Most of us have wondered what the will of God is for our lives. Am I correct on my assumption?
Yes, you can know God’s will for your life! Knowing His will for your life is not only possible. God put it in His Book. I’ll show you later the scripture so you can etch it in your very soul.
My blog tagline is; Choices Made ~ Make Us. We have a choice to make in everything we do and even the small decisions make us the persons we become. Beginning to know God’s will for us is the starting point. As we know Christ died and rose again for our salvation we can know His will. Keep reading since there are good choices for you to make in your walk with Jesus.
He who wanders in the woods of uncertainty will be lost.
“Jonah saw God’s will as punishment. Jesus saw God’s will as nourishment.” – Warren Wiersbe
The WILL of God for our lives is not some mystical path we are to follow.
Yes, Scripture gives us an identifiable starting point(s) to walk out His will for our lives.
To follow God’s will for our lives is to find:
1. His purpose
2. His desire
3. God’s choice for all to have eternal life.
Scriptures resonate with God’s will for our lives.
1. God’s purpose:
“…My [Jesus], purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life”. John 10:10 (NLT)
2. God’s desire:
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Ps. 37:4 (NLT)
3. God’s choice:
“… Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” Acts 15:7 (NKJ)
But you say, “I still don’t get what God’s will is for MY life?” “Is it possible for the scripture to give me a starting point?”
YES! The word declares a clear-cut three-point jump start to fit into His will for our lives.
This morning I read this.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:16–18. (NKJ)
(It would be good to read this whole passage, from verse 14 to verse 24 of this chapter.)
Wonder no more. This scripture defines God’s will for your life. The last part of verse 18 is revealing.
“..this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Here is a bonus thought about walking in God’s will for your life.
Think about how we appreciate being with those who are joyful. People who consider prayer their life-line to God. It is always good to sit around a table with a thankful bunch. Let us BE those people.
Put into practice these three.
1. Rejoice always.
2. Continue in prayer
3. Keep a thankful attitude.
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“Rule #1: Take one more step
Rule #2: When you don’t think you can take one more step, refer to Rule #1.”
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Now we know what God’s will is for our lives.
At the very least we now have the starting point(s) for the abundant life Jesus has for us.
My call to action, (CTA) is:
1. When it is difficult to rejoice always, do it anyway.
2. Lift your prayers to God. He hears and understands.
3. When trouble comes knocking at your door, be thankful for what you do have.
Are past repented sins harpooning your walk with God? Read this.
Do you have a deeper insight into this? Include your comment below.
I appreciate your comments.
Thank you for reading.
Richard
In my pastoral ministry, I uncovered two disturbing thoughts. These beliefs hold Christians back from enjoying peace with God. One is the thought God had not quite forgiven them of repented sin. The other unholy thought is God’s mercy does not extend to them.
(You can read at the bottom of this post what I wrote on SIN.)
This article will dispel any thought on the availability of God’s mercy to the believer.
Let us take a look at GOD’S MERCY.
To us who have sinned there remains God’s mercy. His [God’s] mercy is an uncommon kind of mercy. Most of the time our mercy is contingent our emotional feelings at the time of the offense.
Dictionary.com defines mercy as Compassion or forgiveness when shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.
In contrast to men’s mercy, God’s mercy is not an emotional response to an offense. His mercy remains constant. God’s mercy does not change with the tide of emotion. It remains constant.
God’s mercy is like the shoreline of the ocean. When we are bobbing up and down in the waves of uncertainty, the shore remains secure. His mercy anchors our soul on His beach.
Warning!
There is one caveat though.
We must admit our need for His mercy. His mercy is stable, secure and unchangeable. We are the ones in need of mercy.
So, read on for this life-affirming news I have for you.
“God is more willing to pardon than to punish. Mercy does more multiply in Him than sin in us. Mercy is His nature.” — Thomas Watson
It is God’s very nature to have mercy. He is the personification of mercy itself.
Five powerful scriptures assuring us of God’s mercies
1. Thank God, we are not burned up in the fiery wrath of God’s judgment everytime we fail Him.
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV)
We have compassion when a loved one dies or is ill but then as time moves on, our compassions diminish. Yet, God’s mercy and compassion never dwindle over time. No, His unfailing concern for us remains constant. Every morning new mercies are available.
2. We have the sure mercies of David
And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’ Acts 13:34 (NKJV)
King David sinned, we know this from reading his story. But he always returned to the shoreline of God’s mercy. This truth assures us to know God’s mercy remains for us this day.
3. Our God is GOOD!
For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalms 100:5 NKJV
We serve a GOOD GOD. One who has an endless supply of mercy. His mercy remains true and steadfast even though many generations have come and gone.
4. Our God has an unlimited supply of tender mercies.
Photo by Igor Rodrigues on Unsplash
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psalms 51:1 (KJV)
God through His Son, Jesus assures us He has an unlimited supply of mercies available for us. His mercies are tender. This is a strong kind of tender. Even though our transgressions are grave. They are dirty and filthy, His tenderness is more powerful! Powerful enough to erase our repented sin forever.
5. The enduring mercies of God.
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. I Chronicles 16:34 (KJV)
When we have nothing to thank God for, think again. The shoreline of God’s mercies remains secure. When misfortune, illness, poverty, or friends leave us, it is good to remember. God’s mercy remains, relentless and intact. He is a good God, always willing to redeem us with His mercy.
“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts…nevertheless, [they] set aside a day of thanksgiving.” H.U. Westermayer
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.” Psalm 92:2
Grateful people practice the discipline of Thanksgiving at all times.
