Be conformed to the universal will of God. Make it your goal to obey God's revealed will concerning salvation—living in the Spirit, sharing your faith, obeying your parents, remaining sexually pure, and so on. Use the 4C Process regarding God's universal will: CHOICE (right or wrong), COMPARE (the precepts, principles and the person of God) , COMMIT (to God's ways, not yours), and COUNT (on God's provision and protection). See earlier blogs.
Be informed about the specific will of God. Submit every decision to the four step process of seeking God's will in the Bible, seeking God's will through prayer, seek God's will through the counsel of others, and seek God's will through your circumstances. See earlier blogs.
Do what you want. Live with confidence that God will give you the desires of your heart as long as your number one desire is to serve Him. Cultivate a daily walk of faith, believing that if your desires are not God's will, He will let you know.
Don't worry about the future. God is sovereign and your future is in His hands, so don't worry about college, marriage, your career, or anything else. Simply say daily, "Lord, I want to do what You want." Then it is up to Him to work in you to accomplish His will and fulfill your desires.
Showing posts with label specific will. Show all posts
Showing posts with label specific will. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Do What You Want (continued)
Seeking God's will is done most effectively through a four step process. Seeking God's will in the Bible and seeking God's will in prayer have been discussed. Here are the remaining two:
Seek God's will in the counsel of others. God has placed wise, mature Christians in your life to help you discern God's specific will. Your parents, grandparents, other family members, your youth leader, your Sunday school teacher, and your minister may fill this role. Seeking the objective opinion of others may keep you from making an emotional decision on your own. Also, a mature believer can speak from a background of experiences you may not have.
Seek God's will in your circumstances. God often directs us through external circumstances that are seemingly beyond our control. For example, you may have a special aptitude for music and be offered a generous scholarship. But suppose you have no resources for college. Just because circumstances seem to be against you does not mean a music career is not in God's specific will for your life. Circumstances must be balanced by Scripture, prayer, and the wise counsel of others.
Let's assume that you are conforming your life to God's universal will (salvation, submission, life in the Spirit, etc.) and you have sought His specific will in Scripture, prayer, counsel, and circumstances. How do you decide what to do? Simply do what you want to do. Psalm 37:4 promises, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." You are free to follow the desires of your heart! And believe that if your desires are somehow not in God's will, He will make it clear to you.
Seek God's will in the counsel of others. God has placed wise, mature Christians in your life to help you discern God's specific will. Your parents, grandparents, other family members, your youth leader, your Sunday school teacher, and your minister may fill this role. Seeking the objective opinion of others may keep you from making an emotional decision on your own. Also, a mature believer can speak from a background of experiences you may not have.
Seek God's will in your circumstances. God often directs us through external circumstances that are seemingly beyond our control. For example, you may have a special aptitude for music and be offered a generous scholarship. But suppose you have no resources for college. Just because circumstances seem to be against you does not mean a music career is not in God's specific will for your life. Circumstances must be balanced by Scripture, prayer, and the wise counsel of others.
Let's assume that you are conforming your life to God's universal will (salvation, submission, life in the Spirit, etc.) and you have sought His specific will in Scripture, prayer, counsel, and circumstances. How do you decide what to do? Simply do what you want to do. Psalm 37:4 promises, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." You are free to follow the desires of your heart! And believe that if your desires are somehow not in God's will, He will make it clear to you.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Scripture and Prayer
"So once I am committed to following God's universal will," you may say, "how do I discover
God's specific will day by day?" Seeking His will is done most effectively through a four step process:
Seek God's will in the Bible. Knowing Scripture is basic to seeking and understanding God's will. For example, you don't have to wonder whether God wants you to marry an unbeliever, because 2 Corinthians 6:14 states, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" If your idea of God's specific will for you doesn't line up with Scripture, then it's your will, not God's.
Seek God's will in prayer. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10). God is not hiding His will from you; He is willing and able to give you the direction you seek. Ask Him for it daily and as often as you need to. To be continued.
God's specific will day by day?" Seeking His will is done most effectively through a four step process:
Seek God's will in the Bible. Knowing Scripture is basic to seeking and understanding God's will. For example, you don't have to wonder whether God wants you to marry an unbeliever, because 2 Corinthians 6:14 states, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" If your idea of God's specific will for you doesn't line up with Scripture, then it's your will, not God's.
Seek God's will in prayer. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10). God is not hiding His will from you; He is willing and able to give you the direction you seek. Ask Him for it daily and as often as you need to. To be continued.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Commit and Count
The 4C Process helps you make right moral choices in conformity with God's universal will. CHOICE and COMPARE have been discussed. The next two are:
C3. COMMIT to God's way. Once you have compared your selfish desires to God's absolute
standard, you must choose between your way and God's way. Nobody can do this for you. You must consciously turn from your selfish way and firmly commit to God's way.
C4. COUNT on God's protection and provision. When you admit God's sovereignty and submit to His loving authority, you can begin to count on His protection and provision. This doesn't mean everything will be rosy. In fact, God says pretty bluntly that you will suffer at times for choosing to live by His standard of righteousness. But living God's way brings many spiritual blessings, like freedom from guilt, a clear conscience, the joy of sharing Christ, and, most important, the blessing of God in your life. You may also enjoy many physical, emotional, psychological, and relational benefits when you commit to God's ways. While God's protection and provision should not be the primary motivation for obeying Him, it certainly provides powerful encouragement for choosing His will.
C3. COMMIT to God's way. Once you have compared your selfish desires to God's absolute
standard, you must choose between your way and God's way. Nobody can do this for you. You must consciously turn from your selfish way and firmly commit to God's way.
