Friday, August 22, 2008

A Wrong Pattern in Seeking God’s Will


Taken from "Experiencing God" by Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King

I hear many people say something like this: “Lord, I really want to know Your will. Stop me if I am wrong and bless me if I am right” or “Lord, I will proceed in this direction. Close the door if it is not Your will.” This approach isn’t found in Scripture.

Don’t let experience alone guide your life. Don’t allow yourself to be led by tradition, a method, or a formula. Often people trust these ways because they appear easier than cultivating an intimate walk with God. People do as they please and put the whole burden of responsibility on God. If they are wrong, He must intervene and stop them. If they make a mistake, they blame God. God is not obligated to stop you from making a mistake!

If you want to know the will and voice of God, you must devote time and effort to cultivate a love relationship with Him. That is what He wants!

God Word is our guide. The pattern in the Scripture is that God always gives a direction on the front end. He may not tell you all you want to know at the beginning, but He will tell you what you need to know to make necessary adjustments and take the first step of obedience. Wait until the Master gives you instructions. If you start doing before you have a direction from God, more than likely you will be wrong. One of the most difficult things for Christians to do is to wait on the Lord. However, waiting reflects our absolute dependence on God.

“Darkness about going is light about staying”


Does God Give Specific Directions?

A common teaching today claims that God does not give you clear instructions. Instead, He merely sets your life in motion, and you try to figure out the directions, using your God-given mind. For these people, freedom to choose is the highest good. This implies that a Christian always thinks correctly and according to God’s will. It does not take into account that the old nature constantly battles with the spiritual nature (see Romans 7). Our ways are not God’s ways (see Isaiah 55:8). Only God can give you the kind of specific directions to accomplish His purposes in His ways. From God’s perspective, doing His will is the highest good and results in the greatest joy.

After God spoke to Noah about building an ark, Noah knew its size, the type of materials to use, and the way to put it together. When God spoke to Moses about building the tabernacles, He was extremely specific about the details. When God walked on the earth in the Person of Jesus Christ, He gave specific directions to His disciples—where to go, what to do, how to respond, and what to say.

What about when God called Abraham (Abram) and said, “Go to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1)? That was not very specific. That required faith. But God did say, “I will show you.” God always gives you enough specific directions to do what He wants you to do now. When you need more directions, He gives you more in His timing. God later told Abraham about the son to be born to him, the number of his descendants, the territory they would inhabit, and that they would go into bondage and eventually be delivered.

The Holy Spirit gives clear directions today. Because God is personal, He wants to be intimately involved in your life. Therefore, He will give you clear guidance for living. You may say, “That has not been my experience.” Base your understanding of God on Scripture, not on your personal experience or lack of it!



Suggestions to Help Us Looking to God for Directions in Our Lives

If you do not have clear instructions from God in a matter, pray and wait. Learn patience. Depend on God’s timing, which is always right and best. Don’t get in a hurry. He may withhold directions to cause you to seek Him more intently. Don’t try to skip over the relationship to start doing something. God is more interested in a love relationship with you than He is in what you can do for Him. If God is having you wait, He may want to develop a deeper relationship with you before He gives you your next assignment. He may have you wait because the timing is not yet right.


From George Muller

The following excerpt was taken from a book called “Answers to Prayer,” where George Muller summed up the way he entered a heart relationship with God and how he learned to discern His voice. (Notice that the order is VERY important):

1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.

4. Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

6. Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.


From Blog owner

The above passages only mention the principles in seeking God's will. If you'd like to know some wonderful examples how those principles could be applied practically in our lives, the following are 3 (three) highly-recommended books. The books were all written by godly men who had/have sweet fellowship with the Lord Jesus. They consistently applied the above principles, and thus, they are able to put them down in writing in order to share them with us. These godly men know that seeking God's will is not a matter of formula. They give us biblical and practical examples to help us know for certain that in every decision we made, we are indeed doing God's will.

1. Release the Power of Prayer (George Muller) by Whitaker House--141 pages, yet easy reading. Get it at www.amazon.com.

2. The 7 C's of Decision Making (David R.Reid) by ECS Ministries (Emmaus Bible College)--15 page booklet. Get it at www.ecsministries.org.

3. Experiencing God (Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King) by LiveWay Press-- a Bible study guide, 12-unit lessons in knowing and doing the will of God. Get it at www.livewaystores.com.

Last but not least, I shared the above advices with others because I have found them very helpful. I myself still have many things to learn regarding discerning God's will in my life. Therefore, when some things I learned have helped my personal walk with the Lord Jesus, I would NOT be able to stay still until I share them with others. I feel like it is selfish to keep them for myself. In fact, two of the books above were suggested by godly mothers I know. If I have received freely, then I shall give freely, too. May the Lord Jesus be glorified.