My intellect versus God's

[Bob8102]

We adults have enough common sense to know things like, “Don’t put your finger in an electrical outlet or you’ll get shocked.” Where is the dividing line between our intellects being sufficient to help us make some decisions, and our intellects being able to make all of our decisions? Such as career, who to marry, where to live, etc. In other words, where is the dividing line between my will and God’s will? I am honestly confused about this. Oswald Chambers rails against common sense and says we should do God’s will, instead. I am having to make some significant decisions right now, especially regarding career. Earlier today, I began, possibly for the first time, seriously praying, “Jesus, help me to do, not common sense nor my will, but your will.” I one time, in Bible study, admitted to the group that I have an aversion to God’s will. I sometimes pray, possibly with varying levels of sincerity, ‘help me to seek more and more to do Your will, and to realize how valuable that is,’ I have been in the habit of working on learning Spanish for an hour a day, on some days. I’m currently having to decide whether or not to pursue an invention idea. Today, I thought I was sincerely seeking God’s will. I decided to do the hour of Spanish learning, then did nothing after that. One possibility that I thought about later is, work on my invention, in the time I manage to come up with to do so, for three years. If by then, it has reached a milestone of viability, then continue with it. If not, then drop it in favor of an alternate career plan. That’s my best thinking at the moment. They say in AA groups, which I sometimes attend though I am not a substance abuser, “Your best thinking got you here.” AA also speaks against “our best thinking,” versus seeking guidance and help from God.

 

[Tolworth John]

where is the dividing line between my will and God’s will? /QUOTE]

Romans 12: 1+2 Renewing one's mind so you can test and approve God's will.

Your career, will it help you serve God or hinder?
You plan to spend time learning Spanish! One why is to use your commute time to practise language lessons, don't also forget your morning time of bible reading and prayer.
Plan some of your time after work to work, on your invention.

It is really a question of allocating time and of actually doing it.

 

[timothyu]

Jesus' commandment tells us to put God 's will first. (Eve didn't, thus committed the original sin) That will is to serve others as we would be served (The Way was an example), that is not gain at another's expense but help all in need who cannot help themselves, as we would hope others would do for us. A simple and proper way of life, not a religion. God has given us examples of self interest which seeks gain at another's expense in anything thus resembling theft, adultery, cheating etc, where someone else gets hurt, Even failing to let someone merge in traffic would fit the mold. Self will leads to self interest, self justification, self indulgence, self serving, etc., all contrary to the will of God and the ways of His Kingdom.

 

[Sabertooth]

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [clarify] your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

We adults have enough common sense to know things like, “Don’t put your finger in an electrical outlet or you’ll get shocked.” Where is the dividing line between our intellects being sufficient to help us make some decisions, and our intellects being able to make all of our decisions? Such as career, who to marry, where to live, etc. In other words, where is the dividing line between my will and God’s will? I am honestly confused about this. Oswald Chambers rails against common sense and says we should do God’s will, instead. I am having to make some significant decisions right now, especially regarding career. Earlier today, I began, possibly for the first time, seriously praying, “Jesus, help me to do, not common sense nor my will, but your will.” I one time, in Bible study, admitted to the group that I have an aversion to God’s will. I sometimes pray, possibly with varying levels of sincerity, ‘help me to seek more and more to do Your will, and to realize how valuable that is,’ I have been in the habit of working on learning Spanish for an hour a day, on some days. I’m currently having to decide whether or not to pursue an invention idea. Today, I thought I was sincerely seeking God’s will. I decided to do the hour of Spanish learning, then did nothing after that. One possibility that I thought about later is, work on my invention, in the time I manage to come up with to do so, for three years. If by then, it has reached a milestone of viability, then continue with it. If not, then drop it in favor of an alternate career plan. That’s my best thinking at the moment. They say in AA groups, which I sometimes attend though I am not a substance abuser, “Your best thinking got you here.” AA also speaks against “our best thinking,” versus seeking guidance and help from God.

