That Is The Will of God?
When born-again Christians and the Holy Bible speak about the will of God many things are automatically excluded.
We exclude His sovereignty; knowledge of the future; the general desires of the Lord; ignorance of the Word of God; spiritual babes in Christ, and wills of God.
What do you understand by the will of God? Are there types of god’s will; can we separate God from His will, and what are the features of the will of God; how to know God’s will?
These are some of the questions I will answer in this Bible Study.
How Do You Know If It’s God’s Will?
We should see the desire of God from the perspective of the Lord and not from ours.
How we view it impacts our comprehension of it and ultimately our behavior relating to it.
If we attempt to comprehend God’s autonomy from our mindset, we shall confuse it with his sovereignty.
However, the dominion of Him has no connection to His will. Simply put, His will is His desire. His desires for us.
In every situation, we are attempting to know and accomplish His desire for us for that is the will of God.
When we understand the will of God, we are not attempting to know what He is going to do; instead, we are seeking to understand and to do what He wants us to do in any given situation.
And for any situation, we will face in this life, there is a Word of God for it.
Also, concerning it, what is God’s desire? Our goal is to know God’s will and do it!
However, the will of the Father is always the Word of God. And the Word of God is the Holy Bible.
Where many Pastors and Believers fall short is in interpreting the Bible.
But the Bible interprets itself!
By the end of this Bible Study, you will have the answer to your question: “How do you know if it’s God’s will?”
What is The Will of God According to Matthew 7?
God’s will is also all the words of Jesus Christ. He sent him! As a result, the words that Jesus spoke are the words of the Father.
On one hand, if we know them and do them, we will accomplish the will of God.
On the other hand, if we experienced them and do otherwise, we condemned ourselves.
Jesus explains this in Matthew 7:21-29.
He says, “Not [everyone] that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Who Was Jesus Talking About?
Jesus was addressing “Christians” and specifically Christian Leaders in Matthew 7:21-29.
First, only born-again people (Christians) can “enter into the kingdom of heaven”. This is not a place for unbelievers and sinners! (Matthew 7:21).
Second, these Christian Leaders have not obeyed the will of God, by Jesus Christ, concerning how to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus explained that in order to understand and to enter into the “Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of Heaven”, we must be born-again (John 3:3, 5).
“Many” of them have rejected the Lord’s teaching concerning this. In other words, they have rejected the Lord’s desire for their salvation and that of others and they have taught others to do similarly.
They teach their own interpretations of how to be born again and not Jesus’ teachings.
Third, and final, now they think that they are saved and doing the will of God.
But in their defense, on “that day”, they will supply a list of all that they did, in ignorance and in error, and contrary to the will of God by Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:22).
Jesus Will Reject Them
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? [A]nd in thy name have cast out devils? [A]nd in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:22).
Who prophesy, cast out devils, and executes many “wonderful works” in the name, Jesus Christ? (Matthew 7:22).
Christian Leaders! These are not the actions of the pews!
As a result, Christ Jesus will reject them.
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).
So, we observe that Christians who don’t do the will of God but do otherwise, the Lord sees their works as “iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).
Understanding What The Will of The Lord Is!
“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
Note in the Scripture quotation above that it requires wisdom to “understand” the will of God (Ephesians 5:17).
Additionally, observe too that the desire of the Lord God is singular; it “is” (Ephesians 5:17).
There is only the desire of the Lord God towards us! It never changes.
Nevertheless, every situation has its own unique will of God attached to it!
For example, you encounter a woman in the street. She tells you that she is hungry and would love to have a cup of hot beverage (coffee or tea), but she has no money.
What is the will of God for you in that situation? I will leave you to decide.
But it’s only one course of action that is biblical here. In this situation, the desire of God for you is unique to this scenario!
This is what I mean by, every situation has its own unique will of God attached to it!
Jesus implores us to be wise! He says, if we follow his teachings, (on any topic), we are wise.
Then, he supplies an example everyone can relate to.
