HOW TO KNOW GOD'S WILL FOR IMPORTANT DECISIONS IN YOUR LIFE. Part 2 of 6.
God’s Basic Will for Every Christian. Continued.
The Holy Spirit is for the purpose of enabling us to become “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), and this Jesus said, comes not by "doing," but by "dying." Until we learn this lesson, we may work our heads off in religious efforts and still never really be fruitful. God does not call us merely to do "good works" – every Christian is capable of this– but His will for us is that we should become fruitful in every good work. We can do good works and still not be moving in His will. Good works are acceptable in the sight of God only to the extent they are in harmony with His will and under His direction.
The case of Saul is a perfect example of this fact. God had sent King Saul against the Amalekites commanding him to destroy utterly both man and beast because the Amalekites had ruthlessly attacked Israel when she had first come out of Egypt. In disobedience Saul spared King Agag alive and kept the best of the sheep and oxen for the purpose of offering sacrifices unto the Lord. Now, God had commanded the Israelites through Moses to worship Him with sacrifices and burnt offerings as King Saul well knew.
Certainly Saul's intentions were good in his desire to offer sacrifices unto the Lord, but God rejected him from the kingship of Israel nevertheless, saying, through Samuel, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams ... Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king" (1 Sam. 15:22-23). In Matthew 7:21 Jesus declared, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." He then makes clear His meaning in verses 22-23 stating that many who are engaged in performing "good works," will, nevertheless, be rejected at the return of Christ because they were not doing the "will of God." A good deed does not necessarily make one acceptable to God merely because it results in good being done to someone else; our works are acceptable to God only to the extent they are in harmony with the will of God and a fulfillment of His purpose. God has not called us merely to do good works, but to do His will and move under the direction of His Spirit.
We must be willing to resign from the delusion of religious commotion and be still, patiently waiting upon Him as He teaches us how to become sensitive to His voice, in order that He might
make us to be "fruitful in every good work." The Spirit is calling us to be crucified with Christ, for it is on the cross that He teaches us how to grow quiet in order to hear His voice; and it is here that He rids our hearts of all the wrong notions about God's will for our lives and how He intends to fulfill His greater purpose through the Body of Christ in this end of the age.
It is upon the disciple's return to Calvary, when he has been crucified with Christ, that the Spirit will then begin to teach him how to-
3. Speak to the Mountain.
And on the morrow, when they were center from Bethany, he was hungry:
And seeing a tree afar off having leaves, he came, if happily He might find something therein: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it; No man eat fruit of you hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them (Mark 11:12-14, 20-24).
The importance of faith in the life of the Christian is emphasized again and again in God's Word, for we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6), and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). The Christian has been called to walk by faith and to live a life of total trust in God. Sadly, however, the faith of the average Christian rises little above that of the world generally. Doubt and unbelief in the life of a Christian constitutes disobedience to the revealed will of God Who commands us to have faith and to trust Him implicitly in all things without reservation.
Christians have an abundant inheritance provided for them by Christ's redemption. They are rich spiritually, materially, and physically, but too few are aware of this fact, believing instead that they are not to receive any of their 'inheritance now, or benefit from it in the present life, but only in the world to come.
The Scriptures, on the contrary, declare that our inheritance belongs to us now, for God has promised that "all things are yours... whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or
things to come; all are yours" (1 Corinthians 3:21-22). Healing, for example, has been provided for the believer and promised to him in God's Word (Isa. 53:4-5; Mt. 8:16-17; Mk. 16:18, James 5:14-15). It should be obvious that such a promise has no meaning unless it is valid here and now, for the believer will not need healing in the hereafter, inasmuch as he will not be subject to sickness. And so it is with almost all God’s promises-they are for the present, for it is now, in this life, that we have need of food, clothing, shelter, healing, health, protection, deliverance from fear, oppression, and so on.
The Scriptures are filled with divine assurances, rights, privileges, blessings, and promises given to the believer whereby God has made provision for our every spiritual, physical, and material need, as well as for the accomplishment of the work He has commissioned His Church to do in the fulfillment of His will. All these provisions and blessings are available to the extent that we are willing to press through by faith and appropriate them. Moreover, if we are willing to meet the conditions, then we do not have to beg or persuade Him to fulfill His promises to us, for God assures us that He has already said "yes" to every promise He has made (2 Cor. 1:20), and that He does not go back on His word (Num. 23:19).
It is sad to see some Christians who have accepted this deeper message who, nevertheless, have no real faith to sustain them in it, teaching the same errors as the institutional churches that an important part of our crucifixion is the absence of material blessings and the acceptance of sickness and pain. Such a view is completely out of harmony with the Word of God, for healing and the promise of the supply of all our needs have been provided in the atonement, and promised again and again in the scriptures. They are to be appropriated by faith as a part of our inheritance. Failure to ask for healing when one is sick, and to believe for God's daily provision for our temporal needs, is to ignore His promises, frustrate His will and purpose for our lives, and make Christ's sufferings and death at Calvary to provide us these blessings all in vain.