A good guide is found in Hebrews 5:14:

"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

As Christians grow in grace and in the knowledge of God, their use of common sense become more aligned to what they know is the will of God for their lives. It is important that we take notice of the Bible when seeking to know what the will of God is for us.
"This is the will of God, even your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). What this means is that we work towards being free from the works of the flesh and conducting ourselves according to the fruit of the Spirit.

It does not involve petty fogging about which church to attend, who to marry, what college to attend, what type of car to buy, whether to rent or buy a home, even what time to get out of bed in the morning.

When Peter dealt with Ananias and Sapphira, it was not how they used the proceeds of their land sale. He told Ananias that how the latter disposed of his money was up to him. The problem was that he lied to the Holy Spirit about it. What this means is that we can use our money in any way that suits us. We don't have to be told by anyone else. The ludicrous Shepherding movement put vulnerable believers in bondage to "disciplers" who dictated what the will of God was for them. This caused no end of harm and distress to many and drove a good number of good people right away from the Christian faith. What it meant was that it got to the ridiculous stage where a believer couldn't go down to the shop and buy a pair of pants without consulting his "shepherd". Many disastrous marriages occurred through shepherds dictating who was the most suitable partner for their "disciple".

When believers work on their sanctification the merger of their common sense and the will of God merges so that they have the necessary wisdom to do what is right and appropriate for them. If they need wisdom over any specific area, the Scripture instructs: "If any lack wisdom let them ask of God who gives liberally" (James 1:5).

We need to be careful about AA and its positive thinking approach. They talk about a "higher power" but it is not the God of the Bible. Also Norman Vincent Peale, who was the principal proponent of "The Power of Positive Thinking", and one of the prominent influencers of the Word-Faith movement, was heavily involved in spiritualism and the occult. Positive thinking is a New Age concept, not a Biblical one.

 

[timf]

Intelligence is not the same thing as wisdom. Intelligence is genetic, wisdom is from God.

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

When someone who is not very intelligent demonstrates wisdom, he is said to have "common sense", however, it is not actually that common.

When making career decisions, you should consider not only your strengths, but also your weaknesses. For, example, a high paying job may require you to work long hours and harm your family. You may find that working with people who you cannot respect is too difficult.

Keep in mind that you can always quit and try something else as well. Many people went after big money when they were young only to switch to something more satisfying when they were a little older.

 

[aiki]

We adults have enough common sense to know things like, “Don’t put your finger in an electrical outlet or you’ll get shocked.” Where is the dividing line between our intellects being sufficient to help us make some decisions, and our intellects being able to make all of our decisions? Such as career, who to marry, where to live, etc. In other words, where is the dividing line between my will and God’s will? I am honestly confused about this. Oswald Chambers rails against common sense and says we should do God’s will, instead. I am having to make some significant decisions right now, especially regarding career. Earlier today, I began, possibly for the first time, seriously praying, “Jesus, help me to do, not common sense nor my will, but your will.” I one time, in Bible study, admitted to the group that I have an aversion to God’s will. I sometimes pray, possibly with varying levels of sincerity, ‘help me to seek more and more to do Your will, and to realize how valuable that is,’ I have been in the habit of working on learning Spanish for an hour a day, on some days. I’m currently having to decide whether or not to pursue an invention idea. Today, I thought I was sincerely seeking God’s will. I decided to do the hour of Spanish learning, then did nothing after that. One possibility that I thought about later is, work on my invention, in the time I manage to come up with to do so, for three years. If by then, it has reached a milestone of viability, then continue with it. If not, then drop it in favor of an alternate career plan. That’s my best thinking at the moment. They say in AA groups, which I sometimes attend though I am not a substance abuser, “Your best thinking got you here.” AA also speaks against “our best thinking,” versus seeking guidance and help from God.

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

1 Corinthians 1:25-29
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,
29 so that no man may boast before God.

No one can approach God, no one can interact with Him, as anything other than an incredibly lesser, inferior creature to their holy, all-powerful, infinitely superior Creator. There is no other dynamic than this within which the Christian may know and walk with God. To neglect to be under His control, submitted to His will and way, is to be in rebellion to Him. Relative to God, there's no middle, neutral ground between these two states that one may occupy. This means, of course, that a great many Christians are going about everyday in a state of rebellion toward the God they claim to know and love.

