How is it that, up until now, I had not understood that when speaking of knowing the will of God many are speaking of God's Sovereign, secret will that can't be known?!? Oh my goodness such a freeing concept! Oxymoronic statement at this point but another post will reveal all.
EDIT:
I read this article and listened to this sermon today about knowing the will of God. I've been working through figuring out which ministry opportunity is the one that God wants me to choose. Like I posted a few days ago, I got sick about it.
Both in the sermon and the article, the concept of the will of God is explained. There are two things Scripture talks about when referring to will of God. There is God's moral will that is revealed in Scripture and then there is His sovereign will which is secret.
God's moral will is laid out as what is right and wrong. Within that moral will there is also a realm of freedom. Example: God does not dictate in Scripture what color one's car should be but He does say that one should not steal to get it.
God's sovereign will is that which He laid before the foundation of the world. This is what we mean when we say God "predestined" something. It is in His mind only for us not to know- secret.
Herein lies the difficulty. When seeking the will of God, we often times want God to tell us what his secret will is. I am guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Instead, we are to use our minds to think critically about the given proposition and make a decision accordingly. We are to look at the moral will of God, the principles He has laid out in Scripture, seek wise counsel, look at circumstances and make informed decisions. If we are walking in fellowship with Him then we will do no sin in what we decide (realm of freedom!). And remember, He is sovereign so whatever you choose is what He laid out anyway. :)
This whole idea was freeing for me. At one point I knew all this but apparently I needed a refresher course. I'm not exactly sure what the difference is this time around.
Something that was mentioned in both resources was evaluating what was "best". It may be that you are deciding between good, better and best. How do we decided what is best? If Scriptures says none are wrong then look at which best glorifies God. Which one puts to best use your gifts, talents, and abilities? What things are you passionate about? (although that plays a lesser part)Where is the greatest need? Maybe you can do a job but you can not do it well or maybe it would not be best for your family.
A friend of mine pointed out that this seems to leave out the Holy Spirit. It does seem rather cut and dry in a world that is infatuated with the mystical. I think that one must remember that, as a Believer, the Holy Spirit will guide you as you search for answers even though those answers are based on the objective and not the subjective. He still works in man's heart to wrought desires but those come through the Word- objective. He still lays things on people's hearts and confirms them through His Word. All things that the Holy Spirit impresses upon a heart will be confirmed by the Word or it is not of the Holy Spirit.
We all have to make decisions both big and small. Most of us really want to make the "right" decision. Engage your mind and see what God has to say through His word about the decisions you have to make. If you have an opportunity, I greatly encourage you to listen to the sermon and read the article even if there are no decisions looming on your horizon.
EDIT:
I read this article and listened to this sermon today about knowing the will of God. I've been working through figuring out which ministry opportunity is the one that God wants me to choose. Like I posted a few days ago, I got sick about it.
Both in the sermon and the article, the concept of the will of God is explained. There are two things Scripture talks about when referring to will of God. There is God's moral will that is revealed in Scripture and then there is His sovereign will which is secret.
God's moral will is laid out as what is right and wrong. Within that moral will there is also a realm of freedom. Example: God does not dictate in Scripture what color one's car should be but He does say that one should not steal to get it.
God's sovereign will is that which He laid before the foundation of the world. This is what we mean when we say God "predestined" something. It is in His mind only for us not to know- secret.
Herein lies the difficulty. When seeking the will of God, we often times want God to tell us what his secret will is. I am guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Instead, we are to use our minds to think critically about the given proposition and make a decision accordingly. We are to look at the moral will of God, the principles He has laid out in Scripture, seek wise counsel, look at circumstances and make informed decisions. If we are walking in fellowship with Him then we will do no sin in what we decide (realm of freedom!). And remember, He is sovereign so whatever you choose is what He laid out anyway. :)
This whole idea was freeing for me. At one point I knew all this but apparently I needed a refresher course. I'm not exactly sure what the difference is this time around.
Something that was mentioned in both resources was evaluating what was "best". It may be that you are deciding between good, better and best. How do we decided what is best? If Scriptures says none are wrong then look at which best glorifies God. Which one puts to best use your gifts, talents, and abilities? What things are you passionate about? (although that plays a lesser part)Where is the greatest need? Maybe you can do a job but you can not do it well or maybe it would not be best for your family.
A friend of mine pointed out that this seems to leave out the Holy Spirit. It does seem rather cut and dry in a world that is infatuated with the mystical. I think that one must remember that, as a Believer, the Holy Spirit will guide you as you search for answers even though those answers are based on the objective and not the subjective. He still works in man's heart to wrought desires but those come through the Word- objective. He still lays things on people's hearts and confirms them through His Word. All things that the Holy Spirit impresses upon a heart will be confirmed by the Word or it is not of the Holy Spirit.
We all have to make decisions both big and small. Most of us really want to make the "right" decision. Engage your mind and see what God has to say through His word about the decisions you have to make. If you have an opportunity, I greatly encourage you to listen to the sermon and read the article even if there are no decisions looming on your horizon.
Comments
Post a Comment