Knowing God's Will for Your Life

The Bible is the most inspirational book ever written, because it is the Word of God, wrote down by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Word of God says that it is God's will for men to be saved, so the Bible is a good place to start finding God' will.

2Peter 3:9 tells us, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." To repent is to feel remorse but true repentance is to change your thinking and a change of thinking leads to a change of actions. A change of action causes a change of reaction from others.

Jesus also made this very clear in Mark 3:31-35. Jesus was teaching a crowd in His home town (Nazareth) when His mother and brothers arrived. It was so crowded that His family could not get to Him. They sent someone to call Him and Jesus was told, "Your mother and brothers are looking for you." Jesus looked at those who were seated around Him saying, "Here are my mother and brothers! Who so ever does the will of my Father is my brother, sister and mother." Many of those whom He was teaching had known Him since childhood, they knew that Jesus was a carpenter's son. They must have thought that He was off His rocker when He said this, they didn't understand. Jesus was saying that those who do the will of God are related to Him, therefore having the right to share in His inheritance (the Father's blessing).

Without Jesus Christ, men are a stranger to God the Father, they are rebels and aliens in God's universe. Yet His desire is that men be saved. So much so that He sent His Son to die on a cross (a final blood sacrifice, atonement for sin).

The second step in knowing God's will for your life is to be become Spirit filled. That is what the word of God teaches us.

"For who among men know the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11). The only way to receive His Spirit is through Christ Jesus.

You might ask, "What does it mean to be Spirit filled?" Well, the moment one professes Jesus Christ as their Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to live within you.

Yes, all christians have the Holy Spirit, whether they know it or not but it is one thing to have the Spirit and another to be filled with the Spirit. A christian has within them a concentrated powerful force of divine energy, the question is... How does a christian release that power of the Holy Spirit?

Yield to and stand on the Word of God, which is the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, truth, faithfulness and the fear of the Lord (fear of the Lord in regard to feelings of respect and awe), that's how! God's Word is Spirit, He spoke creation into being. And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light back in Genesis 1:3.

You must understand, we're talking about God the Creator, the only true living God (there is only one, he is the Alpha & Omega) and we were made in His image, mind, body and spirit.

• The mind of God = The Father
  
• The body was manifest in Jesus Christ
  
• The spirit being His Holy Spirit

Likewise, we have a mind, body and spirit.

• Our mind is comprehension, it gives us the ability to understand the meaning or importance of something, knowledge is acquired as a result. Some folks refer to this as our soul.
  
• The body in which we live in for the time being is flesh, it is our means of living in the natural (physical) realm.
  
• Your spirit is the real you ("I"), the spirit is your inner core and is eternal. Often, when scripture talks about the heart, it is referring to the spirit.

Facing the adversity

Often, a christian will hold back the power of God's Spirit, because fear of ridicule and persecution are powerful stoppers that must be overcome. Yield to the Holy Spirit so that you can become what He is. A Spirit filled life is living with a conscious presence of the indwelling Christ.

"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God... Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, suffered, died, was burried and rose from the dead is from God the Father but every spirit that does not acknowledge this is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist, which you've heard is coming and even now is already in the world." Test the spirits, read 1 John chapter 4.

A Holy Spirit filled life will express itself in making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks and praise to Him who supplies all your needs. Read the book of Ephesians in your bible for a more comprehensible explanation, it's only 6 short chapters.

Are you beginning to see what the Holy Spirit filled life is? Becoming saturated with the things of Christ, His Word, His Person and taking part in His inheritance. Study the Holy Bible, which discloses all He is.

Obedience to God's Word equals abundance or prosperity, while disobedience equals lack or poverty in other words. Listen, there is no recession or depression in God's kingdom, because He is a loving Father who wants the best for His children. Some have the misconception that lack is a part of life but that is not the will of God for the believer.

However, faith in the Word of God is the monetary system in which the Kingdom operates. No faith - no goods or services. As in any kingdom, a monetary exchange must take place for goods and services, right? Well, the same principle applies in God's kingdom, you must believe and have confidence in what the Bible says God's Word can do... It will! Faith in His word is like having a title deed, although you don't see the property that is described on the deed, you know it exists, because the property is described on the title deed. With the deed in hand, you can be confident in knowing that there is a piece of property, which fits the description show on the title deed.

Faith and obedience to the will of God (according to His Word in the Bible), does bring prosperity. It's a law, as sure as gravity is a law. Keep in mind that the Creator does not change, He is the same as He has always been, as He is today and will be for eternity.

I'm saying that when all your needs are met to a point of overflowing, you are rich. To think that richness equals money is thinking one dimensionally. To be whole in every area of your life is richness, in the scope of your health, relationships with others, your joy, finances, ect.

Is it inconceivable to think that you can go through life fully supplied, even free of debt? No, it's not. But you have to begin with a change of thought, put or direct your thoughts in line with the will of God and in order to do this, you must read, listen, absorb and feed on God's Word, which has been wrote down for our benefit in a book called "The Holy Bible".

Speak those things that are not as though they are and through faith in the Word of God these things will manifest themselves from the unseen realm into physical being, if and only if your motives are righteous (in accordance with God's Word). Turn to the right and say, "I believe God."

