Influencers Weekly Devotional

Knowing and Doing God's Will

by

Rocky Fleming

“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Phil. 2:13 (ESV)

“Do I believe that Almighty God is the Source of my will? God not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.” Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest

It is an amazing thought to know what God's will is for your life and to be about the process of living it out. If you can get to that point with God's will for your life, I believe life will become very satisfying and fruitful for you. Therefore, it is something very important to pursue, wouldn't you agree? Even so, there are some terrible perspectives of God and what His will is for His followers. We need to separate these false perspectives by the truth of who God is, and how discovering His will for our life is found. For instance: I have heard many people say over the years that they would do God's will if they could only know for sure what it is. So they live is a timid waiting state, hoping they can read a letter sent from Heaven, or a dramatic “sign” that tells them the undeniable, clear will of God for their life. Is this you? If it is, forget it. You will not discover God’s will for your life this way. There is another way. Is stepping out in faith too uncomfortable for you and instead you have your fleece out waiting for a sign so you will not have to play a guessing game with faith? Sometimes I see people so paralyzed with fear of being out of God's will that they live somewhere close to legalism and fear that God will punish them if they step out of line. Can this be God's will that we live in this kind of fear of Him, and become so tied up with the dos and the don'ts of life that we are afraid to live life fully? Is this the Shepherd King we read about in the Bible who guides us and comforts us with His rod and staff, and not one who beats us up with those things? No, that is not the Lord Jesus being described. That description of God sounds unkind, even ruthless to the people who simply want to live obediently to Him. I don't believe God deserves this kind of perspective of Him, for it is certainly not Him. But, unfortunately there are those who see God this way and even call themselves His child. Oh how they are missing the truth about God and His will for their life. You will not find God or His will for you, with this perspective of Him. I know very few people who can say that they are for sure are living in God's will for their life, and that the steps they are taking will lead them to every aspect of God's will for their life going forward. But there are some people like that around us. I know they are rare to find, but they are out there and they are people who are really impacting their world around them because they are living out God's will for their life. They are in the center of their “sweet-zone”, for God put them in that place. They are people who are actually living in God's will so thoroughly that they are even lining up with their next life steps that move them to other aspects of God's will for them. You know His will for us is fluid, and is often a changing proposition with God and His child? If we are committed to God, then it is His choice what His will for us becomes. All I can say is that the man or woman who is living within God’s will for their life is comfortable with change or staying put, for it is God’s will for their life we’re talking about. It is a great place to be, no matter where it is, as long as it is God’s will for us. Now here's the good news to you. This could be true in your life right now and in the future, if you really want to follow God's will for your life. Do I have your attention? How can I make such a bold claim that you too can discover for sure, God’s will for your life? I can do so for I do not make this claim on my own authority, but on the authority of the word of God. If you will look closely at the Philippians passage above, you will note that it says that it is actually God in us to will and work for His good pleasure. Chambers connects the dots that it is actually God in us who is doing His will that He has established for our life. Wow! Think about that. How can we insure that we are doing God's will in our life any better than by God Himself working it out? Takes a lot of pressure off doesn’t it? But, let's not absolve our self of personal responsibility too quickly. There must be a stipulation that we must include? What is it? I believe it is mentioned in the scripture we’ve referenced. The scripture points out that it requires God in us to do His will. To understand this as it is intended, I believe this teaching must be connected with Christ's teaching on abiding in Him to grasp what it means to have God in us working out His will in us. Abiding in Christ is the perfect picture of God in us, doing His work in us and through us. It is this close proximity with Him, this symbiotic relationship with Him that creates the dynamic that His will can be carried out through us as naturally and seamlessly as breathing in and breathing out. It is this “oneness” with Him that enables His voice to be heard, and His wisdom to be expressed through our life. This answers the question as to how God is in us, and how He takes us to the place we would call “His will.” And, this abiding in Him is an essential part of the equation in discovering God’s will and future will for our life. Otherwise, if we are not abiding in Him, we are open to a lot of speculation and interpretation about what God's will for our life truly is. This can explain the questions and the uncomfortable pressure we place on our self to know God's will. That is why the question is in us in the first place. However, when we abide in Him, the question is answered. We are doing the Father's will when we abide in His Son. This proximity then enables God's will to be further expressed without the stress manmade rules place on us, and being over burdened with things God would not have us carry. This is where I take you back to my very bold assertion that it is possible to do God's will all the time. But, it requires that we abide with Him all the time and obey what He instructs us to do when He shows us a step to take, to be in His will at all times. I have never been more convinced as I am now that what has been missing in the Body of Christ in America is the intimate abiding relationship with Christ. When this is found, God’s will for the Church will be enabled, and the dynamic of the Church being alive in Christ will be seen. The Church in this country will be about the will of the Father, and not contrary to it as we are seeing. When we begin to abide in Him and allow Him to do His will through our lives, there will be an awakening in The Church as we’ve never seen before. I have also never been so convinced of the passionate mission of Influencers than I am now, which is to make disciples of Christ by getting them in close proximity with Him. I believe that we are following the lead of God in taking His family back to Him. It is His will that we are doing. This is His work. I know this, and have no doubts about it. So, I can declare in truth that if you desire to be part of a ministry, and support such a ministry that is totally committed to knowing and doing God’s will, join with us and help us make disciples, so that He can do His work through them. If you want to be trained to use our curriculum, we have trainers standing by to help you. Contact us, and we will get you in contact with them. If you have special interest in ministries that deal with prisoners, consider supporting our efforts in making disciples of the incarcerated men we are working with. A great work is being done in prisons by Influencers as you read these words. Help us fund the free curriculum we provide those prisoners. If you have interest in foreign missions, we have work going on in the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Brazil. Our curriculum has been translated in these languages and is being used there to make disciples. Next week we will have missionaries in Turkey being trained to make disciples using our curriculum. We have many places of work going on in foreign lands, and this ministry is funding all of them without charge to them. But, we need financial help to fund this work, and we need your investment if you are interested in helping us make disciples in those foreign lands. Your investment in any area of this ministry will help us make disciples and allow God to do His work through us. So clearly said, we need your help, and ask you to pray about how you can be involved. Back to you and God’s will for your life. You do not have to ask the question anymore about God’s will for your life, if you really want to know it. Go and abide in Him, and you will discover it. If you do not know how to abide in Him, we will show you how. That is what we do. But, do not put it off. It is just too important for you to put this need aside any longer. Now is the time to make your way to the Inner Chamber of the relationship with God He wants to give you. Don’t put it off. He is waiting for you. Download file