In any case, it's only in a condition of humble, persistent, conscious submission to God that a believer can properly enjoy God and walk in His will and way (Romans 6:13-22; Romans 8:13-14; Romans 12:1; James 4:6-10; 1 Peter 5:6-10, etc.). One of the many joys of living in this way is clarity and wisdom, imparted by God, by the Holy Spirit, to the believer, as they navigate life's many crossroads of choice. When one's will is yielded to God's, His will is much more readily seen, unobscured by one's own agenda, desires and preferences.

Do you have no will of your own, then? Is God going to dictate to you every aspect of your life, from the choice of your socks, to the shampoo you use, to what career you'll take up? No. But one's general tenor of living ought to be that of constant submission to God, ready and eager at any moment to go His way rather than one's own. Guided by God's word, applied to their living through the leading of the Holy Spirit, the believer passes through each day, delighting in being God's hands and heart, His ambassador, in the grocery store cashier line-up, in traffic going to and from work, at the supper table with one's family, in private moments with one's spouse, at work, or the golf course, or mowing the lawn. In everything, the submitted believer seeks to glorify their Maker and God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) When this is the case, seeing God's will clearly is easy!

 

[Wyatt A.]

We adults have enough common sense to know things like, “Don’t put your finger in an electrical outlet or you’ll get shocked.” Where is the dividing line between our intellects being sufficient to help us make some decisions, and our intellects being able to make all of our decisions? Such as career, who to marry, where to live, etc. In other words, where is the dividing line between my will and God’s will? I am honestly confused about this. Oswald Chambers rails against common sense and says we should do God’s will, instead. I am having to make some significant decisions right now, especially regarding career. Earlier today, I began, possibly for the first time, seriously praying, “Jesus, help me to do, not common sense nor my will, but your will.” I one time, in Bible study, admitted to the group that I have an aversion to God’s will. I sometimes pray, possibly with varying levels of sincerity, ‘help me to seek more and more to do Your will, and to realize how valuable that is,’ I have been in the habit of working on learning Spanish for an hour a day, on some days. I’m currently having to decide whether or not to pursue an invention idea. Today, I thought I was sincerely seeking God’s will. I decided to do the hour of Spanish learning, then did nothing after that. One possibility that I thought about later is, work on my invention, in the time I manage to come up with to do so, for three years. If by then, it has reached a milestone of viability, then continue with it. If not, then drop it in favor of an alternate career plan. That’s my best thinking at the moment. They say in AA groups, which I sometimes attend though I am not a substance abuser, “Your best thinking got you here.” AA also speaks against “our best thinking,” versus seeking guidance and help from God.

Really strange, I was just reading this a couple of hours before responding to this post.

"Our minds discover truth as we learn new things. But God's mind determines truth. Whatever He decides to be true, becomes true. Whatever God says, so the universe becomes. We see this in the first chapter of Genisis."

"To think logically is to think - in a sense - like God thinks. And, by definition, to be logical is to reason correctly. So when we too think correctly, we are thinking in a way that is consistent with how God thinks. God is the ultimate standard of correct thinking. If we are to be correct, we must learn to match our thinking with Gods."

"Much the way a shadow resembles the object casting it, our thinking should resemble God's. Our thoughts are far more limited than God's, just as a shadow does not have the depth of the object producing it. But our thinking should have the same basic "shape" to it as God's thinking"

This was all taken from the book Introduction To Logic by Jason Lisle. He is a Christian astrophysicist who researches issues pertaining to science and the Christian faith.

Might I suggest this presentation by him?
Dr. Jason Lisle - Logic and the Christian Worldview

 

[timothyu]

God made it simple. He said instead of putting your will ahead of mine, let me work my ways through you. Not as mimics but as conduits. We as a result function as intended, extensions of God.