Looking Deeper Into The Will of God – Dr. Charles Stanley

it's most reassuring to realize that God has a specific plan for your life for each one of us it's not the same plan but it's all for each of us all designed but what he had for us in mind no exception we might not understand how God can work in the way he works all over the world but he does because he's God he's not left in the body out we might try to understand some things that happened we can't understand but he has a plan for our life and he intends to fulfill that if we are willing to trust him in obeying and those two things are absolutely essential whatever God has in mind whatever he had in mind when he allows you to be born to come into this world trusting and obeying him were two key issues so ask yourself the question people who know you would they know you as someone the trust God it obeys God someone who attempts to walk in his will or do they just know you as a person who sort of just does whatever comes naturally and you want to be happy and you want to be successful and you want to fit into the ways of the world God did not allow you to be born just to do any other thing you want to do that wasn't his plan and many people will live their whole life and never ask the question what is God's plan for my life what's his will for my life once you begin to ask that question that takes you deeper and deeper into the whole perspective of God's purpose in your life and when I think about that I think about one verse down the one hundred and third song because the question comes is that well how can God do this that yell and so forth one hundred and third song and the nineteenth verse you know to mark this verse in your Bible mark he says the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his sovereignty rules over all thinking that his sovereignty rules over all that is no matter what's going on God is in charge and he's in control it may look like he's not in control but he is we listen to all the news and ups and downs and ins and outs and I'm for this and I'm for that and I'm opposed to this that and the other where's God know this right where he's always been he is in control he will let us do things at times that are foolish that this Astra's destructive but oftentimes he stops us and sometimes we have a hard time believing that God is involved in anything the way people are acting so when I think about these verses and his sovereignty I'm thinking about what Jeremiah said to God he said in that 32nd chapter our Lord God behold you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm nothing is too difficult for you now if you and I believe that everything was within the reach of God and the power of God nothing in too difficult for him we would operate a little differently we wouldn't doubt some things we would be wound they claim more of his promises for God is in charge he is in control his sovereignty rules over all so no matter what's going on in the world you got is still in charge the problem is so many people don't believe that and I look at watch television once in a while not think how pitiful and on and on and only goes so did you finally help to get up and cut it off and ask the question Lord has anybody heard about God has anybody heard about Jehovah Yahweh Elohim in the Old Testament the God of all gods the only one through God the author who has all power to do all things anybody believing in him trusting him or waiting up on him for action if you listen and watch and do not read the Word of God you can get very very discouraged so the title of this message is looking deeper into the will of God and I want to talk about first of all the three major distinctions in God's will the three categories and the first is God's predestined will those things he will do irresistible unchangeable unconditional that is things that God can do by his power in his love and things that nobody can stop he is in control he is the sovereign of the universe his predestined will which means predestined he's already determined some things this world may look like his whirling around at Alek control but God is in control of whatever is going on and then of course there's God's moral will his moral will would be explained best in the Ten Commandments God has a moral will you shall not steal lie commit adultery no not in the ten commandments and all through the scriptures there are some things that God has forbidden does that mean they can't happen though it means that it's not the will of God for them to happen it's not best for them to happen it's costly for them to happen it's just a stress or them to happen because he is the God who gives us freedom and liberty up to some degree this moral will is where we get in trouble we just thought we want to do things our way when we want to do it we can explain it away and yet when we violate the Ten Commandments we violate the teachings of Jesus there is a price to be paid and there is no substitute for obedience and there is no one greater than God and when I listen to some of the things that that people are saying about that we're gonna do this and we're gonna do that there is a God who ultimately determines what you will do what you will not be he allows disobedience and rebellion but only at a price sin does not come cheaply rebellion toward God is not cheap now listen to people talking about what they're going to do in this and all the things that are happening in they want freedom to do this and that and the other with no listen with no sense of responsibility to the sovereign god of the universe we are all responsible to him although we like it or not and then of course there's God's desired will those things that he desires for us his desired will for us well let's begin with salvation God desires we are saved he disaster be baptized he desires and we walk after his will he desires that we learn to pray and learn to follow his lit teachings of Scripture it's his will that we learn to obey Him early in life it's his will that we learn to listen to him follow him and acknowledge that he is the ultimate guide in life so in order for me to be obedient I need to know what his will is how am I going to know what his will is Who am I going to find out you listen to the true Word of God and you read the Word of God and you believe the Word of God if you want the truth of God if you want to know how to live out your life in order to be obedient you've got to know the Word of God so don't raise your hand naturally when I say that I'm trying to cover for you how many times this past week did you pick up the Bible and read a verse you have seven days in a week 24 hours a day you have many things on your schedule that you have to do many things that you don't have to do that you want to do you don't work all the time you have free time how much of that free time did you spend asking