He provides a construction analogy.
What is the Will of God in Our Lives?
He compares a person who builds his house on a rock to anyone who hears and does his teachings.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24).
Then, he declares such a person as “wise” (Matthew 7:24).
Next, Jesus compares a person who builds his house on the sand to anyone who hears his teachings but never do them.
He says, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand” (Matthew 7:26).
Jesus compares such a one to “a foolish man” (Matthew 7:26).
Now, concerning the will of God, who are you and where are you building your spiritual house?
Apostle Paul echoes Jesus’ sentiment in this respect for he too implores us to be wise and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ to obey the will of God.
He says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15).
Therefore, from this perspective, we never consider the sovereignty of the Lord concerning His will because we understand and we know that there are no gods above Him.
Knowing and Doing the Will of God
“He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done’”? (Daniel 4:35).
We know that Christ Jesus our Lord is sovereign and that He controls all that happen in heaven and in the earth.
That’s why the Bible doesn’t discuss this much because when we come to God, we must believe that He is and that He’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
We can’t come to Him and believe that there is another god greater than he.
The Lord has no competitor for His sovereignty. The Lord has no competitors, period!
Christians who have been transformed by the Holy Ghost and whose minds He is constantly renewing could identify and recognize God’s will.
The unsaved and spiritual babes in Christ cannot recognize the Will of the Father. Their minds have not been renewed by the Holy Ghost!
Separating the Will of God From the Word of God?
Because we are not ignorant of the Word of God, we know that the Word of God is never disparate from Him.
We cannot separate the Word of God from the Almighty God. Why?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1
Neither could we exclude the Word of God from Him being sovereign.
Have you forgotten already that the Lord God created the universe by the power of His words?
Everything that He does He uses His Words to accomplish them!
Could we separate a king being sovereign from his decrees?
No!
The Lord is the King of kings!
What Are The Two Wills of God?
For that reason, we cannot separate the will of God into two desires:
- “God’s will of Decree”, or “Sovereign Will” and
- “God’s Will of Command”
Have you ever seen a plural form of the “will of God” in the Bible? No, you have not. The desire of the Lord towards humanity is singular.
However, it’s the same “sentiments” He has for all the “spirit-beings” in heaven. Thus, His will in heaven is the same one He desires to see manifest on earth.
For that reason, Jesus taught his Twelve Leaders to pray saying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven“(Matthew 6:10).
He desires that all the peoples of the earth would do the will of God on earth as the heavenly hosts are doing it in heaven now.
Consequently, we only encounter “thy will” in this Good Book. This is singular! One, not two!
“Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7).
A failure to recognize this reflects spiritual immaturity.
They are not separate, but they are the reverse side of the same will-of-God coin. They don’t operate separately.
God is a Spirit. Consequently, the Word of God is God Himself and He is his Word. There is no difference.
Thus, attempting to diversify God’s will from Him is not biblical.
There are not types of God’s will there is only “thy will”.
Knowing the Hidden Will of God
When the Bible speaks of “the will of God” is it referencing the “hidden” and the “revealed” wills of God? No!
The NT Church is fortunate. We have at our disposal something the people of the OT didn’t.
We have the revealed Word of God. The Bible!
The Word of God, the Holy Bible, is the hidden will of God only to the mind that’s not renewed by the Holy Ghost!
The will of God is not to discover what God is about to do but rather what He wants us to do now in any given situation.
It’s not hidden but we just need to recognize it.
For example, as a pastor, you may desire to start an assembly (church) in a nearby city.
But you don’t know if it’s the will of God to do so.
How could this pastor discover the will of God in his situation?
This Pastor’s motive to start a new assembly in another state is crucial.
If his desire is first to obey Jesus Christ then he should pursue his desire.
Jesus instructs him to go:
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).
The will of God is always the Word of God relating to the subject under discussion.
However, if the Pastor’s motive for starting a new assembly is different from desiring to make others disciples of Jesus Christ then, he’s not in the will of the Father.