The crucifixion the Christian is called upon to experience is not that of physical sickness, pain, and poverty, but the crucifixion of self. One may give up all his possessions and still not lose his
affection for these things. In giving up the self-life one loses his affection for material things as ends in themselves, and as a result God can, with confidence, bless him abundantly just as He
has promised in Philippians 4:19, where the Apostle Paul declares that "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Note carefully that God promises here to bless us richly by Christ Jesus which clearly means that all our needs (temporal as well as spiritual) were provided for in Christ's atonement, for all that we receive from God comes to us only as a result of Christ's work at Calvary (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20).
Likewise, to contend that God sometimes uses sickness to make the believer more spiritual, or allows us to suffer occasionally in order to draw some lost or backslidden member of our family to Him, is in effect saying that we must add our suffering to that of Christ at Calvary. But the Scriptures plainly declare that "Surely he (Christ) has carried away our diseases, and borne our pains and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4-5 Matt 8:17) Moreover, God draws your unsaved and backslidden loved ones to Him by the sufferings of Christ, not yours! Jesus' words in John 12:32-33 forever settle this fact: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me". This he said, signifying what death he should die."
Only the Christian that refuses to accept sickness and poverty, knowing that they come from the hand of Satan (Jn. 10:10, Acts 10:38), and who walks in total faith in God in these matters, can fulfill God's perfect will in his life. Otherwise, he will find that he spends a good part of his time disabled with sickness and unable to serve the Lord as he should. Furthermore, much time is wasted in concern for supplying his temporal needs, instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God and allowing Him to provide these things as He promises in His Word (Matt. 6:19-34; Phil. 4:19).
Thus, he must waste a good deal of his prayer time, which could be utilized for others, praying for, and concerned with, himself, instead of the work of the Kingdom. Very obviously "self" is not crucified when one spends so much time ministering to itself. It is only by walking in total faith, appropriating God's provisions which He has promised, do we have the health, strength, time, and provisions to fulfill His will in our lives.
Are you concerned with fulfilling God's will in your life? God's will can be accomplished in the life of the Christian onIy to the extent he is willing to trust Him. Did you know that God has pledged Himself to direct each step of your life? The condition, however, is faith - total trust in God in all things without reservation. The promise is found in Proverbs 3:5-8: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
There are three conditions of faith in this promise which the Christian must meet if he expects such divine direction of his life: (1) total trust in the Lord ("Trust in the Lord with all thine heart"); (2) lack of trust in oneself ("and lean not unto thine own understanding"); and (3) a constant confession of these two facts ("in all thy ways acknowledge him").
(1) Total trust in the Lord.
Many Christians today reveal their great lack of faith in that they have no real confidence in God to keep the promises He has made them. This is reflected in their unwillingness to ask in faith what He has provided for them and promised to them; or when they do ask Him to fulfill a promise to meet some need, they condition their prayers by saying, "Grant this request Lord if it
be Your will." Prayer conditioned with "if" for something God has promised is not a prayer of faith, and is one's confession that he is not sure God will be faithful and fulfill what He has promised to do.
It is a terrifying thought to most Christians to suggest that God expects them to trust Him alone for their health, healing, finances, employment, protection, and so on. As a result they carefully
arrange their lives so that they will never have to suffer the embarrassment of having to depend solely on Him in case of accident, sickness, financial distress, or some other emergency. Unlike the saints of old, who had only God to rely on for their provision, deliverance, and protection, the pampered saints of our generation have surrounded themselves with many fleshly substitutes
for faith, while the financial institutions, together with the medical and accident insurance companies, are growing rich as a result of their doubt, fear, and unbelief.
The life of faith means simply to "trust in the Lord with all your heart." Faith knows nothing of alternatives, substitutes, helps, or exceptions. Total trust in the Lord is to confess with the Psalmist: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust" (Ps. 91:2.). Total trust in the Lord is based upon the confidence that God is faithful to do all He has pledged Himself to do; thus, the Scriptures encourage us to "hold fast to the confession of our faith without doubting; for he is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23).
The lack of true faith among professing believers today stems largely from the fact that people have been taught so many wrong ideas about the Biblical promises concerning such things as divine healing, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, the presence and activity of demons, provision for our temporal needs, the miraculous and supernatural. So many half-truths have been taught about God's promises that Christians today do not know what to believe. The trouble with a half-truth is that people usually believe the wrong half. I have found in my ministry of teaching what faith is that before I can get Christians to the place that they can once more begin to appropriate the promises of God and start living on the level of their inheritance, I must first of all get them to see that there are certain things concerning the Christian faith which are just not debatable, and that the Word of God is clear on these things.
Moreover, when human opinion contradicts the plain teaching of the Word, then we must flatly reject man's interpretation of God's promises and take a stand with the Word. His promises are generally clear enough and need no special interpretation or explanation, which often robs them of their validity and effectiveness for this day. When we are promised that "the prayer of faith shall heal the sick,” and that "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory," that "there shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling," that "if any two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven," that "what things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them," and that God "forgives all your iniquities; (and) heals all your diseases," then the Word is clear enough and needs no interpretation, but is simply to be acted upon in faith. There are literally thousands of such promises in the Scriptures which may be appropriated by faith. We find that Christians today, who are willing to lay aside men's opinion concerning God's Word and trust in the Lord with all their hearts, discover that Jesus is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), and that God will not fail to fulfill any promise which He has made (Num.23:19)
(2) Lack of trust in oneself.
