Another example of this is Acts 4:27–28. No silly little sparrow falls, nor does a letter come out of the bag apart from God’s will. - Crosswalk the Devotional - January 6, 20 Prayers to Keep God First in the New Year, When the Resolutions Fail - New Year Devotional - January 7, 32 Uplifting Quotes for When Your Spirits Are in Their Darkest Valley, 5 Things a Wife Really Needs (But Doesn’t Know How to Ask For), Why We Need to Look to God after National Calamity, 5 Things Christians Should Know about QAnon. It has been scanned and is used by permission. As part of John 5:30, Jesus declares that he didn’t live according to his own will but submitted to the Father. God could just stop it. You see, when we get to know God—really know Him—it fills us with hope and confidence because we realize He’s greater than any situation we will ever encounter. We must live in close relationship with the Father; submit our will and expectations to God’s plan, knowing he is good and leads us to greater things; stay rooted in the wisdom of scripture; seek wisdom in close, trusted spiritual community; don’t allow fear to rob you of the faith to act. We may not be able to see the road ahead, but our Shepherd is faithful and will lead his sheep in the way they should go. stepping out in faith when God speaks to us, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There is no virtue in seeing tomorrow’s events in a crystal ball. He’s already leading you to the life that will give you the most eternal, extravagant joy, despite what it looks in the middle of the story. You are going to expose this manager as a bad guy. So you are at work and something is being discussed about a policy. That is what worship is: showing God’s value, supreme value over all other things. And so we must be renewed not just that we have new thoughts, but we feel differently about our thoughts. You don’t kill the Son of God without sin. To know the will of God, we should be so submitted to His Spirit that we can hear Him when He leads us. It says, “Be renewed in your minds.” Now I have got to step back and get a little Pauline theology in here so that “being renewed” is understood in the context of what has really happened to you, Christians. How will I know if my decisions are the Father’s will? The disciple will understand the ways that God can help them when they make honest mistakes. In the Bible there are these two big meanings of the will of God and we need to know which one is used here. Jesus shared with twelve, even more with three (Matt 17:1-8). So “will of God” means “all things God does.” All things. How to Know God’s Will in a Specific Issue. The Bible will confirm God’s will. The implication is: we are told to do things all over the Bible that we would just do or not do spontaneously. This means that God is always at work behind the scenes in our world and in our lives. That is not going to solve the problem. In other words, you must choose to do many things where the Bible does not give you explicit instruction. In closing: How does the Holy Spirit do that? The will of God can be discovered in various ways—through the advice of a confessor or the blessing of your parents, by reading the word of God or by casting lots, and so on. And if you say something he is going to be exposed. Another country? Now what is the implication of that? Say, “Lord, here I am. But Jesus rejected him because of a lack of relationship: “Depart from me, I never knew you.”. We all need the Holy Spirit. Take the Bible and you pray for renewed mind that knows how to discern how all of the things that are revealed here will produce a godly decision. 1. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here are a few ways to know if we're in God's will: 1) We obey the Word of God That is a rock solid statement about you. All rights reserved. That makes sense, right? Let’s suppose my child asks me what I want, and I say, “Bake me a cake.” Then they bake me a cake. If we will consider ourselves living sacrifices, submitting what I want and my plans to God’s love and his plan, THEN I will learn to know God’s will, which is good and complete. Try as you would to forget it, you could not get it off your mind. Most of my gestures, most of my facial expressions, most of my attitudes towards another person, most of the words coming out of my mouth, most of the things that I am doing in the day, I am not even thinking about it. So start there and ask the Lord for a renewed mind that is a mind that when it reads the Bible can see what it means. You are new. “Present your bodies, your bodily life as living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.” In other words, the aim of all human life is that God in Christ be displayed as infinitely valuable. (James … But we surrendered our will to God. Most of your feelings, they are just there. Something about right and left in the Bible. The God who keeps watch over the nations, this God still speaks today. That would probably be a mistake. Essentials :: What Every Christian Needs to Know :: Romans 12 I must be willing to give up my expectations (based on my limited vision) for God’s will, even if it seems like a sacrifice. That is step one. His call to sacrifice our story is an invitation into a bigger one with far greater rewards. You are all in something. We can’t. It says, “In him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things [I take that literally] according to the council of his will.”