Will Of God - Part II

Walking in God’s will:

Why must one walk in God’s will? This is an intriguing question because the answer to this question would direct us into looking at the foundations of our faith. We must remind ourselves of the Gospel and the question as to ‘why’, will dissolve itself in the Gospel for there is no other Name by which we can be saved and there is none that ‘willed’ for us to take us to our Home, beyond the grave to the celestial shore. The question dissolves itself or loses its meaning once we acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. To ask ‘why should one walk in God’s will?’ is to questionone’s own commitment to follow Jesus Christ. A commitment to follow Jesus is a commitment to walk in the will of God.

The will of God is certainly the best we can have for our lives, ever. Because of the mystery that exists in this will of God for our lives, in life’s situations many a time, we fail to see the beauty and majesty of God’s will and sovereignty in our lives and thereby fail to trust Him. This makes us stoop down into situations rather than focussingon Jesus, who has willed and designed our lives for His glory. He knows the big picture and we will do well if we would simply trust Him through all our situations. Yet, God has not left us in the dark to wander about without any directions but God has placed many a sign-posts along the way and has given us His precious Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, to guide and lead us in all our ways. A life, lived according to God’s will is glorious and the end thereof is eternal life.

I have borrowed the following principles from the book, ‘The Grand Weaver’ by Ravi Zacharias. It was expedient for me to do this as it provides clarity in what I intend to share with you. Although, the content of it, I’ve written it as the Lord has led me.

ABCD’s to walk in God’s will:

A - Asking without pettiness.

B - Being before doing

C - Convictions without compromise

D - Discipline without drudgery

Asking without pettiness:

⁹“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. ¹¹“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹²“Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”. Luke 11:9-13.

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples. He urged them to ask, to seek and to knock. Let us then ask, seek and knock! What do we ask of God? Here, when Jesus quotes of asking of the heavenly Father, He speaks of asking for the Holy Spirit and not a material or a physical thing. We must ask without pettiness. The verse speaks of us receiving the Holy Spirit as well as being filled with Him each day. As we read in the following verses, it’s Him who can guide and lead us to know the Will and the mind of God.

⁹ However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.2 Corinthians 2:9-14.

If there be God’s will for one’s life and if he must walk by and in it, then he must be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is not an event that happens on some special occasion but it is an everyday experience of being renewed in Spirit. We see, in the life of Jesus that He would seclude Himself to be alone with the Father, so must you seclude yourself to be alone with God. It is not the spirit of this world, but it is the blessed Spirit of God that the redeemed of Christ have. So then, child of God, be renewed in the Spirit each day, be led by the Spirit of God and walk in step with the Spirit. How shall I renew myself in Spirit each day? It is simply by sitting in His presence with absolute surrender and asking of the Holy Spirit to come and fill you. Then, there shall be a flame that never goes out, a communion that never ceases and in all your walk, you will walk in the Will of God.

Being before doing:

We are God’s marvelous created ‘beings’ and not doings. As uniquely as we were created, we were created for the glory of God. Herein, what is impressed is this, you and I,‘being’ a child of God goes before any of our doings. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we become new creatures in Christ Jesus, born not of the flesh but of the Spirit, a heavenly being called to live with eternal purposes. This ‘being’ that you and I are by believing in Jesus, takes its preeminence before the actionscome forth through us.

Everything that we do, must always be an act that is birthed from the beings we are. We are the children of God, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Also, we see in the life of Joseph, though opportunity presented itself before him to commit adultery, Joseph, ‘being’ one who fears God fled from the place. His ‘being’ went before his doing and thereby he kept himself holy. (Genesis 39:9). It is very much necessary for you and me to ask ourselves whether the action that is done is fitting for a child of God. The identity that you have in Christ goes way before what you and I may do. We may ask ourselves questions like these: Will a child of God do this? Will a child of God choose this? Et cetera.

Convictions without compromise:

Jesus said that the Spirit of God will convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment. There are several convictions that the Spirit of God has given and continues to give us. This includes personal convictions as well as impersonal convictions. It is paramount for us to have ‘convictions without compromise’ to walk in God’s will. We must be willing to be led by the Spirit of God and must have convictions that we will not compromise on which the Spirit of the Lord has given us. It is very important that our convictions must be shaped and given by the Spirit of God, else they might lead us away from God’s will and His purposes.

We all have convictions, if we do, we must check whether it be of the Spirit of God or by our own fleshly intentions. Now, having convictions that is given by the Spirit of God, it is necessary that we do not compromise on them in our walk with God. I love this passage in the book of Daniel of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

We read in Daniel, chapter 3. King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden image for all officials and peopletobow down and worship at the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music. The Word of God speaks of three, Hananiah(Shadrach), Mishael(Meshach) and Azariah(Abed Nego), who held on to their convictions with no compromise despite the King’s command. Their faith in God was with unflinching boldness. Having refused to obey the King’s command, they are summoned before the King. They stood regal before the King and replied with great effrontery as the following passage shows us,

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us^[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

It is important that we have convictions without compromise as these children of God had. Their convictions went beyond their own lives. They were willing to lay down their lives but will not compromise on their conviction of worshiping the only true living God. Their conviction was rooted in their obedience to the commands of God. They trusted God beyond their lives according to His sovereign Will. It is not that God is incapable of saving them from the fiery furnace but even if the latter be the sovereign will of God, they were willing to yield themselves but not compromise. However, we see how God saved them from the fiery furnace and glorified His name throughout the kingdom. It is the same when we hold on to the convictions given by the Holy Spirit without compromise, we bring glory to God.

The same can be said of the apostles when they declared to the persecuting officials that it was necessary for them to obey God rather than men. It is the same of Joseph, Daniel and many saints of God who held on to their convictions with no compromise.

In our walk in God’s will, it is clear that many a time we walk away from His will when we truly do not have convictions in many areas of our life. I believe it is expedient for us to have convictions that are guided by the Holy Spirit and thereby walk in His will.

Discipline without drudgery:

In walking with God’s will, I believe we must have discipline without drudgery. Having a discipline everyday might be mundane and ritual yet I greatly believe it is necessary to walk in God’s will.

It’s written “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Proverbs 1:7 (NLT).

⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.Hebrews 12:5-11.

God disciplines those he loves.

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.1 Corinthians 9:27.

In like manner, discipline is necessary to walk in the will of God. I believe this to be one of the most important discipline of a child of God, to spend time in the presence of Jesus every day. We must speak to him and spend time in His presence each day without drudgery.

That’s all with the principles. I would like to conclude with an excerpt from the book ‘On Being a servant of God’ by Warren W. Wiersbe.

“If you’re serving in the will of God, you’re like Esther: “You have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). What God starts, He finishes (Phil. 1:6). If you decide to quit, He will lovingly discipline you until you’re willing to obey, just as He did with Jonah. If you persist in your rebellion, He may put you on the shelf and label you “disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). God will get his work done either with you or without you (Esther 4:14), but you’re the loser if you quit. 

You must depend on the eternal purposes of God and the unchanging promises of God if you’re to keep going when the going is tough. Take my word for it, the going will be tough; but God’s purposes and promises will not fail."

I urge you then to take out time, give yourself to God in prayer and surrender to Him to walk in His will. A life lived according to the will of God is glorious irrespective of what we walk through. Greater trials bring greater glory. God bless you.

                                                                     Allen Joseph Abraham

        SRM Alumnus

            Instrumentation and Control Engineering