How can I know God's Will?

Based on Acts 9:1-6 

By: Alan Carr

If you were to have a face to face encounter with the Lord Jesus, and could ask Him any question you wanted, what would that question be? I suppose you would have to think long and hard about what you would ask Him, but I am guessing that many would be asking, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” That experience did happen to the man in our text, and he asked that very question. He also received a response from the Lord.


In this passage, Paul asked 2 very important questions. Questions to which we need sure answers. Those questions are: 1.) Who art thou Lord? (v.7) This is the single most important question in all of life. Who is Jesus Christ to you? Your answer determines where you will spend your eternity! 2.) Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? This is the second most important question in life. God’s will and His will alone should be the heart’s desire for every child of God. Ill. The context. Paul was told to go into the city and there, he would be told what to do. God did not hide His will from Paul, and He will not hide it from you!


Before you can know Gods will for your life, you must have an understanding of how His will operates. There are three ways in which we may understand the will of God.


1. Gods Sovereign Will - This is a decision of God that is always carried
out, nothing in the universe is ever able to stop it. God is God and He
accomplished what He wishes. Gods Sovereign will is mysterious and is
known only to God.


2. Gods Moral Will - This, too, is forever settled and is unchanging.
Some things are right and some things are wrong, (It matters not what
society says!) This Moral will is revealed in the Word of God and the
conscience of man.


3. Gods Particular Will - He has a will that is particular and peculiar to
your life. (Ill. Saul - Acts 9:15) This particular will will vary from saint
to saint


I can see all 3 aspects of the will of God at work in my life. It was His Sovereign will that set His love upon me and saved me. It was His moral will that I stop cursing, drinking, etc. It was and is His particular will for my life that I become a preacher of the Gospel.


Even though you and I are such a small part of Gods vast creation, and our lives seem very insignificant, God knows you! He loves you! Even the very hairs of your head are numbered and known by Him. As a result, He has designed a particular plan for your life, and, He has promised to reveal it to you and to guide you into it.


Before we get into how to know His will, I am first going to address some myths concerning the will of God.


1.) God Will Give You A Road Map - God does not give roadmaps, He gives
relationships. As you follow Him, He will reveal His will unto you. (Ill. Israel
- Ex. 13:21 - The Pillar of Cloud and Fire!)


2.) God Doesnt Want You To Have Any Fun - Some see God as a Cosmic
killjoy. That is, if you surrender to do His will, you will have a hard and an
unhappy life. Many are afraid to find His will because they are afraid of what
they might be asked to do. (Ill. Put yourself in the place of God. How do you
treat your children? Isnt He better than us? Luke 11:11-13


3.) God Only Speaks To A Certain, Few Holy People - Gods will is not limited
to those with position. He just doesnt speak to the Pauls, the Spurgeons and
the Grahams. He has a will for every saint at every conceivable level of
commitment. If you choose to follow in His will, you will be lead to a holier
life. But, He calls us where we are!


4.) You Have To Wait On A Damascus Road Experience - Sauls experience
certainly was dramatic, but it wasnt normal. God spoke to Saul in the
earthquake, but more often, He speaks in the still, small voice - 1 Kings 19:11-
12.


5.) God Only Reveals His Will To The Young - God calls people of all ages, He
never stops using His saints. If He were finished with you, He would have
called you home. If you are sitting on the sidelines, I can guarantee you that
you need to seek His will! It is never too late to do the will of God.


6.) Gods Will Is Hidden From Us And We Have To Find It Ourselves - (Ill.
The absurdity of a Father hiding His will from His son!) God never hides His
will He reveals it! He wants you to know His will so you can get about doing
it. (Ill. This is not a cosmic Easter egg hunt!)
Now that we have discussed several myths concerning the will of God, allow me to share with you a couple of easy steps that will lead us into knowing the will of God.


I. GODS GUIDANCE IS PROVISIONAL
(That is to say, God expects certain things from us. Unless we are able to
deliver these characteristics, we will probably remain in the dark concerning
His will.)


A. Be Willing To Obey Him - Ill. Saul wanted Gods will. Too often, we
make our plans, set them in motion and then call God in to bless them. To genuinely do His will, we must put our will aside and be will to do all that He asks us to do. (Ill. Can you honestly say, Wherever He Leads Ill GO?) Ill. Why should God reveal His will to us when He knows we arent going to do it anyway?


