Here’s what a few folks had to say …..
Ten Boom…..“ The center of God’s will is our only safety - let us pray that we may always know it!”
Billy Graham stated that…"Most of us follow God’s will the way we follow a wheelbarrow. We push it in front of us in the direction we want to go."
Francine Rivers….“God's will isn't some hidden, mysterious thing. Jesus told us openly and daily what his will for us is.”
Elisabeth Elliot…..God’s intention when He made the acorn was the oak tree. His intention for us is ‘the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.’ Many sessions of letting go, must go into our reaching that measure. The more you perceive God’s will in your life, the less terrible the losses seem.”
Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, Allpower is given unto me in heaven and in earth”.
Listen to me….you cannot have more power than all power. You can look at it sideways, upside down, flip it, dip it and tip it…..there’s no power that stands up to ALL POWER!!
Now you may wonder what could be better than that….What could possibly compare to that…? Well, I’m going to tell you….
Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”!
He not only has all power, but He has all power all of the time!! You don’t have to talk about how it used to be….Or how it could be….Or how you wish it was! Cause it’s the same thing right now, in this time, as it ever will be, for whatever that is which you are dealing with….!!!
The Holy Spirit always at all times, operates in the will of God….
Jesus always at all times, operates in the will of God….
So how then did Jesus tell us to live while we are here on this earth? What did He tell us to base all of our requests and all of our desires on? How did He tell us to begin our petitions and every prayer? Look at it….Matthew 6:9-10 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven”.
When Jesus was facing the terrible ordeal of the cross, how did He pray? When He knew that they were going to beat Him, drive nails in His hands and feet, thrust a spear in His side, and leave Him hanging there in the worse pain imaginable……
He prayed, “Not My will but Your will be done”…
With the salvation of all mankind hanging in the balances, Jesusknew that you couldn’t do any better in any situation than the power of God’s will!!!
Paul the apostle has a warning for all of us, he wants us to know that many times it is all about what we want that we seek after, not what God wants….
Paul knew the feeling that comes sometimes when the flesh wars against the spirit…He said “that which I would do, I do not do, and that which I would not do, that is exactly what I do”….
Jesus told His disciples that in those times, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!
As a golfer approached the first tee, he looked out at a difficult fairway with a green surrounded by water, he debated if he should use his new golf ball. Deciding that the hole was too treacherous, he pulled out an old ball and placed it on the tee. Just then he heard a voice from above say loudly: "Use the new ball!" Immediately, he replaced the old ball with the new one and walked up to the tee. As he stood there waiting to hit the ball, the voice from above said, "Take a practice swing!" With this, the golfer stepped backward and took a huge practice swing. Feeling more confident, he approached the tee when the voice stopped him by saying "On second thought, use the old ball!" (I’ve had that voice speak the same thing to me) Now some folks would have just gone ahead and hit it any way!!!!
Romans 12:2 says it this way….”And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.
You see, we can be sincere and our heart can be totally in a thing, but if we don’t keep renewing our mind, our flesh and soulish man will overrule our spirit man, and we will get caught in a vicious cycle where our wants, our wrong thinking and our lusts and desires, can override God’s will. A century ago, there was a bishop who pronounced from his pulpit and in the monthly publication which he edited, that heavier-than-air flight was both impossible and contrary to the will of God. What an irony it is, that the Bishop had two sons, named Orville and Wilbur! Bishop Wright was very sincere and sure of himself, but he was still wrong.
We must understand that we are a Spirit, which has a soul, that lives in a body…. If the soul rules, then we will be ruled by the emotions and soulish will and intellect …. If the flesh rules, then we will be ruled by the appetites and desires of our flesh…. If our redeemed Spirit rules, then we will rule our soul and flesh by the principles and values of God’s Word and God’s Will! We can be sincere and still be as wrong as Wright!
Consider these 5 things as you seek the will of God in your life….
First, Put your thinking cap on… get all the information you can before you make a commitment.
Second, we must be willing to weigh the long-term consequences and outcomes of alternative courses of action. Avoid tunnel vision.
Third, we must be willing to take advice. We may not follow through with the advice, however, nothing but good will come to us from carefully weighing what they say. No one person knows everything.
Fourth, we must be willing to be brutally honest with ourselves. He who only has themselves for a counsellor, has a fool for a client.
Fifth, we must be willing to "Wait on the Lord" while continuing to watch and listen. Delay is not a no, usually it is a “Not Yet” but sometimes it is a “You have to be kidding”!!! But nothing is the right thing to do till God answers. He said call and I will answer you…. That’s His promise and if you will do #1-5, He will answer!
