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[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]How To Know God's Will[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]A good beginning is to read what pleases or displeases our Heavenly Father. His likes or dislikes. Once we get to know the Lord we realize everything about Him is positive, just as everything about Satan is negative.
Anxiety: Does not please God and is a tool of the enemy. (Matt.6:25-34; Phil.4:6).
Fear: Does not please God and is a tool of the enemy. (Luke 12:32; Ro.8:15; 1 John 4:18; 2 Tim.1:7). The correct translation for "fearing" God is usually "in awe of, or respect for" when He is talking about His children, as in Proverbs 1:7.
Confusion and Turmoil: Does not please God and is a tool of the enemy. (James 3:16).
We often mistake those feelings as part of tests and trials. Tests and trials are to build our faith. (1 Peter 1:7-9). Faith is what we use to fight the enemy, tests and trials teach us to recognize the enemy. T&T's are hard enough without confusing the issue with "I'm in trouble now". No, we are not in trouble, we are listening to the enemy. T&T's are for our growth and not to drive us away in 'fear' and 'anxiety'. (James 1:2,12). Who would drive us away from the Lord with fear and anxiety?[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]When we are being tested and tried the enemy rushes in to play games with us. "Ooooh, you're in trouble now"; "God's mad"; "So, what did you do wrong"; "You better figure it out"; "Ah, ha, that must be it"; "Boy, are you bad!" At this point we are listening to the enemy and starting to believe him so he starts becoming more bold. "You might as well give up"; "You aren't saved"; "He doesn't even listen to you"; "God doesn't love you"; "You aren't good enough to be a Christian"; "You're lost anyway". There is no end to the lies he'll instill into your mind, "It's just you thinking that"; "I don't exist". (And he will use any and all the above until you refuse to listen to them and then he'll come up with new ones). We are in a trial, yes, but we are not being punished, we are being taught. It is Satan who tells us we are being punished.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Little Aside: I always know when a trial or test is over because during the test I find it hard to read the Bible but the moment the test ends the Bible comes alive again. Also: When God answers us, it is ALWAYS the first answer, after that Satan rushes in to steal it, confuse it or manipulate it.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Being out of God's will is something else again. Depending on how we stepped out of His will. Just a mistaken step off the path doesn't bring the wrath of God onto our heads. It was our wrong move that caused us to step off the path and thereby into the brambles and thorns. For example: We receive two job offers and don't know which to take. One is from the Lord and one is not. We might choose the wrong one for the wrong motives. And the company goes broke after six months leaving us unemployed and broke. Then we blame God. However, did we seek His advice? Did we listen and WAIT for His answer? This is a miss step. Rushing headlong not watching where we are going.
If we know which job the Lord wants us to take and stand before the Lord and say, "I don't want to take this job, it's not good enough, it's not what I want for my life. I'm not going to ask the Lord He might say 'no'". This is willfulness and rebellion and I think it's safe to say, in this case, we leaped out of God's perfect will for our lives. Running headlong down the wrong path for miles and suddenly find ourselves trapped and lost in the brush and gloom. The Lord will come to our rescue but He may take His time, after all, we rushed to get there and look where it got us.
Some of us 'drift' out of God's perfect will for us. "I haven't had time to read the word this last couple of months. I've had no time for real praying or praising. Just a little here and there." If we begin to drift God cannot warn us because we aren't opening the Bible or praying. Time rushes on and things begin to go wrong, if not around us, then inside us. No, we aren't in trouble we are setting ourselves adrift and can't figure out why we feel depressed, unsettled or discontent. What happened to my joy, to my peace?
We set ourselves adrift from it (HIM).
When we become anxious, fearful, panicky, worried and filled with turmoil these are warnings in themselves that we've stepped off the path. At this point we must stop and stand still. If we keep moving we will become more entangled in the brush and further off the path. We should stop, ask ourselves, "What have I said, done or decided since the last time I was at peace?" In our memory we must search back to the last time we were at peace and happily walking down the bright sunny path of God's will? Then from that point search out our miss step and as soon as our mind grabs a hold of it we will find ourselves right back on the sunny pathway with the Lord.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Aside: How do we know when it's a miss step and when it's a trial? Usually God warns us of coming trials and tests. Ask, but remember, the first answer is His. Another way, is, am I due one? Has everything been going smoothly for quite some time? And remember to count it all joy if it is a trial! (James 1:2)[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Sometimes it's only a matter of gaining perspective or setting priorities which may be out of sync with the Lord's will. For example, those who worried over Y2K, isn't God bigger than Y2K? "I'm not stocked up, I can't afford it". Then we should trust God that we don't NEED it. Have we asked Him to supply our needs? Or setting priorities, are we running to do what we think God wants but not what He actually does want? A good example, being busy with church projects, meetings and so on and neglecting home and family is an out of sync priority.
It sounds too simple? With God things usually are simple, they become really difficult due to Satan's hinderence and manipulation. John 10:10. God is truthful, straight forward and direct. 1 Corinthians 14:33. The less you believe the enemy the less complicated walking with God becomes. We make things complicated, the Lord does not.
God's children should always be walking in peace and joy, even in a trial or test. (1 Thess.1:6,7). The only time that our inner peace and joy is disturbed is when we step out of His perfect will and CHOOSE to listen to the lies of the enemy. And now to leave you with two things to ?Ponder:
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believeth Thou This?"