His desire is different from the Word of God!
How to Know the Will of God in Marriage?
Here is another example, someone desires to know the will of God in a marriage situation.
So, you are a member of the Baptist Church but you are dating someone who’s Pentecostal.
You have plans to get married to your “date” and to start a family, but you desire to know if this union is in the will of God?
Is this relationship in the will of God?
To provide a biblical answer to this question we must know what the Word of God says about such a union!
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? [A]nd what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
A Baptist and a Pentecostal person each holds different beliefs about Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
Therefore, a union between them would be a disaster. They will differ on the most fundamental things between them.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, marry someone who shares your faith in Jesus Christ.
The Lord instructed the natural Jews never to marry others that are not Jews because they will lead them away from Him.
The Church is a nation of spiritual Jews and it’s a similar thing with them as it is with the natural Jews. Only marry others who are identical to you in this respect.
Never marry others who don’t share your beliefs in Jesus Christ.
Such a union has motives in hell and is contrary to the will of God.
However, we could extend this principle to include other couples. Say for example, a Seventh Day Adventist and a Roman Catholic; a Mormon and a Jehovah’s Witness; a Church of God in Christ and a Methodist, and the list is as long as there are opposing or no union in beliefs in Jesus Christ according to the Bible.
The Will of God in Business
One final example in this regard. You are a thriving Christian, businessperson. You have plans to expand your business in another State.
All the business and economic indicators are in your favor, but you desire to know if it’s the will of God to do it.
How could you determine the will of God in your situation?
If you are trading in legal merchandise and services and you are not in violation of the Bible and the Law-of-the Land, go ahead and expand your enterprise.
However, there is a more precise method to determine the will of God in any situation.
Later, when I explore, how to know the will of God I will go into more detail.
Believers who “seek” to know God’s will are still drinking “milk”, for we “understand” and we “know” the will of God. We don’t need to seek for it.
It’s not hidden! It’s hiding only from untransformed and unrenewed minds.
However, knowing God’s will requires much practice. But most importantly, it’s mandatory that we have received and possess the Holy Ghost.
If the Holy Ghost has not renewed our minds, we cannot utilize the three features of the will of God that the Bible provides.
Nevertheless, in each scenario above, know what the Bible says about each and you will uncover God’s will.
Three Main Features of God’s Will
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
By these three biblical criteria, we could assess whether a situation conforms to the will of the Father or not: it must be Good, Acceptable, and Perfect.
Bearing in mind, however, that only a Believer in Jesus Christ who has been born-again, according to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Twelve Leaders, and is “transformed” into the image of God and is “renewing” his mind with the Word of God, could know the will of the Father.
“Believers” who reject and teach another doctrine cannot know the will of God.
They have no connection with Him!
There are three stages of knowing and doing the will of God. All of them require the Holy Ghost.
We need the Holy Spirit to transform us and for the renewing of our minds.
How to Know the Will of God in Three Steps?
Step 1:- Is It Good In The Eyes of the Lord?
“And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers” Deuteronomy 6:18
Good is important to the Lord God. It excites Him! If God is excited about the quality of good, we should too.
If a thing, an action, a person, or a quality possesses the quality of “good”, in the eyes of the Lord God, then it cannot be “evil”.
“And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 14:2).
The Bible, in it’s opening Book and Chapter, tells us how God feels about “good”!
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. [So] the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3).
“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:4).
So, the Lord was happy with His creation for it was “very good”!
“And God saw [everything] that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31).
Good has a characteristic that pleases God!
However, in the context of the will of God, the first quality of what you are attempting to determine if it conforms to the will of God should always be “good”.
It must be good in the eyes of the Lord.
Recall, that at the start of this Bible study, I explain that assessing the will of God must be done from the point of view of Him. Not from our viewpoint!
Once a thought, action, or quality is “good”, in the eyes of the Lord, we are on the right track in determining if it’s in the will of God.