. It is not like Jesus just jumped up on the cross and died and God said, “Well, I didn’t know that was going to happen. The second great principle for knowing the will of God is that nothing can be the will of God that is contrary to the Word of God. The will of God for your life is sanctification. That is the genius and the mystery of the Christian life. This is one possibility. Jesus doesn’t leave us there, thankfully. When we fail to live up to God’s standards, He wants us to know how we should respond to these circumstances. The Word of God reveals the heart of God. When they look at you, it looks like you value God more than money. If it doesn’t taste great or they make a mess in the kitchen, should I yell and come down hard on them? And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:26-28). Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”. We must cling to his voice and his person. He will be useless. It’s natural to want to know all of God’s will at once, but that’s not how He usually works. He could just stop it and you don’t lose your job. He wants your mind to be renewed, not to know the sovereign will of God tomorrow, but the moral will of God. God’s will contains his power. That would crush their hearts. And you need two things: a God who can empathize with you as a high priest and hates sin. And most of your actions, they are just there. His governance of the universe cannot oversee it. (John 9:31) (John 9:31) For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. Now if he fires you did he do good? 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord are being changed.” You could translate that or paraphrase it: “Being renewed, we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord.” That happens here in the gospel especially. The will of command is revealed in the Bible decisively, authoritatively, infallibly. The Holy Spirit was sent into the world to magnify Jesus Christ off the pages of this book so that looking at Christ, at his glory and his beauty we would be changed into his likeness so that when I turn now to live my afternoon, there is a more natural, free inner spontaneous doing of the will of God. God says: rejoice. So what is with you? Number two. Did you catch that? There are three stages now to the unfolding of the moral or the will of command, the moral will of God, the will of command that when you discern it, it comes in three stages. We need these gifts. be renewed in your mind.” You have got to be a new person. No. Might watch a ball game, might take a nap, and you think them through. He works all things according to the counsel of his will. And he doesn’t mean the first time. So this will of God is God’s sovereign plan that he always executes. I need a “Z.” She is way ahead. He decides what happens. Within a few weeks, another opportunity came our way and God said yes, that was where he wanted us. And planned by God. Nothing is too big or too small or too difficult. Does the Decision Go Contrary to God’s Revealed, Universal Will? It may be some painful relational conflict right now in marriage or with kids or with friends. Now, Paul says, “I want you to know the will of God. God is not a sinner. You have just shoved him off into a realm where he can’t have anything to do with what happened. Peter tells us to do good because that is “God’s will” for us to silence the evil person (1 Pet 2:15). You would go crazy. You are a new creation in Christ. The disciple will learn some of the specifics and non-specifics about the will of God. You just do it. I like it. That those two things are in the Bible corresponds to profound longings and needs that you have in moments of crisis and loss. It is not magic. While Becca and I sought God’s will on going to Korea, we were in constant communication with our pastors and close, trusted friends. The Bible instructs believers to examine themselves, but does it tell us to what extent or how often we should question our salvation? Other disciples will see things about us we don’t, our gifts and spiritual impacts in ways we can’t. While those principles of God’s universal will may not give us the details of life, they provide important guidelines. Because that is the goal here in verse two: “So that you can discern what is the will of God.” So what does “the will of God” mean? You can make a phone call that pleases God. Most of your thoughts, they are just there. You might be tempted to think: if I am unleavened, I don’t have leaven to get out. Like a legal document we call a will, there is power and authority to ensure that his desires and instructions are carried out. Jesus is crying out to his Father, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. These boundaries in Scripture may not provide the specific choice but are invaluable keys to God’s best for us in his perfect will. Color-coding Bible verses by subject matter can help when you need to know wisdom for specific issues like relationships or finances. Now you have got to have a category here from the Bible that says: God can ordain that sin come to pass without himself sinning. The Door that God Opens Will Never Contradict His Word. So are you going to go out this afternoon