The second condition to meet, if we are to expect divine direction for our lives, is stated thus: "lean not upon your own understanding."
How many times have you prayed for guidance concerning God's will in some matter about which there was no specific revelation of His will in the Scriptures, but already had your mind made up as to what you desired to do and how you wanted God to answer your prayer? Do you at times, as you pray, wish to reserve the right to refuse the path God shows you in the event the cost seems too great, or in case His will is not in line with what you really wanted to do? In such instances are you not actually saying that you believe your wisdom and understanding concerning your need is greater than God's and is not such prayer in reality little more than an attempt to obtain God's approval on the course of action you have already decided to take?
Again, we often see the substitution of human understanding for faith in God when a specific promise in His Word has been asked for, such as a promise of healing, provision of some special need, or the salvation or deliverance of a loved one. When the Christian is required to suffer a trial in connection with obtaining the answer, or when the circumstances seem to get worse for a time, then we find that many times he will begin to rely on his own wisdom in an attempt to "help" God provide the answer or solve the problem. So many are willing to trust God
only up to a certain point, but then begin to panic if the symptoms become worse, or when the money they prayed for has not arrived by the deadline, or if the alcoholic husband or backslidden daughter they had prayed to the Lord for seems to be getting more hopeless daily. It is then that they will often seek to force open some door before it is God's time, or seek to change the adverse circumstance in some way. Leaning on one's own understanding results from a lack of trust in God, and invariably hinders Him in answering the prayer, often making it impossible for Him to help such individuals. We cannot expect divine direction of our lives unless we are willing to humble ourselves and admit that our fallible wisdom and intellect are incapable of solving the complexities of life or in fulfilling God's perfect will in our lives.
(3) Constant Confession.
The third condition for receiving divine direction for our lives is stated as follows: "In all your ways acknowledge him." This is the constantly saying that we are not leaning unto our own understanding, but are trusting the Lord in every detail of our lives. To acknowledge Himin all our ways means that we will speak God's blessing, protection, and guidance at all times, and not boast, as so many do, of our own achievements, nor say of how "fortunate" we were in receiving the unexpected raise in salary, or how "lucky" we were when no one was injured in the recent accident.
Acknowledging God in all our ways is in reality a statement of faith in Him. If we genuinely believe that He is directing our every step, it will be reflected in our daily conversation. Sadly, Satan has somehow brought about the sad situation where we find that very often Christians seem to be acknowledging the enemy in all their ways, instead of the Lord. If you do not believe this, then just listen to the conversation and talking of the average Christian day to day.
In reply to the simple, friendly greeting, "How are you today?" you may be surprised how often Christians immediately begin to confess that Satan has the victory over them. We hear
such replies as, "Oh, I'm not feeling too well today," or "I believe I am trying to take the flu. "When asked to help in some aspect of the Lord's work, not infrequently Christians will decline, saying, "I would be afraid to attempt that," or "Perhaps you should ask someone else, as I am sure I would fail." Another laments, "If the cost of living keeps going up, I just don't know what I'm going to do. I suppose my wife will just have to go to work to help make ends meet." "I committed the problem in my marriage to the Lord several months ago," one discouraged wife tells another, "but the situation shows no marked improvement, and I must say that I am just about ready to give the whole thing up." Edited. Shared.
To be Continued.
God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
God’s Basic Will for Every Christian. Continued.
The Holy Spirit is for the purpose of enabling us to become “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), and this Jesus said, comes not by "doing," but by "dying." Until we learn this lesson, we may work our heads off in religious efforts and still never really be fruitful. God does not call us merely to do "good works" – every Christian is capable of this– but His will for us is that we should become fruitful in every good work. We can do good works and still not be moving in His will. Good works are acceptable in the sight of God only to the extent they are in harmony with His will and under His direction.
The case of Saul is a perfect example of this fact. God had sent King Saul against the Amalekites commanding him to destroy utterly both man and beast because the Amalekites had ruthlessly attacked Israel when she had first come out of Egypt. In disobedience Saul spared King Agag alive and kept the best of the sheep and oxen for the purpose of offering sacrifices unto the Lord. Now, God had commanded the Israelites through Moses to worship Him with sacrifices and burnt offerings as King Saul well knew.
Certainly Saul's intentions were good in his desire to offer sacrifices unto the Lord, but God rejected him from the kingship of Israel nevertheless, saying, through Samuel, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams ... Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king" (1 Sam. 15:22-23). In Matthew 7:21 Jesus declared, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." He then makes clear His meaning in verses 22-23 stating that many who are engaged in performing "good works," will, nevertheless, be rejected at the return of Christ because they were not doing the "will of God." A good deed does not necessarily make one acceptable to God merely because it results in good being done to someone else; our works are acceptable to God only to the extent they are in harmony with the will of God and a fulfillment of His purpose. God has not called us merely to do good works, but to do His will and move under the direction of His Spirit.
