“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
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RealChristianWomen.blog
Do you ever get stumped? You just don’t know if it is God’s will for you to do a certain thing. You think it might be, but you aren’t sure. I searched the Scriptures to find out how to know God’s will. This is what I learned:
1. Pray
The writer of Hebrews prayed,
“Now may the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 (emphasis mine)
Jesus said to pray like this,
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
King David prayed,
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:8-10 (emphasis mine)
2. Seek Wisdom
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (emphasis mine)
3. Search God’s Word – His will is revealed in Scripture.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (emphasis mine)
4. Know God’s Heart of Love
The better I know God, the easier it will be to know what He wants me to do. I need the mind of Christ. I need to know His heart. I have to remind myself that it isn’t about me, it’s about the things He cares about. Jesus said,
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Romans 13:9b
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29
Remember when we used to say, “What would Jesus do?” That was very popular in the ’90s. I think we need to get back to it! Because, really, isn’t that the answer to our question?
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
All Scripture references are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
RealChristianWomen.blog
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Read my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Jaka Škrlep on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Dr Josiah Sarpong on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
If I compare myself to the Apostle Paul, Joseph in the Old Testament, Corrie ten Boom, or any number of other saints who did great things in their generation, I find myself seriously lacking in many areas. I just don’t measure up. But God had a plan for these people in their generation.
The Bible says, “After David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors…” (Acts 13:36)
God had a plan for David that was specific to the generation in which he lived. I believe He has a plan for us in this specific time period.
I don’t live in the same generation as the Apostle Paul, therefore I am not confronted with shipwrecks, angry crowds, horrific prisons, or the prospect of being stoned.
I don’t live in the same generation as Joseph so I don’t have to worry about being sold as a slave, thrown in a dungeon, or having all my brothers hate me. We know that Joseph became ruler over all of Egypt and was highly honored. But …
“In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation.” Exodus 1:6
And did things change! The new king didn’t know Joseph and he feared the Israelites, so he made them all slaves. They were mistreated and abused.
My favorite heroine is Corrie ten Boom. She lived during the Nazi invasion of Holland. She and her father and her sister hid Jews in their home during the Holocaust. They were eventually discovered and all three were sent to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. Her father and sister died there. Corrie was eventually released due to an admistrative error.
I don’t live in the same generation as Corrie ten Boom, so I don’t have to face the horrors of the Holocaust.
When Esther was selected to be the Queen, her cousin, Mordecai said, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
It makes me ponder the question, “What is God calling me to do in my generation?”
This generation is as unique as the generations described above. We have problems that are different than any seen before. School shootings, pressure to conform to the world and its unbiblical views, abortion, world starvation, war, false teachers, teen suicide. The list goes on.
In this unique time, what is God calling us to do?
As we become mature in the faith, perhaps God will call us to do something we can’t imagine having the strength to do right now. (Consider how God prepared Joseph to lead Egypt.) But for now, we know exactly what He is calling us to do.
What would you add to this list? Share your thoughts.
P.S. If you haven’t read it, be sure to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
“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. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT
With Love, Cindy
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Caique Silva on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“Your call will become clear as your mind is transformed by the reading of Scripture and the internal work of God’s Spirit. The Lord never hides His will from us. In time, as you obey the call first to follow, your destiny will unfold before you. The difficulty will lie in keeping other concerns from diverting your attention.”
With Love, Cindy
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Laura Seaman on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 1 Samuel 8:19-20 NIV
God warned Israel that a king would exact taxes and pervert justice (see 1 Samuel 8:11-18), but they wanted to be like other nations. So God gave them a king. It turned out that Israel had 43 kings over a period of 450 years, but only 8 of them followed the Lord. The people did not put God’s will above their own.
Jesus taught us to pray,
“Thy will be done…” Matthew 6:10 KJV
In the garden, before the crucifixion Jesus prayed,
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42 NIV
The key to following Jesus is to obey God. The Israelites wanted a king even though they were warned against it. They thought having a king would be the answer to all their problems. All the other nations had a king, after all!
Asking for God’s will to be done is not just something to tag on to the end of our prayer. It must be the desire of our hearts, our aim, and our will.
When we consider what the Bible says about God’s will, it is important to remember that Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 NIV
We know that God’s word reveals His will. This is why it is so important to read and study God’s word daily. Don’t be like the man who built his house on the sand.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
Jesus made it crystal clear that God’s will could be summarized like this:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 NIV
Wherever we may find ourselves in this life, let us love Him completely and love the people He puts in our path. And let us obey His Word. Then we can know that we are in His will.
For more on God’s Will, see https://realchristianwomen.blog/2017/11/11/is-this-gods-will/
With Love, Cindy
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
realchristianwomen.blog re
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
With Love, Cindy
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
Real Christian Women 