Table of Contents
Memory Verse
“I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalms 40:8).
Focus
When a person receives the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit, he naturally wants to show appreciation to God by serving Him and fulfilling His will. Indeed, we should want for God to use us and give eternal results to our brief existence.
God uses individual who humble themselves, surrender their personal ambitions and agendas, and yield themselves unreservedly to Him. god takes pleasure in showing His will and guiding them along the path of His plans for their life.
Discovering God’s Will
God has a plan for every believer which He desires to reveal. Sometimes, God chooses to withhold the knowledge of His will from us for various reasons:
- God’s will for our life may overwhelm us, so God gives us His will in segments.
- Sometimes, if we know God’s will for our life over a long period of time, we set out in the direction to accomplish His will within our own power (and we inevitably fall).
- Knowing God’s will over the long period would prevent a person from trusting and believing God daily. God wills for us to follow Him and talk to Him daily.
God’s will is not unattainable
God speaks His will to us day by day as we need to hear it. He reveals His plans as we communicate with Him daily. Jesus taught us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread” in Matthew 6:11.
God’s will is not geographic
The enemy of our soul would like to divert our attention from accomplishing God’s will by tempting us to relocate or move to another location; however, the grass is never greener on the other side. if I can’t accomplish God’s will here, the I can’t accomplish God’s will there.
God’s will is not futuristic
Generally speaking, in the context of the future, God wills for us to be saved, that none are lost as described in 2 Peter 3:9.
However, specifically speaking, God’s will is defined in the present tense. In other words, am I doing what pleases God right now? Am I today where I am supposed to be? We should determine God’s will day by day, in the present tense. Today, you are in the will of God; you have honored His will for your life today!
We can know and understand God’s will in Romans 12:1-2.
We should desire to know God’s will like in Psalms 40:8 and Psalms 143:10.
And we should realize that His will is important in 1 John 2:17 and Matthew 12:50.
Four Prerequisites for God’s Will
Availability
We must present our bodies (Romans 12:2). When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He willed for the disciples to pray with Him, but they chose to sleep instead. If we fail to present ourselves for God’s service, then we cannot discover God’s will. However, by making ourselves available to God we fulfill the first step in discovering His will.
Transformation
“Be you transformed…that you may prove…the perfect will of God”. The carnal mind works against the Spirit’s will; therefore, the spiritual man must be quickened and the carnal man slain in order to find God’s will.
Usability
“…your reasonable service”. God usually uses individuals based upon the person’s natural abilities like in Matthew 25:15, 1 Corinthians 12:11, 1 Corinthians 12:18.
Asking
God wants us to see Him, and ask for Him to reveal His daily will in Matthew 7:7-11.
The Two Dimensions of God’s Will
God’s will occurs within two different scopes: general and specific. Generally, God wills for us to live clean and holy lives, possess proper attitudes, love one another, grow spiritually, mind our own business, hold a steady job, deal honestly with people, and honor God’s word (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12).
Specifically, God invites us to “prove” or “test, examine, or try” what His perfect will is. We prove God’s will according to several tests:
- Does it agree with the scripture?
- Does it agree with my spirit? Do I feel a “check” or hesitation in my inner man, my Holy Ghost feeling?
- Do I feel peaceful in the Holy Ghost as I contemplate this decision?
- Can I wait to give God opportunity to open or close issues relative to this decision?
Prove for yourself what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you.
Witnessing is Everyone’s Job
Witnessing flows naturally from the heart of the believer. Resulting from the power that God gives through His Spirit, He shapes every Holy Ghost filled believer into an active witness. (Read Acts 1:8, Isaiah 43:10, James 5:20).
By definition, witnessing denotes a person sharing his/her personal testimony about experiences or revelations from God (Acts 4:20).
God has Given Me a Special Job Called a Ministry
God gives each believer special responsibilities that only that person can fulfill. Accompanying the responsibility, God also grants the grace or the ability to perform the tasks.
In scriptural terms, god gives gifts for the believer to assume special ministries. Supernatural gifts fall into three categories:
Spiritual Gifts
These gifts edify the whole church spiritually.
Service Gifts
These gifts edify individuals in the church physically and emotionally.
Equipping Gifts
These gifts serve to train and support or equip individual members with spiritual or service gifts.
The scripture states in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
A person may serve the Lord and bless the church through a host of available ministries. A few opportunities include: music, committee and administration, youth work, children’s ministry, outreach, evangelism, office work, maintenance, and nursing home. Ministry unto the Lord grants satisfaction and fulfillment, and enhances a person’s self esteem while building God’s kingdom.
Up Next
Be sure to read the next lesson titled, “I Am Born Again, Born of Water” in this Rooted & Built Up series taught at International Pentecostal Church.