B. Display A Spirit Of Meekness - That is, be teachable - Psa. 25:9. Ill. Saul -
He displayed a teachable spirit. If you arent teachable, and think you know it all already, then you will probably never know His will.


C. Be Open To God - Earnestly, sincerely pray for Gods guidance. Report for
duty. Dont wait to be drafted, just show up and ask Him if He has an assignment for you. If God isnt showing you anything, perhaps you should examine your life to see just how much time you really spend with Him in private. Too often he is speaking, but no one is listening!


D. Be Yielded To God - Ill. Saul - Acts 9:8-9, As soon as he had a word from
God, he got busy doing it. Again, God probably not reveal His will to someone who isnt going to do it anyway. If all areas of your life are yielded and open to His will, then you can expect that He will reveal Himself to you. Are you willing to do His will regardless of the cost? Luke 14:26-33.


II. GODS GUIDANCE IS PRACTICAL
(Ill. God will reveal His will in ways that will be plain to see and understand.
He used several in the Bible. These are still His ways.)


A. Through Miracles - Ill. Saul - Normally, God wont speak to a man like He
did to Saul. This was a miracle! Occasionally, He will speak in the fashion, but dont wait on it before you start to serve Him!


B. Through His Word - Ill. Saul - v.5. Gods Word holds the answers to all of
lifes questions - Psa. 119:89. (Ill. Matt. 5:18) When you are in doubt concerning His will, go back to the Bible and read. (Ill. This is Gods primary mode of address!)


C. Through His People - Ill. Saul - Acts 9:8-20. God used Ananias to speak
His will to Saul. Never discount the counsel of the godly people all around you - Pro. 24:6. (Ill. The danger of pride - It will cause you not to listen - 1 Cor. 10:12.


D. Through His Spirit - Ill. Saul - Acts 9:17. The Holy Spirit is in us, John
14:16, and he will guide us unto all truth, John 16:13. One of the distinguishing marks of Gods sheep is their earmark - John 10:1-14. God speaks to people through the Holy Ghost. (Ill. Beware of listening to voices!)




God has a big plan for your life! Do you know what it is? If not, be meek, teachable, open and yielded to God. Listen for His leading voice in His Word, His people and His Spirit and He will reveal His will unto you - John 14:21. He wants you to be in His will, and therefore, He will never leave you in the dark!


If you know His will, are you doing it? If not, there is no time like the present to surrender and yield to do the will of God.


May God guide you to know God's Will in your life. GOD bless..

The Practice of the Presence of God.

THE PRACTICE THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Acts 7:47-49 

by: Alan Carr

God is not an absentee landlord! He doesn’t save us and then leave us here to do the best we can. Many feel that God does just that! He saves us and then He shoves us out into the world. They think that maybe He looks in on us occasionally to see how we’re doing. That just isn’t so! There are two passages in the New Testament that speak about the whereabouts of God - Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5. These remind us that God is ever with his children. We are never out of His presence. I want to speak about this matter of God’s presence and attempt to clear up any confusion that there might be in this matter.


I would like to pose a question to you this morning. Where does God live? Well, some would answer “The Church,” we do call the church “The House Of God”, but God doesn’t have His address at the church. David tells us in Psalm 139:7-12 that God is everywhere all at once. Yet, God does have a house. In fact, He has possessed several throughout the ages. Today, I want to help you to practice the presence of God. I want every one of us to be able to know and enjoy this sweet, abiding presence minute by minute as we travel through life.
To be able to practice His presence, or live in the reality of it, you must first know where He is. Allow me to share with you this truth: God has made and used four different houses. How each one fits into God’s plan will help us to be able to experience the joy of His awesome presence.


I. GOD’S PRIMARY HOUSE
A. The first place God chose to dwell was in Adam.


B. The Design - Adam was a three-part house. He was made in the image of
Almighty God - Gen. 1:26. He reflected the triune nature of God - 1 Thes. 5:23. Ill. Gen. 2:7 - Adam was Gods primary design. (Ill. Body, Soul, Spirit - The body allows access to the physical world. The soul allows access to the emotional world. The Spirit allows access to the spiritual world. The spirit is what separates man from the animals. It makes us unique because the spirit can be indwelled by God and it is the spirit where we have the capacity to worship God.


C. The Desecration - Ill. Adams sin - Gen. 3. When Adam sinned, he died -
not physically, but spiritually! Adams sin defiled the house and God moved out! God will not abide in a dirty house.


