Discovering God's Will - Part 2

Okay let’s return again to our discussion from yesterday. We discovered that the first step in discovering God’s will is not to seek His will but to become obedient to the will that He has already revealed to us. In other words the first step to future revelation is obedience to past revelation. If there is any area of our lives that is currently being lived in disobedience to God then we should abandon our hope for more revelation until we have dealt with that issue in repentance and illustrated that repentance through a changed life.

Now let’s return to our passage from yesterday:

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 notice the next step of discovering God’s will? It is found at the beginning of verse 2: 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Now this verse is not meant to be understood apart from verse 1. They are intrinsically tied to one another. So, the first step is to become obedient to the past revelation of God’s will; which will lead to a changed life; which leads to a transformed mind.

In other words, as we walk in obedience to the revelation of God it changes the way that we live in the midst of a broken world. No longer do we embrace the things that the world embraces (selfishness, materialism, gluttony, self-advancement, gossip, slander, flattery, or pride – just to name a few). No, now we live for His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom. But here is the key – as we live differently we begin to think differently. This truth is a radical shift from what the world tells us.

The world says that we should change our way of thinking and that will change our way of living. In fact many of the self-help books that litter our shelves are built around this premise – if you think good things then you will live good things. But what Paul has just revealed to us in Romans is that the opposite is actually true when it comes to the will of God. The scriptures tell us that if we will change our way of living then it will change our way of thinking. If you want to become more bold in sharing your faith then start sharing your faith. If you to understand the depth of scripture better, start studying scripture. If you want to find delight in obedience to the command to tithe, then start tithing. If you want to have more love for your spouse, then start showing them more love. Thinking follows living!!!

So here is what we know so far: Future revelation begins with obedience to past revelation. Obedience to past revelation changes the way that we live in a broken world. A change in the way that we live in a broken world leads to a change in how we think about life that God has given us.

Okay we will come back to this passage one more time tomorrow but for today let me encourage you to not wait for your mind or feelings to change about something before you start walking in obedience. Trust the Lord that if you will start walking in obedience that He will change how you feel about things. Today step out in faith, obey the Lord, and experience the change that only God can bring.

Lord, I give you praise for the way in which you order my life. I praise you that your will is not based on my obedience, but my understanding of your will is based on my obedience! Lord, help me to be obedient today! Help me to feel the delight and embrace the reasons that you lead me into uncharted waters as I walk in obedience to your commands! You are the great lover of my soul!