Call it religion if you must but the only religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this... "To look after orphans, widows in their distress and to keep oneself from becoming polluted by this natural word system" (James 1:27). The world will have us believe that the promises of God are a myth, this could not be further from the truth.

Doubt will block God's blessing

Again and again Jesus speaks of the power of faith throughout the New Testament and how doubt will disable the fruitfulness of faith. His brother James puts it this way in James 1:5-7 "If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. But when you ask, you must believe with no doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect anything from the Lord, because they are double minded people and unstable in all they do."

John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, I (Jesus) have come that they (us) may have life and have it to the full".

This verse of scripture makes me believe (you should also believe) that it is God's will for us to live an abundant life. This is gospel truth, according to God's will, you are to enjoy life and it's abundance until it overflows. Not everybody will receive it, because not everybody will believe it, you must choose to believe and choose to seek God's kingdom. Turn to your Bible an read Matthew 6:25-34, the gist of this scripture is "do not worry", seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness and all your needs will be given to you as well.

Speak the will of God into your life by saying things such as, "I will be made rich in every way so that I can be generous on every occasion and through Christ Jesus, my generosity will result in thanksgiving to God the Father."

Tame the Tongue

Proverbs 18:20 says that our words have the power of life and death, so watch your mouth and James 3 tells us that we are setting the course of our lives with our words. Saying things like, "I don't think we're ever going to get ahead." and "This job is killing me." Your words are binding! The Bible tells us that we will give an account for every careless word we have spoken. Is that not a sobering thought? Don't fear the authority given you by the kingdom of God, rejoice in it and speak of good things.

A Warning to the Disobedient

Isaiah 1:19, "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." That's crystal clear, disobedience will lead to destruction. What's more, we are given a choice. So, who in their right mind would choose to rebel? Nobody, except those being deceived.

Poverty Does Not Come From God

Who is the thief? Satan. Who comes to kill and destroy? It's not God the Father! He may turn His back and let Satan have his way with you, because of your disobedience. The Lord will release His wrath at an appointed time in the future but in this age (church age), He is full of grace.

How many of you think you're supposed to have life and enjoy it? You're right, it's true but if you go around saying, "I don't have enough to pay the bills or why does this always happen to me." You are speaking of things that will choke the blessing of Abraham, which is your inheritance (as a Christian) through the promise of God, ye of little faith. That is what Satan wants you to believe. Don't let your mouth contradict your beliefs. "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

The bible says that a poor man's poverty is his destruction, so why would God endorse poverty when his word says that poverty is designed to destroy you? The bible says poverty destroys. Satan robs, kills and destroys. Then poverty must come from Satan. When you step into the light (word of God) and begin to turn your life around by becoming obedient to His Word, you will immediately meet resistance from the enemy.

Go to Matthew 13: "The Parable of the Sower", Read verses 3 through 9. The Almighty provided the seed, it is the word of God and the soil is the heart of men. With that in mind, we see what God reveals in His Word.

In Mark chapter 4, his account of Jesus's parable of the sower puts emphasis on understanding God's will. Understanding the Word allows us to possess it in a way so as Satan can not take it away by the distractions of worldly worries, sickness or by deception. That is why it is so important to seek and gain understanding.

Sown Seed Reaps a Harvest

Allow the seed to be sown in your heart (receive it through your eye and ear gate, these are two of the three gates to your heart), guard it and let the seed grow and increase faith. The Lord provides the good seed by His word but men must receive and sow it into the soil of their own spirit (heart). God is not responsible for sowing the seed, it's your responsibility.

Don't let worry, strife and fear choke the plant and the plant will grow into a tree. Speak the word, even if you have to speak it to yourself, for out of the mouth (third gate to the heart) comes the overflow of the heart. Finally, reap the harvest! Each one of us sows seed whether we realize this or not, some sow wheat and others sow weeds.

Again, poverty in terms of lack or insufficiency is not God's will for your life. Peace of mind is an area of great wealth. You can rest in His peace, the peace of mind of knowing what you know about life's truths in the Word of God. Confident in knowing that all your needs will be met to the point of overflowing but it is you who makes that choice by choosing obedience or disobedience of God's Word.

Do not forget the Lord's teaching, keep His commands in your heart. For they will prolong your life many years. Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart (your inner being). Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and men.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise n your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops (tithe, an offering of a tenth part of some personal income). Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine.

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves as a father does the son he delights in.

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding. For she is more profitable than silver and yields a better return than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her, because long life is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are piece. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, those who lay hold of her will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place, by His knowledge the deeps were divided and the clouds let drop the dew.

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight, because they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid and your sleep will be sweet.

Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow." When you now have it with you. Do not plot harm against your neighbor who lives trustfully near you and do not accuse a man for no reason when he has done you no harm.

Do not envy a violent man or chose any of his ways, for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into confidence. The Lord's curse is on the house of the unrepentant wicked but blesses the home of the righteous. He mocks proud mockers but give grace to the humble. The wise inherit honor but fools He holds up to shame.

The will of God for your life is not merely a place. The will of God concerns you as a person. If you are the right you, than you can follow your desires and you will fulfill His will for your life. You might bounce off of a lot of closed doors but that is the Lord's way of bringing you to His open door. Whatever happens in your life along the way is cause for you to give thanks, because "this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18). He is preparing you to fulfill His plan for your life.