By Pastor Bob Morgan
(To get the most out of this devotional I encourage you to look up any Scripture references listed.)
Several weeks ago I shared an article on Seeking God’s Will & Guidance. In it I shared the different ways that God guides us. In the previous article I focused primarily on God’s “Unknown” will.
God’s “Unknown” will covers those things such as “where should we go to school? What job should we take?” “Who should we marry?” Etc. In this article I want to focus on God’s “Known” will — His declared will for our lives. But how can we know with absolute certainty what God’s “Known” will is for our lives? He has declared it in His Word. God declares at least three as non-negotiable and aren’t open to discussion or interpretation.
Salvation
Salvation isn’t simply a desire or polite request from God — it’s a command. And rejection of that command to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and embrace all that that means, is why we forfeit God’s higher blessings, and He is perfectly righteous to judge us on earth and/or in eternity.
Being Spirit-Filled
“And be not drunk with wine, which is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18). Paul was writing to a culture that used alcohol and drug taking for recreation, but also as a form of worship to open themselves to the spirit world. Paul is warning against being filled with the spirit of the world, or even demonic spirits, and telling them that God’s desire is that they be filled with the Holy Spirit instead. By the way, note that being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t lead to excess or “dissipation.”
At salvation we are “regenerated” and “sealed” with God’s Holy Spirit. But, He also comes to guide us, instruct us, correct us, comfort us, protect us, empower us, and keep us. To transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
And although our becoming Spirit-filled is a sovereign act of God’s grace, it also requires our cooperating with God — submission and obedience as He reveals His will to us.
Sanctification
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel (body) in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother (or sister) in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all things as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So he who rejects this is not rejecting man but God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.” (1 Thes 4:3-8).
God’s “Known” or declared will includes our sanctification. Sanctification is being separated to God — and from sin. (Please read that again).
(v.3). Previously, the Holy Spirit addresses our sanctification in regards to drunkenness, here he addresses sexual immorality (there are more). Again, Paul was writing to a culture that engaged in sex for recreation and even worship with male and female temple prostitutes. He was lovingly warning and instructing them as to the “sanctity” of sexual intimacy within marriage and the destructive, even damning, effects of sexual immorality outside of God’s loving, protective Covenant of Marriage between one man and one woman. Anything else, God rejects, whether it’s heterosexual sin or homosexual sin. (C.f., 1 Cor 6:9-11).
(v.4). Sanctification means learning to control our own bodies for God’s honor. It involves the outside, our physical being.
(v.5). We’re to subdue our passions — here specifically our lusts. It’s what’s going on inside of us within our heart and mind.
Nay of us can fall into sin, but note that if we have a cultivated life-style like this without regard for God, it may indicate we really don’t know Him and are deceiving ourselves.
(v.6). When we live like this, we’re defrauding others by taking advantage of their passions through our own covetousness and lusts, using others for our own personal, sexual gratification.
Things haven’t changed much, have they? Except now, it’s even rampant in many of our consumer-driven churches, those who have embraced cultural “norms.” But it only compromises families, weakens the church, possibly allows sin to spread, and the individual in sin is often never convicted nor repents of their sin. Leaving them to face a Christless eternity. (C.f., 1 Cor 5).
(v.8). Again, anything less may be a false assurance of our relationship with Christ. If we reject all this, we’re rejecting the God who gave us His Holy Spirit. And, the Judge of the Universe must judge righteously.
Failing To Obey God’s “Known” Will, May Hinder Knowing His Unknown Will For Our Lives
If we fail to submit and obey God’s “Known” will as outlined in Scripture, it’s probably a safe bet we’ll never submit to and obey God’s “Unknown” will when He reveals it to us. In fact, we really have no right to expect God will reveal it to us in the first place.
Are we seeking God’s “Unknown” will for our lives and the heavens are like brass? Is it perhaps we’re failing to submit to and obey God’s “Known” and declared will (as found in His Word) for our lives? E.g.,
- Our Salvation?
- Being Spirit-Filled?
- Our Sanctification?
Remember, God often doesn’t give us more light (more insight or direction) until we’re faithful to the light He’s already given us. Yes, He may grant us mercy and grace, but we have no assurance of walking in His “Unknown” will until we’re walking in His “Known” will (as declared in His Word).
Granting Us The Desires Of Our Heart
Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Context is everything! Verse 5 continues, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
These verses (as often misapplied) don’t mean that what we desire, what we covet and lust after, God will automatically grant. What it does mean, is that as we seek God with a single-heart in obedience to His “Known” and declared will in His Word — making Him our greatest Joy, making pleasing Him our greatest desire — God will then place His own desires in our heart —a nd then satisfy those desires He placed there. How? Through His divine providence He guides, provides and protects us.
Facing The Future With Faith Rather Than Fear: A Personal Application
Lisa and I have spent the last 1½ years in seclusion “by the Brook Cherith,” seeking God and His will for our future. Waiting on Him and waiting with Him (as He’s waited for – us). He has quite unexpectedly, through His providences, and by placing new desires in our hearts, redirected our lives and revealing His next steps in our own, personal, “spiritual pilgrimage.” Having fulfilled what God wanted for us here, His next step for us is putting our home up for sale and moving.
Just as Lisa never thought I’d leave HCCF unless it was in a pine box, we never thought we’d leave the home where we’ve lived for 33-years. The home it took us almost 30-years to build and complete, the home that God provided as our “sanctuary,” the home where our children were raised, the home where we took both of our mothers in for hospice care, the home God provided while we were called to serve at HCCF, the community where we came to love and care for so many. “But God,” has a plan of His own, and we’ve discovered it’s best to never say never.
To His will we obediently and joyfully — submit and obey. We look forward with faith and hope, with anticipation (and bitter-sweetness), of entering the next stage for our lives and whatever He has planned for us.
Many, if not all of the articles I’ve shared with you, were in fact God’s personal lessons for me. I hope in some, small way they may have ministered to you too.
We often pray for many of you, and ask for your prayers as, like you, we seek to listen for, recognize, and obey — the Shepherd’s Voice.
With a Shepherd’s Heart — Pastor Bob.
(If this article blesses you please let me know. If you think it might bless others. please share it).
The Shepherds Voice 