HOW TO KNOW GOD'S WILL FOR IMPORTANT DECISIONS IN YOUR LIFE. Part 6 of 6.
How God Makes Known His Will for Specific Decisions and Needs. Continued.
In both instances, what we experience by-passes the mind or intellect. Both the witness within our spirits, and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit may at times go contrary to our personal feelings and emotions" regarding some matter but we will know, nevertheless, what God's will is concerning the situation and what we should do. Feelings and emotions can deceive or confuse us if we rely entirely upon them, for this is the realm in which both Satan and the intellect reign; whereas the enlightened spirit of a Christian, and the voice of God's Spirit within will always guide us correctly if we will listen to them (Jn. 16:13) 1 Cor. 2:10-16; 1 Jn. 2:27).

Of course, usually what we feel about a situation will be in harmony with what we are inwardly impressed to do, but it is not our feelings or emotions through which God's will is imparted to us.
Inasmuch as God frequently desires to alert us to some spiritual or physical danger, prepare us with regarding some event that is about to occur, or inform us concerning His will about some present or future matter, then it is imperative that we become sensitive to the inner voice of the Spirit if we are to hear Him when He speaks.

It is a real blessing to be so sensitive to the Spirit's voice that you know when you are moving in the will of God. Being yielded to the Spirit is the secret of being "fruitful in every good work."
When we are fully yielded to Him, and sensitive to His voice, then we can always move with Him, fulfilling God's will, and we will not have to waste time planning and scheming, or running all over the place hoping that we are doing God's will and fulfilling His purpose.

By Prophecy
Occasionally God will inform us of His will regarding some matter, or concerning some problem about which we are praying, through prophecy or the ministry gift of the prophet. Generally, this will be a confirmation of what He has already been speaking inwardly to us about, and not the giving of guidance by prophecy as such.

It cannot be overemphasized that it is God's purpose to lead the Christian inwardly by His Spirit or the inward witness (Rom. 8:14; 1 Cor. 2:14-16). Christians are not to seek guidance through prophecy or visions, inasmuch as some people have been misdirected or led astray, sometimes with serious consequences, on the basis of an alleged prophecy or revelation given to them by some overzealous individual who felt that he (or she) had an anointing to "prophesy" to them. In one case a minister who was sure that he had been led of the Spirit to leave a certain church to minister in another place was then prophesied to by a self-appointed prophetess and told that the Lord wanted him to return to the former church which he had recently left.

This left him thoroughly confused as to what he was supposed to do, not knowing which of the two conflicting "revelations" was from the Lord. In two other instances, certain individuals who were seeking guidance were informed by overzealous Christians with an "anointing" that they were to move to a certain city and state as this was God's will for them. In neither case was the guidance from the Lord. Some Christians have actually been appointed to some office such as prophet, teacher, elder, or evangelist, and some Christian groups have been set in "divine order" by misguided individuals who interpret emotional feeling, spiritual enthusiasm, or actual delusion by Satan, as an anointing to prophesy. In other instances, a genuine anointing to speak in tongues or to minister the simple gift of prophecy to the church for "edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3) was misdirected to some particular individual and ended up as personal guidance coming forth from their own spirits instead of the Holy Spirit.

In another instance, a woman "prophesied" to the leader of a group that it was time to discontinue teaching them, as God wanted them to begin to stand on their own feet without teaching. Shortly after his ministry was terminated, the leader of the group realized the mistake and contacted him three times wanting to know if he thought the prophecy had been genuine, inasmuch as it was obvious to all that they had not reached such a place of spiritual maturity where they no longer needed Biblical teaching.

Christians should not seek guidance by prophecy or visions. We have reference here only to the attempt to seek or give guidance by means of personal prophecy or revelation through some over zealous individual, not to prophecy and visions in general which God does give to His Church for edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor.14:3; Joel 2:28-29). Occasionally, God Himself chooses to speak to us through prophecy and vision in order to lead us, but in every case it will be in harmony with His Word, and it will authenticated by the fact that it is usually a confirmation of what the Spirit has already shown to us personally. Also, occasionally, prophecy becomes the means by which God leads us in order to fulfill His will about some important matter.

By Scriptural Teaching;
One of the most important channels through which God desires to speak to His people and reveal His will to them is one that few people recognize and appreciate as they should, and that is through the ministry of biblical teaching.

Frequently, in a meeting people will come and ask for an appointment for spiritual counseling concerning some question or problem confronting them. Instead, they should first plan to attend all the teaching sessions, inasmuch as God has sent this ministry into their midst at this time to help solve such problems as this for which they feel they need counseling, and that He often gives the necessary guidance through the teaching.