Grateful people live happier and fulfilled lives. Also, studies are suggesting that those who express thankfulness actually live longer! One thing for sure, I’d rather spend a day with a thankful person than with one full of complaints. Wouldn’t you? For some people, it comes easy, but for others, it seems quite difficult to utter the words; “Thank you.” This becomes an issue of disciplining the soul to live a life of thankfulness.
The man who survived the Holocaust.
Viktor Frankl who survived many years of Nazi imprisonment saw the internal will of men. Every one of his family members, except his sister, died while imprisoned.
Viktor’s book; ‘Man’s Search For Meaning,’ he writes, in the most awful of conditions with no hope of escape. A person’s reactions mentally and spiritually decided their fate. The enemy can strip one of his home, his family and friends. But it is what lives in the soul that determines one’s response to adversity.
A reasonable person digs much more in-depth, to his very soul. There are the innermost parts, where no one can see, he builds the disciplines of thanksgiving.
What lives in the soul sustained the Pilgrims for each time they buried one of their own. They lifted eyes to heaven and gave God thanks for what remained.
Viktor Frankl wrote of men who had disciplined themselves to live out what was in their soul. Giving their last piece of bread to prisoners close to death.
“Keep your heart with all diligence,” writes Solomon, “For out of it springs the issues of life.”
Discipline the soul to be thankful. When others grumble, we offer thanks. When hearing complaints, we respond with gracious, positive words.
In the face of adversity, we give thanks that Jesus has promised to never leave nor forsake us.
Lead by our example.
We lead more by example lived than by the words we speak. Strengthen the discipline of thankfulness to a higher measure in our soul.
In the USA we celebrate a day of Thanksgiving this month. November is an excellent time to increase a thankful attitude within our very souls.
The shocking workday calamity did not have to happen. These workers had been given the assignment to work in a specific area. Something outside their work area attracted them. Thereupon, the shocking workday calamity hit the downward spiral changing their world forever!
Here it is in Genesis chapter three, verse thirteen:
Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” (my emphasis)
Working in an unauthorized, off-limits area, they ate the forbidden fruit giving birth to the chaos of sin.
“What have you done?” God asks this question to Eve and Adam.
This examination question is as relevant today as it was at the beginning of time.
The original questions God asked records how sin entered humanity. God’s first question; “where are you?” deals with our emotions. His second question; “who told you?” deals with our reasoning ability. The third question, “What have you done?” points to our will. These three soul issues, which are; our emotions, our intellect, and our will guide us through our day to day routines of life.
The shocking workday calamity happens with disastrous results when we take our eyes off our usual ‘work’ assignments.
These three questions are fundamental to me today. The questions form the basis of my walk with the Lord and interactions I have with family and friends. Where am I?, who am I listening to?, and what am I doing?
Three simple questions.
The simple, straight-forward questions are the hardest to answer.
So, what should I do to answer these questions?
Repent to God of my sin and ask forgiveness of my family and friends for wrongs done to them.
Respect the boundaries God has positioned for me to live my life.
Reach for new opportunities to grow in knowledge and wisdom.
Realizing what you have done in your past, what will you do to change your tomorrows? It is in the power of your will.
“Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top—it is the willpower to that, is the most important. This will power rises from your heart.” – Junko Tabei (First woman on Mt. Everest)
God stands before you, asking what you have done? It is not a question of condemnation but opportunity. Today is the day for a new direction in your life. The right to acknowledge your missteps and chart a different course. You can make the changes necessary; I know you can because you are a good person.
Gabriel-Sanchez – Unsplash
Believe me: The sun will rise again and you will follow a new path.
Please leave a comment, I read and respond to all comments. Freely share with others on your social media pages.
The listening tragedy describes the catastrophe at the beginning of time. It was a total disaster, a misstep of epic proportions in the history of humanity. It happened because people listened to the wrong voice.
The second of God’s first recorded questions in Genesis.
Here it is in Genesis chapter three, verse eleven: “And He, [God] said, ‘who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ (NKJV) (My emphasis)
The listening tragedy happened when people lent their ears to listen to the wrong voice.
This question, “Who told you” is relevant in our modern society as it was at the beginning of time.
The original question God asked records how sin entered humanity. God’s first question; “where are you?” deals with our emotions. His second question; “who told you?” deals with our reasoning ability. We still deal with these two soul issues today.
Mohammad-metri – Unsplash
How do we avoid the staggering outcome of the listening tragedy happening in our lives today?
Confusion rules our lives when we listen to the wrong people giving unsound advice.
Facebook and Youtube confirm our listening addiction.
Listening, yes a listening avalanche is engulfing us! Over one hundred hours of video are watched on FaceBook every day. On YouTube people watch five times what is on Facebook! No wonder we are not listening to each other. Check out this infographic here
There is a lot to hear, most is just ‘noise,’ so choosing what we listen to is of utmost importance.
So, how do we control this addiction? Adverting the listening tragedy from happening in my life, I’ve practiced these three steps. First my disclaimer; I have not always been successful adhering to these three.
Getting rid of the noise must be an intentional pursuit.
Keep conversations within the limits of my spiritual perspective.
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
3. Practice solitude. My reasoning mind covets silence to cleanse the soul.
A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel… Proverbs 1:5 NKJV
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney
So, who has your listening ear?
Are you concerned enough to avoid the listening tragedy?
Who are you listening to when considering decisions you need to make?
God’s question; “who told you”is a simple question with profound implications when considering the choices we make.
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