1st Peter 4:1-2, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”
Look at our text verses again. What a beautiful passage of Scripture! As
born-again Christians, we ought to do God's will with our life, and not
serve sin to the lusts of the flesh. You're not going to stay in the will of
God unless you walk with God, abiding in the Word of God.
The book of Acts was written by the apostle Luke and spans 30 years of Paul's life. In Paul's early ministry, he didn't make one major decision. He was already a missionary, yet the church and his spiritual mentors made the decisions for Paul. Paul wasn't his own man, he relied upon the advise of his spiritual elders. If (perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived) Paul needed spiritual advise from more mature Christians, then so do we!!! Paul's major decisions were made by the disciples, friends, the brethren, Barnabas and the church.
The book of Acts mentions 68 times where Paul changed his location.
17 of the times were special:
- 1 was a vision.
- 7 times friends led him
- 1 time the church led him.
- 2 times he was expelled and had to leave.
- 3 times he fled.
- 3 times he was forbidden by the Holy Ghost to go.
- 51 times Paul just decided to go.
Now follow carefully. In the Scriptures, 75% of the time the apostle Paul had to decide for himself what the will of God was. Three times out of four Paul had no guidance to decide what to do!!! Most of the time we are going to have to decide God's will for our self. This means we must live in the Word of God continually.
“Most of the time in your life, you are going to have to decide yourself what the will of God is! That's what Paul did.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a great quote from the MP3 sermon, “The Way The Apostle Paul Found The Will Of God” (1991).
“The hope for you to be in the will of God, most of the time, is for you to walk closely with your God.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a great quote from the MP3 sermon, “The Way The Apostle Paul Found The Will Of God” (1991).
How Did Paul Find The Will Of God:
- Did spiritual leaders advise? (The wisdom of Christian leaders)
- Did the church advise? (The wisdom of the Church)
- Is it forbidden? (Anything outside the Bible is forbidden. God never goes against His Word, nor should we!)
- Did God speak? (John 5:39a, “Search the Scriptures...”)
- Lose your own will.
- Yield to the Holy Spirit.
- Set a time to decide.
- If the answer has not come, then you lose your will, set a time and
claim the mind of Christ, to make the
decision. Most of the time you're going to have to decide for yourself.
If you're decision maker is broken, don't make decisions. If you're lawnmower breaks, you borrow your neighbor's. Likewise, if your decision maker is broken, you need to borrow someone else's decision maker. Most of your decisions are not going to be made by visions, or God telling somebody else, or the church tells you what to do, they will be decisions that you've got to decide by yourself. This is Biblical.
You don't need to consult God's will for forbidden things. For example: You don't need to seek God's will whether you should drive a beer truck or not. The booze industry is wicked. Alcohol has a very poor track record historically. Beer is for fools, not God's children. It might not happen for 20 years, but the day will come if you drink alcohol, when you will pay the price. Heaven only knows how many marriages, families and homes have been wrecked because of liquor. Alcohol is liquid devil.
You don't need to seek God's will whether or not you should work in an abortion clinic. It is sinful to have any part in the murdering of human life!
“Your opinion's not worth a dime if it doesn't come from the Bible!” —Pastor Steven Anderson, a needful quote from the YouTube video: Scam City: Jails, Prisons, and Criminal Checks Exposed; a great clip from the classic sermon titled: EARTHLY, SENSUAL, DEVILISH. I love this guy for telling THE TRUTH!
I heard a young woman say that she knew it was God's will for her to become a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. She's a fool. It was her ninth audition. It is NEVER God's will for a young woman to dress immodestly, expose her thighs, open her legs, and give thousands of people a strip show. Those cheerleaders are committing wickedness every time they expose their thighs and buttocks, every time their create lust in others by gyrating in unholy positions in their colored underwear in a grassy field. It is sinful and evil. The holy Bible plainly commands women to cloth themselves in modest apparel in 1st Timothy 2:9.
You don't need to seek God's will about whether or not to marry an unsaved person. 2nd Corinthians 6:14-17 plainly forbids believers from being unequally yoked together with unbelievers. If a believer marries an unbeliever, you'll have the Devil for a spiritual father-in-law. That means a Christian ought never go into business together with an unbeliever. That means that a Christian ought not buy a condominium complex with an unsaved person. God's children are prohibited from yoking together with unbelievers.
You don't need to seek God's will whether or not to join a church that uses the modern corrupt Bible versions. It is not God's will. No Christian ought ever join a wicked church that promotes Lordship Salvation. No believer ought ever join a wicked church that promotes heretics on salvation; such as, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, John MacArthur, Pat Robertson, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen or any other reprobates. Ephesians 5:11 teaches that it is God's will is to refute (expose) all works of darkness. Alexandrian Bible versions are works of darkness! Lordship Salvation is a work of darkness!
If you are trying to determine God's will, ask yourself the question, “Do I have a will in the matter?” If you do, you must lose your will. So often people slap the label of God's will across what they really want to do, and it is not God's will at all.
“There's no way in the world—no way in the world—that you can stay in the will of God without walking daily with God.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a great quote from the MP3 sermon, “The Way The Apostle Paul Found The Will Of God” (1991)
The way to find God's will in your life is to saturate your life with the inspired King James Bible, which is the perfect Word of God. Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” END
