Yes, it is out in the open.
It is God’s will that I love the Lord with all my heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5).
It is God’s will that I love my neighbor as myself. (Matthew 22:39).
It is God’s will that I do not lie, kill, cheat or steal. (Exodus 20:13-16).
It is God’s will that I remain sexually pure. (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
It is God's will that I remain patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12).
It is God’s will that I bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. (Malachi 3:10).
It is God’s will that I act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God. (Micah 6:8).
It is God’s will that I should be sanctified; set apart for Him - holy. (1 Timothy 6:11).
It is God’s will that I embrace all people regardless of their lifestyle. (Deuteronomy 10:19)
It is God’s will that I speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15).
It is God’s will that I make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19).
It is God's will that I am gentle with a brother or sister who is caught in sin. (Galatians 6:1).
It is God’s will that I reflect Him in my life, attitude, decisions and actions. (Philippians 2:5).
It is God’s will that I turn from my sins and put my faith in Jesus. (1 Timothy 6:11).
It is God’s will that I am no longer mastered by sin. (Romans 6:14).
It is God’s will that I care for the needs of the people around me (1 John 3:17).
It is God’s will that I invest in the lives of my children. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
It is God’s will that I remain faithful to the person I am married to. (Genesis 2:24).
It is God's will that I look after orphans and widows. (James 1:27).
It is God’s will that I trust in Him, not needing to worry about my life. (Matthew 6:25).
God is not in the business of hiding his will from us. It’s right there in his Word.
If, by God’s grace, I can focus on these things, which I clearly know are God’s will, I won’t have the time to wonder about all the other things that are not so clear.
But what about the things that are not so clear. In those areas, does it mean that we can do whatever we want? Of course not. We still seek the Lord. We still pray. We still look for godly advice. – but we don’t worry that we’re going to go way off course – not unless it is very intentional (a good example of this was Jonah – he clearly knew God’s specific will for him and tried to run from it – and even then, he wasn’t successful). You are not going to mess up God’s eternal plan – the plan that he had from before the creation of the world.
I wonder; and please don’t take this as a criticism, but I wonder if sometimes when we say we are struggling with God’s will, if the truth is we are struggling with trying to bend God’s will to our own will.
What do you think?
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