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.


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