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Posts Tagged ‘Finding God’s Will’

By spending time in His presence, one way God reveals His will to us is through the passions of our heart. By setting a torch to our soul, God shows us His plans for us. For Jeremiah, He gave a fire for hard hearts. For Nehemiah, He gave a fire for Jerusalem. And for Isaiah, He gave fire for a vision he couldn’t resist. Everyone that was called by God received a fire in their heart…a driving passion that revealed God’s will.

It works the same today. What is the fire in your heart?

And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. [Romans 8:27 NLT]

As for me, I’ve had many passions in my life. But, to be honest, many came from the enemy as thorns to choke out the seeds of God’s truth.

I recall one such passion that I had as a young man was to have my own jet. I didn’t want to fly commercial. Not even first-class. I wanted my own Gulfstream jet. I wanted to be able to call my pilot, tell him/her that I wanted to have dinner in some exotic location, and have them fly me and a guest there and back on my command. This passion was so strong that I patterned many decisions in my life from this foolishness.

While in my junior year of college, and after having “washed out” from my first experience with the church, I saw the movie, “Wall Street” with Michael Douglas. In fact, I’m one of the folks that got mad with Bud Fox for ratting out Gordon Gekko. From that point forward, I was on a mission. Throughout college, my grades were average. I did okay. I didn’t make an effort to do well. I just wanted to do just enough to be “in the mix.” But, after seeing the movie, I settled for nothing less than being the best. My grades went from average to almost perfect in my senior year.

Coupled with watching the movie, I read the autobiography of Reginald F. Lewis. After that, I knew what I had to do. My first job out of college was within the accounting department of a very large, international law firm. I salivated as I watched these lawyers get six-figure bonus checks and drive their sexy cars. I wanted that, and more! As far as I could see, it looked like the land of milk and honey.

Thou shalt not covet. [Exodus 20:17 KJV]

Instead of going to law school like Mr. Lewis, I decided to get my MBA. I figured I wouldn’t waste time being a lawyer when what I really wanted was to be a force on Wall Street. Around this time, I think God must have said to Himself about me, “enough already. This little sheep is about to go a bit too far off the green pasture that I’ve laid out for him.”

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. [Psalm 23:1 KJV]

Slowly, but most assuredly, He began to refine me in His furnace. I rebelled. I fought tooth and nail to pursue “my” passion. I wore myself out. The demon of my selfish ambition was defeated. All that was left of me was a weak shell of a man. All I could do at that point was say to Him, “here I am. Do with me as you will.”

Years passed. He allowed me to have some success. But, once again, I started to feel that yearn for a abundant success that I could pass on to my children, and my children’s children. Sometimes I think God looks at me and just shakes His head while He giggles at my folly.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth,…” [Matthew 6:19]

Today, after the various stages of my development and walk with Him, I’ve tried to not just hear, but act upon the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. One of the things that I’ve learned is that God doesn’t negotiate. We’re not going to be able to convince Him that our plan(s) is better. I whined and moaned to Him that the gifts He has given me gifts to use don’t make enough money. I can make a ‘cagolazillion’ dollars a year, give all of it back to charity, do something good for Him, and still be outside of His will for me. How do I know? Because the walk, the process of doing anything outside of His will, for those who are called, makes one miserable. It’s that simple.

I should have never pursued an MBA. I look back on that decision today and I wonder, what was I thinking. I can’t stand the administration of business. And, although ‘hate’ is a strong word, I can use it here safely and not be concerned about overstating my feelings, or lack thereof about it. God may indeed want someone else to make a ‘cagolazillion’ dollars per year. But, as far as I can tell, that’s not for me, at least, not in a manner that I’m currently familiar.

To that end, find His will for your life by following the passions of your heart that have been submitted to Him.

Do you have a passion to sing? Then sing.

Do you have a passion for the ill? Then learn to treat them.

Do you have a passion for the lost? Then learn to teach and impart wisdom to them.

Do you have a passion to write a blog and share your personal testimony of the lessons you’ve learned, and those that you continue to learn, each day…along the way? Then write.

As my current pastor says, “the fire of your heart is the light of your path. Disregard it at your own expense.”

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples had disregarded the word of God. Rather than consult the scriptures, they listened to their fears. Fortunately, the greatest Teacher of all joined them and proceeded to conduct a bible study.

I liken reading the word of God to receiving a personal letter from Him to us. God uses scripture to reveal His will to us. More specifically, I believe that for every situation ‘under the sun’ there is a solution to be found in the bible. It is up to us to prayerfully seek the answer to our questions. The answers don’t always jump out and say, “Here I am.” Sometimes, the journeys to find the answers we seek take us down a path to answers to questions we didn’t know we had.

In Matthew 13, where after sharing the parable of the farmer sowing seeds, the disciples asked Jesus why he didn’t just make His explanations plain. He answered by telling them that those who sincerely seek understanding shall find it, while others will lose what little understanding they had. Today, it works the same way. We read the bible. Those of us who sincerely desire to have the truth planted in our hearts will gain understanding. The rest of us will become frustrated and allow the bible to collect dust, or worse.

Parable: Farmer Sowing Seed (Matthew 13:3-9 NLT)

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

The word of God is the seed of the farmer. Some of us read the bible. But, Satan fills our minds with doubt, uncertainty, fear, or a constant badgering of our past sins to make us feel unworthy. Although we hear and feel the word in our hearts, Satan snatches it away. In this manner, the seed falls on the footpath, withers and dies.

