Matthew 16:1-3 NKJV Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. (2) He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; (3) and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
Ephesians 5:15-17 AMPC Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), (16) Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. (17) Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.
Colossians 1:9-10 AMPC For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things– (10) That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].
How do I find the perfect (complete) will of God for my life?
- The Word of God is the will of God.
If you are ignorant of the Word of God, then you will be ignorant of the will of God and the ways of God.
Once you know the will of God, don’t allow anything to cause you to question it. Don’t let people talk you out of it!
Keith Moore – “Find out what God has already said to you in His Word, and if He wants to say something else to you, He will.”
- Ask or inquire of the Lord.
- Delight to do the will of God.
- Pursue the wisdom of God’s way.
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 (foolish), but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Unwise – GREEK – mindless, stupid, ignorant, egotistic, rash
Understand – GREEK – to put together, the assembling of individual facts into an organized whole.
You cannot separate the will of God from the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is the will of God.
The only way to redeem the time, is to pursue the wisdom of God.
When you say “yes” to the will of God, you are saying “yes” to the wisdom of God. You are acknowledging that God is smarter than you.
Colossians 1:9-10 NKJV 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;
Wisdom (GREEK) – skill, tact, expertise in any art. Skill in the affairs of life, practical wisdom, wise management as shown in forming the best plans and selecting the best means.
Understanding (GREEK) – comprehension, the ability to understand concepts and see relationships between them.
It pleases God for us to walk out the will of God in wisdom and understanding.
Sample results of yielding to the wisdom of God:
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.”
Building your life on the rock is doing what He told you.
Building your life on the sand is not doing what He told you.
Building your life on the rock is the one that endured the storm of life.
A defining characteristic of wisdom of God is that it looks ahead and perceives the outcome.
Deuteronomy 32:29 NKJV Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!
Psalms 90:12 NKJV So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90:12 NIV Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
The only way to avoid wasting precious time is to do things God’s way! That is wisdom!
Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV (10) If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 ERV But wisdom will make any job easier. It is very hard to cut with a dull knife. But if you sharpen the knife, the job is easier.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 GNB If your ax is dull and you don’t sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 GW If an ax is blunt and the edge isn’t sharpened, then one has to use more strength. But wisdom prepares the way for success.
Wisdom in Discerning the will of God.
Two lies that scores of Christians believe:
- Everything that happens is the will of God.
It does not take much sense to dispel this lie. God is not causing the deaths of innocent children.
- God will not allow anything to happen that is not His will.
We know that this cannot be true because the Bible says that it is not God’s will that men perish for eternity. Yet, we know that people slip into eternity without Jesus and God has to allow this even though it is not the will of God.
When someone believes one or both of these lies, you will not resist the enemy because you are not able to rightly discern if what you are facing is coming at the hand of God or the devil.
1 Kings 3:9 NKJV Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
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.
There are three sources of will or plans available to us:
- Man’s will or plan.
- The Devil’s will or plan.
- The will or plan of God.
Our minds must be renewed the Word of God if we are ever going to discern between these three.
If you get these truths in your spirit, you will become increasingly hard to deceive and trick by the devil.
Think about a newborn baby. That baby has no clue or insight as to what the will of their parents is. They learn to recognize their voice and their touch, but they do not know their likes and dislikes and what pleases them. It takes time, experience, and knowledge to be able to clearly understand those things and the same things I true about the Lord. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Christians that are still living like those newborns and enjoy an encounter with the presence of their parents, a warm hug, taking a nap in their arms, and them showing up for mealtime but know little else beyond that. Because, they have not grown and matured in these things.
1 Peter 2:2 NKJV as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
Knowledge – gathering of information.
Understanding – an ability to connect the dots so that it makes sense to you, to put it together.
Wisdom – the ability to apply knowledge and understanding to our lives; what to do and how it will turn out.
Isaiah 11:1-3 NKJV There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. (2) The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (3) His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
1 Corinthians 1:30 NKJV (30) But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God–and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
Ephesians 1:17-18 NKJV that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,