“Obedience to God’s will is the secret of spiritual knowledge and insight. It is not willingness to know, but willingness to DO (obey) God’s will that brings certainty.” Eric Liddell. Submitting to God brings growth in the Christian’s life. The Fifth Step of Submitting to God: Applying His Will.
Questions for discussion:
- What is a simple explanation of the will of God?
- What is an example of doing God’s Will?
- How do you know if something is God’s Will?
- What is the difference in God’s will and my will?
- How do I give up my will to God?
- How do I seek God’s will for my life?
What is a simple explanation of the will of God?
“Doing God’s will is living according to His Word—the Bible. Seeking the Lord’s will is not a suggestion from God, it is a loving command. He wants us to understand His will and reveals it in Scripture. To know God’s will is the highest of all wisdom.” Rev. Billy Graham
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 NIV
What is an example of doing God’s Will
1.That everyone comes to know Jesus Christ as Savior.
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40 NIV
2.God’s will is that Christians are sanctified and stay away from sexual immorality.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NIV
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
3.Here is an example of Noah’s obeying God’s will.
Genesis 6:9-22 NIV
“This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.
This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
This was not an easy task for Noah. It had never rained before and no one knew what it was. He was ridiculed for his obedience to God but yet he did it anyway.
How do you know if something is God’s Will?
This is an excerpt from Crosswalk.com.Melissa Henderson
“1.First, pray. Ask God to help you to know if something is His will. We are never alone. He waits for a conversation with His children. When doubts arise, let your faith rise higher. Reach for Him.
2.The Word of God will show you the way (Psalm 18: 32-33 NIV).
3.God never asks you to sin (Romans 12:2 NIV).
4.Surrender your will to God. His plan is best (Psalm 37:4 NIV).
5.Go to God in prayer and ask for wisdom, discernment, and revelation (Matthew 6:33 NIV).
6.Always put God first in your life. Sharing time with Him will bring you closer in your relationship with the Lord (Psalm 37:4 NIV).”
What is the difference in God’s will and my will?
“When your will is God’s will, you will have your will.” ― Charles Spurgeon
1 John 2:16-17 NIV
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
God’s will is not like the world. It never will involve anything but the perfection of God. If God says you are to go to church, and you don’t have a regular place of worship, whose will is that? Maybe you think its unnessary because you feel you can worship Him anywhere. That is true, but God says not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together. (Hebrews 10:25 NIV). Which is it? Your will or His?
How do I give up my will to God?
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
- Lean not on your own understanding. Don’t choose your way over God’s
- In all your ways submit to Him. In every aspect of your life, give Him control.
- He will direct your paths and you can know His will.
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
How do I seek God’s will for my life?
- Let Him know you desire to know His will. “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8 NIV
- Do not conform to the world’s ways. “Therefore, I urge you,brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 NIV
- We are to do the works of God. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV.
- Take God’s Words and put them into action. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 NIV
Conclusion
Submitting to God is reading His Word, listening to what He is saying and then doing it.
As we grow in the Lord, His ways become something we want to do. Knowing how He loves us and wants the best for us, gives the motivation to follow Him. As we experience His guidance, we learn that His will is true success in this life.
What would you like to hear more about? Feel free to let me know if there is something you would like to study-Jackie
Leave a Reply