We must be willing to resign from the delusion of religious commotion and be still, patiently waiting upon Him as He teaches us how to become sensitive to His voice, in order that He might
make us to be "fruitful in every good work." The Spirit is calling us to be crucified with Christ, for it is on the cross that He teaches us how to grow quiet in order to hear His voice; and it is here that He rids our hearts of all the wrong notions about God's will for our lives and how He intends to fulfill His greater purpose through the Body of Christ in this end of the age.
It is upon the disciple's return to Calvary, when he has been crucified with Christ, that the Spirit will then begin to teach him how to-
3. Speak to the Mountain.
And on the morrow, when they were center from Bethany, he was hungry:
And seeing a tree afar off having leaves, he came, if happily He might find something therein: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it; No man eat fruit of you hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them (Mark 11:12-14, 20-24).
The importance of faith in the life of the Christian is emphasized again and again in God's Word, for we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6), and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). The Christian has been called to walk by faith and to live a life of total trust in God. Sadly, however, the faith of the average Christian rises little above that of the world generally. Doubt and unbelief in the life of a Christian constitutes disobedience to the revealed will of God Who commands us to have faith and to trust Him implicitly in all things without reservation.
Christians have an abundant inheritance provided for them by Christ's redemption. They are rich spiritually, materially, and physically, but too few are aware of this fact, believing instead that they are not to receive any of their 'inheritance now, or benefit from it in the present life, but only in the world to come.
The Scriptures, on the contrary, declare that our inheritance belongs to us now, for God has promised that "all things are yours... whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or
things to come; all are yours" (1 Corinthians 3:21-22). Healing, for example, has been provided for the believer and promised to him in God's Word (Isa. 53:4-5; Mt. 8:16-17; Mk. 16:18, James 5:14-15). It should be obvious that such a promise has no meaning unless it is valid here and now, for the believer will not need healing in the hereafter, inasmuch as he will not be subject to sickness. And so it is with almost all God’s promises-they are for the present, for it is now, in this life, that we have need of food, clothing, shelter, healing, health, protection, deliverance from fear, oppression, and so on.
The Scriptures are filled with divine assurances, rights, privileges, blessings, and promises given to the believer whereby God has made provision for our every spiritual, physical, and material need, as well as for the accomplishment of the work He has commissioned His Church to do in the fulfillment of His will. All these provisions and blessings are available to the extent that we are willing to press through by faith and appropriate them. Moreover, if we are willing to meet the conditions, then we do not have to beg or persuade Him to fulfill His promises to us, for God assures us that He has already said "yes" to every promise He has made (2 Cor. 1:20), and that He does not go back on His word (Num. 23:19).
It is sad to see some Christians who have accepted this deeper message who, nevertheless, have no real faith to sustain them in it, teaching the same errors as the institutional churches that an important part of our crucifixion is the absence of material blessings and the acceptance of sickness and pain. Such a view is completely out of harmony with the Word of God, for healing and the promise of the supply of all our needs have been provided in the atonement, and promised again and again in the scriptures. They are to be appropriated by faith as a part of our inheritance. Failure to ask for healing when one is sick, and to believe for God's daily provision for our temporal needs, is to ignore His promises, frustrate His will and purpose for our lives, and make Christ's sufferings and death at Calvary to provide us these blessings all in vain.
The crucifixion the Christian is called upon to experience is not that of physical sickness, pain, and poverty, but the crucifixion of self. One may give up all his possessions and still not lose his
affection for these things. In giving up the self-life one loses his affection for material things as ends in themselves, and as a result God can, with confidence, bless him abundantly just as He
has promised in Philippians 4:19, where the Apostle Paul declares that "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Note carefully that God promises here to bless us richly by Christ Jesus which clearly means that all our needs (temporal as well as spiritual) were provided for in Christ's atonement, for all that we receive from God comes to us only as a result of Christ's work at Calvary (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20).
Likewise, to contend that God sometimes uses sickness to make the believer more spiritual, or allows us to suffer occasionally in order to draw some lost or backslidden member of our family to Him, is in effect saying that we must add our suffering to that of Christ at Calvary. But the Scriptures plainly declare that "Surely he (Christ) has carried away our diseases, and borne our pains and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4-5 Matt 8:17) Moreover, God draws your unsaved and backslidden loved ones to Him by the sufferings of Christ, not yours! Jesus' words in John 12:32-33 forever settle this fact: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me". This he said, signifying what death he should die."
Only the Christian that refuses to accept sickness and poverty, knowing that they come from the hand of Satan (Jn. 10:10, Acts 10:38), and who walks in total faith in God in these matters, can fulfill God's perfect will in his life. Otherwise, he will find that he spends a good part of his time disabled with sickness and unable to serve the Lord as he should. Furthermore, much time is wasted in concern for supplying his temporal needs, instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God and allowing Him to provide these things as He promises in His Word (Matt. 6:19-34; Phil. 4:19).
Thus, he must waste a good deal of his prayer time, which could be utilized for others, praying for, and concerned with, himself, instead of the work of the Kingdom. Very obviously "self" is not crucified when one spends so much time ministering to itself. It is only by walking in total faith, appropriating God's provisions which He has promised, do we have the health, strength, time, and provisions to fulfill His will in our lives.
