Being Relentlessly Faithful
Sometimes I find myself "searching for the will of God." I get all caught up in what God has next for me that I don't experience what he has for me now. I don't think I'm the only one who struggles with this.
I had many different doors opened to me after graduating from Ouachita. Some were ministry related while some weren’t. All of the doors seemed perfect — ways I could make real impact. And for a while I was torn between several good things. I felt like I couldn’t make a decision because I was waiting for some clear confirmation from God of the plans I was making.
I think many of us have great ambitions for life, for making an impact for God’s Kingdom, for having godly relationships, etc… yet we are so often paralyzed by indecision or by the pressure to feel divine certainty before we do things. Over the next couple of days I am going to be posting four principles that I need to keep at the forefront of my mind at the start of this new year.
BEING RELENTLESSLY FAITHFUL
Whatever you end up doing, wherever you end up doing it, faithfulness will largely be the determining factor of how fruitful your life is for Christ and His Kingdom.
There are few things more frustrating than people who aren’t dependable. Proverbs 25:14 says “like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.” Likewise, James 5:12 challenges us, “not to swear but let our yes be yes and our no be no.”
Faithful people excel at whatever they do. They honor God and they present a compelling witness to those around them. If we would just strive and encourage others to be faithful, even in the midst of some uncertainty at times, we would be better understanding part of Gods will.
That being said, there are three major understandings of God’s will:
1. God’s Will of Decree
This refers to what God has ordained. Everything that comes to pass is according to God’s sovereign decree. And all that He decrees will ultimately come to pass. God’s will of decree cannot be thwarted. It is immutable and fixed. God is sovereign over all things—nature and nations, animals and angels, spirits and Satan, wonderful people and wicked people, even disease and death. What God wills, will happen, and what happens is according to God’s will.
2. God’s Will of Desire
This refers to what God has commanded—what He desires from His creatures. If the will of decree is how things are, the will of desire is how things ought to be. Doing the will of God means we say no to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and our pride in possessions. We do what is pleasing in God’s sight.
3. God’s Will of Direction
This does not exist; it is a man-made idea. It’s that God has a specific and perfectly laid out plan for your life that he is wanting to reveal at a specific time and we should be patient to wait for such a time. Some of the reasons we seek God’s Will in this way is because we desire to please Him, we are very timid, we are searching for perfect fulfillment in life, and lastly we just have too many choices. It is a unique problem for this generation.
Isn’t this crazy? Think about it. We often wait around and do nothing waiting for the writing on the wall from God. We expect God to move us when we are completely unwilling to move ourselves. Obsessing over the future is not how God wants us to live, because showing us the future is not God’s way. His way is to speak to us in Scripture and transform us by the renewing of our minds. His way is not a crystal ball. His way is wisdom.