Pastor A

In studying James chapter four, I find that there are at least seven ways to miss God’s will for your life. Here is an overview of the seven:

1. I miss God’s will when I follow my sensual desires. James 4:1, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?“

2. I miss God’s will when I put me first. James 4:2, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.“

3. I miss God’s will when I pray with the wrong motives. James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.“

4. I miss God’s will when I fail to confess my known sin. James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.“

5. I miss God’s will when I choose wrong friends for my life. James 4:4, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.“

6. I miss God’s will when I refuse to humble myself. James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.“

7. I miss God’s will when I reject God’s grace for my life. James 4:13-17, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.“

These seven sobering thoughts should cause us to pause and consider our own personal life as it stands before God.

Philip was not quick to understand spiritual things or attempt to live by faith. In fact, he was probably the “slowest” mentally and spiritually of all the disciples. At the feeding of the five thousand, when Jesus asked him where they could get enough bread to feed the people, Philip did not respond in faith. He did not say, “Why, You can provide bread for them, Lord. We saw You turn water into wine. This should not be too hard for You.”

No, all Philip could say to the Son of God is found in John 6:5-7, “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” When the searching Greeks came to him at the feast, wanting to find Jesus, Philip did not even have the spiritual boldness to deal with them himself. He had to take them to Andrew, who helped him introduce them to Christ.

John 12:20-22, “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.“

But, Philip never gave up. Every day he stayed close to the Master, getting to know Him more perfectly, obeying His teaching as it became plain to him. And before too long, it all fell in place for him. Philip found the will of God… not because he was full of faith, abundantly talented or spiritually brilliant. Because Philip’s heart was right and because he daily obeyed and learned more from the Master, Philip found God’s will for his life.

You may not be the outstanding Christian in your church. You may never be recognized for your talents or abilities. You may even share with Philip the reputation of being “slow”, and “underachiever.” But when it comes to knowing and doing the will of God, you have the same opportunity and capability as anyone. God’s will does not belong to a favored few; it belongs to all who from the heart of trust and obey the Master completely.  

Continuing with yesterday’s thought of examining mistakes that Christians make concerning God’s will, let’s look at three more mistakes that are made in one’s thinking:

Mistake #4: “Well, Lord, I’ve decided that the best way I can serve you is…” Some Christians get the idea they can decide God’s will on their own. For instance, it sounds very spiritual to say, “Lord, I am going to be a businessman and give lots of money to you.” But, this does not impress God.

Mistake #5: “Man, everything is going so good, I must be in God’s will.” Just because we are having no problems or stress is certainly no indication that we are doing what God wants us to do. The book of I Peter has a lot to say about how much we may expect to go through while we are in the very center of His will. The apostle calls it the “test of faith.”

Mistake #6: “I’ve disobeyed the Lord. I missed His will some time ago, and now I am doomed to ‘second best.‘” This kind of thinking certainly does not result from a careful study of God’s Word. Think about Peter. He blew is so many times. Once he even denied knowing the Lord. Yet he became the great preacher of the early church. God used him in spite of all his limitations and failures. He will do the same in your life.

Let’s not make these six mistakes in our discovery of God’s perfect will for our life. May we each immerse ourselves in the truth of His Word. May we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us!

Christians often make serious mistakes about God’s will. Some of these mistakes are expressed in the following thoughts:

Mistake #1: “Well, this is something I really want to do, so it can’t possibly be God’s will.“  This is far from the truth. Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” This does not mean you are going to get a new BMW just because you prayed for it. This verse means that your will and God’s will begin to coincide, if you are praying with the right motives.

Mistake #2: “I don’t know exactly what God is trying to tell me, so I just won’t do anything.” It is foolish to be paralyzed by this kind of thinking. God does not give a positive “yes” all the time. Sometimes He offers alternatives which challenge our spiritual perception. This is a test of faith. If you earnestly seek God’s leading, choose the one alternative which seems right, and step out in that direction by faith; God is not going to say, “Sorry, wrong choice. Return to Go.” God loves us too much to play games with our lives. If we earnestly desire His will and step out by faith, He will not allow us to make a wrong choice. Consider Matthew 7:7-11, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?“

Mistake #3: “From everything I’ve heard, God’s will must be something weird.” If God should call you to serve on some remote foreign mission field, you may think of it as weird. But it certainly is not to God. His will is perfect. He knows what He is doing and we must believe that He does, whether our minds can comprehend it or not.

Tomorrow we will look at three more mistakes we make in our thinking concerning God’s will.  

God has a life’s work for you. He wants you to discover it and be happy in it. Your happiness makes Him happy. As we have examined over the past couple days, you must keep the right heart attitude, meditate on God’s Word, and claim the promises of God. Some practical suggestions:

Follow your interests and abilities. Get the thought out of your mind that God wants you to do something very unattractive and uninteresting. In the lives of most Christians, God leads according to personal abilities and interests. Suppose you are interested in broadcasting. Don’t thing it unusual for the Lord to direct you into a career in radio or TV. It has happened to many others.