Some of us read the bible and become giddy with joy and excitement. We’re elated to find that God understands our situation and has given us an answer. But, that giddiness doesn’t last. The reality of placing the answers we receive in to practice taxes our emotions. Frustration sets in. The seed of wisdom is lost in the rocky soil.

For others, reading the bible is a staple in their lives. Yet, far too often, the moment the bible is closed, the concerns of the day take precedence. Although these individuals know the value of His word, they have not yielded to it, or Him. Thus, they are overly concerned with their own capacity to manage their lives and the pursuit of prosperity. The seed was lost amongst the thorns.

Finding His will for our lives is a matter of allowing the seeds to be planted in a fertile heart. Even so, to yield fruit and live the quality of life in which we are called, requires more than mere reading and hearing Him speak to us. James 1:22-24 (NLT) says it best:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

To find His will, we must read His word, and do what it says. Be prepared, and remember what I said earlier, sometimes we receive answers to questions we either didn’t know we had, or we weren’t prepared to discuss with Him. In that case, yield to Him. He desires to teach you something more than what you seek. He is preparing you for something you have not considered. He won’t force you. Rather, you must yield. Allow your heart to be receptive so that the seeds He plants will find fertile soil.

Earlier this year, I found myself having some challenges and difficulty reconciling my walk with God and the manifestation of certain events in my life. One Sabbath morning, in my attempt to more closely communicate with Him, I didn’t go to bible study, or to church. My family went without me. I, on the other hand, went to the park. My ambition was to “walk and talk” in solitude with my Father. I needed some direction and I thought the best way for me to get the answers that I needed was to isolate myself with Him.

Later in the day, I spoke with a friend and a senior leader of the church who asked me where I was, and if I was alright.

“I needed to speak with my Daddy,” I told him.

“Hmmm…,” was the sound of his reply. Knowing him as I do, I could tell that he had a difference of opinion as to my Sabbath morning methodology for speaking with God.

Later that same week, I had the opportunity to visit with my friend and listen to him speak to me, and a few others about a completely different subject. Yet, within those words, I found guidance for my dilemma.

Ephesians 4 speaks about unity in the body of Christ. More specifically, in verses 15-16 we read:

15 – - Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

16 – - From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

In other words, God gives each part of His body an assignment. On the day of His resurrection, Christ used a few disciples to carry His message to the others. Today, I believe that Christ still speaks to believers through other believers. Whether it is in prayer meeting, bible study, during a sermon, or even a conversation in the foyer, or while sharing a meal after the service, God can speak to us through others.

There have been plenty of times where after teaching a bible study lesson, one or many individuals will approach me to say, “thank you; that lesson spoke to my heart.” Similarly, during my home church’s monthly fellowship lunch after service, I’ve seen many instances of people encouraging one another, lifting them up, and giving them a word from God.

I had forgotten that fact when I decided to take my “walk and talk” that Sabbath morning. Unwittingly, I gave Satan a victory. Satan doesn’t want us to go to church because He knows that although God visits with us collectively, He still speaks to us individually through other believers. It was a lesson I needed to learn. When we find ourselves in a “spiritual slump,” the solution is not isolation in order to feel free to moan, groan, and slump our shoulders and cry out to the Lord for answers. Rather, we belong in church. Conversely, when we are on a “spiritual roll,” we need to humble ourselves before God, go to church and allow Him to use us according to His will. He may send someone that needs to hear God’s message through us.

Without a hint of uncertainty, there have been plenty of times where I would have been able to avoid “stepping in it” if I had been able to clearly understand the will of God. Every Christian knows that God has a plan and that plan is good. But, the question that remains is how to make the plan real…how to know with full clarity what He wants every step of the way.

I recall giving a bible study and being asked, “if God could part the Red Sea, why can’t He figure out a way to send us a text message? I laughed. I mean, honestly, it would be most convenient if all we had to do was to check our Blackberry for a message from God that told us exactly what to do. All we’d have to do is stop and ask a question in prayer, and wait for our answer to vibrate in our hands. Or better yet, why not just send us an email each morning after we pray that outlines our day for us. Hmmm…imagine that.

Nevertheless, even though God doesn’t use email to the best of my knowledge, He has made it too easy to receive guidance. But, how?

On the Road to Emmaus

“We were hoping that he would free Israel,” Luke 24:21

I can recall many times where I thought the Lord was leading me in a certain direction only to find out the end result was not what I had thought it would be. On the road to Emmaus, during the day of the Savior’s resurrection, two disciples found themselves moaning, groaning, and slouching their way home because Jesus had done something different than they expected, at least in their perception of things. I often wonder how anyone who could have been so close to Jesus, close enough for Him to wash their stinking, muddied feet, could be so confused about what He wanted, and of His plan for all of us. By their behavior, one could believe that Jesus was still in the tomb.

Imagine, Jesus had just redeemed the world and they were disappointed and complaining about Rome. Jesus came to this earth to conquer sin and death. But, these guys wanted Jesus to deal with Caesar and soldiers. Sometimes, we just want what we want. We don’t stop to think or even consider the larger picture. Just like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we need to know how to understand God’s will.

God is not a God of confusion. Where ever He sees a sincere heart seeking His will, God will do whatever it takes to help that individual have an undeniable conviction so that they may know in their hearts and minds. On the road to Emmaus, the discouraged disciples saw the death of Jesus as the death of a movement. Frustrated, they packed their bags and headed home.

When a lamb takes a wrong turn and misses the pasture, the Good Shepherd is unwilling to let it wander too far. He will come for the lamb and guide it home. That’s what Jesus did for these disciples. And, that’s still what He does for us today in a very simple process.