Report For Life Above Reproach

By: Rev. David R. Ewart, Ph. Ed.

In using the Scripture Ephesians 1:3-5 as my text, I would like to expound upon the will of God for our lives.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 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.”

I think it is safe to say that the questions I am most frequently asked as a pastor revolve around the issue of the will of God.  “How do I know the will of God for my life?  How do I know what person to marry?  What school should I go to?

As Christians, we believe that God is interested in these decisions and that He has a plan for our lives.  We believe that God has a preference as to which direction we should take, but discovering His will can be a frustrating process.

God definitely has a will for you.  In the New Testament, there are two categories of “the will of God.”  One category is “God’s moral will.”  The other category is “God’s personal will.”  God’s moral will in Scripture is the “dos and don’ts.”  “Thou shalt do this; thou shalt not do this.”

The other category that we are usually interested in is God’s personal will, which is His personal agenda for our lives of the things that He has specifically designed for you.

Let’s look at how to discover God’s will.  Study the New Testament, book by book.  As you read the New Testament, you find that God is always more interested in revealing Himself than simply revealing details about His will for us.  God does not want to function simply as an information center in our lives.  He wants to be involved in our lives in the most intimate of ways through a relationship that revolves around faith and trust.  In times of pressure and questioning when we seek His will, God has the intention of drawing us into a more intimate relationship with Him.

The principle of discovering God’s will is couched in the context of a relationship.  He is working to reveal Himself to you because He wants you to walk away from the process with your faith greater and your relationship more intimate.

The man or woman who develops a lifestyle in harmony with God’s moral commands will experience God’s guidance in a special way.  When you and I live lives of obedience, then we are consistently in step with God’s thoughts and God’s ways.  It makes sense that we are able to discern His voice more easily.  You are going to have a very difficult time discerning God’s personal will if you ignore His moral will.  Why?  Because God is not interested in simply being an information center, He is interested in an intimate relationship with you and me.

The principles of God’s Word; the difference between God’s moral will and His principles are this:  God’s moral will are clear commands.  Principles, however, are more like equations—an equation where God says, “If a man does this, he can expect this to happen.”  A principle is the law of sowing and reaping.  We always reap what we sow.  Another principle is this: things that you hold too tightly diminish; things that you scatter and give are multiplied and returned.  “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24).

The Bible is full of principles.  And here is the key: at some point in your decision making, your options will intersect with the principles of God’s Word.  And the Bible is so incredibly packed with principles, there is no way for you to face any decision and not intersect with the principles of God’s Word.  God has given us His principles as a check and balance in the decision-making process.

Discovering the will of God is not the result of spending hours in a spiritual dark room.  That is not the picture.  God has made it far simpler than that.  He has given us principles that intersect with all the choices we must make.  God wants to renew your mind with His principles.  It is not a mystical thing.  It is very practical!

Principles take precedence over a sense of inner peace.  God does not want us to be slaves to vacillating feelings.  He is far more practical than that.  If you will keep God’s moral will and constantly renew your mind to what is true; then as the decisions come along, you will be able to sort out the options and discern what the will of God is for you.  How practical!  How wonderful!

The only way for you to know the mind of God is through Scripture and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  Through Scripture, the Holy Spirit sifts out, purifies, and clarifies your thinking process so you are able to think as God would have you do.  As I have indicated, the Holy Spirit has an essential role in helping us know God’s will.  “We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).  One of the purposes of the Holy Spirit is to show us the truth.  Remember what Jesus said in the Upper Room?  He said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13).

“Man proposes, but God disposes.”  (Thomas A. Kempis).

“God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.”  (Dr. Charles F. Stanley).

By studying God’s Word in the Life Above Approach discipleship program, reading the Word, being with fellow believers, and being accountable, all reinforces the principles.

Thank you for the opportunity to share from my heart, my journey.

In His grip

David Ewart, Ph. Ed.