God Lord what about this should we buy that house should we buy that automobile should I allow my son to go to college here should I allow my daughter to go out this guy should allow my son to be a part of that club in other words when is the last time you asked the one who knows the answer to everything about his will what does he want would you not agree that God will always want what's best for you how many of you believe that same n he'll always want what's best for you you really believe that then why don't you ask him why do you make so many decisions without asking him watch this he has a will a purpose a plan he knows what's best for us in every single circumstance of life and he invites us to ask and ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it should be open to you God is willing to show us as well this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he's going to hear us and if we know that he hears us we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him then why not get in the Word of God and find that Lord what would you have me to do in this particular situation what what does obedience require me is does this fit the will of God or does it not and the reason people are in such deep debt is because they spin with us in the will of God listen this is a major issue in this country indebtedness is a major major issue and you said what's that got to do with the Bible we'll just start reading you'll find out God has a lot to say about money and not not being in debt and so when you think about one sin leading to another God has a will for us his will is always best for you it's always best for you his his yes is best his no is best because he wants what's best for us and so when we think about the will of God the will of God is God's best plan for us now you say well my life is sort of mixed up and I don't know how to turn next so let me give you one other division of and that's his his personal will for your life and we can divide that into three categories and first of all that's his intentional will that is what did God have in mind for you I don't know who your parents were how they raised you but what did God have in mind for you think about that for a moment his intentional will what did he have in mind before you ever born what does he even have in mind about your education what do you have in mind for example about this the spiritual gifts when you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior you were listening you were gifted with the ability talents and skills to do whatever God wants you to do and when you think back early in your life you were thinking about when I grow up I'm gonna be this I'm gonna be that and so forth did you ever ask God what he wanted you to do you say well how do you know what God wants you to do and if you're sitting here and you don't know the will of God for your life maybe you never ask him maybe think about this did you ever get on your knees and say yeah I don't want to waste my life I want my life to count and if I want my life to count if you're gonna help me answer my prayer gotta pray the right thing so what is it you want me to do very very few young people today will talk to you about the will of God for their life because they never gave it any thought that God has this God who is sovereign over the universe has a plan for your life did you as a parent ever sit down with your son or your daughter and say well let's talk about one of the most important things in your life well what is that they may be thinking about their education know what's the most important thing in your life the will of God and I'll tell you this is the truth not maybe it's the truth every night I was at home with my family from the time my children were born I prayed over their bedside with them they had they no idea what I was talking about that yard would show them his will for their life very rarely watch this we wait too late to do the most important thing the most important thing they'll ever learned was the will of God and so when you think about it to yourself and your vocab occasion for example if you go look for a job that you just look for a job with you just say Lord what do you want me to do now think about this for just a moment the right person to ask first of all is God where do you want me to work what do you want me to make how do you how do you want me to invest my life think about this as the days go by your time and not times ticking away you don't think it is well you get my age you realize taken away you don't stop you don't quit you don't worry you don't fret you trust God you want to make every day count but do you realize that God has a plan that he has an answer for all these questions that you have and so oftentimes questions that we should bring before Almighty God we just make the decision watch this carefully because we make decisions based on human knowledge limited human knowledge and own emotions that oftentimes aware out in left field and oftentimes to please somebody else the only person I am obligated to please according to the Word of God is Almighty God I'm obligated to please him want to place him smart thing today the wives thing to do is to please God because watch this if you know him you know this he only wants what's best for you amen but you see many parents can't say that they want what looks the best to their friends and neighbors that their children's riving this or net we run them the will of God is from the most important things in your life but he said what should I ask God about everything nowhere what is it that so unimportant I don't to talk to God about so what does he say he has a will for our life and this will we have an intent his intention of wilfred of life his circumstantial will for our life which is what his circumstantial will is this so i messed up here but i get my life straightened out with god and surrender my life to him and we get a new start because why is there circumstantial will because god knows us and he knows we'll fail we knows will make wrong decisions at times he knows we're human as we say and so that's his circumstantial will does he cast this out no and we live in our circumstantial will with less oftentimes accomplishing less being less satisfied less happy less peaceful less less less because we don't stop to ask him first now when we stop to ask him he's willing to corrected some things he'll correct some things he won't correct because of the circumstances and so his circumstantial will is here i am here's the mess I've made this is how far I've come their Lord or do you want to do them at this point and listen there's God's immediate will that is what does he want you to do right now in your life what's his will today in your life you can't change yesterday but you can certainly make a difference for tomorrow because tomorrow is a privilege is