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Knowing God’s Will
How Do I Know God’s Will?
by Charles R. Swindoll
Scriptures: Philippians
2:12-13 English Standard Version (ESV)
Lights in the World
“12 Therefore, my
beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my
presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work
for his good pleasure.”
Want
to know God's will for your life? Let me ask you to stop, look, and listen.
God
makes His desires known to those who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive
spirit, and listen to others.
When
we go to His Word, we stop long enough to hear from above.
When
we look, we examine our surrounding circumstances in light of what He is saying
to our inner spirit (perhaps you prefer to call this your conscience).
And
when we listen to others, we seek the counsel of wise, qualified people.
1.
Stop at the Scriptures
The
Bible tells us that the entrance of God's Word gives light (Psalm 119:130).
That
it is a lamp for our feet and a light that shines brightly on our path (Psalm 119:105).
God
has placed His Word in our hands and allowed it to be translated into our
tongue (both were His determined will) so we could have a
much more objective set of guidelines to follow than our dreams, hunches, and
feelings.
Sixty-six
books filled with precepts and principles. And the better we know His Word, the
more clearly we will know His will.
Precepts. Some of the statements that appear in the Bible are
specific, black-and-white truths that take all the guesswork about God's will
out of the way. Here are a few:
“For this is
the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual
immorality.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
“See that no
one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good
for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in
everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15–18)
These
specific things are stated to be the will of God.
There
are even times that suffering is directly the will of God for us.
First
Corinthians 7says a lot about remaining single as well as being committed to
one's marriage.
Clearly,
this chapter (along with 2 Corinthians 6:14) states that a Christian is
definitely not to marry a non-Christian.
These
are finely tuned precepts that reveal God's will.
Principles. But the Bible also has principles, general guidelines to
assist us through the gray areas.
Not
so much "do this" and "don't do that," but an appeal to use
wisdom and discretion when such are needed.
We
have both precepts and principles in our traffic laws.
The
sign that reads "Speed Limit 35" is a precept.
The
one that reads "Drive Carefully" is a principle.
And
that principle will mean one thing on a deserted street at two o'clock in the
morning, but something else entirely at three-thirty in the afternoon when
children are walking home from school.
Just
remember this: A primary purpose of the Word of God is to help us know the will
of God.
Become
a careful, diligent student of Scripture.
Those
who are will be better equipped to understand His desires and walk in them.
2.
Look Around and Within
Philippians
2:12-13 presents a good cause for our cooperating with the Lord's leading:
“So then, my
beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for
it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good
pleasure.”
These
verses highlight three specifics:
- There's a willingness to obey.
- There's the need to "work
out" or give ourselves to doing our part with a sensitive spirit (fear
and trembling).
- And then there's the promise that God will "work in you" to accomplish
His plan.
As
we remain alert to His working, paying close attention to doors He opens and
closes, He directs us into His will.
Closed
doors are just as much God's leading as open ones.
The
believer who wants to do God's will must remain sensitive and
cooperative, not forcing his or her way into areas that God closes off.
The
Lord uses circumstances and expects us to "read" them with a
sensitive, alert conscience.
We
must stop and check His Word.
We
must look around and within.
And
there is one more helpful piece of advice to remember. We must .
. .
3.
Listen to the Counsel of Qualified People
Solomon
the wise once wrote:
“A plan in the
heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of understanding draws it
out.” (Proverbs 20:5)
“Iron sharpens
iron, So one man sharpens another . . . . As in water face reflects
face, So the heart of man reflects man.” (Proverbs 27:17, 19)
Like
a quarterback, facing fourth-and-one on the thirty-yard line, who calls a
time-out to consult with the coach, so must we.
God
uses others to help us know His desires.
God
makes His will known:
(1) through His Word . . . as we stop and study it,
(2) through circumstances . . . as we look within and
sense what He is saying, and
(3) through the counsel of others . . . as we listen
carefully.
God makes His desires known to those
who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive spirit, and listen to others.
— Charles R. Swindoll
Excerpted from Avoiding Stress Fractures, Copyright ©
1990, 1995 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. For
additional information and resources visit us at www.insight.org.
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