- God has a personal word for each of us
- When God speaks we can be sure it is God speaking
- When God speaks we can know what God is saying
- When God speaks that is an encounter with God
As we travel our journey of faith, our expectation at the end of it is that we will hear our Father say "Well done good and faithful servant". In order to hear that we must know God's will for us and live our lives accordingly.
The Holy Spirit gives clear directives today. God is personal. He wants to be intimately involved in your life. He will give you clear guidance for living.
However if you are looking for God to help you decide should I marry this person or that person, should I buy a Honda or Tesla, should I wear the red tie or the black tie today, will I be blessed if I take this street to work today; then you are not going to get an answer. People who always feel the need to hear from God on every decision often live their lives in captivity to doubt and to circumstances.
Where do you start?
The place to start is to realize that the Lord has a specific and unique plan for you. He had this plan in mind before you were even born.
Psalm 139:15-16 (HCSB) 15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all ⌊my⌋ days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.
God had all of your days written out before you were born. You aren’t a mistake going somewhere to happen. You haven’t been placed on this earth by chance. Where and when you were born, the parents God gave you, your personality, and everything else about you was orchestrated by God for a specific purpose. However, since we have free will, you can’t assume that God’s will is automatically going to come to pass in your life.
I know that sounds sacrilegious, God’s will doesn't always come to pass.
2 Peter 3:9 (HCSB) The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
God wants everyone to come to repentance and be saved, but not everybody does or will. God also wants everyone to be healthy, but people, even Christians are still sick. God wants everyone to find and walk in the purpose He has for them, but everybody won’t. That’s not God’s fault.
You are responsible for discovering God’s will for you
Once you realize that you are the one responsible for discovering God’s will, the next step is to start seeking it. God’s not hiding His will from you. But you’re going to have to do some seeking to find it.
Then
God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden as he walked and talked with them.
Genesis 2:16-17 (HCSB)16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3:9 (HCSB) So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
God spoke to Moses from the burning bush.
Exodus 3:4-5 (HCSB) 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. 5 “Do not come closer,” He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream.
Daniel 4:19 (HCSB) 19 Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
In each case God told them what he wanted and they were able to accept and do or to reject it. Adam and Eve defied God, Nebuchadnezzar ignored God, even though they knew the consequences
Jonah heard from the Lord and ran away.
Jonah 1:1-3 (HCSB) 1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted Me.” 3 However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the LORD’s presence.
Abraham heard from the Lord and obeyed.
Genesis 12:1-5 (HCSB) 1 The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Once you realize that you are the one responsible for discovering God’s will, the next step is to start seeking it. God’s not hiding His will from you. But you’re going to have to do some seeking to find it.
Then
God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden as he walked and talked with them.
Genesis 2:16-17 (HCSB)16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3:9 (HCSB) So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
God spoke to Moses from the burning bush.
Exodus 3:4-5 (HCSB) 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. 5 “Do not come closer,” He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream.
Daniel 4:19 (HCSB) 19 Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
In each case God told them what he wanted and they were able to accept and do or to reject it. Adam and Eve defied God, Nebuchadnezzar ignored God, even though they knew the consequences
Jonah heard from the Lord and ran away.
Jonah 1:1-3 (HCSB) 1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted Me.” 3 However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the LORD’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the LORD’s presence.
Abraham heard from the Lord and obeyed.
Genesis 12:1-5 (HCSB) 1 The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Now
Today God speaks to us by His Son, through His Spirit in the Bible
Hebrews 1:1-2 (HCSB) 1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by ⌊His⌋ Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him.
God does not promise that he will speak in any other way. He doesn’t promise to speak in the ways he has spoken before, or in new ways. The Bible tell us to put out a fleece, today, like Gideon.
Judges 6:36-38 (HCSB) 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said, 37 I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.
The Bible doesn’t tell us to expect an audible voice, today, from the heavens; it doesn’t tell us to listen for a still, small voice today. It says that” in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son”. God’s will for you is that you would live like a person whose life has been transformed by his power. God’s will for you is that you would be conformed to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:28-29 (HCSB) 28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
The Bible contains God’s “Revealed Will” and, from His “Revealed Will” we will respect His “Determined Will” and then we can discover His “Specific Will” for you. (see “How Can I Know God’s Will for Me?”)
You will find principles and wisdom and clear guidance on how you can honor God in the Bible. He guides you and he guides us all in the same way and with the same words. There are some things that you can do however to help you make decisions that please God and some principles that will help you discover God’s “Specific Will” for you. I’ll give you those and some secrets to discerning God’s guidance in my next post. Stay tuned.
Today God speaks to us by His Son, through His Spirit in the Bible
Hebrews 1:1-2 (HCSB) 1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by ⌊His⌋ Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him.
God does not promise that he will speak in any other way. He doesn’t promise to speak in the ways he has spoken before, or in new ways. The Bible tell us to put out a fleece, today, like Gideon.
Judges 6:36-38 (HCSB) 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said, 37 I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.
The Bible doesn’t tell us to expect an audible voice, today, from the heavens; it doesn’t tell us to listen for a still, small voice today. It says that” in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son”. God’s will for you is that you would live like a person whose life has been transformed by his power. God’s will for you is that you would be conformed to the image of His Son.
Romans 8:28-29 (HCSB) 28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
The Bible contains God’s “Revealed Will” and, from His “Revealed Will” we will respect His “Determined Will” and then we can discover His “Specific Will” for you. (see “How Can I Know God’s Will for Me?”)
You will find principles and wisdom and clear guidance on how you can honor God in the Bible. He guides you and he guides us all in the same way and with the same words. There are some things that you can do however to help you make decisions that please God and some principles that will help you discover God’s “Specific Will” for you. I’ll give you those and some secrets to discerning God’s guidance in my next post. Stay tuned.
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