Knowing God’s Will
I am firmly convinced that it is not possible to stand for the restoration of our marriages without first seeking and KNOWING God’s will, because that’s the only way we will ever have the strength and grace to do all it requires. As the Bible shows us over and over again, no matter what God calls us to do, HE ALWAYS provides EVERYTHING we need to do it. Many of the great men and women in the Bible felt totally unqualified or ill equipped for the work the Lord called them to…something we can ALL relate to! BUT…the rest of the story is that when they were obedient and trusted and relied on God to meet every need, doing what the Lord called them to do, they experienced miracles and blessings beyond anything they ever believed or imagined! Since the Bible tells us that God NEVER changes, we are assured that He will do the same thing for us!
One of the greatest obstacles to knowing God’s will is trying to make HIS will conform to ours, instead of the other way around, which we’re ALL guilty of at one time or another. But that’s a very dangerous stumbling block and pitfall, especially when we knowingly defy the word of God. God’s will is NEVER contrary to what His word, the Bible, teaches, so ANYTHING we’re doing that goes against the laws and principles found in the Bible can NOT be God’s will. One of the most unpleasant experiences in this ministry is when, in obedience to the Lord, I have to show a woman that what she wants or what she is doing is not in accordance with what the Bible teaches. It’s SO important to remember what 2 Timothy 4:3 tells us, which is For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. Sadly, we can always find preachers and teachers, or friends and other people we look to for spiritual guidance, who will tell us what we want to hear, but the only answer that matters, is what God says, and we can ALWAYS find that in His word, the Bible.
So, no matter what the question is, it’s very important to find at least one Bible verse revealing the Lord’s will about it, but it can’t be something taken out of context or given a meaning contrary to what the rest of the Bible teaches. Then, once the Lord speaks to us about something, we have His blessings and protection, and He will provide the grace and strength we need to stand on His word and promise to us. In the painful and difficult times when we have to face the reality that what we want is Not God’s will for our lives, we must believe and hold onto the Lord’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP), which says For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. We will NEVER, NEVER regret choosing to do the Lord’s will over our own, but we are very likely to greatly regret it when we don’t. I have learned that lesson in my own life so powerfully that I can’t imagine ever going against what I know God’s will is again, and now I even welcome the times when I have to choose His will over mine, because I know it will result in an abundance of blessings and unexpected results. In fact, I’ve even experienced times when I submitted to God’s will over what I wanted, or didn’t want, only to have the outcome in the end be EXACTLY what I wanted! What an awesome God it is who will change the expected, and seemingly inevitable, outcome of a situation to give us the desires of our hearts JUST because we were obedient and trusted Him! That’s why I love Psalm 37:4-6 SO much, which promises Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Charles Stanley continued his series about the will of God on his TV broadcast today, in which he discusses what keeps us from knowing and doing God’s will, such as our own self will, listening to the wrong people, ignorance of God’s principles or deliberately ignoring them, doubting God’s will, being too busy to listen to Him, fear of doing God’s will, and sin in our lives. As usual, I encourage everyone to listen to it, especially if you’re having a difficult time knowing or understanding God’s will for your life or in a particular situation, which you can do at this link, The Will of God: The Hinderances – April 2, 2006.