VB170 Knowing The Plan Of God
Knowing The Plan Of God
As I was reading the other day, I had to stop and ponder as the Baptist preacher John proclaimed, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord….’”
John knew who he was and what he was called to do.
Jn 1:23 (ESV) –He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
I see five keys to John’s success; Hear the Word of God. Read the Scriptures. Speak the knowledge of the Word. Believe and do the Word of God by faith!
You can read the Baptist preacher’s testimony (Jn 1:19-36).
As I began to meditate on this magnificent story, I realized some interesting things about John the Baptist.
John didn’t have an identity crisis growing up, like most people today. He knew God’s plan and purpose for his life from the beginning, and he spent his entire life preparing for it.
God has a plan for your life just as sure as he did for John the Baptist. To succeed in life, you must find God’s plan for your life, and then commit yourself to fulfilling that plan.
It is not enough to simply “do your own thing” and then ask God to bless what you do. Once you know you are doing God’s will, you don’t have to ask for God’s blessing. God will already be blessed with His will being done.
The Lord created you with a purpose in mind. Your talents and abilities were a gift to fulfill His purpose. Although you may find limited success using these talents for your own uses, you will never find the true potential until they are directed by and for the Lord.
We can use the example of John to learn God’s purpose and calling on our lives. He had heard Isaiah preached. He had read the Scriptures. He spoke what he knew about the Word. John believed the Word, and walked by faith!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I believe you have a great plan for me. Please show me what you want me to do. I am willing to follow you step by step to carry out your plan for my life.
There are so many stories of people walking by faith – tell me more of my story. Show me and prepare my spirit for the path I must walk. Thank you Lord. —Amen.
But wait, there’s more!
The good news is that God wants to reveal His perfect plan for your life, even more than you want to know it. You can rest assured that if you ask, seek, and knock, you will find, and receive — it will be opened to you (Mt 7:7). He will show you His good, acceptable, and perfect will (Rom 12:1-2).
Rom 12:1-2 (NIV) – [1] Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. [2] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
“Good, pleasing and perfect” This is not three levels, or kinds of God’s will, these are characteristics.
“A living sacrifice,” This is to be a conscious offering of one’s true self as opposed to the dead, or ritual offerings of dead sacrificial animals of the Old Testament. God wants our lives in love and service to Him, not ceremonial procedures that do not effect daily living.
“By the renewing of your mind” This is from the Greek word for new in quality (kainos) not new in time (chronos). The Jews understood the senses of sight and hearing to be the windows of the soul. What one thinks about, one becomes. After salvation, because of the indwelling Spirit, believers have a new perspective (cf. Eph 4:13,23; Titus 3:5). This new biblical worldview, along with the indwelling Spirit, is what transforms the mind and lifestyle of active believers.
Believers look at reality in a totally different way because their minds have been energized by the Spirit. An active redeemed Spirit-led mind results in a new battle-ready lifestyle! This is what the new covenant promised (cf. Jer 31:31-34).
“Test and approve” This is a present imperative verb. The word (dokimazô) tells us to keep on doing, make a lifestyle of examining and verifying God’s plan for your life.1
“The will of God is” that all be saved through Christ (cf. Jn 6:39-40), and then live like Christ (cf. Rom 8:28-29; Gal 4:19, Eph 1:4; 4:13,15; 5:17-18). Christian assurance (see, Rom 5:2) is based on;
- the promises of a trustworthy God
- the indwelling Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 8:14-16)
- the believer’s changed and changing life (cf. James; 1 John) “no fruit, no root” (cf. Mt 13:1-9, 19-23)
My Proclamation:
I have the mind of Christ. I have the Holy Spirit living inside, showing and guiding me along the way. I have the Word of God. My Bible shows me the big picture of His will. Holy Spirit gives me the details, as I move forward in God’s plan.
My body is a living sacrifice — faithful, set apart to serve, and please God. I am not lord of my life. Jesus is Lord! I have stopped being pressed into the pattern of this current evil age. I am continually being transformed by the renewing of my mind, which enables me to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Glory to God!
God bless you my friend,
1Strong, James. Exhaustive Concordance: Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Abington, 1890; 34th Printing 1976), ref. G1381.