John 11:26
"Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Phil.1:6[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]A good beginning is to read what pleases or displeases our Heavenly Father. His likes or dislikes. Once we get to know the Lord we realize everything about Him is positive, just as everything about Satan is negative.
Anxiety: Does not please God and is a tool of the enemy. (Matt.6:25-34; Phil.4:6).
Fear: Does not please God and is a tool of the enemy. (Luke 12:32; Ro.8:15; 1 John 4:18; 2 Tim.1:7). The correct translation for "fearing" God is usually "in awe of, or respect for" when He is talking about His children, as in Proverbs 1:7.
Confusion and Turmoil: Does not please God and is a tool of the enemy. (James 3:16).
We often mistake those feelings as part of tests and trials. Tests and trials are to build our faith. (1 Peter 1:7-9). Faith is what we use to fight the enemy, tests and trials teach us to recognize the enemy. T&T's are hard enough without confusing the issue with "I'm in trouble now". No, we are not in trouble, we are listening to the enemy. T&T's are for our growth and not to drive us away in 'fear' and 'anxiety'. (James 1:2,12). Who would drive us away from the Lord with fear and anxiety?[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]When we are being tested and tried the enemy rushes in to play games with us. "Ooooh, you're in trouble now"; "God's mad"; "So, what did you do wrong"; "You better figure it out"; "Ah, ha, that must be it"; "Boy, are you bad!" At this point we are listening to the enemy and starting to believe him so he starts becoming more bold. "You might as well give up"; "You aren't saved"; "He doesn't even listen to you"; "God doesn't love you"; "You aren't good enough to be a Christian"; "You're lost anyway". There is no end to the lies he'll instill into your mind, "It's just you thinking that"; "I don't exist". (And he will use any and all the above until you refuse to listen to them and then he'll come up with new ones). We are in a trial, yes, but we are not being punished, we are being taught. It is Satan who tells us we are being punished.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Little Aside: I always know when a trial or test is over because during the test I find it hard to read the Bible but the moment the test ends the Bible comes alive again. Also: When God answers us, it is ALWAYS the first answer, after that Satan rushes in to steal it, confuse it or manipulate it.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Being out of God's will is something else again. Depending on how we stepped out of His will. Just a mistaken step off the path doesn't bring the wrath of God onto our heads. It was our wrong move that caused us to step off the path and thereby into the brambles and thorns. For example: We receive two job offers and don't know which to take. One is from the Lord and one is not. We might choose the wrong one for the wrong motives. And the company goes broke after six months leaving us unemployed and broke. Then we blame God. However, did we seek His advice? Did we listen and WAIT for His answer? This is a miss step. Rushing headlong not watching where we are going.
If we know which job the Lord wants us to take and stand before the Lord and say, "I don't want to take this job, it's not good enough, it's not what I want for my life. I'm not going to ask the Lord He might say 'no'". This is willfulness and rebellion and I think it's safe to say, in this case, we leaped out of God's perfect will for our lives. Running headlong down the wrong path for miles and suddenly find ourselves trapped and lost in the brush and gloom. The Lord will come to our rescue but He may take His time, after all, we rushed to get there and look where it got us.
Some of us 'drift' out of God's perfect will for us. "I haven't had time to read the word this last couple of months. I've had no time for real praying or praising. Just a little here and there." If we begin to drift God cannot warn us because we aren't opening the Bible or praying. Time rushes on and things begin to go wrong, if not around us, then inside us. No, we aren't in trouble we are setting ourselves adrift and can't figure out why we feel depressed, unsettled or discontent. What happened to my joy, to my peace?
We set ourselves adrift from it (HIM).
When we become anxious, fearful, panicky, worried and filled with turmoil these are warnings in themselves that we've stepped off the path. At this point we must stop and stand still. If we keep moving we will become more entangled in the brush and further off the path. We should stop, ask ourselves, "What have I said, done or decided since the last time I was at peace?" In our memory we must search back to the last time we were at peace and happily walking down the bright sunny path of God's will? Then from that point search out our miss step and as soon as our mind grabs a hold of it we will find ourselves right back on the sunny pathway with the Lord.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Aside: How do we know when it's a miss step and when it's a trial? Usually God warns us of coming trials and tests. Ask, but remember, the first answer is His. Another way, is, am I due one? Has everything been going smoothly for quite some time? And remember to count it all joy if it is a trial! (James 1:2)[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Verdana]Sometimes it's only a matter of gaining perspective or setting priorities which may be out of sync with the Lord's will. For example, those who worried over Y2K, isn't God bigger than Y2K? "I'm not stocked up, I can't afford it". Then we should trust God that we don't NEED it. Have we asked Him to supply our needs? Or setting priorities, are we running to do what we think God wants but not what He actually does want? A good example, being busy with church projects, meetings and so on and neglecting home and family is an out of sync priority.
It sounds too simple? With God things usually are simple, they become really difficult due to Satan's hinderence and manipulation. John 10:10. God is truthful, straight forward and direct. 1 Corinthians 14:33. The less you believe the enemy the less complicated walking with God becomes. We make things complicated, the Lord does not.
God's children should always be walking in peace and joy, even in a trial or test. (1 Thess.1:6,7). The only time that our inner peace and joy is disturbed is when we step out of His perfect will and CHOOSE to listen to the lies of the enemy. And now to leave you with two things to ?Ponder:
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believeth Thou This?"
John 11:26
"Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;" Phil.1:6[/FONT]
