Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
It is a fact of Christian life, that no one really knows if they are doing the will of God until after they have done the will of God.
We set off on a journey of intent to do whatever our Father commands us to do. We search out through His Word, the correct path and try to make right decisions. It is only after we have done what we believe to be God’s will, that we can perceive afterwards that we have done His will.
It is in looking back over the course of a year or more that a person can see that not only have they been right in the center of the Lord’s will, but the decisions they made along the way were exactly what they should have done.
I have personally been in prayer for several years to find the will of God in beginning a new ministry to a people in a distant land. I prayed for an extended period of time, then set out to take steps that would move me in the direction of accomplishing that goal, should He be leading me in that way. As I have taken steps of faith, He has come alongside me to help me do the things that would be necessary, if I would eventually accomplish the goal I had been praying for.
For example: A certain amount of money is necessary in any ministry to accomplish certain goals. When God is leading you in an area, He will provide the means necessary to accomplish the goal. I learned as a young Christian from Pastor Chuck Smith, that “Where God guides, He provides.”
We cannot determine whether or not we have been moving in the direction that God is leading us, until we start to move in that direction. Sometimes we find that while moving, there are certain obstacles. Does an obstacle in the way mean that the Lord is not leading in that direction? Not necessarily.
Very often the Lord will place or allow an obstacle, to confirm in our heart, the determination that we claim that we have. If we are not determined to accomplish His will, an obstacle will often discourage us and stop us from going any further. If our mind is steadfast on the goal of finding and doing His will, then any obstacle in our path should only serve to cause us to pray more and keep us moving forward.
On other occasions, an obstacle in the way may be a sign that we are not moving in the direction that the Lord wants for us to go. The only way to find this out is to keep moving forward until it is vividly clear that the intended goal is not correct in God’s plan for us. I know that this sounds vague and uncertain, but that is what faith is all about. It is the movement forward that we do in an unseen place, believing that God is leading us.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 Corinthians 4:18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Think about your entire Christian life. You are trusting in a God that you have never seen. Believing promises that were written down in books by men, thousands of years ago. How do you know that what you believe is true? You don’t until you step out and actually attempt to do what you believe is right. The entire purpose of your life is now dictated by God’s promises. Are they true? Will they lead you to eternal life? The only way that you will find these things out, is if you actually live your whole life in faith that they are true.
John 7:17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God…
After 36 years of attempting to follow the will of God through the promises found in His word, I can tell you with full assurance that the Lord has done a magnificent job in leading my life these many years. He has not on a single occasion, neglected to do everything that was necessary in my life. He had never failed me nor forsaken me. I can only tell you these facts in full confidence, because I have 36 years to look back upon the path that I have taken. In good times and bad, right decisions and wrong, I have been led by God in the path He wanted for me to take.
In your walk with Jesus today, pray and seek His will. Search out through His word, what He has said, then go on and do what you believe He is telling you to do. That is what faith is all about. In the end, you will look back over the course of your life and see that it was Him leading you all along through the wilderness of your life, these many years.
Rob Robinson