Cultivate many interests. The more areas of interest you develop, the greater the possibilities are for God to transform your interests into a life work. You should spend time reading about your interests and prayerfully seek God’s will in getting further education to adequately prepare. It is also important to get as much experience as you can.

Be open to change. There is always the possibility that God may choose to lead you into some area of full-time Christian service. This often happens after a Christian has gotten “settled down” into another occupation. The famous evangelist Billy Sunday was a major league baseball player when God called him into one of the exciting ministries of last century. Dwight L Moody was a shoe salesman when God singled him out for a special life of service. Perhaps God will do the same thing in your life.

Cultivate God-honoring friendships. To a great extent, our character is shaped by the kind of friends we choose. The Bible has a lot to say about this important area. In unmistakable language, the Word of God gives us instruction on how to discover the levels of friendship.

Put spiritual things first. God’s Word establishes definite guidelines for the dating, engagement, and marriage relationships. Each of these relationships has different characteristics which, when understood, make it possible to effectively discern God’s will.

In other words, if we will carefully choose to live our life within the parameters of God’s design, we can know His will for our life!

Another suggestion for seeking the will of God is to claim the promises of God. Consider these key verses:

Matthew 7:7-11, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?“

John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.“

II Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.“

James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.“

God will not lead you on a wild goose chase. He will not confuse you, trick you, or mislead you. If you have earnestly prayed to know His will and are ready to do whatever He tells you, He can do nothing else but guide you into His will. He is our Heavenly Father, anxious to give us every good thing. You must claim His promises of guidance and act on whatever He tells you to do.  

As you seek to discover God’s will for your life, here are a few suggestions:

Keep the right heart attitude. Guard your affections. Watch out for anything that would keep you from loving Jesus Christ supremely. Be absolutely single-minded; your goal is to obey His will. Consider James 1:6-8, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James states that a person with a divided purpose in life will be unstable in every area of life. Nothing must be allowed to dim your eagerness and readiness to obey and serve the Lord.

Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.“

Another suggestion… meditate on God’s Word! Psalm 1:2-4, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.” God has promised that the person who meditates in His Word day and night will be stable, fruitful, prosperous, and always growing.

By thinking God’s thoughts, we become more like Him, and are more able to discern His leading through His Word. A God-controlled mind and yielded body lead to proving God’s perfect will.

Consider Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“      

Another “signpost” that is available to us, in the discovery of God’s will, is:

God has chosen to use people as instruments to direct us into His will. This may not be a pleasant thought to you, but it is true. And remember, the Father knows best.

God guides through the counsel of committed Christian friends who know us well. One of these friends is your pastor. If he believes the Bible as the literal Word of God, then through his preaching and teaching, God will give you direction. The Lord will use many other Christian friends to give you practical advice, so be sensitive to the people who cross your path.

The Bible says in Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.” It is very wise to seek the counsel of other Christians in the matter of God’s will. They cannot know the will of God for your life, but they can provide much wisdom, insight, and objective thought.

But you must exercise great care in the choice of counsellors. Psalm 1:1 tells us three kinds of people to avoid, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” David says, “Don’t follow the advice of the ungodly, those who are unsaved, and those who have the wrong set of values in life.”

David teaches us that we should not company with sinners or those who are backslidden and living under the power of sin in their own lives. This will pull you down instead of helping you make good, wise decisions. Avoid the scorner; a critical person is not filled with the Spirit and so cannot be depended on for Spirit-filled advice. Be careful to seek out a Spirit-controlled Christian for help in determining God’s leadership. The Spirit will enable a godly person to cooperate with God in your life and to give you godly wisdom and guidance.

Consider James 3:14-17, “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.“

God has provided at least four “signposts” by which to guide us into His perfect will.

The first signpost we will call, Biblical Principles. Although you may not be able to find a specific verse or Scripture passage which answers a particular question about God’s will, you can often find a Biblical principle. For example, let’s use a teenager; suppose you have just finished school and it is now summer and that you have accepted a job paying $9.00 per hour. Then, the day you begin, another company offers you a job which pays more and has better working conditions. You wonder, should I quit and accept the better job? Certainly you will not find a specific command, but you can find a principle to give you direction. Psalm 15:4 is a good example that provides a biblical principle; a man who honors the Lord is one that “sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.” On the basis of this principle, it would be wrong to break your agreement by quitting the first job. God’s principles must not be violated.

The second signpost is that of answers to prayer. God has given to every Christian the tremendous joy of communicating personally with Him. Yet how often believers fail to excercise this privilege. The Christian who does not pray yet complains about not knowing God’s will is like a citizen who does not vote and yet condemns the government. Our Lord has promised that He hears and answers the prayer of faith. This means He hears and answers our questions about everything, including His will.

One Christian author explains how God works in us as we pray:

As we pray, God often gives us a conviction by the Holy Spirit which deepens, despite new information, to an increasing sense of rightness or oughtness about a course of action. This is quite different from the “gung-ho” emotion which prods us today to get on a plane for Hong Kong, and tomorrow to move into Chicago, and the next day to paddle a canoe up the Amazon and each day after go a different direction. When the Holy Spirit begins to move in our hearts, one conviction deepens and while we recognize other situations, we sense that time is the will of God for us.

