Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Knowing God's will and making the right decisions

As I was seeking the Lord for the prophetic words for this month, I heard Him say:
"It is a key month to inquire of Me and to seek My will. Abide in Me, and I will teach you and show you My will and My way. Many of My people will enter a season of decision-making that will cause them to bear much fruit in life."

As I received these words, the Lord also gave me a vision of an apple tree with many branches full of ripe, red apples, ready for the picking. This is a 'picture' of decisions you make that lead to health, life, goodness, and stability in life.

Back to the prophetic words above. Why do you need to know God's will for your life? The answer is simple. So that you can make the right decisions in life that lead to health, life, goodness, and stability in life! Many people make decisions first before seeking God's will, and that's where the trouble starts. It's akin to shooting first before aiming!

Before we go further, it is important to know that God's will for you is always to save you, heal you, restore you, and prosper you (2 Peter 3:9, 3 John 1:2). This is the underlying principle that you must know. His thoughts for you are always thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

In fact, Jesus drank the cup of suffering and separation so that you don't have to! In Mark 14:36, Jesus said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." The word 'will' here is 'thelesis' in Greek, from the word 'thelo' meaning 'to determine, to choose, to intend'.

He was praying this prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, knowing that He would soon be separated from the Abba Father. You see, they are one (John 10:30) and they cannot be separated, just like the sun and light cannot be separated. But for once, they had to (see Matthew 27:45-46), because He had to carry all our sins on the cross! So that we can now have this assurance that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). He did it all for you and I whom He loves.

He has chosen you and intended for you to bear fruit in life
Notice the word 'will' in Greek can mean 'to determine, to choose, to intend'. The next principle you need to know is He has chosen you and intended for you to bear fruit in life.

Ephesians 1:4-5 says, 'Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will'.

In John 15:15-16, Jesus says, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain..."

"How to know God's will for my life?"
This is a question people often ask me. I would say the one most important key to knowing God's will is to abide in Him. In other words, to stay connected with Him, moment by moment, day by day. Talk to Him about everything. Take time to immerse yourself in reading the Word of God and praying in the Spirit. It is in a deep, personal and intimate relationship with Him that you will soon receive the latest 'instructions' as to what to do and how to go about. His Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and He will never lead you into trouble.

In John 15:4-5, Jesus says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
The word 'abide' here is 'meno' in Greek, meaning 'to remain, to stay, to dwell, to wait on, to be present'.

David learned to abide in the Lord and wait on the Lord
The Bible says David was 'a man after God's own heart' (1 Samuel 13:14). David learned very early that he had to continue to abide in the Lord and wait on the Lord in order to have good success. Not long after he became king over all Israel, the Philistines deployed themselves against him. 2 Samuel 5:19 says, 'So David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" And the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand."'

Notice the words "Shall I..." and "Will You..." in the verse above. As you can see here, David would not go ahead unless and until he had received a specific instruction from the Lord. David learned to be present (to hear from the Lord) and to wait on the Lord first. As a result, he had a resounding victory (2 Samuel 5:20).

David learned to depend upon the Lord for every new decision
Now, watch what happened next. The Philistines then came up and deployed themselves against David once again. 2 Samuel 5:23-25 says, 'Therefore David inquired of the Lord (once again), and (this time) the Lord said, "You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines." And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer'.

What if David had assumed (or presumed) he should go up against the Philistines without asking God first, just because he had won a battle earlier? Chances are he would not have gained a total victory. David had learned to depend upon the Lord for every new decision he's about to make, every step of the way.

The lesson we can learn here is: When He says so, we say so. When He says no, we say no.

The Lord is here to help you!
Like David (whose name means 'beloved' in Hebrew), you too are God's beloved. Therefore, know that your battle is His battle. The battle is the Lord's. He is here to help you, no matter what the challenge (or challenges) you may be facing right now.

In John 14:16-18, Jesus says, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

1 John 2:27 says, 'But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him'.

People of God, allow the Lord to anoint your spiritual eyes and ears today, so that you will begin to see and hear the many more things that He wants (wills) to make known to you, such that 'eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him' (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). Amen.