Series: How Can I Know the Will of God

HOW CAN I KNOW THE WILL OF GOD – PART – 2

Ephesians 5:15-17 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17 CEV Act like people with good sense and not like fools. (16) These are evil times, so make every minute count. (17) Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.

Colossians 1:9 NIV For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,

The four primary ways that God will lead the Born-Again believer are:

1. The Written Word of God
2. The Inward Witness
3. The Inward Voice or Voice of Your Spirit
4. The Voice of the Holy Spirit

How Do We Become More Spiritually Sensitive:

1. Give the Word of God first place.

Isaiah 55:6-11 NKJV Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. (8) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (10) “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, (11) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (17) so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Don’t let the Word of God be an afterthought or the LAST RESORT!

Make it the first thing you go to.

2. Meditate in the Word of God.

Joshua 1:8 AMP This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

The Word of God shall not depart out of your mouth…

To meditate means to mutter or speak to yourself.

Psalms 1:1-3 NKJV Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. (3) He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

3. Practice the Word of God

James 1:22-25 NKJV But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Begin the practice being a doer of the Word by doing in all circumstances what the Word tells you to do.

Matthew 7:24-27 NKJV “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: (25) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. (26) “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: (27) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Here is a New Testament Example:

Philippians 4:6 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

Philippians 4:6 AMP Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

God does not ask us to do something that He does not give us the ability to do.

Philippians 4:7 NLT Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

We want verse 7 results without first doing what verse 6 says. If you do verse 6, you will get verse 7.

4. Instantly obey the voice of your spirit.

The human spirit has a voice. We call this our conscience.

Sometimes we call it an intuition or an inner voice. The world calls it a hunch.

We always put the Word first and therefore our spirit becomes an authoritative guide.

This is a process that takes time to learn.

5. Spend time praying in other tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 NLT (14) For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. (15) Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.

1 Corinthians 14:2 NLT For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.

• When you pray in other tongues, you are speaking directly to God – the Father of spirits.
• Praying in other tongues causes us to become more spirit-conscious.
• When you pray in other tongues, your mind grows quiet – because you are not praying out of your mind.

HOW CAN I KNOW THE WILL OF GOD – PART – 1

Ephesians 5:15-17 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17 CEV Act like people with good sense and not like fools. (16) These are evil times, so make every minute count. (17) Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do.

Colossians 1:9 NIV For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,

The will of God for us can be divided into two categories:

1. The general will of God that is made known unto us by His Word.
2. The specific will of God for our individual lives – where do we live, where do we work, who am I supposed to marry?

Let’s establish two things in this:

1. You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT (23) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

Hebrews 4:12 NIV For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

1. The spirit is made new at the New Birth.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2. Our souls must be saved after we are Born Again.

James 1:21 AMP So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

Romans 12:2 NKJV 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.

3. We present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 NLT And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.

1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

2. God lives in you.

1 John 4:15 AMP Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.

1. God will guide us and lead us through our recreated human spirits.

Proverbs 20:27 NIV The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

Your recreated spirit is a safe guide for you to follow, but how?

1. The first way that God is going to speak to us is through His written Word.

2 Peter 1:16-21 NKJV For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. (17) For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (18) And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. (19) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; (20) knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, (21) for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2. The second way God will lead you is through the inward witness.

Romans 8:16 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

1. His Spirit, God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are His children.

There is a knowing that is right down on the inside of you.

If He will bear witness in our spirits about being Born Again, the most important decision that we could have possibly made, then surely, He will bear witness about all of the decisions in our lives.

Colossians 3:15 AMP And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

God will lead you in this way as you pursue a “peaceful knowing” in your spirit.

He will also warn you of impending danger or harm in the same way.

3. The third way that He will lead you is through the inward voice or the voice of your recreated human spirit.

Sometimes we call this our conscience. We sometimes refer to this as the still, small voice of the Lord.

Let’s look at the working of our conscience.

1. The Holy Spirit does not convict us of sin. It is OUR SPIRIT that convicts us of sin in our lives.

1 John 3:20-21 GNB If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything. (21) And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God’s presence.

2. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin.

John 16:7-9 NKJV Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (8) And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) of sin, because they do not believe in Me;

3. It is very important that we remain tenderhearted, especially in the things of God.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 AMP BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, (2) Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized),

Unless you keep a tender conscience, spiritual things will become indistinct to you.

Your conscience is the voice of your spirit and it is your conscience that will relate to your mind what the Spirit of God is saying to you in your heart.

4. The fourth way that God will lead you is by the voice of the Holy Spirit.

This way is the more authoritative voice of the Holy Spirit versus the still small voice of your spirit.

Acts 10:19-21 NKJV While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. (20) Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” (21) Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

This can almost seem like it is audible but it is not. It is the Holy Spirit in your spirit speaking to you.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 AMP (21) But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

Always remember that the Bible teaches that the Spirit of God and the Word of God agree. Anytime that the Spirit of God speaks to you, it will always be in line with the Word.

1 John 5:7 NKJV For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

We are not to seek voices. We should not follow voices.

WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE WORD OF GOD!

The four primary ways that God will lead the Born-Again believer are:

1. The Written Word of God
2. The Inward Witness
3. The Inward Voice or Voice of Your Spirit
4. The Voice of the Holy Spirit

These are develop spiritual sensitivity:

1. Meditate in the Word of God. (Joshua 1:8)
2. Practice the Word of God. (James 1:22)
3. Give the Word of God first place.
4. Instantly obey the voice of your spirit (your conscience).
5. Spend time praying in other tongues.