Certainly we need to discover God’s will, but let all of us follow the signposts that God places in our life.

Yesterday we considered two thoughts regarding the discovery of God’s will: 1) You must demonstrate obedience to the written will of God; and 2) You must demonstrate a willingness to do God’s will before you know it. 

Today, allow me to share two more thoughts:

3) You must demonstrate a willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake. Of the eleven faithful disciples, ten sacrificed their lives for the faith. Only John lived to an old age, and he spent most of his last years exiled from family and friends. God calls upon some men to suffer and sacrifice more than others; but what He is most concerned with is our willingness. Even if we do not endure one day of persecution, He knows what we would go through for Him. One Christian scholar has said, “Fires don’t make martyrs; they just reveal them.”

4) You must demonstrate a clear conscience from past sins. God’s special guidance can be hindered if there are things in your life which have never been made right. Unconfessed sin is one of the most common reasons for uncertainty about God’s will. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.“

Are you demonstrating obedience in these four areas?       

Much to the dismay of many Christians, not all of God’s will is revealed in His Word. At least, it is not stated in black-and-white. For example, let us suppose you think God is leading you into missionary service. One thing is certain: you will not discover a Bible verse which says, “Thou shalt go to darkest Africa.” There are no such commands. But, God has promised to make known His will in other definite ways.

The reality is that there are certain areas you need to be adequately prepared in order to find God’s will.

1. You must demonstrate obedience to the written will of God. Strangely enough, many Christians pray for God’s special guidance while failing to obey His written will. If we do not obey God in the specified areas, why should He expect us to obey Him in the unspecified? We must make certain we are doing what we know God wants us to do. Light obeyed, results in more light revealed.

2. You must demonstrate a willingness to do God’s will before you know it. Too many Christians have the attitude: “Lord, I’ll go anywhere you want me to go and do anything you want me to do… as long as the climate is nice and they speak English.” God’s will is not something we can just choose certain parts of like we would from a menu in a restaurant. You must accept God’s will with the understanding that He knows what is best for you and what will assure your happiness in Him. Never should you be guilty of thinking, “Lord, show me your will so I can see if it fits in with what I have planned.” This attitude is not only crazy; it is blasphemous. Your Heavenly Father, Who sent His Son to pay the price for your sin, wants you to discover His plan for an abundant life.

Romans 8:32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?“

Tomorrow we will consider a couple more thoughts regarding the preparation necessary before finding God’s will for your life.

Much of God’s will for your life has already been revealed in the Word of God. Through both positive and negative commands, He has provided a wealth of information for you to study and obey.

In looking at the positive commands, Jesus Christ gave many definite, positive commands. For example, He said that Christians are to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” in Mark 16:15. This includes you. You do not need to spend hours in earnest prayer to determine whether or not you should share the Gospel message with others.

Every command in the Bible which is addressed to Christians is a part of God’s will for your life. Some of the positive commands are:

Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.” John 13:35, “Love one another.” I Corinthians 10:31, “Do all to the glory of God.” John 15:4, “Abide in me.” Ephesians 5:18, “Be filled with the Spirit.” James 1:22, “Be doers of the Word.” II Peter 3:18, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks.“

And hundreds more could be listed. Our response to these commands should be wholehearted obedience. As you study God’s Word, you should underline each command you discover and begin that very day to obey it. Our life would be so much more fulfilled if we would do this daily.

Philip was a Jew with a Greek name. Historians suggest that he was probably given his name in honor of Philip the Tetrarch, a Greek king who had ruled the region where the disciple was born. Understandably, there had been a strong Greek influence in Philip’s life, and this was to play an important part in God’s will for Philip’s ministry. One Bible passage illustrates this fact:

John 12:20-21, “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.“

Was it coincidental that these Greeks came to Philip and not to Peter or John or some other disciple? No. It was a part of God’s plan for Philip’s life. The Gospel was to be shared with all people (Greeks included) and Philip was to be instrumental in spreading the good news throughout the Grecian world. God used Philip’s knowledge and understanding of the Greek culture to accomplish this vital mission. The most reliable records of Philip’s later life show that his ministry was centered in the areas populated with Greeks. The life of Philip is a simple yet significant example of the way God directs His children into His will.

God has a wonderful plan for your life. To say that He does not is to insult His character. It is ridiculous to question whether the God Who so masterfully created and redeemed you would fail to also provide a plan for your life. The simple truth is that the primary reason for your existence is to live according to His plan, which is called, “the will of God.”

Jesus Himself said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” John 4:34. So, the purpose of your life is identical to the purpose of Jesus’ life – to do the will of God. But perhaps you are confused about how the will of God is revealed. Certainly there are a lot of wrong ideas about this; but it is safe to say that much confusion can be cleared away by understanding the two aspects of God’s will: written and unwritten.

Tomorrow we will have a few thoughts regarding God’s written will.