But being good must be the first criterion.
Step 2:- Is It Acceptable In The Eyes of the Lord?
So, once something is good, to God, then we need to determine if it’s also acceptable to Him.
Will He refuse it?
It’s important that the condition of being good and acceptable must be present together at the same time.
Consequently, it cannot be good to Him but He refuses it. Or it cannot be acceptable but not good.
Whenever we desire to determine if something conforms to the will of God, it must first be good and then acceptable simultaneously to Him.
God is not a man. Therefore, if a thing, person, quality, or thought is acceptable to Him, He will not refuse it.
This is Not a New Concept
We are always striving for God to accept all that we do. We desire to please Him with our thoughts and words.
David knew this for he prays:
- “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14).
If God accepts our thoughts and our words, then He also accepts us.
And King David was supremely aware of this fact.
Similarly, if the Lord accepts the day we set aside to fast to Him, then He also accepts our fasting.
- “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? [A] day for a man to afflict his soul? [I]s it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?[Will] [you] call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?” (“Isaiah 58:5).
So, from the perspective of the Lord, even our “bodies” must be “acceptable” to Him!
- “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
For the reason above, only that reason, no homosexual person, man or woman, could be holy before the Lord God. Such a one defiles and abuses the temple of God (his/her body) among humanity.
Step 3:- Is It Perfect In The Eyes of the Lord?
“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12).
Having established that a thing, thought, quality, person, or action is good and acceptable to God, then the next step is to determine if it’s perfect.
Perfect here doesn’t mean that is without faults. Instead, perfect, in this context, means that it’s complete. It’s wanting or lacking nothing.
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4).
When patience has had its perfect work in us, we are complete, that is, perfect because we lack nothing.
Additionally, perfect relating to the will of God deals with the heart.
It means having a steadfast heart towards God. Your heart is completely given over to Him.
Examples of Perfect Heart in the Bible
- The Lord commands us to be perfect.
- “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 18:13).
- “Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day” (1 Kings 8:61).
- David had a perfect heart towards God.
- “And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 15:3).
- “But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days” (1 Kings 15:14).
Finally, that which is good and acceptable to God will always be perfect in His eyes. It lacks nothing! It’s complete!
Consequently, evaluate everything that you desire to know whether it’s the will of God or not by these three criteria: is it good; is it acceptable, and is it perfect in the eyes of God?
If all three evaluate to “yes”, then you are in the will of God.
I wrote extensively on this topic in my first book, “Living Soul: In The Image of God”.
God’s Will of Decree
When Bible Teachers, despite their many years of experience, are unable to “rightly divide the word of truth” they will originate teachings which are deceitful and diabolical.
And they may be ignorant of this fact!
For example, one famous and seasoned pastor teaches that:
- God’s “sovereign control of all that comes to pass” “includes the sins of man.”
Is the Lord manipulating us to sin, in order to accomplish His will?
He also writes that “Herod, Pilate, the soldiers, the Jewish leaders—they all sinned in fulfilling God’s will that his Son be crucified (Isaiah 53:10)?”
Above this pastor infers that they had to sin to fulfill God’s will. That is not biblical or true.
They chose their path. The Lord did not force them to act neither did he override their free wills.
They choose.
“God Wills to Come to Pass Some Things That He Hates”?
So, God wills them to sin? No!
They chose to sin. God will never override our free will for then He would not be God.
We must choose to freely and with all our hearts do His will. That is worship and the true sign of any god.
Thus his subjects are worshipping Him not because of fear but love and from the heart.
This pastor also says, “So be very clear on this: God wills to come to pass some things that he hates”.
I’m asking, what are examples of “some” of these “things that he hates”, yet He “wills to come to pass”?
Do you know another name for the things that the Lord hates? I do! Abominations!
So, he is saying that God causes abominations to happen because He is God! What?
Provide at Least Two Biblical Examples
Many times, and sometimes, too often God gets blamed for things he has no hand in.