Are you concerned with fulfilling God's will in your life? God's will can be accomplished in the life of the Christian onIy to the extent he is willing to trust Him. Did you know that God has pledged Himself to direct each step of your life? The condition, however, is faith - total trust in God in all things without reservation. The promise is found in Proverbs 3:5-8: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
There are three conditions of faith in this promise which the Christian must meet if he expects such divine direction of his life: (1) total trust in the Lord ("Trust in the Lord with all thine heart"); (2) lack of trust in oneself ("and lean not unto thine own understanding"); and (3) a constant confession of these two facts ("in all thy ways acknowledge him").
(1) Total trust in the Lord.
Many Christians today reveal their great lack of faith in that they have no real confidence in God to keep the promises He has made them. This is reflected in their unwillingness to ask in faith what He has provided for them and promised to them; or when they do ask Him to fulfill a promise to meet some need, they condition their prayers by saying, "Grant this request Lord if it
be Your will." Prayer conditioned with "if" for something God has promised is not a prayer of faith, and is one's confession that he is not sure God will be faithful and fulfill what He has promised to do.
It is a terrifying thought to most Christians to suggest that God expects them to trust Him alone for their health, healing, finances, employment, protection, and so on. As a result they carefully
arrange their lives so that they will never have to suffer the embarrassment of having to depend solely on Him in case of accident, sickness, financial distress, or some other emergency. Unlike the saints of old, who had only God to rely on for their provision, deliverance, and protection, the pampered saints of our generation have surrounded themselves with many fleshly substitutes
for faith, while the financial institutions, together with the medical and accident insurance companies, are growing rich as a result of their doubt, fear, and unbelief.
The life of faith means simply to "trust in the Lord with all your heart." Faith knows nothing of alternatives, substitutes, helps, or exceptions. Total trust in the Lord is to confess with the Psalmist: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust" (Ps. 91:2.). Total trust in the Lord is based upon the confidence that God is faithful to do all He has pledged Himself to do; thus, the Scriptures encourage us to "hold fast to the confession of our faith without doubting; for he is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23).
The lack of true faith among professing believers today stems largely from the fact that people have been taught so many wrong ideas about the Biblical promises concerning such things as divine healing, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, the presence and activity of demons, provision for our temporal needs, the miraculous and supernatural. So many half-truths have been taught about God's promises that Christians today do not know what to believe. The trouble with a half-truth is that people usually believe the wrong half. I have found in my ministry of teaching what faith is that before I can get Christians to the place that they can once more begin to appropriate the promises of God and start living on the level of their inheritance, I must first of all get them to see that there are certain things concerning the Christian faith which are just not debatable, and that the Word of God is clear on these things.
Moreover, when human opinion contradicts the plain teaching of the Word, then we must flatly reject man's interpretation of God's promises and take a stand with the Word. His promises are generally clear enough and need no special interpretation or explanation, which often robs them of their validity and effectiveness for this day. When we are promised that "the prayer of faith shall heal the sick,” and that "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory," that "there shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling," that "if any two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven," that "what things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them," and that God "forgives all your iniquities; (and) heals all your diseases," then the Word is clear enough and needs no interpretation, but is simply to be acted upon in faith. There are literally thousands of such promises in the Scriptures which may be appropriated by faith. We find that Christians today, who are willing to lay aside men's opinion concerning God's Word and trust in the Lord with all their hearts, discover that Jesus is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), and that God will not fail to fulfill any promise which He has made (Num.23:19)
(2) Lack of trust in oneself.
The second condition to meet, if we are to expect divine direction for our lives, is stated thus: "lean not upon your own understanding."
How many times have you prayed for guidance concerning God's will in some matter about which there was no specific revelation of His will in the Scriptures, but already had your mind made up as to what you desired to do and how you wanted God to answer your prayer? Do you at times, as you pray, wish to reserve the right to refuse the path God shows you in the event the cost seems too great, or in case His will is not in line with what you really wanted to do? In such instances are you not actually saying that you believe your wisdom and understanding concerning your need is greater than God's and is not such prayer in reality little more than an attempt to obtain God's approval on the course of action you have already decided to take?
Again, we often see the substitution of human understanding for faith in God when a specific promise in His Word has been asked for, such as a promise of healing, provision of some special need, or the salvation or deliverance of a loved one. When the Christian is required to suffer a trial in connection with obtaining the answer, or when the circumstances seem to get worse for a time, then we find that many times he will begin to rely on his own wisdom in an attempt to "help" God provide the answer or solve the problem. So many are willing to trust God
only up to a certain point, but then begin to panic if the symptoms become worse, or when the money they prayed for has not arrived by the deadline, or if the alcoholic husband or backslidden daughter they had prayed to the Lord for seems to be getting more hopeless daily. It is then that they will often seek to force open some door before it is God's time, or seek to change the adverse circumstance in some way. Leaning on one's own understanding results from a lack of trust in God, and invariably hinders Him in answering the prayer, often making it impossible for Him to help such individuals. We cannot expect divine direction of our lives unless we are willing to humble ourselves and admit that our fallible wisdom and intellect are incapable of solving the complexities of life or in fulfilling God's perfect will in our lives.