and say: now here is an occasion where I could be anxious or not. God’s will is not only legal, authoritative, and universal, it is relational by necessity. So now we are at verse two and we are asking: Which is it? We must be intentional to reach out and invest in close, trusted spiritual friendships within the Body of Christ. And that is a work of the Holy Spirit. It will be easy to know if the desires of your heart are God’s will when you know the Word. So let’s end by asking the question: If those three steps, reading the Bible, application of the Bible consciously, and then a transformed mind that does 95 percent of its life unconsciously (that is, spontaneously), how in the world do you become new? Work on me, Holy Spirit. The Time Is Now. God’s will begins with his intention based on his nature–goodness, love, hope. The greatest. He is a good Father. How God Shows the Way. And in your pain you shoved him so far to the edge of the universe that for the rest of your life you are crying out to a God to do miracles yet you have pushed him away. So often we give into a performance mentality, a qualification mindset, lies that bring fear instead of the joy he wants to share. Paul uses the term “the whole will of God” to describe the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom for salvation (Acts 20:27). If I don’t know his will, how can I do it? You speak truth and you get fired. Abstain from all sexual immorality. Apart from Christ, we were so sinful, so wicked, so rebellious that Scripture called us children of disobedience. However, if your desire isn’t specifically addressed in His Word, it will require this next point below. So start here. People are doing that today by taking the doctrine of justification of the ungodly, a beautiful, Romans-taught doctrine, and extrapolating from it that you can’t please God, that you can’t be acceptable to God day by day. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that by testing you might discern [that you might prove or approve not just to know what something is, but to approve it] what is the will of God.” Both ideas of prove and approve are there. The Bible uses the term “will of God” in both ways. God will teach you his principles. A better way - and perhaps more biblical - is to live a life consistent with the biblical truth you do know and then expect God to show you what you do not know. Now that is a process for the rest of your life, but here is a few pointers and we will be done. maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. The ones we share with intimately shouldn’t be a big group. Lynn Pryor (@lynnpryor) is the Adult Team Leader for LifeWay’s Bible Studies for Life. As a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. How can a sinful, finite person come to know the mind of a holy and infinite God? The important thing is that, as we wait for further direction, we are busy doing the good that we know to … Even if we make a mistake in our endeavor to live with him, the Father corrects us gently, in love, simply pleased we are with him and ready to work all things for his glory and our good. When your life becomes worship, God begins to look valuable to other people. And what you think is happenstance is God's plan and God's way to guide you. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Those two realities, which are in the Bible: (1) God has a will of command — “Thou shalt not kill.” And (2) God has a sovereign will — I ordain that my Son be killed; I ordain what I forbid. Decisions! 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?” (Luke 11:13). What you need in order to discern what will happen tomorrow is not a renewed mind, but a crystal ball. I totally believe God decides what letters come out in my hand, so I do pray. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us” (Deuteronomy 29:29). What a Surrendered Hearts Looks Like. Not only do I discern the will of God but I like it. He makes straight your paths. For newness. You can speak a word of sweetness and kindness to your spouse that pleases God. She was right. I heard his very words. (18) He who speaks of himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. House ownership, car ownership, person to marry, job to have, school to attend, leisure activities to avoid or go to. With that basis, let us return to verse two. So when you see verse two of Romans 12, view it in the context of your identity in Christ based on these other things that Paul has said. He died for you when you didn’t love him, nor did you care. Pray about this. In other words, there is no good work that you have to have another book besides the Bible to cause you to know. Yes. God knows who needs to win. We loved our church fellowship like a family. Suppose you were abused as a child and it has borne sad fruit for many years. He will call on me, and I will answer him.”