Christians and unsaved blame him for the untimely death of their friends, acquaintances, enemies, and loved ones.
Yet, the Lord is not responsible for the premature death of anyone.
Read my book, “Living Soul: In The Image of God” and learn more about premature death and how you can stop it!
His will is that all of us live to be at least seventy years (Psalm 90:10).
But many have died, before their time because they are ignorant of how sickness occurs and what it really represents!
Additionally, many people blame God for the harsh things they or others experience in life.
These could include sexual abuse of children, rape, physical abuse, imprisonment, terrible diseases, sickness, and death, but God has nothing to do with any of these.
To find the answers to some of these questions they would need to investigate the unrighteous actions of their forefathers.
Sometimes the answers lie with the things their parents did that were unrighteous!
Other times, if they are old enough, the answers may be hidden in their past and unrighteous deeds.
But the biblical answers are in my book: “Living Soul: In The Image of God”.
Read it and be empowered!
If this is true, what legal or Biblical or ethical right does God possess to condemn anyone if such a one does evil?
None!
Dangerous Teaching You Should Avoid
If God hates evil and abominations and He wills them to come to pass, then He, legally, and biblically cannot condemn anyone for His works, should a person choose to do evil.
This teaching is not only contrary to the true word of God but it may be blasphemous!
He also writes, “God sometimes wills that events come about that include sin.”
I’m asking, Pastor, could you name one such event and the sin that accompanies it?
This is not what Apostle Peter was saying! He was just making a point.
He wants us to realize that is always better, as Christians, to suffer for good than for evil.
Because unsaved persons will observe our innocence and turn to serve the living and true Lord Jesus Christ when we suffer for good.
“In other words, it may be God’s will that Christians suffer for doing good”.
The statement above is not biblical but the Pastor’s opinion which is deceitful and misleading!
He also asserts that “the will of God is God’s sovereign governance of all that comes to pass.”
But this is not what the Bible means by the Will of God.
He’s attempting to assess the will of God from man’s point of view.
But if we do, as he is doing, how will we know with certainty when our actions please God?
We couldn’t!
Mainly, because God is not a man. The things that delight us will not delight Him.
Therefore, we need to know from Him what pleases Him! That’s the will of God.
God’s Will of Command
“Now the other meaning for “the will of God” in the Bible is what we can call his “will of command.” His will is what he commands us to do. This is the will of God we can disobey and fail to do. The will of decree we do whether we believe in it or not. The will of command we can fail to do.”
The entire Bible is the will of God. It’s His command to humanity.
Are there some parts of it that the Lord allows us to ignore and other parts we must do?
The Lord does not command us to obey or do His will. Instead, we chose to either follow His will, if we know it, or not.
He does not compel us to follow His will. But we must know that failure to follow it has consequences.
And those who know God’s will and do it demonstrate worship of Him.
Let me conclude by saying there is only one will of God; “thy will”. Born-again Christians who have be transformed and whose minds the Holy Ghost renew daily, understand the three elements necessary to determine God’s will.
In the eyes of the Lord, any person, thing, quality, or action which is good, acceptable, and perfect, to Him, is in His will for us.
Hear oh Israel your Lord is one. God is a Spirit. Everything that He accomplishes He utilizes His words to do.
He created the entire universe and its contents by the almighty power of His word (His will).
The Bible does not separate God from His word or will. They are one and the same.
The Perfect Will of God?
There is no “will of command” and there is no “God’s Will of Decree” in practice or theory. It does not exist.
Similarly, there is no “perfect will”, or “permissive will”, there is only the will of God.
These terms or concepts are not in the Bible. God is perfect! And His desires for us are perfect, but there is no “perfect will of God” in the Bible.
In closing, if we analyze the will of God from His perspective, we shall comprehend it.
However, if we scrutinize it from our point of views, we shall experience misdirection and confusion!
So, let’s rightly divide this word of truth using good, acceptable, and perfect Bible Studies.