On several occasions people who have taken such advice have come afterward and stated that they no longer were in need of counseling as God had given them the answers they needed through the teaching ministry. Certainly God knows the various problems and needs of His people, and that it would be impossible for any one minister to deal with everyone individually who requests counseling and help. Therefore, through the teaching ministry He provides the solution for those who are willing to pay the cost of sacrificing some of their time and interest in other things to avail themselves of it. Sadly, there are some individuals who will not do this. They will insist that you give them individual attention and special time, as they believe that their problems are of such a nature to warrant it, but at the same time they will not avail themselves of the ministry God has sent into their midst to help them.

It is useless to expect God to give you special guidance and revelation about some matter when you do not avail yourself of the biblical ministry that He is sending into your locality for precisely this purpose. Your problems and the decisions you must make are not really much different from those of most other Christians. It is only because they affect you personally that you think this. And even if your problems were unusually different, nevertheless, there are certain spiritual principles set forth in God's Word which can be brought forth through teaching which will show you how to deal with your situation and what your responsibility is with regard to it. We have found this to be true time and again. For example, some faith principle which can be applied for healing a disease can also be used to solve a financial or marital problem, if you know what it is and how to apply it. But one must be willing to avail himself of the teaching ministry and literature available in order to learn these truths, for "faith cometh by hearing the Word" (Rom. 10:17).

For instance, such passages as Matthew 18:19, Mark 11:22-24; John 14:14; 1 John 5:14-15; Philippians 4:19, and Psalm 37:4 have almost limitless potential for fulfilling practically any need
of every description when the believer knows how to apply them and accepts their validity for today. For the thousands who accept the responsibility of learning how to live and walk by
faith themselves, they discover that they are able, not only to help themselves, but also liberate others from their problems and oppression. God desires for us to mature to the place where we do not constantly need to be ministered to, but can minister to others and their needs.

Through Circumstances;
Sometimes God confirms His will to us through circumstances, controlling or changing events in such a way that we are able to recognize His providential hand at work to fulfill His purpose
in our lives.

God informed Abraham that his descendants would spend 400 years in Egypt before He would bring them forth to inherit the Promised Land (Gen. 15). At the time God told him this, Abraham did not have a single descendant, for as yet Isaac had not been born. From this time, we see God beginning to bring His will for Israel to pass through the providential control of circumstances and events. Twenty-five years later Isaac is born by a miracle to Sarah, who is barren. His son Jacob in turn has twelve sons, one of whom is Joseph, his favorite.

Because of envy his brothers sell him into slavery into Egypt, which begins a new phase of the fulfillment of God's plan to get Abraham's descendants into Egypt, a famine later compelling Jacob and all of his descendants to migrate there to live. After several years of hardship and adversity, Joseph had been miraculously elevated to a high position in Egypt by Pharaoh, a divine foresight to prepare the way for the Israelites. Thus, their arrival in Egypt was no accident, nor were they merely victims of circumstances, but we are clearly shown the providential control of God throughout, a fact which Joseph himself discerned (Gen. 50:20).

The fulfillment of God's plan for our lives often depends, to some degree at least, upon our awareness of His providential working and controlling our daily affairs and experiences.
As stated previously, God's plan for your life did not begin when you were born or when you were converted, but the Scriptures declare that the believer was chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world and called to fulfill His glorious plan and purpose (Rom. 8:28-30, Eph. 1:3-6), Moreover, God has often been working in the circumstances of your life for months or years before He reveals some aspect of His purpose to you. We are not to seek guidance by asking God to reveal His will to us through outward circumstances generally, but as we pray for His leading, usually He will impress upon us what course of action to take. Frequently, He will then confirm this inward leading through circumstances and events in our lives, which, if we are spiritually observant enough, can be discerned.

CONCLUSION.
We 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 (Col. 1:9) The Apostle prays.
It is not sufficient just to have a knowledge of God's will, but as the quotation above indicates, we must also have spiritual wisdom and understanding to be able to apply it and profit from it. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge correctly and effectively. Solomon knew God's will for his life - he was chosen to be the King of Israel. But he was also aware that if he was to succeed in this task and fulfill God's will as he should, then he would need more than mere human wisdom and the limited understanding man acquires through study and by experience so he prayed for the impartation of divine wisdom, discernment, and understanding.

Thus, it is one thing to know God's will; it is another to have the wisdom and understanding to apply it. A man may know a very great deal, and yet not be a wise man. Occasionally, for example, we see a student who graduates from college with a high academic standing sometimes fail completely in some career or profession which he has chosen, simply because he lacks the wisdom to apply his knowledge in a practical way to his life.

