* Self-WILL Takes You Straight To Hell

For I came down from Heaven not to do mine own will, 

but the will of Him that sent me.

John 6:38

We all make choices in our life based on whatever is influencing us the most in that moment.  God's desire is that we be obedient to His will or His word rather than than the influence or standard of the world.   The bible tells us to follow His 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

The common meaning of the word "will" is to determine or decide on the basis of the will. The will is the power of choice. There are three types of wills operating in the world:

¨    SELF-WILL:

This is the will of man, the basic selfish nature which desires to walk its own way. When we guide our life by self-will, we make choices on the basis of our will apart from God. The Bible warns about self-will:  

O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.  Jeremiah 10:23

The bible uses the term 'flesh' to speak of our self nature in terms of being obedient to our mind instead of the will of God.  Self-will is the operation of the fleshly nature of man:  

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.  2 Peter 2:10

The Bible records the results of self-will:  

So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Psalms 81:12

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Romans 1:24

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;  2 Peter 2:12

Sin, suffering, and trouble in the world today are all results of man living in disobedience to the will of God. King David speaks of self-will operating in the lives of wicked men:  

Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.   Psalms 27:12

The Bible states that leaders in the church should not be self-willed:  

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;   Titus 1:7

¨    SATAN'S WILL:

Satan has a will:   he desires to destroy all that is good in our life. Jesus warned Peter about this:  

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.  Luke 22:31

Satan wants to sift all that is good out of our life. Jesus said:  

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.   John 10:10

Apostle Paul said some believers are taken captive by the will of Satan:  

And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.   2 Timothy 2:26

¨    GOD'S WILL:

God's sovereign will 

This is His predetermined plan for everything that happens in the universe. This type of "God's will" is fulfilled regardless of decisions made by man. It is His master plan for the world. The sovereign will of God does not require the cooperation of man. In the sovereign will of God, the outcome is predetermined. The sovereign will of God is written in His Word and is quite clear. There is no need to seek this will of God because it is revealed in the Bible.

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  That in the dispensation of the fulness 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:   Ephesians 1:9

God's desire for man to experience and live in His will is another facet of God’s divineness. It refers to: 

His individual plan or will for each man and women

In order for God to fulfill His individual will for our life, it requires our cooperation. We have the power to choose whether or not we will walk in the "divine" or individual will of God for our life. It is this "divine" will, or God's will for us as an individual, to which we refer when we speak of seeking God's will.

Jonah is an excellent example of someone disobeying the will of God for their life.

One other type of God's will is the 

"moral" will of God 

Commandments revealed in the written Word of God which teach how believers should live. The individual and sovereign wills of God for man never conflict with the moral will of God as revealed in His Word. The following summarizes the various meanings of the "will of God":

          →  Sovereign:     God’s pre-determined plan for the universe revealed in God’s written Word  (unaffected by the decisions of man)

     →  Individual:   God’s detailed plan for each individual  (affected by the decisions of man)

     →  Moral:          The moral commands revealed in the written word of God which teach how we should  believe and live  (The individual will of God is always in harmony with His moral will).

God’s will was the chief concern of Jesus during His earthly ministry. He declared:

For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. John 6:39

God’s will is to bring men and women into harmony or right relationship with Him:

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.   John 6:38

And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.   John 6:40

The purpose of Christ's life was to fulfill God's will. Even as a child, Jesus was concerned with doing God's will. When He was in the temple and His parents came looking for Him, Jesus said:  

Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?   Luke 2:49

The secret of His spiritual strength was found in doing God's will:  

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work. 

John 4:34

This verse reveals His concern with finishing God’s work through His life and ministry.

The power evident in Christ's earthly ministry is related to the will of God:  

I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.  John 5:30

Christ's words and deeds were not His own. He spoke and acted according to the Father's will:

My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me.  John 7:16

The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's.  John 14:24

I do nothing of myself, but as my Father has taught me.  John 8:28

I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.   John 5:30

Even as He faced death by crucifixion, Jesus prayed:  

. . . O my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.   Matthew 26:39

Jesus was willing to die because it was God's will for Him to do so. The life of Jesus is the perfect example of absolute conformity to the sovereign, moral, and individual will of God.

As children of God, we should resolve to bring our self-will into total submission to the will of God.  It is there that we find peace, joy, spiritual strength and success.

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