(3) Constant Confession.
The third condition for receiving divine direction for our lives is stated as follows: "In all your ways acknowledge him." This is the constantly saying that we are not leaning unto our own understanding, but are trusting the Lord in every detail of our lives. To acknowledge Himin all our ways means that we will speak God's blessing, protection, and guidance at all times, and not boast, as so many do, of our own achievements, nor say of how "fortunate" we were in receiving the unexpected raise in salary, or how "lucky" we were when no one was injured in the recent accident.
Acknowledging God in all our ways is in reality a statement of faith in Him. If we genuinely believe that He is directing our every step, it will be reflected in our daily conversation. Sadly, Satan has somehow brought about the sad situation where we find that very often Christians seem to be acknowledging the enemy in all their ways, instead of the Lord. If you do not believe this, then just listen to the conversation and talking of the average Christian day to day.
In reply to the simple, friendly greeting, "How are you today?" you may be surprised how often Christians immediately begin to confess that Satan has the victory over them. We hear
such replies as, "Oh, I'm not feeling too well today," or "I believe I am trying to take the flu. "When asked to help in some aspect of the Lord's work, not infrequently Christians will decline, saying, "I would be afraid to attempt that," or "Perhaps you should ask someone else, as I am sure I would fail." Another laments, "If the cost of living keeps going up, I just don't know what I'm going to do. I suppose my wife will just have to go to work to help make ends meet." "I committed the problem in my marriage to the Lord several months ago," one discouraged wife tells another, "but the situation shows no marked improvement, and I must say that I am just about ready to give the whole thing up." Edited. Shared.
To be Continued.
God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
❤️HOW TO KNOW GOD'S WILL FOR IMPORTANT DECISIONS IN YOUR LIFE. Part 2 of 6.
God’s Basic Will for Every Christian. Continued.
The Holy Spirit is for the purpose of enabling us to become “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), and this Jesus said, comes not by "doing," but by "dying." Until we learn this lesson, we may work our heads off in religious efforts and still never really be fruitful. God does not call us merely to do "good works" – every Christian is capable of this– but His will for us is that we should become fruitful in every good work. We can do good works and still not be moving in His will. Good works are acceptable in the sight of God only to the extent they are in harmony with His will and under His direction.
The case of Saul is a perfect example of this fact. God had sent King Saul against the Amalekites commanding him to destroy utterly both man and beast because the Amalekites had ruthlessly attacked Israel when she had first come out of Egypt. In disobedience Saul spared King Agag alive and kept the best of the sheep and oxen for the purpose of offering sacrifices unto the Lord. Now, God had commanded the Israelites through Moses to worship Him with sacrifices and burnt offerings as King Saul well knew.
Certainly Saul's intentions were good in his desire to offer sacrifices unto the Lord, but God rejected him from the kingship of Israel nevertheless, saying, through Samuel, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams ... Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king" (1 Sam. 15:22-23). In Matthew 7:21 Jesus declared, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." He then makes clear His meaning in verses 22-23 stating that many who are engaged in performing "good works," will, nevertheless, be rejected at the return of Christ because they were not doing the "will of God." A good deed does not necessarily make one acceptable to God merely because it results in good being done to someone else; our works are acceptable to God only to the extent they are in harmony with the will of God and a fulfillment of His purpose. God has not called us merely to do good works, but to do His will and move under the direction of His Spirit.
We must be willing to resign from the delusion of religious commotion and be still, patiently waiting upon Him as He teaches us how to become sensitive to His voice, in order that He might
make us to be "fruitful in every good work." The Spirit is calling us to be crucified with Christ, for it is on the cross that He teaches us how to grow quiet in order to hear His voice; and it is here that He rids our hearts of all the wrong notions about God's will for our lives and how He intends to fulfill His greater purpose through the Body of Christ in this end of the age.
It is upon the disciple's return to Calvary, when he has been crucified with Christ, that the Spirit will then begin to teach him how to-
3. Speak to the Mountain.
And on the morrow, when they were center from Bethany, he was hungry:
And seeing a tree afar off having leaves, he came, if happily He might find something therein: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it; No man eat fruit of you hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them (Mark 11:12-14, 20-24).
The importance of faith in the life of the Christian is emphasized again and again in God's Word, for we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6), and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). The Christian has been called to walk by faith and to live a life of total trust in God. Sadly, however, the faith of the average Christian rises little above that of the world generally. Doubt and unbelief in the life of a Christian constitutes disobedience to the revealed will of God Who commands us to have faith and to trust Him implicitly in all things without reservation.
Christians have an abundant inheritance provided for them by Christ's redemption. They are rich spiritually, materially, and physically, but too few are aware of this fact, believing instead that they are not to receive any of their 'inheritance now, or benefit from it in the present life, but only in the world to come.
The Scriptures, on the contrary, declare that our inheritance belongs to us now, for God has promised that "all things are yours... whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or
things to come; all are yours" (1 Corinthians 3:21-22). Healing, for example, has been provided for the believer and promised to him in God's Word (Isa. 53:4-5; Mt. 8:16-17; Mk. 16:18, James 5:14-15). It should be obvious that such a promise has no meaning unless it is valid here and now, for the believer will not need healing in the hereafter, inasmuch as he will not be subject to sickness. And so it is with almost all God’s promises-they are for the present, for it is now, in this life, that we have need of food, clothing, shelter, healing, health, protection, deliverance from fear, oppression, and so on.
