…What the wiil of God is?

I think this is one of the MOST asked questions by us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ.  Job oppertunities pop up, New relationships begin, Conflict will happen, and Trial is Sure to come, So ……. How do we know, how do we really know what the will of God is in those times?

Well the ONLY way to truly know the will of God is to rely on His Holy Word ALONE! I was reading in Romans this morning and Paul clearly answers this often asked question.

Romans 12:1-2

Lets break it down:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, Holy and Acceptable to God. Which is your spiritual worship.”

As true believers whom have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, our desire is to please God because it is His Spirit that we now have, however we are still in flesh and can be deceived by it. We desire to do that which Paul is appealing to us in Romans, but what is it to be a “Living Sacrifice” that is “holy and acceptable to God.“?

Here is the good news, Paul tells us:

(verse 2)

“Do not be conformed to this world, BUT be transformed by the renewal of your mind, THAT BY testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

First he says “Do NOT be conformed to this world“, so what does it mean to be “conformed”? In this instance, based on it’s deff. in its original language of Greek, Paul is specifically stressing the OUTWARD conformity. To conform is to fashion or shape one thing like another.

Then Paul goes on to tell us what we are to do in order to present our bodies as a “Living Sacrifice“, he says,”BUT be TRANSFORMED by the renewal of your mind,”. There is this Song that really helped Josh and I through hard times, when nothing seemed to make since, or “Feel Right”,  it is called ‘The Waiting Room’ by Shane and Shane. There was one line in the song that jumped out to us both, “I will change my mind, and God will change my heart in time”. Sometimes i wonder if they wrote the song based on this passage, because that is what Paul is telling us. What is in our mind is what our actions will be.

SO Paul is telling us to change our mind, to no longer be and do as the world, for that which we all have been and done, BUT to know what God says (read the bible) and do what God says (obey what the bible says), and in doing so you will be transformed! In James we are told that we are deceived by ourselves if we only hear God’s word and do not do God’s word, James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Romans12:2

“That by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So there it is, to know the will of God we NEED to read the Bible to know God’s word, and we NEED to DO what it says. Then to test EVERYTHING through what we know and do that we will be able to discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect to the Lord!

I want to acknowledge and give thanks to my Mother in Christ and Mother through marriage, Bobby Neely. Tears pour out as I think of her loving faithful heart to the Lord and her children. She has been an example and my encouragement  through a really dark season in our walk with the Lord. Her constant prayers and gentle guidance towards TRUTH was heard and greatly used in our rescue by the Lord from the deceivers deadly grip. This past year we have been and are continuing to, as a family, be transformed by the renewal of our minds through the power of God’s Word in action.

John 8:31

“IF you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you FREE.“

Thank you Mom!