COMMITTED TO THE WILL OF GOD

Jeremiah 42:3 “Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."

Francis Schaeffer was a relatively famous pastor and Christian author. When he was 19 years old he had a decision to make. He had to decide whether to stay home and become a mechanical engineer (which was something he was interested in) or go away to Bible College to become a pastor (which was a pull he felt in his heart). His father had demanded that he make a decision—the time was at hand. Francis told his father he needed a few more minutes to think and so he went off to the cellar to pray. Weeping, he asked God for help. Finally, in desperation he took out a coin and said “Heads, I’ll go” It was heads. Then he pleaded, “God, be patient with me. If it comes up tails this time, I’ll go.” It was tails. “Once more, God, Please let it be heads again.” It was heads. Back upstairs Francis went. “Dad, I’ve got to go.” Francis went on to become a pastor, philosopher, lecturer, and an author of 24 books.

Every day we make numerous decisions. What cereal to purchase, what to eat for supper, whether to rent an apartment or buy a home, where to go to college, what career path to take, what church to attend, who to date or marry, how to raise your children, how to invest your money. The choices go on and on.

Our lives can be changed by one decision. While flipping coins, which is akin to casting lots, and asking God for signs has been used by God at various times to communicate his will there are other ways to determining his will.

Here are a few things all Christians should be doing in order to stay in the will of God:

1. Pray

James recognized that is not always easy to know what to do, so as he explains in James 1:5, we are to ask God for the needed wisdom “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

2. Go to the Scripture

In Psalm 119:105 it says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”. The point: God’s Word has much to say on how we are to live our lives and what we are to do.

Too often we are guilty of not considering what the Bible says on an issue. In the Bible God has spelled out all we need to know. The Bible is full of God’s clear commands that offer us direction for most of life’s decisions. The more we know of God’s written Word, the more quickly we will know what God wants us to do.

3. Seek Godly Counsel

Psalm 1:1a it says “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” Often times we will go to people for counsel. Sometimes we seek them out because we want approval of plans we have already made. Sometimes we genuinely want their guidance.

When it comes to the matter of God’s will for our lives, our biggest issue is not the determining of it. Yes the determining of God’s will really challenges us as times, however I think biggest thing is actually doing it.

We have at our disposal the necessary tools to determine God’s will. Prayer, patience, the Word of the Lord, Godly counsel: What is often lacking is a commitment on our parts to doing the will of God. We need willing and surrendered spirits that say yes to God regardless of what’s in our heads to the contrary. Remember, it is in his will that we will find perfect contentment.