Knowing the Will of God

Colossians 1

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Paul prays first that the Colossians will filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Many search for the will of God for their lives and indeed it is a great need today not only in the world but in the Church of Christ, which is His body.  It was no different in Paul's time.  He desired that believers would know the will of God (Romans 12, Colossians 1).  For the church at Colosse he prays that they would "know the will of God with all wisdom and spiritual understanding".  

Knowing the will of God is not as difficult as it may seem.  One only needs to search the scriptures to find what God desires for your life.  For example Colossians chapter 3 tells us the following:

1. put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness,
2.  put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another
3. put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 
4. bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, 
5.  Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
6.  Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them 
7. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
8. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
9. Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily,

The will of God is not as mysterious as we would think. I speak as to those who already have faith in Jesus.  Without faith it is impossible to please God and in order to walk in His will we must start with faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul asked for a little more than them knowing God's will; however,  he asked that they would know it with all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  It is not enough to know God's will if you are unwilling to act on it.  Charles Spurgeon once said "wisdom is the use of knowledge".  So we can know God's will that is have knowledge of God's will but not have wisdom.  We must walk in His will.

Furthermore we must have a spiritual understanding of His will.  Realize that we do not war against flesh and blood and that the weapons of our warfare are strong and mighty in God able to pull down strong holds.  2 Corinthians 10:4.

When we as believers walk in God's will with wisdom then we :
 "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;"
and
 we are "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;"


Make Paul's prayer your own for yourself, your family and the church.  God bless.


Just a quick note.  I have not been posting as frequently because I don't want to post just for the sake of posting.  I hope you are encouraged by what you read and share it with others.   Please leave a comment and become a follower.  I would love to hear from you.

Love and Trust

I am reading a book by Norm Wakefield called Equipped to Love. I highly recommend it.  I wanted to share one of the quotes from the book. The quote is from Jerry White "Every relationship is an opportunity to love and every situation is an opportunity to trust." 

I am not going to share what Mr. Wakefield had to say. You'll have to get the book.   I will say that this should be a mantra of every believer alive today.  Look at your current situation and current relationships and ask yourself if you are loving the people and are you trusting God with the situation. 

Just some food for thought. 

I've added a new feature on the blog, if you are interested. I have added a link Sermon Audio where you can download my sermons.  I hope you are encouraged and blessed by them. 

Where Do You Live?

John 15:4

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Here Jesus exhorts the disciples to abide in Him so that they may bear fruit.  The message is the same for us today.  We can do nothing unless we abide in Christ. We can only bear fruit if we abide in Christ. Too many times we try and depend on our own efforts to bear fruit. We strive and get discouraged. We work hard and we fail. It is at times like these when we need to return to the Word of God and be reminded that we can do NOTHING apart from Christ.  You can not be a godly husband outside of Christ.  You can not be a godly mother outside of Christ.  You can not honor your father and mother outside of Christ.  You can not be a witness outside of Christ.  

A branch does not bear fruit by striving.  I've spent time in wine vineyards and I never heard one straining or grunting with effort, trying to grow grapes.  The branch rest attached to the vine.  The vine sends the nutrients to the branches and the fruit comes forth.  Let us rest in the Vine and allow the Vine to produce fruit in us.

HOW DO YOU ABIDE IN CHRIST ?

When we obey Jesus' commands then we are truly abiding in Him.  
Believe.   All of our works must come from faith and not the other way around. We do not work for salvation, but because salvation is ours. 

Love.  Love is an act of the will not a feeling as the world would have you believe. It is also a fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5.   When we abide in Christ we can bear the fruit of love!

 
 

How I Love Thee

John 19:28-30

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing^[a] that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” ²⁹ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ³⁰ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
 
Let us once again look to the cross, for on it is the greatest display of love the world has ever known.  While Muslims deny that Jesus gave his life and other religions look to self to satisfy God's wrath and some even say that the cross was not enough, but works are needed in addition to the cross; we look to Jesus who said "It is finished".  The work that the Father had sent Him to do was completed, all our sins were laid upon Him. All the sacrifices and burnt offerings, all the scape goats and passover feasts all pointed to this one moment when the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world.  

Accept Jesus finished work on the cross for all your sins; past, present and future. Remember once again and rejoice for in Him your sins are forgiven.  You have been set free from sin! You are no longer God's enemy if you believe.  You are now His child and His friend for He died for you. 

John 15:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

1 John 3:1

New King James Version (NKJV)

3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

How To Take the Teeth Out of Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

You do not have to be a follower of Jesus Christ very long to experience temptations. Let's face it even though our old self is dead and buried with Christ (Romans 6:8) , it can put up one heck of a fight.  We can get overwhelmed with the battle sometimes and then another temptation presents itself and that is to give in.  

There are a few things that I hope will help you as they have helped me. 

1. Temptation is not a sin.  Just because you are tempted does not mean you are committing a sin. It is when we let our earthly desires draw us away in our minds (we can sin with our thoughts) or physically that is when we commit the sin.

2. Bring your thoughts captive. 2 Corinthians 10:5.  You see a good looking woman you have a choice to dwell on her looks and walk right into sin or you there is a man that is not your husband. He is kind and sweet and shows you attention that you do not get at home.  You have had a very stressful day you just want to rest and recharge or check out; you think about taking just one drink, just to relax a bit or you think about looking at some material on the internet or in your night stand.  You get the point.  Our temptations begin in our minds and we have the ability through Christ to stop them their before they become sin.  How? Scripture began to quote scripture like our Savior did. Sing some praise music or a hymn or a psalm.  These will help in getting you to think on.  Colossians 3:13 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 

3. Bring it into the light.  Sometimes our flesh gets nasty when it does not get it's way and no matter how many scriptures you throw at it or how many songs you remember it still insist on being gratified.   It is at these times when you need to call in for back up.  Tell your spouse about the temptation or a close brother or sister in the Lord or your pastor.  When we bring these things into the light the darkness is dispelled and looses it's power over you.  

I hope this helps.  I would like to hear from some of you if you get a chance.  God bless!

Romans 8:37

New King James Version (NKJV)

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

You Are Not Alone

John 14:15-17

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Have you ever felt like you have been abandoned in your Christian walk or like you just can live the life that God has called you too?  Have you ever thought that God saved you but now He has left you to make it on your own?  Good news! Jesus' promises that we, who are His children, who have placed our faith in Him have been given a helper that lives with us and in us.  It is by His power that we can keep Jesus' commandments.  It is by His power that we can love others as He has loved us. It is by His power that we can be light and salt in a dark world.  

Dear Jesus, I place my trust in you.  Help me to love you with the love that You have poured out into my heart and to love others with the same love that You have loved me. There truly is none like you. Conform me to Your image that I may bear fruit and the Father be glorified.  I love you Jesus. 

Romans 5

⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.