One of the most commonly talked about subjects within the Body of Christ is God's will. Recently a friend of mine posed to a group of us a question about what is God's will and how we know we are walking in it? Here are a few of the responses.
"For me it is what my gut is telling me. If you have unwavering faith and ask that God's will be done, the Holy Spirit will make your paths clear. Your faith cannot be seasonal. God knows your heart. I believe God's will is much more than a piece of paper after you die." (sic)
"The "word" of God is the will of God for our lives, therefore if were are in obedience to the word we are walking the in the will of God." (sic)
"First, number 1, and most important is OBEDIENCE to His Word." (sic)
" You know you are walking in God's will when OTHERS can see God's word and the mind of Christ reflected in the everyday actions of YOUR life. You know because you are aware of God's presence and influence in all existence not just now, or since you were saved, or how it will shape your future, but where it has been throughout your lifetime and beyond. You know because you truly understand what it means to say, "God is good all the time..." and you are able to live life through God's peace and God's love. God's will is Love. God is Love." (sic)
Have you heard similar responses to the question of God's will as these? Perhaps, even you share similar beliefs as what has been said above. However, I suggest that these answers are so vague and open-ended one still is left wondering what is God's will? When I hear things like "obedience" to His Word, I want to ask, "What part of His Word?" Don't people understand that, in context, not everything written within the pages of scripture are for us or even to us. I know the Bible says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)." But, it also says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." In other words, if you don't take scripture in context you won't be able to teach, rebuke, correct and train others in righteousness.
Too often the subject of God's will is focused on what we desire for our lives. Therefore, we end up going in the wrong direction when it comes to discovering God's will. A key to discovering what God's will is can be found in the book of Hebrews.
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living." Hebrews 9"15-17
God's will is a description of the inheritance we have received as a result of the death of Jesus Christ. As the passage above states, "a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living (Heb.9:17)." Contrary to popular belief, the New Covenant began after the death of Jesus Christ, not at His birth. A will contains what a dead person desires to pass on to those who are still living. God's will is not about who we marry, where we live, what we eat, what job we have or what happens tomorrow. God's will is that we be thankful in all things, that all should come to repentance and that believers discover what it is He has given us through our faith in Christ. In Christ, we are redeemed, totally forgiven, totally sanctified, totally justified, at peace with God, have eternal life, are holy, blameless, righteous children of God. You know you are in God's will when you are engaging the world in accordance with what you have and not in hopes of what you wish to obtain.
Christians like to quote Hosea 4:6 which states, "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." While, in a general sense, what is said here can be applied to many situations, what often goes unmentioned is that this passage was written to Jews and not to Christians. But, even if we use this verse, I think those who quote it should realize that the knowledge Christian's lack is the knowledge of what we have in Christ. When we ask what is God's will for our lives, what we are really asking for is what is it that God is going to give me so I can prosper in this world? Thus, we spend our entire lives looking for the fleshly blessings of health and material gain. That is why you hear words like "obedience" thrown around so much. It is another way of making God's love and blessings conditional on our behavior. If you are "obedient," God will bless you. If you are "disobedient," God will curse you. That is not true this side of the Cross of Christ. Take a look at the following passages and then I want to ask a question.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3
The question is this: If God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ and given us everything we need for life and godliness, what more is there for you to get from Him? The greatest thing God ever gave any one of us is Himself! Unfortunately, many Christians fail to understand the eternal things that we have in Christ in order to pursue the temporal things offered by the world. It always amazes me how unbelievers seem to do just fine acquiring the things of the world apart from Christ, but Christians seek after the same things, supposedly, with God's help. As if His love and faithfulness to us is measured by how much success we have in the world or how much pain we avoid while in the world. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21)." If Jesus told us to store up treasures in Heaven and not treasures on earth, then perhaps God's will has nothing to do with earthly things. Think on that the next time you the subject of God's will arises.
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