RESPONDING TO THE WILL of God. Once we know God’s revealed will of how He desires is to live, we must commit to do His will. The psalmist prays, “Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.” Psalms 143:10 The parallel request, that the Spirit “lead me into the land of uprightness”, indicates that he is essentially asking God for the ability to live a righteous life.
Similarly, Paul expects the church to follow God’s will by avoiding sexual immorality and by living in a holy and honorable way, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,”I Thessalonians 4:3-4 Elsewhere, Paul prays that Christians will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, in order “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:10
Believers are called to pray that God’s will may be done; and we must sincerely desire God’s perfect will and intend to fulfill it in our lives and in the lives of our families. If this is our prayer and commitment, then we can rest assured that our present and future are in the protective care of our Heavenly Father. However, if there is deliberate sin in our lives and rebellion against His Word, then we must realize that God will not answer our prayers; we cannot expect God’s will to be done unless we are in agreement with His will in our own lives.
Finally, we must not use the will of God as an excuse for passivity or irresponsibility with respect to His call to battle sin, evil and spiritual lukewarmness. It is Satan who is responsible for this present evil age with its cruelty and evil and it is Satan who causes much of the pain and suffering in the world (1 John 5:19).
Just as Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, so it is God’s will for believers to wage war by preaching the gospel in power and manifestation of the Holy Spirit and by standing our ground against spiritual hosts of wickedness, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”II Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV#runyourrace
To Learn More About Pastor Crystal please visit the Leadership Page
