God’s Will

Anybody ever ask you, “How do I know God’s will?” There are two possibilities why they would ask. The first is that they don’t spend time in God’s word and haven’t been exposed to it. I was reading in Zechariah this morning and came across a section in chapter 8 that jumped off the page because it couldn’t have been plainer. God speaking through Zechariah, “These are the things you should do: speak the truth…judge with truth…do not devise evil in your heart…do not love perjury, all these are what I hate.” Did you notice three of the four things deals with the truth: telling it, judging with it, hating its antithesis? Honesty, integrity, purity of thought and action are high on God’s list of His will, our what to dos.

In Proverbs 6:16-19

is another list of seven things the Lord hates, among them two of the seven deal with lying. Just the word lying, not counting other iterations, appears over 65 times in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Regardless of where you might be in your reading, if you’re spending any time at all, you’ll likely come across something about lying. So the excuse might go something like this: “I just have a hard time understanding what I’m reading.” That could be true for several reasons. They might be using ye olde translation, aka King James. Or they could be a new Christian and have to look up books in the index. Or they could be guilty of our topic today: stretching the truth because they’re lukewarm or lazy, or don’t have reverence for God (Ps.119:38). Which brings us to the second reason they ask.

They have read His word but don’t think the “restrictive” standards apply to them as much as to “Bob.” They need the section on the log and the speck (Matt. 7:3; Luke 6:41). They’re looking for a verse like Jeremiah 29:11, often taken out of context, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for prosperity and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This verse is a promise to Israel when they are in the middle of a 70-year exile in Babylon. But many preachers use it as a “proof text” for their prosperity gospel…then they ask you to dig deep and send a donation. They are also guilty of violating today’s topic. They are not “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Lest you think I’m accusing

others of purposely misleading for whatever reason, I’m just the messenger. You’ve heard the saying, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” The point I’m making is that God’s word is clear about His commands. Every time you see one, make a note. That’s part of God’s will. What you do with it will determine whether you hear “Well done” or “Depart from me” when you see Jesus at the final judgment.

Here’s a few just in the verses following verse 15 above: flee youthful lusts; pursue righteousness; refuse foolish and ignorant speculations; be kind, be skillful in teaching, be patient when wronged. These six commands appear in just three verses (22-24). Notice three are action words and three are attitudes. I call them the “do-attitudes” and the “be-attitudes” (see Matt.5:3-11). They are peppered throughout Scripture, if one only wants to see them for what they are: God’s will.

It all starts in our heart/mind.

We have to be honest seekers of God’s will and have intention of obeying what we’re shown. We’re told in Rom. 12:2 not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by renewing our minds. Why? So that you may prove what the will of God is. As an aside, look up how many times the phrase “so that” appears in Scripture. God always has purpose in what He says and does.

Let’s go back to my original question. The next time you’re in a conversation about knowing the will of God, remember this post, especially the parts about “skillful in teaching” and “be patient” because at that moment, you’re the teacher. Not to dissuade or scare you into avoiding the issue, but to remind you that as teachers, we have a greater responsibility to teach the truth (James 3:1).

If you were hoping to find here the answers to which job to take, which house to buy, which…anything, don’t try to run before you walk. But if you can honestly say you’re doing these things above, then you’re in the kind of relationship with God that allows you to do whatever you want because His Spirit will steer you toward choices that honor Him.

Glad you took the time to read this. May God grant you your heart’s desire to know Him, love Him and serve Him better today than yesterday.