A wise Christian, therefore, is not just one who knows His Lord's will, but he is one who also understands how to use this knowledge in the proper place, in the proper way, and at the
proper time. For instance, every believer knows, on the basis of Jesus' clear teaching in John 15, that the Christian is called to "bear fruit." But the mere possession of the knowledge of this fact does not impart to the believer the wisdom to accomplish it, for the churches are literally exhausting themselves in all manner of religious programs and activities in an effort to accomplish God's will in this regard, without any significant achievement.

It is one thing for the Christian to know that he has been called to bear fruit, but only the Holy Spirit can reveal to him the understanding that it is not in doing, but in dying that we bear fruit (Jn. 12:24). Paul's prayer is that "you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding ... being fruitful in every good work" (Col. 1:9-10), revealing, thereby, that fruitfulness does not lie merely in knowing God's will, but also in possessing the spiritual wisdom and understanding to apply it. As was shown earlier, fruitfulness is not merely religious activity, such as serving in two or three offices in the church, visiting as many homes as possible in the
community to invite people to church, giving out tracts, busyness with churchwork, attending all the services, reading the Bible through at least once a year, and so on. Fruitfulness does not come by religious commotion, but through crucifixion; not by doing, but by dying. God calls no one to work for Him, but to learn to move with Him. This truth is not something one can discern with reason or intellect, but comes as a result of the impartation of divine wisdom and understanding to those who ask for it, "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding" (Prov. 2:6 ).

Again, it is one thing to know that the believer is called to experience a measure of trials and tests of his faith (1 Pet. 2:19f; Jam. 1:2-4), but human wisdom will never help him to see the eternal purpose in those trials, nor enable him to respond in such a way that he will profit and not lose by such sufferings and testing. It requires divine wisdom and understanding to meet temptations, and to bear trials, so that such testing, instead of depressing and defeating the believer, will be able to accomplish God's will and purpose in his life. It requires divine understanding for him to see that Romans 8:28 is valid for him in time of trial and adversity, as well as in time of prosperity and blessing.

Thus, when you seek a knowledge of God's will for your life, and for making decisions in important matters, also ask Him for wisdom and spiritual understanding to apply the knowledge He imparts to you, for the Scriptures tell us–
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Prov. 4:7). Amen and amen! Edited. Shared.

God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.

Dear Father,

Sometimes I wonder about the ordeal with Potiphar’s wife, where Joseph experienced a quick transition from being trusted by his master to becoming the offender, with evidence that seemed impossible to deny, even though the accusation was false. The Scripture says, “She said unto her husband, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in to mock me: as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled out.”

How would he defend himself to a man against his own wife? How strange would it feel to say, “I am the servant, but you can trust me, not your wife”? And so, Joseph was thrown into prison. Innocent, yet factually guilty. I wonder how many have found themselves in such situations, where there seems to be more evidence to prove their guilt than there is to prove their innocence.

Sometimes, it may not be something as grave as an accusation of sexual assault or prison sentence, but something else with just as much tension: a wrong judgment or perception of us, false accusations, with evidence in our defense that does not stand a chance of being presented. To be considered innocent a person must prove himself not guilty. And so, we strive with intention to correct the perceptions of loved ones: “There is more to this than you realize,” yet without sufficient evidence.

But Joseph walked right into prison. Perhaps he knew that some perceptions are not ours to correct, but Yours. And some accusations are not nullified by immediate evidence that contradicts them, but evidence that is solidified through process and time.

Translations:
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#Josephsstory
#guilt
#perception
#evidence

Dear Father,

Sometimes I wonder about the ordeal with Potiphar’s wife, where Joseph experienced a quick transition from being trusted by his master to becoming the offender, with evidence that seemed impossible to deny, even though the accusation was false. The Scripture says, “She said unto her husband, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in to mock me: as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment with me, and fled out.”

How would he defend himself to a man against his own wife? How strange would it feel to say, “I am the servant, but you can trust me, not your wife”? And so, Joseph was thrown into prison. Innocent, yet factually guilty. I wonder how many have found themselves in such situations, where there seems to be more evidence to prove their guilt than there is to prove their innocence.

Sometimes, it may not be something as grave as an accusation of sexual assault or prison sentence, but something else with just as much tension: a wrong judgment or perception of us, false accusations, with evidence in our defense that does not stand a chance of being presented. To be considered innocent a person must prove himself not guilty. And so, we strive with intention to correct the perceptions of loved ones: “There is more to this than you realize,” yet without sufficient evidence.

But Joseph walked right into prison. Perhaps he knew that some perceptions are not ours to correct, but Yours. And some accusations are not nullified by immediate evidence that contradicts them, but evidence that is solidified through process and time.

