God's Will & Your Life

 

God’s Will & Your Life

 

During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was asked if God was on the Union side & he said, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my great concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” To be on God’s side we have to know & be willing to do God’s will.

 

Does God have a will for each of us? Yes! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Can we know God’s will? Yes! Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

 

So, what does knowing God’s will involve?

 

It is about a relationship not a program or a method.

 

In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul says that we are work out our own salvation with fear & trembling. He is not saying work for your salvation. He is saying that salvation is a relationship with Jesus & like any relationship we have to work with the person the relationship is with. Then Paul says that it is God who works in you, both to will & to work for His good pleasure. In any relationship we have to work with the one we are relating to. My relationship with my wife is not just like other men’s relationship with their wives. My wife & I are unique people so our relationship is unique. Jesus relates to each of a little different because we are all different. But it is God who works in us to give the desire for the relationship & the empowering to relate to God according to God’s will.

 

Raise the Roof & Remove the Walls is about not depending on a program or a method but our personal relationship with God to do His will.

 

In John 14:26 Jesus says that the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name, will teach you all things & will remind you of everything that Jesus has said. Knowing God’s will mean that I read & study God’s word, the Bible, & the Holy Spirit will show me the truth & empower me to obey the truth.

 

Raise the Roof & Remove the Walls is about letting the Holy Spirit reveal the truth of God’s word to us.

 

In Acts 8 Philp is lead by God out to the middle of no where to wait for one man. God tells Philp once the man gets there to go & walk by his chariot. Philp ask the man a series of questions that leads to Philp sharing the gospel with the man & the man surrendering his life to Jesus as Lord. Knowing God’s will means that we have to ask good questions. When we ask the wrong question, we get a wrong answer.

 

Wrong question: What is God’s will for my life?

Right question: What is God’s will?

The focus is on God not my life.

 

Raise the Roof & Remove the Walls is about asking the right questions so we get the right answers.

 

In Matthew 20:28 Jesus that He came to serve not be served. Knowing God’s will means learning to be a servant. A servant of God is one who watches & sees where God is at work & joins Him in that work.

 

Raise the Roof & Remove the Walls is about learning to be a servant of God.

 

In Acts 4:19 Peter tells the people that for them to experience salvation they must repent & turn back. They have to change. If we are going to know God’s will, we must let God change us. We cannot stay where we are & go with God. We are not told by God what to do & then sent out by ourselves to do & when we need help call on God. God shows us what He is doing & invites us to join Him & we then obey & say yes & then He empowers us to make the change so we can serve with Him.

 

Raise the Roof & Remove the Walls is about letting God change us so we can serve Him according to His will.

 

In Acts 4:13 the religious leaders saw that Peter & John were unschooled & ordinary men but they had a knowledge & a passion. The only thing they could attribute that to was that they had been with Jesus. If we are going to know God’s will, we must desire & believe that God will use us. The only requirement for doing God’s will is to know God & be willing for Him to use us.

 

Raise the Roof & Remove the Walls is about is knowing God & trusting that He will use us.

 

Knowing God’s will is not rocket science, it is about have an intimate love relationship with Jesus.

 

Raising the Roof & Remove the Walls,

                           Joe