KNOWING GOD'S WILL
Knowing and doing God's will is the single most important task of both life and ministry. Jesus talked a lot about doing the will of the Father. As I travel in ministry I often get asked the same question. How do I know God's will? I was on the phone just last night with a man who has cancer, but is not certain it is God's will to heal him. I told him I could not pray in faith with him until he was certain it was God's will to heal his cancer. He kept saying, "If God wants to heal me He can, I just want His will to be done". I kept sending him back to Scripture to build his faith. To show him that the word of God already has sealed it. I finally told him, "When the word of God becomes more real than your sickness you will be healed." God's will is always found in God's word. We know that. But what about things that are not specific in Scripture? Like where do I live or who do I marry or where do I go to college?
The key to finding God's will is hearing God's voice. Once you have a Rhema word about something, nothing can stop you. This comes out of developing intimacy with the Father. When Jesus was here on earth He walked in such close relationshiP with His Father that every thing He did was in response to the voice of God. John 12:49 "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak." Jesus spent a great deal of time alone with the Father to develop this ability to hear the Father's voice.
There are three voices that speak to us. We must learn to discern between these voices to be effective in doing God's will. The FIRST VOICE (not in importance) is the voice of demons. Just like Satan spoke to Jesus in the wilderness temptation and to Eve in the garden, the voice of demons and even Satan himself can influence us. How do we know their voices? They ALWAYS contradict the Word of God. There is always an element of truth mixed with error. Satan is the father of all lies and demons that lie. They will ride on your shoulder and whisper in your ear words of doubt, confusion, unbelief and anything else that will take you off course. Combat these voices with the word of God. Just as Jesus said, "It is written", say it to those voices. That is why it is important to hide the word of God in your hearts. If the spirit of fear speaks, quote "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind". The SECOND VOICE we can hear is our own human voice. Jesus dealt with this in John 7:17-18 "if anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him" Interesting that our human voice always draws attention to ourselves and not God's glory. The human voice is always self serving. God's voice serves the kingdom of God and His glory. Quite frankly, this is the most difficult voice to discern. Often our flesh will come up with some very good sounding things. They sound like they could be from God. One person defined religion as flesh at its best. But the bottom line is, to whom do they draw the attention and glory. God's voice always honors Him. Finally the THIRD VOICE, which is the voice of God. This comes first through the word of God. God's word is always His will. Our passion and desire should be to daily learn to hear His voice and immediately obey. Obedience often brings further revelation and more of His voice to our hearts and minds. Just like we learn to talk with a friend, when we become friends with God, regular conversation will take place. Perhaps that is why Abraham was called a friend of God. They often talked!
