Wednesday, July 28, 2010
God's will
This is something that I know every Christian wants to know about. But I want to know what you all think. How do you know what God's will is in your life about something specific? Can you know for sure? How do you differentiate between what you want and what God wants down to details? I'd like different viewpoints on this, which is why I'm not telling you my own thoughts in order to keep the feedback unbiased.
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God's will is that you be sanctified. Period. Which means He wants you to live a life that is set apart for Him, regardless of (yet within) your vocation, location, etc.
If you're doing that, then the other things (the specific or general things, the little or big things) will follow. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness... and then all those other things will be given to you as well (Matt 6:33). If God gave up His on Son, how will He not give us all other things according to His purpose of "goodness" for those who love Him (Rom 8:28-32)?
There are so many views on this but I think we need to start with the fact that God does reveal His will to us. It’s not some mystery that is impossible to find. Some say God has three wills- moral, sovereign and specific. Some say there are two- moral and sovereign or perfect and permissible. I would agree with everything Ben said. Personally, I believe God has a moral will and a sovereign one. God's moral will is what is shown to us in the Bible- That we are saved, sanctified, Spirit-filled, submissive and suffering (among others). “It is God's will that you should be sanctified” -1 Thes 4:3 (can’t get clearer than that huh?) His sovereign will is basically what happens. God is sovereign and nothing happens outside of his perfect plan. Now how we fit into this plan is important. If we live according to God's moral (revealed) will to us from His word, ie, "Seek first His Kingdom", then all other things will be added unto us. Ps. 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." All my life I thought of this verse as, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you what you want/ask for if that is according to His will. But recently I've come to understand that if we live by God's revealed will to us (sanctified, saved, Spirit-filled, submissive, suffering etc.) then God will "give you the desires of your heart" that is, God will guide your heart on what to desire, and that will never be in contradiction to Him or His word. Live according to His word and He will direct your heart in all those other areas that we are so worried about (school, work, marriage etc.) and as we allow the Spirit to lead us, the decisions we make in these areas will be in perfect harmony with God and who He is.
Hope that makes sense. Just by two cents!
Hi there! Sooo here is my honest response to your questions...
1)How do you know what God's will is in your life about something specific? Can you know for sure?Most of the time I dont know God's will specificly. That is what faith is. Believing the unknown yet we know there is truth and a love beyond all measure in this unknown. I honestly go by feelings and open doors. I dont think God will just show you one big picture for anyone's life but lead that person through smaller experiences to get him/her through that big idea God has. I dont think we will truly realize God's plan till after His will is complete. I get these reoccuring thoughts when I feel led to do something by God. Like He is pestering/annoying me to do something(hey, God knows what works for me hahaha) whether I truly want to do it or not.
2) How do you differentiate between what you want and what God wants down to details? This is a very scarey question b/c at least for me, when wanting to follow in God's amazing plan, I second guess my motives constantly cause I love attention and affrimation from ppl (who doesnt)! I feel as though in order to figure out the difference you have to ask yourself "Will i be upset if no-one knows what i did?" "Can i go on with life and not have this desire to share to EVERYONE what I did?" For me it is remembering the first thought I had. Past example: When I was wonder I wanted so bad to go on an overseas mission trip and I think it was God's will for me to go. But my original expectations were about having fun with children, and recieveing recgontion at church when I returned. I nvr considered trips that required alot of work and studying before hand. I just wanted a "glorifying vacation" :P
I Agree with Benny! If you are truly spending time with God just to "hang" with Him, learn about Him, show your true love for Him, then He will show you His will in time and give you confidence about it, strengthing your faith :)
<3
Ok so its me again but I was reading Ephesians 1 and V. 9 says "And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which hi purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fullfillment..." SO then it hit me! The disciples didnt know their plans/ God's will for them. It wasnt untill after Christ died and returned to them that they realized why God sent His son to Earth. The disicples never knew God's specific plan for them even after left them. They were constantly led by the Holy Spirt.
Ok sorry came into my head and I had to share :D
Wow! Thanks guys! I really appreciate the honest feedback =)
Yes, when we "hang" (I like that word in relation to God, haha) with Him regularly and consistently, the "desires of our heart" are in tune with what God desires and we'd only want what He'd want. I know all that you guys said is so right but when it comes to putting into practice, the doubts that Satan brings and the temptation to give in to looking down on myself is immense.
However, I brought up this question in the first place because I felt like even when desires of our heart being in tune with God's desire for us was true, there have been times when I've felt like my desires were to be put on hold and I felt like I was doing something wrong. That's what I mean when I talk about doubt and temptation to give in. And your comments made a lot of sense in that sense. My focus still has to be purely Christ, and NOTHING or NO ONE else, like in your example of the mission trip Dani. What made most sense to me in my case though is (and I didn't ask that in my post)the fact that we don't necessarily get to see immediate results. The clue is complete surrender and waiting on the Lord. Thanks for letting the Lord speak to me through you Benny, Roby, and Dani.
Love in Christ,
Beula
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