Discovering God’s Will - Part 1

Okay, I know this one is late getting out today – I am sorry – the tyranny of the urgent!!

Have you ever sat and thought about how we can know God’s will? Well over the last few days I have spent A LOT of time wondering how we can know for sure that we are in His will! This morning as I was studying I discovered something that I have never seen before. Now I have read this passage literally hundreds of times and I have never noticed what I want to show you today; but today I feel like God threw back the curtain of understanding.

Let me also add that I was so struck by these truths today that I am probably going to preach on this someday, so please act real surprised and interested when I do!!!

Before we jump into the passage let me point out the process that I think that most of us go through when we are trying to walk in God’s will. First we encounter a problem; second we seek God; and third we head out into action. But look at what this familiar passage from scripture says:

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer 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.

Did you see the progression in the verses? Let me see if I can break this down quickly:

First Paul tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices – what in the world does this mean? Simple, it means to be obedient to the will of God that has ALREADY been revealed to you. In other words the best way to begin to understand the will of God is to do that which He has already commanded. He will not reveal more of His will until you have displayed that you are willing to be obedient to what He has already revealed.

Could it be that the reason we cannot hear from Him about some matter that seems to be pressing in the moment is because we are still disobedient towards something that He has revealed to us in the past? Are we unable to hear today because we have still not shared our faith with that coworker that we know He has laid on our hearts? Are we walking in a fog of confusion because we still refuse to be obedient with our material blessings through the tithe? Are we lost in the chaos of our situation because we want direction for tomorrow without obedience to the direction of yesterday?

You see this passage tells us that obedience to Him is an act of worship. Why is it worship because by obeying God we are communicating that He is the one in control of our lives. It is saying, “You are God, and I am not!” This attitude of the heart is the essence of worship!

So the first step in discovering the will of God is to get active in our obedience to what He has already revealed. It is to not worry about tomorrow until we have first submitted today!

Tomorrow we will continue our search through this passage!

Lord, forgive me for my disobedience to your revealed will. Forgive me that I constantly look for more without submission to what I already have! Please help me to submit to what you have already revealed to me today, and trust that you will reveal more tomorrow!