C4. COUNT on God's protection and provision. When you admit God's sovereignty and submit to His loving authority, you can begin to count on His protection and provision. This doesn't mean everything will be rosy. In fact, God says pretty bluntly that you will suffer at times for choosing to live by His standard of righteousness. But living God's way brings many spiritual blessings, like freedom from guilt, a clear conscience, the joy of sharing Christ, and, most important, the blessing of God in your life. You may also enjoy many physical, emotional, psychological, and relational benefits when you commit to God's ways. While God's protection and provision should not be the primary motivation for obeying Him, it certainly provides powerful encouragement for choosing His will.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Compare: Precepts, Principles, Person
The 4C Process helps you make right moral choices in conformity with God's universal will. CHOICE was discussed last time. The next is:
C2. COMPARE it to God. Compare your choice of action to the nature and character of God. First, compare your choice to God's precepts— the rules, regulations, codes, and requirements of Scripture. Are there specific Bible passages that tell you what to do in this instance?
Second, compare your choice to a universal principle based on Scripture. Principles help explain the "why" behind the precepts. For example, the basic principle behind "You shall not give false testimony" (Exodus. 20:16) is honesty. The principle behind "You shall not murder" (Exodus. 20:13) is love. Is there a scriptural principle that applies to the choice you need to make?
Third, compare your choice to the person of God. The precepts and principles of Scripture ultimately point us to God. Moses prayed, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you" (Exodus. 33:13). Moses recognized that learning God's ways—understanding His precepts and the principles behind them—would help him grow to know the person of God Himself. When you compare a specific choice or course of action to God, you will begin to see the will of God more clearly. To be continued.
C2. COMPARE it to God. Compare your choice of action to the nature and character of God. First, compare your choice to God's precepts— the rules, regulations, codes, and requirements of Scripture. Are there specific Bible passages that tell you what to do in this instance?
Second, compare your choice to a universal principle based on Scripture. Principles help explain the "why" behind the precepts. For example, the basic principle behind "You shall not give false testimony" (Exodus. 20:16) is honesty. The principle behind "You shall not murder" (Exodus. 20:13) is love. Is there a scriptural principle that applies to the choice you need to make?
Third, compare your choice to the person of God. The precepts and principles of Scripture ultimately point us to God. Moses prayed, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you" (Exodus. 33:13). Moses recognized that learning God's ways—understanding His precepts and the principles behind them—would help him grow to know the person of God Himself. When you compare a specific choice or course of action to God, you will begin to see the will of God more clearly. To be continued.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
What Should I Do?
It is important to understand that God most often reveals His specific will a day at a time. Many Christians pray, "What is Your will for me for next month, next year, or for my life?" But God seldom works that way. In John 16:12, Jesus told His disciples, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear." If God told you what you would be doing fifteen years from now, it might blow you away. So He unfolds His will a step at a time or a day at a time so we can "bear it."
There is a process to help you make right moral choices in conformity with God's universal will. It's called the 4C Process. Suppose a teacher asks you if you have completed a reading assignment. Saying no will hurt your grade, but you have barely begun the reading. What do you say? Or imagine that a friend tells you some juicy gossip about one of the families in your church, and you are just itching to pass it on to someone else? What should you do? The 4C Process will help you decide God's will in such situations.
C1. Consider the CHOICE. Every one of these "little" choices represents a choice between right and wrong. Every decision represents an opportunity to select either God's will or your own way. Consider the choice means to stop and ask yourself, "Who determines what is right or wrong in this situation?" It should help you remember that your choice is not between what you think is right and wrong; it's between what is objectively right and wrong regardless of what you think. To be continued.
There is a process to help you make right moral choices in conformity with God's universal will. It's called the 4C Process. Suppose a teacher asks you if you have completed a reading assignment. Saying no will hurt your grade, but you have barely begun the reading. What do you say? Or imagine that a friend tells you some juicy gossip about one of the families in your church, and you are just itching to pass it on to someone else? What should you do? The 4C Process will help you decide God's will in such situations.
C1. Consider the CHOICE. Every one of these "little" choices represents a choice between right and wrong. Every decision represents an opportunity to select either God's will or your own way. Consider the choice means to stop and ask yourself, "Who determines what is right or wrong in this situation?" It should help you remember that your choice is not between what you think is right and wrong; it's between what is objectively right and wrong regardless of what you think. To be continued.
Monday, May 24, 2010
God's Specific Will
God's universal will is clear and indisputable because it is spelled out in His Word. Trusting Christ, submitting totally to Christ, being filled with the Spirit, obeying your parents and remaining sexually pure were already discussed. Here's the last one:
Share your faith. Christians need never ask God, "Should I share my faith with others?" God's will is already revealed in this area—for all believers. Jesus commanded, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). God's will is that you share your faith with all nations—not just those across the ocean but also with those across the hall and the lunch table.
As you set your heart to obey these and other facets of God's clearly revealed will in Scripture, you are in the perfect spot to discover God's specific will for your life. It doesn't matter which question you are asking right now: Whom should I date or marry? What school should I attend? What major should I declare? What classes should I take? What career should I prepare for? Or any of dozens of other seemingly important and urgent decisions you may face. By committing yourself to follow God's universal will, you open the door for God to reveal His specific will for your life.
Share your faith. Christians need never ask God, "Should I share my faith with others?" God's will is already revealed in this area—for all believers. Jesus commanded, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). God's will is that you share your faith with all nations—not just those across the ocean but also with those across the hall and the lunch table.
As you set your heart to obey these and other facets of God's clearly revealed will in Scripture, you are in the perfect spot to discover God's specific will for your life. It doesn't matter which question you are asking right now: Whom should I date or marry? What school should I attend? What major should I declare? What classes should I take? What career should I prepare for? Or any of dozens of other seemingly important and urgent decisions you may face. By committing yourself to follow God's universal will, you open the door for God to reveal His specific will for your life.
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