The Scriptures are filled with divine assurances, rights, privileges, blessings, and promises given to the believer whereby God has made provision for our every spiritual, physical, and material need, as well as for the accomplishment of the work He has commissioned His Church to do in the fulfillment of His will. All these provisions and blessings are available to the extent that we are willing to press through by faith and appropriate them. Moreover, if we are willing to meet the conditions, then we do not have to beg or persuade Him to fulfill His promises to us, for God assures us that He has already said "yes" to every promise He has made (2 Cor. 1:20), and that He does not go back on His word (Num. 23:19).
It is sad to see some Christians who have accepted this deeper message who, nevertheless, have no real faith to sustain them in it, teaching the same errors as the institutional churches that an important part of our crucifixion is the absence of material blessings and the acceptance of sickness and pain. Such a view is completely out of harmony with the Word of God, for healing and the promise of the supply of all our needs have been provided in the atonement, and promised again and again in the scriptures. They are to be appropriated by faith as a part of our inheritance. Failure to ask for healing when one is sick, and to believe for God's daily provision for our temporal needs, is to ignore His promises, frustrate His will and purpose for our lives, and make Christ's sufferings and death at Calvary to provide us these blessings all in vain.
The crucifixion the Christian is called upon to experience is not that of physical sickness, pain, and poverty, but the crucifixion of self. One may give up all his possessions and still not lose his
affection for these things. In giving up the self-life one loses his affection for material things as ends in themselves, and as a result God can, with confidence, bless him abundantly just as He
has promised in Philippians 4:19, where the Apostle Paul declares that "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Note carefully that God promises here to bless us richly by Christ Jesus which clearly means that all our needs (temporal as well as spiritual) were provided for in Christ's atonement, for all that we receive from God comes to us only as a result of Christ's work at Calvary (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20).
Likewise, to contend that God sometimes uses sickness to make the believer more spiritual, or allows us to suffer occasionally in order to draw some lost or backslidden member of our family to Him, is in effect saying that we must add our suffering to that of Christ at Calvary. But the Scriptures plainly declare that "Surely he (Christ) has carried away our diseases, and borne our pains and with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4-5 Matt 8:17) Moreover, God draws your unsaved and backslidden loved ones to Him by the sufferings of Christ, not yours! Jesus' words in John 12:32-33 forever settle this fact: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me". This he said, signifying what death he should die."
Only the Christian that refuses to accept sickness and poverty, knowing that they come from the hand of Satan (Jn. 10:10, Acts 10:38), and who walks in total faith in God in these matters, can fulfill God's perfect will in his life. Otherwise, he will find that he spends a good part of his time disabled with sickness and unable to serve the Lord as he should. Furthermore, much time is wasted in concern for supplying his temporal needs, instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God and allowing Him to provide these things as He promises in His Word (Matt. 6:19-34; Phil. 4:19).
Thus, he must waste a good deal of his prayer time, which could be utilized for others, praying for, and concerned with, himself, instead of the work of the Kingdom. Very obviously "self" is not crucified when one spends so much time ministering to itself. It is only by walking in total faith, appropriating God's provisions which He has promised, do we have the health, strength, time, and provisions to fulfill His will in our lives.
Are you concerned with fulfilling God's will in your life? God's will can be accomplished in the life of the Christian onIy to the extent he is willing to trust Him. Did you know that God has pledged Himself to direct each step of your life? The condition, however, is faith - total trust in God in all things without reservation. The promise is found in Proverbs 3:5-8: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
There are three conditions of faith in this promise which the Christian must meet if he expects such divine direction of his life: (1) total trust in the Lord ("Trust in the Lord with all thine heart"); (2) lack of trust in oneself ("and lean not unto thine own understanding"); and (3) a constant confession of these two facts ("in all thy ways acknowledge him").
(1) Total trust in the Lord.
Many Christians today reveal their great lack of faith in that they have no real confidence in God to keep the promises He has made them. This is reflected in their unwillingness to ask in faith what He has provided for them and promised to them; or when they do ask Him to fulfill a promise to meet some need, they condition their prayers by saying, "Grant this request Lord if it
be Your will." Prayer conditioned with "if" for something God has promised is not a prayer of faith, and is one's confession that he is not sure God will be faithful and fulfill what He has promised to do.
It is a terrifying thought to most Christians to suggest that God expects them to trust Him alone for their health, healing, finances, employment, protection, and so on. As a result they carefully
arrange their lives so that they will never have to suffer the embarrassment of having to depend solely on Him in case of accident, sickness, financial distress, or some other emergency. Unlike the saints of old, who had only God to rely on for their provision, deliverance, and protection, the pampered saints of our generation have surrounded themselves with many fleshly substitutes
for faith, while the financial institutions, together with the medical and accident insurance companies, are growing rich as a result of their doubt, fear, and unbelief.
