STRUGGLING WITH GOD'S WILL

Ephesians 5:17

STRUGGLING WITH GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES

When you begin to speak to people about how they discover the will of God for their lives, you find some ridiculous stories out there!

Today I want you to know that there is a better way to discover the will of God for your life. Most of what we need to make a good decision is found in the Bible, but sometimes our choices are about things that fall in a grey area. The key is “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” How?

I. THE WILL OF GOD.

A. God Has a Determined Will. It will help us to divide the will of God into two parts. The first is his will that He has determined WILL occur. The Bible teaches us that God has a predetermined plan for our world and for us. It is inevitable, unconditional, irresistible and fixed. It is only when we look back that we can see what God’s determined will is in our life. You know that you were born of certain parents, in a certain location, under certain conditions, and that you were male or female. You know that God determined for you to have certain features, certain experiences, certain teachers, certain interests, certain friends, a certain kind of education, and certain brothers or sisters or to be an only child (J. Grant Howard). It reminds us of Daniel 4:35

When we look to the future the only part of God’s determined will we can know for certain is our spiritual position and our eternal destiny. The rest of your future such as your career, marriage partner, home location, friends, sicknesses, accidents, honors, travels, income, and retirement are all hidden from you.

B. God Has a Desired Will. In Matthew 23:37 we read that God desired to bring Jerusalem under His wings and bless and protect them, but they were unwilling. This helps us to see another side of the coin of God’s will. Jesus declares with a heavy heart in this passage that many times He wanted to gather the citizens of Jerusalem to Himself, but they refused and resisted. His “desire” was to meet with them and have them respond to his love for them, but they rejected it.

In Psalm 32:8 we are told that God will instruct us and teach us in the way which we should go keep His eye on us to see what we will do. In verse 9 it warns us not to be like a horse or a mule-STUBBORN! God’s desire for us can be blocked if we fail to cooperate like a self-willed horse or stubborn mule.

We must recognize God’s determined will as a reality. We should know that it is always good and accept it in our lives with surrender. When it comes to God’s desired will, we must be diligent to discover it and obey it.

II. HOW DOES GOD MAKE HIS WILL KNOWN?

First, let’s make some assumptions that are the foundation for finding God’s will. I’m assuming that you are a believer in Jesus Christ. I’m assuming that you are fairly healthy both physically and emotionally. I’m assuming that you really want to know His will. (Many times what we really say to God is “Let me know that what I want to do is O.K.) I’m assuming that you are willing to adapt and change if God asks you to. I’m assuming that you have already to do the will of God BEFORE he reveals it to you. If you are not in this position, then the first thing that you must do is to move yourself there. Then and only then will you be able to find the will of God for your life.

Do you remember what they teach you to do at a RR crossing? Stop. Look. Listen. Chuck Swindoll uses this to help us discover God’s will.

A. Stop at the Scriptures. God’s Word is a light to our path and a lamp for our feet. The better we know His Word, the easier it is to determine His will for our lives! This is why a daily devotional that includes a time in the Word will give your life a stability like nothing else.

In the Bible we find certain precepts that are specific, black and white truths that take all the guesswork out of the way. The place to start in finding the will of God is to study the Word and see if there are precepts that apply to our situation. If there are, then the will of God is ALWAYS to do what the Word says to do.

The Bible also contains principles or general guidelines that assist us in discovering God’s will in grey areas that are not specifically spoken to in the Word. These guidelines will allow you to use wisdom and discretion to make a decision. A good way to approach this is to study the life of Jesus and then at times when there is a grey area you can ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”

We see this in our traffic laws. There are signs that say, “Speed limit 35.” That is a precept. It’s specific. Then there are signs that say, “Drive Carefully.” This is a principle that you must apply make it work. God’s will is the same.

B. Look Within Ourselves. We are to look within ourselves to God’s Holy Spirit and ask Him to give us wisdom. He is there to be our Helper to show us the right choices that must be made about the will of God. He consistently works on our behalf to assure us and affirm us when we are doing what is right. He will work just as consistently to let us know that we are doing what is wrong. He opens doors. He also shuts them. Each of these is just as great as the other!

Have you ever taken Alka-Seltzer? You take two tablets and put them in a glass of water. They fizzle and dissolve and then you drink the water and your stomach feels better. If you don’t put them in the water and drink it, then they can’t help you can they? It is the same way with God’s Spirit in your life. He is always in your life, but if you don’t surrender control of your life to His leadership then He can’t lead you to accomplish God’s will in your life!

When we are seeking God’s will, then we should look within ourselves and pray that God will give us a peace about what is right. I always tell people to come to a conclusion and then to sleep on it for at least one night. If you wake up the next morning and still have a peace in your heart, then your decision is most likely the right one. (Col. 3:15)

Of course, I hope that you know that you never know for 100% that you followed His will until AFTER the decision is made.

-Did Noah know all about the flood? No, but he built the ark anyway.

-Did Abraham have a road map? No, but he left Ur of Chaldees anyway.

-Did Moses understand what it meant to lead God’s people out of Egypt ? No, but he said yes when the Lord called him.

-Did Joshua know how the walls were going to come tumbling down? No, but he marched around Jericho anyway.

-Did Gideon fully grasp God’ plan to defeat the Midianites? No, he doubted it from the beginning, but God delivered his people anyway.

-Did David have a clue of what was to come when Samule said, “This is the one.”? No, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and that was enough.

-Did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego know they would be delivered?

-Did Daniel know for sure if the lions would leave him alone?

-Did Peter know he could walk on water?

-Did Paul know what would happen to him when he got to Rome ?

The life of faith means living with some uncertainty even when you are in the midst of God’s will. The certainty that helps you accomplish God’s will is a certainty that God has lead you to know that what you are doing is His will.

C. Listen to Godly Wisdom of Other Believers. There is some danger in this. Make sure that you are listening not just to a believer, but to one who walks closely with God. Many times those who are not close to God will give you bad advice. But if you know someone who is letting God work in their life, then ask them for counsel. Remember that your ultimate Counselor is to be the Holy Spirit of God and you need to weigh the words of men by the words of God.

CONCLUSION

Are you struggling with God’s will today? This sermon will not help those who know what God’s will for them is, but are struggling with doing it. God has done His part. It’s your turn. Just remember from the story of Jonah that if you are deliberately delaying doing the will of God, it’s only a matter of time until the whale is going to show up! Well, you know the rest of the story.

There is one last fact that you must believe: God wants you to know His will more than you want to know it; therefore he takes personal responsibility to see that you discover it. This means that He can put you exactly where He wants you to be. He can arrange all the details years in advance. He can open doors that seem shut tight. He can remove any obstacle that stands in your way. He can take your choices and fit them into His plan so that you end up at the right place at just the right time. He can even take your mistakes and bring good out of them. He can take tragedy and use if for your good and His glory.

All He needs is a willing heart. He needs for you to cooperate with Him. Are the assumptions that I made today a part of your life? (Rehearse them.) In other words, are you surrendered to Him to do whatever, whenever and wherever?

For those that truly seek the will of God, J. I. Packer has five criteria for doing the will of God:

-Be willing to think.

-Be willing to think ahead and weigh the long-term consequences of alternative courses of action.

-Be willing to take godly advice.

-Be willing to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves.

-Be willing to wait on the Lord.

Ridgecrest Baptist Church | 7469 Old Canton Rd. | Madison, MS 39110 phone: 601.853.1090 fax: 601.853.1092