"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT)

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 NLT)

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

What is God's Will for Me?


Does God have a plan for me?  Yes, yes, yes!  He is very interested in your life and He wants to lead you!   We are not here to do our work, but to do God’s work.

We must live in the present, trusting in the Lord.  We must live our daily lives for Him and He will direct us and guide us towards what He wants us to do in the future.  He will get us where He wants us to go. 

Surrender

“1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 NLT)

To discover God’s Will for our lives, we must recognize that we do not belong to ourselves, but we belong to God.  Since we belong to Him, we must refrain from sinning.  We must put aside our own will and desires and replace them with God’s Will and desires.  We must refrain from copying the behavior and customs of this world.  We must refrain from our own selfish desires.  We must renew our minds and hearts – study God’s Word, worship and praise Him, pray, and fellowship with other believers.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

He Has a Plan for You

“15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  16 You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:15-16 NLT)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

Every life has purpose and meaning.  God wants to reveal that purpose and meaning to you.  He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible.  He speaks to us through circumstances and situations.  He will place a peace in your heart.  This peace reassures us that we are following His Will for our lives.

Read and Follow His Word

The Bible is the only book that has God’s message to his people.  God speaks to us through the pages of Scripture.  If we read and study the Bible, we will discover that His Will for us is not hidden.  It is crystal clear.  He always makes His Will clear to those who seek it with an obedient heart.

“Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.  3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— 5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 NLT)

God wants us to live under the control of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit produces such attributes as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives.  God wants us to live pure and holy lives.  He wants us to recognize that he is control of all the circumstances that surround our lives.  He wants us to be thankful.  We can rejoice that he has a purpose in mind for whatever we are going through.  God wants us to be repentant and come into a relationship with him. 

Trust God

“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8 NLT)

To find God’s will, we must completely trust God’s judgment and timing.  Ask God’s Will to be done in your life.  Seek Him before making life decisions, not after.  Honor the Lord by turning your back on evil and sin.  Put God first in your life.

Pray

Pray and seek with all your heart.  Diligently seek Him, wanting to know the path He has for you.  Seek God’s wisdom and guidance in everything you do.

“12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NLT)

Listen

“Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (Mark 4:9 NLT)

You may not be able to audibly hear God’s voice, but you will recognize it.  It comes like a gentle whisper.  This could be a simple reinforcement of what He has said in His Word.  Sometimes it comes as a “gut feeling” of what is right, which you know because of what He has said in His Word.  He won’t always speak to us in dramatic ways.  You will hear him during your daily Christian life when doing things such as reading the Bible, meditating on His Word, spending time in prayer, and fellowshipping and praising the Lord with other Christians.  Open your ears, open your mind, open your heart and open your Bible!

Transformation

We all have a sinful nature that tries to influence us.  We are to be transformed from living a life seeking the pleasures of this world and desire one that lives for the Lord.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

God’s Will

God’s will is to live for Him today.  He wants us to give our lives sacrificially to Him.  In turn, he will get us to where He wants us to be.  He will use us as it pleases Him.  We should confess and repent of any sin in our lives.  Finding God’s will comes when we live our life daily for Him.  It is revealed as we obey Him.

God’s will isn't always revealed immediately.  Our Father is never wrong.  His timing is always right.  If He sees that it is more profitable to reveal His will at a later time, He will do so.  The Lord wants us to wait for Him, move slowly together with Him, and take our steps only when we are certain of His Will.

The quickest way to move forward is on our knees with the Lord.  May He give us the strength to be quiet before Him and wait for and seek His Will.  May we stop our self, leave our self, and completely seek after Him.

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