I’m sorry for not updating recently, there’s no excuse: I’ve just been lazy, so I apologize.
This last Friday, Pastor Stephen Tan gave an insightful overview of not just knowing God’s Will, but the nature of God’s Will in general. Perhaps one of the most important principles he taught was that God’s will is not always revealed. Sometimes God wants us to trust Him before He reveals it; because a lot of the time, we only want to know God’s Will so we can pick-and-choose. He also stated that, while God is sovereign over all things (mentioning issues such as election, foreknowledge along with free-will), we should just acknowledge His sovereignty as a part of “mind-your-own-business” theology. This is ultimately God’s business, and to us, we only need to worry about what God reveals to us.
Pastor Tan mentioned six things we already know about God’s Will (taken verbatim from his worksheet):
1. It is God’s Will that you be saved: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
2. Be Controlled by His Word and Spirit:
“18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:18-21).
“16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col. 3:16-17).
3. Love God and Surrender to His Will:
“37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37)
4. Live a Sanctified (Holy) Life:
“ 3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.” (1 Thess. 4:3-6)
5. Obey Legitimate Authority
“13Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. ” (1 Pet. 2:13-15)
6. Be a Thankful Person
“18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Another important principle was given: God’s will will never contradict His Word. This is why we must know the Bible well.
There were 8 ‘road signs’ or guidelines for decision making that Pastor Tan mentioned. He noted that while these were good indications of God’s will, they were not necessary indications that something is God’s will:
1. Surrender–We must surrender and trust our decisions to God’s will, even if it isn’t revealed.
2. Prayer–We must always pray to God for guidance.
3. Holy Spirit–The Holy Spirit will tell us and guide us.
4. Circumstances–If circumstances set before us seem to guide us towards a decision, or rather, reaffirm some decisions.
5. Peace in Your Heart–Even if some decisions may defy logic, God may give us peace to reaffirm a decision in line with His Will.
6. Your Own Desires–God designed us so sometimes our desires are an indication of what God wants us to do.
7. Godly Advice–Seek advice from Christian friends, or from pastors and elders.
8. Common Sense–Sometimes God’s will may contradict common sense, but more often than not, “God gave most of the guidance you need when He gave you a brain.”
Pastor Tan warned against the use of “signs” and other types of “tests” to see if something was God’s will, because this edged on what the pagans do. Doing things like “IF so-and-so happens, then it must be God’s will!” even if “so-and-so” might be a ridiculous condition. He instead encouraged praying for “faith-builders”, that is, circumstances that affirm our decision made in faith. So, rather than signs before we make decisions, circumstances that affirm our decisions.
He also warned against the thinking that God’s Will for our life is something like a “plan a” “plan b” type organization, especially in issues like marriage. God’s Will won’t contradict the Bible, so if you get married, God’s will won’t be for you to get divorced if there are troubles. For me, -girl- who I marry won’t be “plan b” for me, but rather, the moment I say the marriage vows, God’s Will for me is to stay loyal to that girl no matter what.
Thank you for reading this, hopefully it was a useful summary!