Translations:
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#Josephsstory
#guilt
#perception
#evidence

*SEED FOR LIFE*
The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
• Luke 8:14

Satan display the world with its most alluring, flattering charms to poor mortals, and as they gaze upon it, its glitter and tinsel eclipse the glory of heaven, and that life which is as enduring as the throne of God. A life of peace, happiness, joy unspeakable, which shall know nothing of sorrow, sadness, pain, nor death, is sacrificed for a short lifetime of sin.
• Radiant Religion, p.234

*• A Point To Ponder •*
What if Satan cannot persuade me to abandon Christ, but can persuade me to become so absorbed in the things of this life that I have little time, desire, or attention left for Him?
_(FrontierOfHopeMinistry)_

Dear Father,

Today, I discovered that there is more to this Scripture than the natural occurrence of Joseph being sold to Potiphar and the jealousy of his brothers. It reveals a known pattern the enemy operates to destroy a man. The Scripture says: “And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit; and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

The pattern is, “Afflict the man, and he will lose sight of his dreams.” Strangely, afflictions may arise in various ways: frustration from the cosmos, discouragement from loved ones, betrayal and unreasonable offences, lack, distractions, losses, or even death. The point is, if it would make him lose sight of his destiny, let us bring it before him.

With this, we are naturally ushered into the responsibility of discerning and prayerfully engaging with circumstances that bear natural patterns but may be inspired by demonic forces. Because how do we explain the inspiration behind the thought, “Kill the man, and his dreams will fade”? So, the wrestle does not really seem to be against the man, but against his divine destiny.

Through this story, I have learned that we should not go wrestling with a person over their obvious displays of envy, or be discouraged by the hostility of the people we love. If destiny is the plan, its fulfilment must remain the focus, because there will be no fulfilment of destiny without spiritual warfare.

Translations:
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#destiny
#afflictions
#Josephstory
#patterns

Dear Father,

Today, I discovered that there is more to this Scripture than the natural occurrence of Joseph being sold to Potiphar and the jealousy of his brothers. It reveals a known pattern the enemy operates to destroy a man. The Scripture says: “And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit; and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

The pattern is, “Afflict the man, and he will lose sight of his dreams.” Strangely, afflictions may arise in various ways: frustration from the cosmos, discouragement from loved ones, betrayal and unreasonable offences, lack, distractions, losses, or even death. The point is, if it would make him lose sight of his destiny, let us bring it before him.

With this, we are naturally ushered into the responsibility of discerning and prayerfully engaging with circumstances that bear natural patterns but may be inspired by demonic forces. Because how do we explain the inspiration behind the thought, “Kill the man, and his dreams will fade”? So, the wrestle does not really seem to be against the man, but against his divine destiny.

Through this story, I have learned that we should not go wrestling with a person over their obvious displays of envy, or be discouraged by the hostility of the people we love. If destiny is the plan, its fulfilment must remain the focus, because there will be no fulfilment of destiny without spiritual warfare.

Translations:
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#LettertoGod
#destiny
#afflictions
#Josephstory
#patterns

*SEED FOR LIFE*
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
• Hebrews 11:24, 25

Moses was offered the palace of the Pharaohs and the throne; but the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in those lordly courts... Instead of linking himself with the sin and the greatness of Egypt, he chose to bind up his life with God’s purpose... The greatness of Egypt is in the dust... All who will turn from the pleasures of earth, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, will receive the unfading crown of immortality, and the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
• Radiant Religion, p.224

*• A Point To Ponder •*
There comes a point in life when we must ask: Who am I becoming, and whose purpose am I living for?
_(FrontierOfHopeMinistry)_

Dear Father,

I woke up several times at night with a word on my heart. I hope to do justice to it in today's letter, because I fear there may not be sufficient or exact words to describe the meditations of my heart. I woke up today, and I couldn't shake off the weight of Your love. Sadly, as humans, there is not so much we can do, for in understanding love, we perhaps experience the limitation of seeing things through our own lens. How sufficient is our understanding of Your love for us? How much will today's letter fall short in its description of it?

Today, I thought about the various dimensions of Your love and the significant difference between them and our perspective of what love is. For instance, humanity's expression of love rises and falls on the basis of conditions and blood relations, and so often, our response to love is based on our revelation of its depths. Apparently, we operate from a limited view if our perspective of Your love is based on our understanding of what love is.

Today, I wondered: What would we do differently if we understood love differently? The Scripture says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." Would I be right to infer that if You gave up the life of Your Son for us, then You love us just as You love Him? Maybe the closest I can come to describing it is the analogy of a once barren woman who miraculously bore a child in her old age, but perhaps even that pales in comparison.

When I began writing today's letter, I knew I wouldn't find sufficient words, and still I wonder: What would we do differently if we knew the depths of Your love for us?

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindi
Slide 5: Urdu
Slide 6: Portuguese

#lettertoGod
#love
#loveofGod
#conditions