an opportunity and God is with you his immediate will what's his immediate will for what he wants you to do today for example let's turn to James for a moment and let's look at this passage and in the fourth chapter look at this 13th verse come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go to such in such a city and spend the year then engage in business and make a profit doesn't that sound like people today here's what I'm gonna do I'm gonna make it big yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow you are just like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away instead now you ought to say if the Lord wills we will live and also do this or that but as it is you boast in your arrogance all such boasting is evil therefore the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it to himself it is a sin so as you look at your life ask yourself the question what about how you spend your time what about how do you spend your money how about your friends our relationships the things that you bought your testimony you say well God isn't interested in little things like what God is personally interested in what you think what you say what you do how you look how you operate and so you're not living in a vacuum you're living in a world inhabited in your spirit by the Living God who has equipped you and will equip you to do his will every day all day if you're willing to surrender your life to Him and yield to him what your potential is at this point in your life only God knows but it's probably a whole lot larger than you think it is you say well I've made so many mistakes who hasn't made mistakes different kinds of mistakes and this mistake may be tragic to somebody and this person's mistake may be lots of more tragic than this one that's not the issue this is God and this direction but it's you and me God whatever in my life is missing what is it Lord wherever I've blown it show me where it is whatever I need to confess and repent of whatever I need to surrender to you I've never surrendered God I want your best in my life ask yourself this you turn around look back over your life to the time you were maybe a little before you're a teenager or thereabouts look back over your life what would you change we'd probably all change something right we'd all change something let make over your life what would you change second question is this why did you come this far thinking that somehow you could make it without yard and think about this whenever you did trust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ as your saving you a baptized John the church did you surrender your life to the Lord then when I think about this as overwhelms me that holy God who is the sovereign of the whole universe loves me enough to show me his will and to show anyone who's willing to ask are you willing to trust God where you are with who you are and your mistakes here and your successes there the things that are good in your life that things are not are you willing to say to him Lord you know all about me you know how I really messed it up I'm asking you to forgive me of my sins and I know I don't have years and years and years making it up but lord would you help me to spend the rest of my life the way you're a circumstantial will circumstances being what they are would you help me to live my life the way you want me the rest of my life the way you want me to live it would you tell him that don't be trapped by the devil who watch this the devil says too late too late just think no other sermon it's too late it's not too late as long as you're breathing they get right with God and your opportunities may be gone but there may be more opportunities than you realize there may be ways that God can use you you never even thought about and the reason you didn't think about him you didn't ask him about them I'm saying that you don't give up you ask God show you Lord circumstances being what they are I've wasted as far as your circumstances here but you got you'll forgive me you promise you so what's the next step in my life my life is just what it is what's the next step God would you be willing to say to him today Lord the next step in my life I'm gonna take it whatever you tell me to do God I'm gonna do it would you be willing to tell him that today do you trust him enough this tip to tell him there whatever he requires with you next you're gonna do it do you trust him enough to do it or do you sit here and listen to this and think yeah but you don't know my circumstances where nobody knows everybody's circumstances I'm just asking are you willing to trust God all of us need to trust him whatever's going on in life you have the privilege you have the privilege to talk to a holy God who has all power and all love and all authority he'll take you where you are and do something in your life you probably never imagined but are you even willing to give him yourself just to see what he'll do what what would God do in your life if you fully surrender your life to Him I think you'll be surprised pleasantly surprised you have the courage to say god I believe you have a will for my life I know you're not pleased to have been living it out but today I'm asking you to forgive me I could blame some postcard but I'm not gonna blame anybody I'm asking you to forgive me and starting today when I walk out the doors of this church I'm walking out surrendered to your perfect will whatever that is I'm going to do whatever you say and I'm gonna believe God because you're an awesome god of love and kindness and goodness and reconstruction you'll take me and you'll do what's best in my life from this point on wow what an awesome difference guys you make in your life if you're willing and father how grateful we are that you are a forgiving God cleansing reconstruction all the good ways that you work in our life and I pray that every person who gives this message will be deeply convicted deeply inspired for some it will be deeply painful but honest enough to surrender themselves to you and see what you will do but the rest of their life oh god that's my prayer for the rest of their life what will God do but the rest of my life and father you just full of surprises we know that's true for the wonderful surprises maybe we don't think mere worth it are nobody cares but we know that's not your attitude you just waiting for us they say yes Lord but you to start your reconstruction and our life they'll change us forever and that is my prayer today in Jesus name Amen you [Music]

Channel: In Touch Ministries

Views: 469,381

Rating: 4.873383 out of 5

Keywords: Charles F. Stanley, Charles Stanley, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, Preaching, Bible teaching, Dr. Stanley, Intouch ministries, intouch

Id: 4iSYd3QQAWI

Length: 25min 35sec (1535 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 13 2019