The life of faith means simply to "trust in the Lord with all your heart." Faith knows nothing of alternatives, substitutes, helps, or exceptions. Total trust in the Lord is to confess with the Psalmist: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust" (Ps. 91:2.). Total trust in the Lord is based upon the confidence that God is faithful to do all He has pledged Himself to do; thus, the Scriptures encourage us to "hold fast to the confession of our faith without doubting; for he is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23).
The lack of true faith among professing believers today stems largely from the fact that people have been taught so many wrong ideas about the Biblical promises concerning such things as divine healing, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, the presence and activity of demons, provision for our temporal needs, the miraculous and supernatural. So many half-truths have been taught about God's promises that Christians today do not know what to believe. The trouble with a half-truth is that people usually believe the wrong half. I have found in my ministry of teaching what faith is that before I can get Christians to the place that they can once more begin to appropriate the promises of God and start living on the level of their inheritance, I must first of all get them to see that there are certain things concerning the Christian faith which are just not debatable, and that the Word of God is clear on these things.
Moreover, when human opinion contradicts the plain teaching of the Word, then we must flatly reject man's interpretation of God's promises and take a stand with the Word. His promises are generally clear enough and need no special interpretation or explanation, which often robs them of their validity and effectiveness for this day. When we are promised that "the prayer of faith shall heal the sick,” and that "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory," that "there shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling," that "if any two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven," that "what things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them," and that God "forgives all your iniquities; (and) heals all your diseases," then the Word is clear enough and needs no interpretation, but is simply to be acted upon in faith. There are literally thousands of such promises in the Scriptures which may be appropriated by faith. We find that Christians today, who are willing to lay aside men's opinion concerning God's Word and trust in the Lord with all their hearts, discover that Jesus is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), and that God will not fail to fulfill any promise which He has made (Num.23:19)
(2) Lack of trust in oneself.
The second condition to meet, if we are to expect divine direction for our lives, is stated thus: "lean not upon your own understanding."
How many times have you prayed for guidance concerning God's will in some matter about which there was no specific revelation of His will in the Scriptures, but already had your mind made up as to what you desired to do and how you wanted God to answer your prayer? Do you at times, as you pray, wish to reserve the right to refuse the path God shows you in the event the cost seems too great, or in case His will is not in line with what you really wanted to do? In such instances are you not actually saying that you believe your wisdom and understanding concerning your need is greater than God's and is not such prayer in reality little more than an attempt to obtain God's approval on the course of action you have already decided to take?
Again, we often see the substitution of human understanding for faith in God when a specific promise in His Word has been asked for, such as a promise of healing, provision of some special need, or the salvation or deliverance of a loved one. When the Christian is required to suffer a trial in connection with obtaining the answer, or when the circumstances seem to get worse for a time, then we find that many times he will begin to rely on his own wisdom in an attempt to "help" God provide the answer or solve the problem. So many are willing to trust God
only up to a certain point, but then begin to panic if the symptoms become worse, or when the money they prayed for has not arrived by the deadline, or if the alcoholic husband or backslidden daughter they had prayed to the Lord for seems to be getting more hopeless daily. It is then that they will often seek to force open some door before it is God's time, or seek to change the adverse circumstance in some way. Leaning on one's own understanding results from a lack of trust in God, and invariably hinders Him in answering the prayer, often making it impossible for Him to help such individuals. We cannot expect divine direction of our lives unless we are willing to humble ourselves and admit that our fallible wisdom and intellect are incapable of solving the complexities of life or in fulfilling God's perfect will in our lives.
(3) Constant Confession.
The third condition for receiving divine direction for our lives is stated as follows: "In all your ways acknowledge him." This is the constantly saying that we are not leaning unto our own understanding, but are trusting the Lord in every detail of our lives. To acknowledge Himin all our ways means that we will speak God's blessing, protection, and guidance at all times, and not boast, as so many do, of our own achievements, nor say of how "fortunate" we were in receiving the unexpected raise in salary, or how "lucky" we were when no one was injured in the recent accident.
Acknowledging God in all our ways is in reality a statement of faith in Him. If we genuinely believe that He is directing our every step, it will be reflected in our daily conversation. Sadly, Satan has somehow brought about the sad situation where we find that very often Christians seem to be acknowledging the enemy in all their ways, instead of the Lord. If you do not believe this, then just listen to the conversation and talking of the average Christian day to day.
In reply to the simple, friendly greeting, "How are you today?" you may be surprised how often Christians immediately begin to confess that Satan has the victory over them. We hear
such replies as, "Oh, I'm not feeling too well today," or "I believe I am trying to take the flu. "When asked to help in some aspect of the Lord's work, not infrequently Christians will decline, saying, "I would be afraid to attempt that," or "Perhaps you should ask someone else, as I am sure I would fail." Another laments, "If the cost of living keeps going up, I just don't know what I'm going to do. I suppose my wife will just have to go to work to help make ends meet." "I committed the problem in my marriage to the Lord several months ago," one discouraged wife tells another, "but the situation shows no marked improvement, and I must say that I am just about ready to give the whole thing up." Edited. Shared.
To be Continued.
❤️
God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
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