KNOWING AND WORKING IN THE WILL OF GOD

Knowing and working in the will of God is  the focal point of the prayers of the new testament made by the apostles. In the previous series how-to-know-gods-will-, we could see how Paul prayed and how it became clear that there is no other means of knowing God's will other than searching out what is written in the "volume of the books" which is the bible. To know our reason of existence and what to do at every critical situation, our first and last port of call should be the bible.  

These days, many preachers and ministers of the gospel have gone the wrong way. Many have gone in the error of Balaam while others have become the false teachers of 2Peter 2, standing at a great peril of judgement. As we study the prayers of the apostles, we see the motive behind their prayers. All prayers they made were according to the will of God. They all centred on the desire for the church members to grow and mature in the spirit and the knowledge of God's will.

 In Philippians 1:9 we saw Paul's prayer. We continue this series today with the intent to align our prayers with their own way of praying. It was Paul's prayer that the children of God walk in righteousness. As the whole word is immersed and walking in unrighteousness, there must be a difference between workers of iniquity and workers of righteousness. Righteousness and holiness are our own trademark. We must work it out with fear and trembling. May God cause us in every department of our lives to be filled with the power to work out righteousness in Jesus name, Amen!  

Our Focus text is Colossians 1:1-15 with special emphasis on verses 9  and 10 "For this cause, we also since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. These prayers should make us to change our prayer patterns. Many pastors have involved syncretism and all sorts of old practices into the worship of God just to create an impression with the people. This is totally wrong and not biblical. 

The old apostles prayed mostly for their new members in the faith. They spent time praying for the new converts to be built up in the faith, for they know that it is only when they are deeply rooted in the will of God that they can benefit from the grace which is freely theirs. And they cant know the will of God unless someone prayed through for them and showed them how to achieve this. To be filled with the knowledge of God's will, It is imperative that our will comes in agreement with the will of God because our thoughts and wills are very different from that of God (Isaiah 55:8-9) 

As children of God we keep on aspiring to do things according to the will of God, because, The natural man goes his own way, does things in his own way. Two cannot walk together unless they be agreed (Amos 3:3). Hence the knowledge of his will is very critical if we must walk with him. In Isaiah 53:6 "all we like sheep have gone astray,  we have turned everyone to his own way, and God has laid upon him the iniquity of us all". Every way of man is right in his own eyes. Man always want to walk independent of God.  But Jeremiah 6:16 cautions us "stand ye in the way and see and ask for the old paths and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls, but they said we will not walk in them". That is the voice of adamant, obstinate man who doesn't know what he is doing. 

In Ephesians 1:5-10 we see Paul referring again and again to the will of God. God has his own perfect idea about what he wants to do on earth which he has perfected through Jesus. It is our duty to diligently search it out and know what our own role is and should be as we seek to please him. We do not have to look to the heaven or earth for answers concerning God's will. Everything he has ever revealed is in the bible and we can never do according to his will if we do not fully follow this revealed pattern. 

 When God calls us to himself one major privilege he gives us is the revelation of the mystery of his will  so that our life will be lived rightly. God doesn't do anyhing outside his will. He does nothing outside the counsel of his own will. The glory point in the life of Jesus was when he prayed "father not my will but thy will be done" We must not be Christians who want God to rubber stamp our own will. It is only the will of God that God sponsors on earth. It is not his will that we go about doing the desires of our hearts  and flesh without asking God what his will is. At every point in time we must seek God's face and ask "Lord what will you have me do? 

PRAYER: In Jeremiah 10:23, he prayed "O lord I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct even his own steps.  Lord as we study these lines upon lines and precept upon precept, help us to surrender completely to your will and live our lives the way it pleases your will. In Jesus name Amen.

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