What Is God’s Will For My Life

Today, I heard an ad for a local group that was interviewing people about God. They made statements as, “I don’t know if I can know God’s will for my life”, “I would like to know His will”…

My thoughts turned to the question, “what IS His will for my life” and “am I accomplishing that goal”?

I am often asked this question. It appears that many become Christians find themselves lacking purpose. They wander in a Christian haze hoping that someone, some where and in some way will direct them in knowing God’s will.

As a result, some meander down path of the ultra Charismatic or swing the other direction into schemes and ideas that God’s desire is to bless with financial abundance. One seeks physical benefits and the other, emotional. They desire to see the hand of God in their life, God’s direction, God’s prospering but the end is one of want.

Both are amiss.

We have discussed the means to know His will.

I am sure His will for people is individual, unique, and specific, however, in a generic sense, I see in Scripture that it is His will that our energy be directed specifically to one end: …to present every man complete in Christ. Col. 1:28

When we are Born Again, we receive the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit. We are to employ them in serving in our effort to cause others to be complete.

This gives us direction. This gives us purpose.

Are you pursuing that goal?

What is Iniquity?

In the book of Genesis ( 20:2 ), we see Abraham on a journey. He fears that the king of the foreign land will harm him in order that he can take Abraham’s wife Sarah. Because of this fear, he tells Sarah to say that she is his sister.

Now, Isaac, Abraham’s son, lived in the land of his father and at a certain time, he too feared that his wife would be admired and taken from him (Gen 26:6 ) so he, like his father, told her to say that she was his sister because he feared the people.

Now comes Jacob, son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham (Gen 27:32). He goes into his father and says, “I am Esau, your first born”.

We see a pattern of deception. Something was passed on from father to son. God calls this deception iniquity.

In Exodus 20:5, God tells Moses that the iniquity of the father’s will be passed on to the children of the third and forth generations.

We often think that it is the ‘sins’ of the father that is passed on but it isn’t. It is the iniquity. It is important to make a distinction between the iniquity of the fathers and the sins of the fathers. Sin is not passed down, iniquity is.

So, what is the definition of iniquity?

Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven".

"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles' "?

"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice iniquity'". Matt 7:21

When is preaching iniquity? When is casting out demons iniquity? And, when is doing good works iniquity? The answer is given in the verse. It is when we do these activities in our own will rather than according to the father’s will.

Iniquity is, “doing my own will even though it is something good”.

King Saul provides a powerful study in the concept of iniquity. After a battle with the Philistines, Saul offered a sacrifice to God. Samuel arrived and reproved him because it was not done according to God’s command. God commanded the priest to offer the sacrifice, not the king. In 1 Sam. 13:11, Saul tried to justify his behavior.

Again, in 1 Sam. 15, we see Saul save sheep and oxen from the battle against the Amalekites in order to offer them to God. Samuel reproves him because he was to utterly destroy everything in the battle. Once more, Saul tries to justify his behavior.

Samuel replies: "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king."

The mystery of iniquity is that we will follow our own faulty reasoning when we have available to us the infinite wisdom of God.

The opposite of iniquity is “good works” as we see in the following verses.

2Tim 2:19-21, Titus 2:14

The definition of iniquity is verified in Isaiah: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our ‘iniquities’: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have ‘turned every one to his own way’; and the LORD hath laid on him the ‘iniquity’ of us all.

______________________________borrowed______________________________

An Illustration of the Double-minded Christian

Double-Minded (link)

I want to make a comparison between Abraham’s decision to have a son in his own strength and Christians who use their own strength to accomplish God’s work.

God told Abraham that he would give him a son in his old age. Gen 15:4-6

-A Christian believes God wants them to go on a mission trip, build a church, start a project.

After God made this proclamation to Abraham, God was silent.

-A Christian “hears” from God, and then He is silent.

Abraham began to waiver in his belief and sought ways to fulfill God’s promise on his own.

-Christians do the same. We start to panic when we don’t see God fulfill what we think is His will. This often happens when we talk to others about things we believe God is doing. We don’t see God move, we need to save face so we plan how we are going to fulfill God’s “project”.

Abraham and his wife, questioning God, begin to plan ways to make God’s proclamation a reality. As a result, Abraham took Sarah’s maidservant and she bore a son, Ishmael. Gen 16:2-3

It is important to note that Hagar the maidservant was an Egyptian. In the Old Testament, Egypt was a type of the world, those opposed to God’s people and God’s plans.

-Christians question God and begin to make plans to fulfill His will. They take on the practices of the world to complete God’s work. They will take out bank loans to build a church, send out “prayer letters” to seek support for their mission trip, or pressure believers in “financing” their endeavor, forgetting that the God who calls them, will fulfill it in His power.

Abraham’s decision resulted in division in his household and raised a people who were a thorn in the side of his son, Isaac and his descendants. Gen 16:12

-Christians who pursue God’s work through efforts of the flesh will reap similar results, division in the house of God, a thorn in the sides of believers, shame in the eyes of the world.

We miss God’s blessing.

We practice iniquity.

In what ways are you seeking God’s will in your own strength?

What God Allows To Teach Us To Fight

Names in the Old Testament are important and bring clarity to the problems that God’s people encountered.

…they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1Cor. 10:11

In the Book of Joshua (3:10), God said that He would drive out the people who were living in the land. Thus, God commanded Joshua to move forward. God dealt with the enemy in three ways.

1. God told Joshua to completely annihilate them.

2. God told Joshua to stand back and watch as He conquered.

3. God allowed nations to survive “to test and strengthen” Israel in order that subsequent generations might be taught war. Judges 3:1-5

God does the same in our lives where there are challenges, sin, things by which we feel defeated.

Some, He tells you to “completely annihilate”, some; He will have you watch while He displays His majesty. But, God allows some to remain in our life to teach us to fight. He wants men who are “strong and courageous”, men who are willing to fight and men who are willing to be tried. Judges 3:4

God’s desire is NOT for us to learn to adapt or succumb but rather to learn to fight. Eph. 4

The names of the six groups of people, that God left to teach His people war and the significance of their names to our generation, are as follows:

Canaanite-to compare (to become like)

Hittite-terror (fear of man)

Hivite-impulsive (easily defeated)

Perizzite-unwalled town (moral decay)

Amorite-publicity-prominence (pride)

Jebusite-trodden underfoot (polluted)

These are important names. We struggle in the same areas. The first thing a Christian does is to compare themselves to others and those in the world. With comparison comes the desire to become like.

This comparison promotes insecurity. Insecurity brings a fear of man. From there, we find ourselves moved by impulsiveness. The sign of maturity is control over our impulses. Those that easily make us feel defeated, worthless and ineffective.

When there are no boundaries on our life, no protections, no walls, the defeats turn to moral decay. Like our teeth which have a strong enamel, after years of acids and no protection, decay begins to erode the enamel, exposing the teeth to harm and in some cases, irreparable damage.

Interestingly, when we begin to make poor moral decisions, when decay begins, we protect ourselves from exposure and cover our sin with pride. Pride works against humility.

The final stage of the decay is polluted, which started simply by comparison. We are worth nothing except to be thrown out and trodden underfoot. Matt. 5:3

Which ‘people’ has God allowed in your life to teach you to fight? What hinders you?

Two Good Articles

1. Tithe

2. New Testament Church