And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2
There is a misunderstanding when we think that as Christians we have to stand by and listen to (or read) the ungodly counsel of the unbeliever! To allow it or be silent when we see it is to condone it. This does not mean that we have to argue with the unbeliever, but like the unpalatable meal, we throw it out; ban it from our sphere of influence and in this particular platform, our communities, so that it does not taint the ones who desire the good word of God.
Having said that, you should know that in building a right relationship with God, you must first know His will and how it is found.
When we speak of being in the will of God, we must understand there are two basic divisions of the will of God. Each division is in harmony with the other:
Ö That Revealed In His Written
Word:
The first division of the will of
God is that which is specifically revealed in the Bible.
There is a sovereign, individual,
and moral will of God.
The will of God for each individual
always falls within His sovereign and moral will as revealed in His written
Word. The written Word of God includes the complete revelation of God's moral
will. This includes all the commandments as to how you should live. God's
sovereign will includes His moral will. It is His sovereign will that each man
and woman who professes Jesus live within the moral standards of His written Word. The written Word
of God includes portions of His sovereign will which He has revealed to
us and includes the general outline of His master plan for the world and man in
general.
The best summary of this plan is found
in this passage of scripture:
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will,
according to the good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; That in the
dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him; In
whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. (Ephesians 1:9-11)
Ö That Not Revealed In His
Word:
The second division of God's will is
that which is not revealed in His Word. This includes the individual life plan
for each believer. God's Word does not reveal your specific life ministry or
occupation, what church you are to attend, who you are to marry, where you are
to live, etc. Yet each of these decisions are important. It is for decisions
like these that you must seek God's will and be able to hear His voice when He
speaks to you.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
When desiring to know God's will in
regards to a certain life situation, first study the Scriptures to see if
specific guidance is given in the written Word of God. There is no need to
"seek God's will" or ask for confirmation of His will when He has
already spoken it in His written Word. Examine the Scriptures carefully for
specific guidance already given. Accept the written Word as God's voice
speaking to you. If you refuse the guidance God has given in His written Word,
you open yourself up to deception.
In many situations the Bible
provides general principles --which when understood and applied-- will lead to a
decision consistent with God's will. These principles apply to a variety of
specific situations. For example, Apostle Paul warns:
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion
hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial (Satan)? or
what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
Here the Bible gives a general
principle that believers and unbelievers should not be yoked together. This
principle can be applied to many life situations: Being married to an
unbeliever, going into business partnership with an unbeliever, making
unbelievers your closest friends, etc.
Search the Scriptures for
biographical examples which apply to your situation. Study the lives of
Biblical men and women to see what decisions they made in similar situations and
if such decisions were in harmony with the will of God.
In matters where guidance is not
given in the written Word of God, the Lord has other methods by which He speaks
to man. But remember,
God's voice leads within the confines of the written Word.
Guidance for individual life situations will always agree
with the written Word of God.
God's voice leads within the confines of the written Word.
The following chart summarizes the
two divisions of God's will as indicated above:
TWO DIVISIONS OF GOD’S WILL
That
Revealed (Written Word)
|
That Not
Revealed
|
Moral and
sovereign will revealed in His written word
|
The
individual life plan for each believer
|
Includes His
general will for all mankind and His master plan for the world
|
Includes
specific decisions such as life work, ministry, residence, education,
marriage, and guidance in other specific situations
|
Includes
specific commandments and promises to govern living.
|
|
Includes
general principles upon which specific decisions can be based
|
Some
individual decisions can be made upon the basis of general principles,
examples, and specific commands revealed in God’s words
|
The bible speaks of God's good, acceptable and perfect will
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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. 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 12:1-2)
We ask the question, "What is
meant by the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God?"
* The Perfect Will of God:
The perfect will of God is
accomplished when a believer is in harmony with the moral, sovereign, and
individual will of God for his life.
The believer has accepted the
sovereign plan of God for his salvation through the new birth experience. He is
in harmony with the moral commandments of God's written Word. He also has
determined God's specific guidance for his individual life plan.
* The Good Will of God:
In the good will of God, the
believer is not in the perfect plan for his life but he is within God's
sovereign will and moral will. He is not disobedient to God's revealed will,
and he is still seeking to find that perfect individual plan of God for His life.
* The Acceptable Will of God:
This believer is missing the perfect
will of God for his life but is still in an acceptable area. He is living in
the permissive will of God. He may not even be concerned about God's perfect
will for His life. God is permitting him to live in this area, although it is
not God's perfect will for him.
Outside The Will Of God:
The believer in this realm is in
direct disobedience to God's revealed will.
The account of Balaam in the wilderness illustrates these realms of God's will. Some men from Moab asked a
prophet named Balaam to go with them and prophesy against God's people,
Israel. God spoke to Balaam and told him not to go:
And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with
them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. (Numbers 22:12)
It was the perfect will of God for
Balaam NOT to go with the men of Moab. But Balaam disobeyed God's voice and
went with the men. When he did, he was functioning in disobedience outside the
revealed will of God.
God desired so much for Balaam to
know His will that He used a donkey to speak to him and convict him of his sin.
After this God permitted Balaam to continue on with the men of Moab with orders
that he was to bless rather than curse the Israelites. Balaam was now
functioning in the permissive will of God.
The journey resulted in a series of
trying encounters with a man named Balak. These could have been avoided if
Balaam had obeyed the voice of God and never gone in the first place.
The perfect will of God was that
Balaam not go with the men of Moab. Balaam disobeyed and moved outside of the
will of God. He was not in the good will of God where the believer is missing
the perfect will but seeking it. He was in complete disobedience to the voice
of God. The acceptable or permissive will of God permitted Balaam to continue
on the journey even though it was not God's perfect will for him.
Part of being in the divine will of God is knowing His voice be it through His written word or through an oracle of God and being obedient to it. What is not a part of God's acceptable will is the allowance of infidels, mockers, scorners, etc. to infiltrate, defile and disrupt the places that have been sanctified to share His word.
Part of being in the divine will of God is knowing His voice be it through His written word or through an oracle of God and being obedient to it. What is not a part of God's acceptable will is the allowance of infidels, mockers, scorners, etc. to infiltrate, defile and disrupt the places that have been sanctified to share His word.
In this Google social media platform and any other internet social media platform, we have to be very careful of who and what we allow in communities that have been set aside; sanctified for the purposes of God, which is to spread His word. I took a stand as a representative of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ that I would not let the Atheist and other non-believers in God or His word infiltrate the community I started,
It is for the believer, the lost, the confused, the faltering and anyone else that has an interest in building, retaining and maintaining a relationship with God. As the shepherd of that community, I will not allow trash or unpalatable meals to be served there.
Biblical Studies
JESUS: AT THE TABLE Christian Community.
It is for the believer, the lost, the confused, the faltering and anyone else that has an interest in building, retaining and maintaining a relationship with God. As the shepherd of that community, I will not allow trash or unpalatable meals to be served there.
Biblical Studies
07/25/14
09/23/15
01/04/17
10.20/18
03/27/20
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