D. The Desolation - After Adam sinned and God moved out, Adams house
became desolate. In other words, the fact of his death became evident - He was separated from God! He began to suffer under the curse. When his spirit died, (Death is literally separation!), his soul took over. Man, from that day to this has lived life as he pleases - Ill The natural man! The natural man is lead by his soul, because apart from God, the spirit of man is dead!
Literally, the house was left desolate! (Ill. A live Christmas tree - When the tree is cut, it is dead. It may retain the look of life for a while, but as sure as a few week have passed, the truth of its death will be evident.) Ill. The same is true of the human house that is empty of God.


E. The Destruction - Eventually, Adam died physically as well - Gen. 5:5. The
house he lived in was destroyed and returned to the elements from which it came - Gen. 3:19. That same end awaits every one of us here today! (Ill. Death is stalking! Are you prepared?)
F. Ill. This is a true picture of everyone who is without God!


II. GODS PATTERN HOUSE
(Ill. This is the Temple. It served as a visible pattern for mankind, so that men could see the type of dwelling God would use.)


A. The Design - This house was made of three rooms. The Outer Court, the
Inner Court and the Innermost Court. In its design, it corresponds to each of us. (Ill. The Outer Court - The human body - The place of sacrifice - Rom. 12:1-2) (Ill. The Inner Court - The human soul - The place of gathering and hearing of the Word - The place of reason and understanding) (The Innermost Court - The place where the priest met with God - The place of worship and personal communion with God.)


B. The Desecration - Through idolatry and sin Israel desecrated and defiled the
Temple. Therefore, God moved out! - Ill. Matt. 21:13.


C. The Desolation - Ill. Matt. 23:38 - Notice your not Gods The people
still carried out all the ancient rituals, but God was gone! Sadly, they didnt even notice! (Ill. Many churches are in the same situation right now. All the ritual, none of the glory! - Ill. 1 Sam. 4:21 - Ichabod!)


D. The Destruction - Matt. 24:1-2 - The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD
because it was unfit to be inhabited by God. He didnt need it any longer!


III. GODS PERFECT HOUSE
(Ill. Jesus was Gods perfect house!)


A. The Design - John 1:1; 14 (Ill. Jesus called His own body a Temple - John
2:19. His House was indwelled by the Spirit - Matt. 3:16-17. In fact, He was God incarnate! This Temple was designed to be the place of the perfect sacrifice!


B. The Desecration - This Temple was desecrated as no other has ever been.
Ill. Literally all the sins of humanity were placed on Him - Isa. 53:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24! The creature was literally able to desecrate the perfect Temple of the Creator!


C. The Desolation - When Christ became sin on Calvary, He was abandoned
by the Father - Rom. 8:32; Matt. 27:46. The darling Son of God became the object of the Fathers loathing and God judged the Son in our place. Jesus was left desolate, He died alone! (Ill. This is one of the great mysteries of the ages - That God could turn His back on Himself.)


D. The Destruction - Like the first Adam, the second Adam, Jesus, was
destroyed. Ill. Isa. 53:10. Jesus died to take away the penalty of our sins. That perfect house, like all the previous ones was destroyed! (Ill. All He suffered for us!)


IV. GODS PERMANENT HOUSE
(Ill. Here is where the pattern changes, God has stopped moving! He has taken up residence in a permanent dwelling. That dwelling is you!)


A. The Design - John 14:16 - The believer has been reconstructed and made a
fit dwelling for Almighty God. (Ill. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 - 2 words translated Temple in NT - 1). Ieron - The entire temple precinct, the temple mount. 2.) Naos - The Holy place, the sacred dwelling place of God! The Christian is literally a living, breathing Temple of Almighty God! When you get saved, God moves in!


B. The Desecration - This house cannot be desecrated! (Ill. Sealed - The holy
area has been sealed off - Nothing gets in or out!) But, what about sin? When you trust Christ, ALL sin is removed - Past, Present and Future! (Ill. Col. 2:13-14!) Sin is no longer credited to us! Rather, we enjoy imputed righteousness - Rom. 4:22-24!


C. The Desolation - This house can never be left desolate! God cannot depart!
Ill. John 14:16; 2 Tim. 2:13. The true believer is Gods house and will be forever! Eternally saved and eternally sealed - Eph. 4:30!


D. The Destruction - This house can never be destroyed. God has promised us
eternal life through Jesus Christ - John 10:28; Rom. 5:9. This doesnt mean that He wont clean house every now and then - Rev. 3:19. But, when He does, He wont move out! The Christian need never fear Hell - John 5:24!


