Why should God direct your future paths if you’ve purposefully
avoided doing what He’s told you to do already…maybe when you cross the
first bridge He’ll show you where the next one is!
Are you rebelling against God in some
area of His moral will?
If you want to know His personal will, you must first obey Him
in His moral will.
“The steps of
a good man are ordered by the Lord!”
[this assumes you are obeying in the moral will of God…now He will
show you His personal will!]
How to be in
God’s will 15 years from now…:
be in His will
15 minutes
from now! [the steps…]
God’s will begins today for you,
not yesterday!! [no looking back!]
C.
Romans 12:2 teaches that if we
are to prove (experience) the good, acceptable, and perfect will of
God, we must:
1.
Be not conformed to this
world.
2.
Be transformed by the
renewing of our minds.
II.
Second, a yielded heart.
vs. 5 [commit, trust]
A.
To yield means to surrender or submit to the physical control of
another…to hand over possession of.
The Bible clearly indicates we are not our own…God is the
owner, we shouldn’t insist on our way…or He may let us!
So…
B.
Are you willing to hand over
control of your life to God and do whatever He wants you to do?
Romans 6:13, 19
Can you honestly say you are surrendered fully? [hand God a blank check
of your life for Him to fill in!]
Do you trust Him enough to do
that? V. 3 and v. 5 say trust is
the issue! [also Prov. 3:5]
If you have
trouble giving Him control it’s because you don’t trust Him enough…if you
have trouble trusting Him it’s because you don’t KNOW Him enough!
[trust takes time/experience]
Is He trustworthy?
But say our wives ask for $20 and say, trust me…ok, that’s not the
best example!!!
“As we
know Him, we come to love Him, as we love Him, we come to
trust Him, as we trust Him, we come to obey Him, and as we obey
Him, we are blessed by Him!”
III.
Third, you’ll have to come
back!
vs. 4 [we’ll look at…]
When we delight ourselves in the Lord, our will is conformed to His…He merges His will and our desires…transforms our desires, and then gives us our desires!
How did I know I was supposed to marry
Kimberly? It wasn’t
spooky/mysterious…I didn’t read her name in the Bible/hear a deep voice thru
the ductwork…I was walking in the will of God and I wanted to marry her!
[My desire for her may have come before her desire for me!…so, I was obviously closer to God than she was…but she finally came around and saw the light…the dowry must’ve been enough!]
Also: The call to preach
[if a man desires the office…]
Read the missionary journeys of Paul:
over and over it says he went to a place “because he had a mind to
go”
[desires of
heart…if walking w/ God!]
A.
There are three spiritual habits that Christians have built into their lives
if they are delighting in the Lord.
They are essential to knowing the will of God:
1.
God leads through His Word.
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart.
A big part of knowing God’s will is
knowing whether the “peace” you feel is what YOU want or what GOD wants…and
so you must immerse yourself in megadoses of God’s Word…OD on it!
Only His Word can divide soul from spirit!
So…delight yourself in the Lord/Word…
a.)
Appreciate
the Word
Recognize it as the love letter that it is / inspired / infallible / powerful … realize what you’ve got!
Unbelievable the people who don’t even carry it to church!
[many don’t crack it open except at
church…yet we should have a daily walk!]
You’ll never know God’s WILL/WAY, until you know God’s WORD!
b.)
Appropriate
the Word [means receive or welcome]
The truths of the Bible do you no good if you do not receive them. Some appreciate the Bible but don’t approach it willing to be changed / touched / offended / operated on!
c.)
Apply the
Word [Bible is powerful…the Word
of God does the Work of God, but only in the lives of those who APPLY it!
Ex.: Jesus told Peter to walk on the water, but what did Peter have to do? [get out of boat!]
Lame man at pool of
So, you’ll never know God’s WILL/WAY, until you know God’s WORD!
[appreciate it/appropriate it/apply it!]
2.
God leads through prayer.
Prayer is a 2 way street, if we will be
still, we will hear His still small voice in our hearts!
[It is not just talking AT God, or even TO God, but talking WITH
God!]
Acts
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to
this chariot.
Neh. 7:5
And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the
rulers, and the people…
Difficult, esp. if you’re hyper like me, motor always running…ever
talked to someone and they did all the talking?
It’s not a conversation, it’s a monologue!
[self-centered/egotistical/always about me!]
"You're overestimating my interest!"
3.
God leads through preaching.
“the supernatural foolishness of
preaching”—God uses the most unlikely things in powerful ways!
The most important decisions of my life came at the close of a
service at the altar, not in private, but thru preaching!
Never underestimate the eternal value of any particular church
service…you have no idea how many times there is a message specifically
needed by someone and they were so weak that Satan, who knew the topic, was
able to divert them from that life-changing message!
Some will find out in heaven just what God had planned for them on
that Wed. nite! Some take
advantage of tapes or the web ministry, but for many, going to church is
just a habit, a duty, if I missed, I missed…oh well!
But the mature say, "Even if I couldn’t be there [work, sick,
whatever] my church has a way to help me not miss out on what God is doing
thru preaching. I’m gonna take
advantage of it!"
The preaching hour is a supernatural
time when God speaks thru His man, even despite His man, do you believe
that? Yes!
It’s a supernatural time when Heaven touches earth.
And God always makes His Word relevant, never returns void…He applies
it to every listening heart…I may be trying to make one point, but everyone
hears it thru the filter of the Spirit!
Ex.:
I’ll preach and at the door, later in an email, someone will say, God
really spoke to me when you said… [and I’ll know for a fact, I didn’t say
that!]
Delight yourself in the Lord…immerse
yourself in megadoses of God!…OD on God!
__________
Who would say, I’m guilty of making
major decisions w/out really taking God’s will into serious
consideration…seeking the face of God.
“There’s a major decision looming, we want to find and do God’s will, whatever it is”
“Help me Lord to know your will/way by knowing your Word, applying it, making prayer a constant 2 way street/by immersing myself in the foolish but supernatural phenomenon of preaching, and delighting myself in You, Lord!”
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