—Psalm 91:14, 15. He is not eager for you to become an effective Satan who can predict the future. And we need to be changed. However, God’s Word tells us not to neglect meeting together for worship … Some of you know what it is to have an inner urging of an undefinable nature—an urging that you just could not shake off! I forbid it.” And you need a God in that moment who is totally sovereign and governing all things so that even the sin being done against you is folded into his purposes for you and you can shine like the sun someday even in spite of that loss, that pain. Romans 12:2 Introduction: Many people desire to know the will of God. Don’t make it cancel other Scriptures. I call this will the will of command. Leaving was difficult. There’s also great study tools and books that have compiled verses on life subject matters. Do your plan. And that was God’s will that he sin. Fear of making a mistake will keep us from stepping out in faith when God speaks to us. Fear isn’t the spirit he’s given us (2 Timothy 1:7). The wonders that he is calling us into in walking with Christ in a renewed way are built on massive theology in chapters 1–11. Both of those are happening in this word here. We can know God’s will, and life is richer when we live in obedience to His plan. That is what life is for, to live your life in such a way that by what you say, what you think, what you feel, what you do with your arms and your lips and your eyes and your legs and your hands, all will show he is more valuable than anything. “Don’t look at pornography” — that is the will of God. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. “Only those who do the will of my Father enter my presence” — which means some don’t and some do. It just may be the loss of a loved one. I don’t pray: Let me win. This afternoon you can do something that pleases God. Don’t overstate the doctrine of the justification of the ungodly. To me. Then show His love and His forgiveness to others, through the work of the Holy Spirit in both your and their lives. To prove what is the will of God means that I detect it. First John 2:17 says, “The world is passing away and all of its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” Some do, some don’t. The Bible does not tell you which car to drive. Pointer one: Ephesians 4:23 says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Not just in your mind and the spirit of your mind. They speak in terms of "finding the will of God" and think of it as if they need to hit a bull's eye on a target. You contradicted it, cancelled it. What is the implication of that for proving what is the will of God in those? He is already full of joy that you walk with him. The invitation is not for us to live FOR God but WITH him. This extends to the details of all existence. Then I will try to show you which will I believe is meant in verse two. And on that glorious, confident basis, rooted in Christ and his saving work for us, now we have some work to do. When God is speaking to you about something, He will often confirm it to somebody else. So does the already new, need to get renewed? How to know God's will for a situation can be difficult for a believer. What does he approve of? One is that God does not intend for us to know most of his sovereign will ahead of time. All those nine fruits are the kind of thing that make me act spontaneously better. That is how justification and sanctification work. 2.You heard from Him. Most of those decisions are not spelled out here, which is why Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to the world in the way it goes about those decisions, but have your mind so renewed by this word that you discern which of those things would accord best with what is here.”. Chapter 2: All Your Ways. But I will use it to save people.” That is heresy. Pointer three: therefore we should cry out to God in the Holy Spirit. Consequently, nothing can be the will of God for you that is not in accordance with what is taught in His Word. When Jesus was baptized, he went under the water for us — so that he might represent us, and so that we might be with him forever. Trump Supporters Storm Capitol: 'As Close to a Coup Attempt as This Country Has Ever Seen', This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright © 2021, Crosswalk.com. God is not evil. That is how the Holy Spirit does it. He does not want you to know what is going to happen tomorrow. We have a Father above, who is controlling all things. It includes God’s desires, but his will is far bigger and more complex. God is not a masochist. For example, if I am deeply patient person because the Holy Spirit is at work in me and you say something that irritates me, I will spontaneously respond more kindly than if I am an impatient person. Three Prerequisites for Knowing God's Will. I hope we are on the same page here in agreeing that the goal of verse two is not, “get a really effective gift of séances, or get a really effective gift of soothsaying so that you can predict that tomorrow there is going to be a car accident or tomorrow you are going to lose your job” — he doesn’t give a rip whether you know that stuff. He guarantees the ending will be good for those that live according to that purpose (Rom 8:28). It doesn’t call for mere change your external behavior. We are going to look at Romans 12:1–2 and talk about the will of God, what it means, how to find it, and what it means to have your mind renewed to find it. “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are not trying to be children of God or get into God’s favor, we are in his favor rock solid through faith in Christ. Contradictory in his commandments stirred up by the Pharisees: “ Crucify him. ” —Psalm 91:14, 15 get. 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