V. A FEW LESSONS TO REMEMBER
A. Salvation - Salvation isnt about getting man into Heaven, it is about getting
God into man. It is about making dead men live. It is about living for God and doing His will as opposed to the will of the world and of the devil.


B. Security - God has stopped moving! I know I am eternally secure today
because He has promised to stay forever - Heb. 13:5. Adam fell and God moved out! He has moved into us to stay!


C. Sanctification - When Adam sinned, he died immediately in the spirit,
progressively in the soul and ultimately in the body. We are justified at the instant of salvation by the Spirit, sanctified progressively in the soul, and glorified ultimately in the body. Ill. Phil. 1:6 - God isnt finished with you yet. We arent perfect, but He likes a fixer upper! He is rebuilding, remaking, remodeling into the image of Jesus.


D. Spirituality - God lives in you! Dont just dress up on Sunday and pretend
to meet Him in church. He is with you all the time, everywhere you go. Therefore, every action in life should reflect this truth. You are Gods temple and because of this truth, every day is a holy day, every place is a holy place!


E. Service - Do not insult God by saying that He cannot use you. He lives in
you and as you continually yield to Him, and constantly depend on Him, He will use you, His temple, for His glory!


Conclusion : What kind of shape is Gods house in today? Today would be a good day to begin a home improvement project. Are you willing to be all that God wants you to be?


May GOD bless you!

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Effective Prayer Life

By: Pastor Gary Linton

The Bible says, “Elijah was a man subject to like passions (weaknesses and failure) as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (James 5:17-18 KJV). Now that is exciting!

What James was saying was that if Elijah could pray so effectively so can we. A prayer life like this will make a major difference in our life. It filled Elijah with such excitement that when he saw just a hint of the rain on its way he outran Ahab all the way to Jezeel, with Ahab in his royal chariot and Elijah on foot. Kind of like the road runner flying past Wile E. Coyote. Seeing God miraculously answer your prayers will fill you with such an anointing and zeal that you will be able to outrun the best of the enemies chariots.

Here are a few keys to having an effective prayer life:

Our prayers must be divinely directed (1 Kings 18:36). Elijah heard from God and prayed accordingly. “The word of the Lord came to Elijah” (1 Kings 18:1 NASB). And again, “Let it be known … that I have done all these things at thy word” (1 Kings 18:36 NASB).

Our first prayer should be directional. “God how do you want me to pray”? I’m convinced that if we would wait on direction from God first and as we receive word from Him we would pray accordingly, we would have much more effective prayers. Prayer must be done in dependency on the Holy Spirit, in accordance with His will (Rom 8:26-27 and 1 John 5:14-15) and with the goal of seeing His will implemented upon this earth in the affairs of men (Matt. 6:10).

Praying must be done in the name of the Lord (James 5:14). There is power in His name. So much so that God “bestowed on Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father” (Philippians 2:10-11). The devils even believe and tremble (James 2:19). Praying in His name is not simply a blank check that we sign His name to and get whatever we want. It means four things:

1. Power of attorney. If you are given power of attorney over someone’s finances, you are to use it for their purposes only. You can use it however you choose. However, there will be a day of accounting when you will give an account as to how you used what was theirs. There will be an accounting one day of how we used His name.
2. In His will (1 John 5:14-15). Praying in His name means we are praying for His purposes (will) to be implemented in the affairs of men (our affairs and life) on earth (Matt. 6:10).
3. In His merit as opposed to our own (Romans 5:1-2 and Hebrews 4:16). When we come to Him, praying in His name, we are coming in His merit and not our own. We come in His righteousness, having been made worthy by His finished work on the cross for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. For His glory (John 14:13). When praying in His name we should be praying for that which will bring Him glory. Judge what you are praying for and if it will bring God glory then you are praying rightly and if not don’t pray for it.

Praying must be done in faith (James 5:15, James 1:6-8). Jesus said if we have faith we can move mountains (Mark 11:22-24). Below are some things that will help to build and strengthen our faith.