Roger Stauback led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in 1971’ While he was on the field, Coach Landry sent in every single play. Stauback admitted that his position as a quarterback who was never allowed to call his own signals was a source of frustration for him.
Landry told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations when a play was falling apart, could Stauback change the play (and he had better be right when he did!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a “genius mind” when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.
Later on, Stauback said, that he had to face up to the issue of obedience. Once he learned to submit to Landry’s authority as head coach, there was harmony, fulfillment, victory, and he was trusted to call more and more plays on the field." When we begin obeying God's plays, then we will also have harmony, fulfillment, and victory!
Hebrews 10:36 “For you have need of patience, that, after youhave done the will of God, you might receive the promise”.Patience is not the ability to wait, it is the ability to keep the right attitude while you wait!
Sometimes we have to do all we know to do, and leave the outcome to the Lord. Our problem is that we are like the kid that planted some seeds so he could grow a garden, and he kept digging up the seeds to see if they were growing and they never did!
There is a point where you leave it with God and just let Him do it!
We come to the place where we realize that while we are working on all
this stuff in our lives, God is using all that stuff to work on us. He is more interested in working on our character than He is in all of our accomplishments, because our character is forever, but our trophies and titles on earth will fade and disappear.
Billy Graham…."When wealth is lost, nothing is lost, when health is lost, something is lost, when character is lost, all is lost."
Then we see Colossians 4:12 ......“That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God”.
God is serious about this…. He wants to bless your socks off…. The Father is wanting you to know that in all of your stuff, there is a yellow brick road straight into His will, and His will is all the power you need! His will can accomplish all you ever dreamed, ever hoped, and ever desired.
There are some folks who call themselves believers, but they can’t trust God with their finances. And they prove it by not following Malachi 3:10 which says “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and prove me now with it, says the Lord”…. So they steal from God and give it to the Devil or finally realize they can’t keep it anyway….
A fellow was in church during the offering and in spite of the fact that God’s tithe of his income was $100.00, he pulled out a five dollar bill. A guy behind him tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a hundred dollar bill. He dropped it in the offering for the guy and told him, “that was very generous of you”… the guy said “oh, not at all, it fell our of your wallet”!!!
You can trust God that He only wants the best possible outcome for you, even more than you want it!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”.
We thank Him for His authority and Lordship…We thank Him for His holiness, His goodness, and His righteousness…We thank Him for His mercy, His grace and His kindness. We thank Him for His wisdom, His justice and His faithfulness….
We may not thank Him FOR everything that happens, but we can thank Him IN everything that happens!!
You don’t have to settle for less, you can choose the will of God and never have to look back with regret!
Someone asked Saint Francis of Assisi, while he was weeding the garden at the monastery…. “What would you do if you found out that you were going to die at sunset” He said, “I would finish weeding this garden”…..
When you’re moving in the will of God, there is a joy and thanksgiving that enters your life like nothing anything else can offer you. You will live knowing that all is well, and You don’t need to worry or fret….. There is a knowing that everything will work out for good, and everything is bringing you into the promises of God for your life ….Don’t wait till you see it, begin to thank Him now, as His will begins to unfold!
*…..Author and speaker and life coach, Lindsey Rietzich….“Something important I have learned is patience, and turning each failure into a learning experience. ..Instead of calling them "failures" I call them "lessons". Instead of saying, "I failed at that," I say, "I learned from that." Each failure has taught me something incredibly valuable and by recognizing this I can see the hand of God in all the situations of my life.”
*…..look at Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give”.
There is incredible power available when you are operating in the will of God….So Jesus has clearly stated that this is His will for all believers…. It also tells us that when we are in the will of God, we can expect these things to happen when we move forth, at work, shopping, at the beach or pool, and as we move around in our neighborhood…..
There is power over sickness, devils and even death, in the will of God.
When you are walking in the will of God, Rulers and those in authority come under the influence of God’s will. Your children, your spouse, your relatives, your neighbors, those who are lost, and even your enemies come under the influence of God’s will….
How clear He has made it….seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you!
*….Now, I really want you to grab hold of Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure”.
Let me break this down by saying that the promises of God are the expressed pleasure of God….Therefore all the promises of God are found in the will of God…. Doing His good will and pleasure is possible by bringing ourselves into harmony with the promises which are clearly stated in His word and His word is how we know His will….
*…..We must have pro-active faith! The bible tells us that faith without works is dead. You can pray for good results on an exam without studying at all but unless you have a photographic memory, it isn’t going to happen.
You can pray for good health and not eat well or sleep well or exercise. It all depends on how much you really believe Him - because if you truly do, you’ll do what He says. If you never open a bible and take time to know God’s word, you don’t know what He has promised…..
*…..God can make something out of nothing….that’s how He began the world, and all the planets, the galaxies, and the universe…. But if He did it all, and you could just set your spiritual life on cruise….that would leave us out of the equation… that would leave faith out of the deal. There would be no reason for prayer or obedience, or setting goals, or compassion…. If God was doing I all!
But God wants us to exercise faith, and participate in His works.He gives us incredible promises, and as we believe and obey, and offer him what we have and when we do, we see miracles.
*…..Our giving, our confession, and doing our part in faith is the activating force which sets in motion something far greater than ourselves.
There are defining moments in our faith journey, where we step outside of our safe zone, believe His promises and everything changes, and It will never be the same again.
As an 18 year old rock and roller…. The day I decided I was tired of hearing the faith exploits of other folks, and how God showed them His miracle power, and provided amazing answers to prayer...and I decided that’s what I wanted to see in my journey…. I broke my guitar over a tree, and stepped into my own faith journey…. I have never looked back with regret….. Nothing was ever the same again!
Yes, there are many all around you, who have settled for less, but they’re not you… There are many who work all week and settle for a week-end of partying to try to fill the hole that only God can fill, and they’ve been doing it their entire lives….God has available, that “something more” that we’ve all been looking for….
*….Over the space of 4,000 years (from Abraham to now), God’s promises have been thoroughly tested and found by millions to be true.
Like the two men were riding a bicycle built for two when they came to a steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete the climb. When they got to the top the man in front said to the other, "Man, that was even harder than I imagined it would be!" The guy in back said, "Yes it was. And if I hadn’t kept the brakes on all the way we would have rolled right back down the hill."
LET THE BRAKES OFF…. IT’S TIME TO LET GO… GOD HAS PROMISED…
You have plans, God has bigger plans…. You have faith, God has bigger faith… You have a dream, God has a bigger dream…
*….A promise is an IOU that God gives us…. It’s also called a blessing…. But the IOU is no good unless someone cashes it in! God is doing all He can do to get you to cash in your IOU….
*…..Deuteronomy 28:2 “And all these blessings (IOU’s) shall run after you, and overtake you in the way you go, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God”.
Listen to what’s chasing you down and trying to get on you…. *…. The promise of His presence - surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.
The Promise of joy - My joy shall be in you that your joy may be complete. The Promise of eternal Life - whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal Life….
The promise of power - He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak …
The promise of guidance - Whether you turn to the right or to the left your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it"…. The Promise about your family - The Lord blesses the house of the righteous…
The Promise of health and healing- By His stripes we are healed… The Promise of protection- The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe….
The Promise of provision- And my God shall provide all your needs according to His Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus....
The Promise in time of temptation - God is Faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it....
That’s only the tip of the mountain of Blessing that is trying to catch you!
He is no respecter of persons which means that if He did something for someone else, then He is willing to do the same for you…..
If Moses, Daniel, Elijah, Paul and the disciples saw signs, wonders and miracles, then so can you, in the will of God!
*….His goal and His pleasure is a relationship with us! He will never leave us, Never forsake us, Never mislead us, Never forget us, Never overlook us, and Never cancel our appointment in His appointment book! When we fall, He lifts us up! When we fail, He forgives! When we are weak, He is strong! When we are lost, He is the way! When we are afraid, He is our courage! When westumble, He steadies us! When we are hurt, He heals us! When weare broken, He mends us! When we are blind, He leads us! When we are hungry, He feeds us! When we face trials, He is with us! When we face persecution, He shields us! When we face problems, He comforts us! When we face loss, He provides for us!
He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and every way. God is in control, If we are on His side, and that means all is well with our soul.
*….Let’s speak a blessing over one another as we prepare to close….
*….When you are weak, may you receive His strength!
When you lose your way, may He show you the way!
When you are afraid, may you know His courage!
When you stumble, may He hold you steady!
When you are hurt, may you know His healing!
When you feel broken, may He mend you!
When you cannot see the way, may He lead you!
When you hunger, may you be filled!
When you are tried, may you feel His presence!
When you are persecuted, may He shield you!
When you face loss, may He provide for you!
When you come to life’s end, may He carry you safely home!