1. Be sure you are divinely directed (1 John 5:14-15). Elijah was filled with faith because he knew he was in God’s will and acting according to His word.
2. Read the word (Romans 10:17). Time in the Word of God helps build and strengthen our faith. Read and study it.
3. Meditate (Psalm 1:2-3 and Joshua 1:8). We need more than a casual reading of the scriptures. We must spend time not only reading the Word but meditating on it. This means we take a passage, verse or phrase and toss it over and over in our mind, letting it sink deep within our spirit. This will build and strengthen our faith.
4. Use your imagination (John 5:17 and 19). See God doing what you’re praying for and see it as a completed and done deal. Jesus saw what the Father was doing in the spiritual realm before He did anything and then acted accordingly. If we really believe something our imagination will be stirred and our imagination will stir our faith.

We must be bold in our praying. Elijah was bold in two ways:

1. He was bold (confident) in his declaration (17:1, 18:44). He was bold or confident in what he believed (knew) God was going to do and declared it.
2. He was bold in what he prayed for (1 Kings 17:1, 19-22). He prayed that it wouldn’t rain until he said (17:1), in praying for widows son and actually expecting life to come back into him (17:19-22), there was a drought for three and a half years and he dared to think God would make it rain again. If we are afraid to exercise great boldness in our prayer life we will never experience great effects from our prayers. Psalms 81:10 says, “open thy mouth wide and I will fill it”. George Mueller said this meant we should open our mouth wide in big requests.

We must pray specifically. There is a difference in a time of prayer, communing and fellowshipping with God and asking God for things to see something accomplished for His glory. Elijah was needing to see something happen. He didn’t pray in general, “Lord do something to turn this people around”. He sought the mind of God as to how He wanted to do it and then prayed exactly that way. If we are to pray effectively, we must be specific in what we are praying for.

We must pray fervently (James 5:16-18). Fervent means to work hard at, hot, boiling over, to put all you have into your praying. If you were in a really desperate place and needed someone’s help immediately, you wouldn’t calmly say to them, “would you mind helping me for a minute”? You would raise your voice (yell if you will) and say, “get over here and help me now”.

The early church prayed fervently for Peter and God sent an angel and miraculously delivered him out of jail and from the hand of Herod (Acts 12:1-17). It was said of Jesus, “who in the days of His flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared” (Hebrews 5:7). God told Isaiah, “Put me in remembrance; let us argue our case together; state your cause that you may be proved right” (Isaiah 43:26). Let’s remind God of His Word and put all we have into our praying.

We must pray with persistence (1 Kings 17:19-21, 18:41-44). Whatever you’re praying for you mustn’t loose heart and give up. Be persistent. It’s not if we believe we only ask once. True faith believes when we have prayed, we have already received what we have asked for (Mark 11:22-24) but it goes on to continue to ask or remind God of our request until the answer to our prayer has materialized.

There are many examples of persistence in prayer: The widow’s son, Elijah stretched himself out on him three times (1 Kings 17:19-21); Elijah was praying for rain and had his servant look for a sign of rain seven times (1 Kings 18:41-44); The Syrophonician woman (Mark 7:24-30); Jacob (Gen. 32); A friend asking for bread at midnight (Luke 11:5-10); The widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). Let’s lay hold of God and not let up until we have received what we have requested (Isaiah 64:7).

We must pray with anticipation (1 Kings 18:41-45). When Elijah began to pray for it to rain again, after being dry for three and a half years, he prayed with expectancy. He put his head between his legs and prayed. He then asked his servant if he saw anything. He said, “there is nothing”. He did this seven times, until after the seventh time the servant said, I see a cloud about the size of a man’s hand. When Elijah heard this, he knew the rain was on its way. Pray and keep praying in faith, looking for and expecting your answer, until it manifest itself.

The one praying must be righteous (James 5:16). The blind man who had been healed said, “We know that God does not hear sinners” (John 9:31). Sins blocks our prayers from being heard and answered (Isaiah 59:1-2; Psalms 66:18). We have no righteousness of our own (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). The only righteousness we will ever have is inputed righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is why we need Jesus. He is the substitution for our sins. The moment we put our faith in Jesus, as our only hope of salvation and the one who paid the penalty for our sins, we are declared righteous by God. Jesus’ righteousness is put to our account and we are righteous in God’s sight. He sees us just as if we had never sinned. From that point on you can pray effectively as a righteous man or woman.

We also should daily ask God to search our heart for anything that may not be right with Him and make it right by confessing it as sin (1 John 1:9). This should be done at the beginning of our prayer time. We should also ask God to show us anything that might be wrong between us and anyone. If there is anything, we should do our best to make things right with them as well (Matthew 5:23-24). This assures there is nothing standing in the way of our praying effectively.