Smoodock's Blog

Most Christians are concerned about this very question. “Is it God’s will?” Some sincerely want to know, while others may be just curious, but how can we know for certain what the will of God is? The plight of the Christian is often pictured in the Bible as a wilderness situation and there are simply no paths in the wilderness. One needs to find direction by some other means than experience, either ours or that of someone else. When no one has gone this way before, how do we know which way to go? In a natural wilderness one would look to a compass or the sun by day and the stars by night, but in a spiritual wilderness, how do we know which direction God wants us to go? Notice what Paul says:

Romans 12:1-2 Phillips NT  (1)  1-2 With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

For eleven chapters Paul has spoken of what we should believe and why. He told us how we can know Christ and how he has saved us from the power and the penalty of sin, but here in chapter 12 Paul begins to tell us how we can serve Christ and in effect know and do the will of God. He begins by telling us God’s will concerning our character, how we can become holy and pleasing to him, and secondly, he shows that after this is done we shall be in a position to understand what his will is concerning our service or what we can **do** to honor and please him.

The problem with many Christians is that we like to put the cart before the horse. We often want to do something pleasing for God when we have not prepared ourselves for the work ahead of us. This is why character is so important. One cannot be expected to work for God, if one does not bear the image of God. If we allow the world to “squeeze us into its mould,” we bear the image of this world. How can one who has the character of the world be prepared to serve God in a **godly** fashion—that is, in a manner that bears his image?

Paul gets really personal here. It isn’t very difficult to sit in church and promise God one’s soul and spirit. It would seem they are his responsibility, after all. But Paul says we must “give him our bodies!” This is where we begin to feel the discomfort of our relationship with him. But is this getting a little too close? This is more than being religious, isn’t it? Yes, and that’s the point.

God didn’t merely save my soul—he saved me! He saved my total self which includes my body. If I am serious enough to commit my body to Christ—what I do with my hands, what I allow myself to look at, what I listen to and what I speak etc.—when I am this committed to God, then I am ready to know God’s will, as far as service is concerned. Is this commitment too much? Does it go too far? No, not when one considers what Christ did for you and me. No, he was totally committed to us, soul, spirit and body! How could we not remember that he was committed in body too, when we think of the cross?

I cannot fulfill the purpose of God as far as my character is concerned, unless I am willing to submit my body—my whole self—to him daily. This is an intelligent, determined act of dedication and commitment, just like Christ was to me. Once this is done then the horse (my character) is before the cart (my godly service), and I’ll be empowered to do some good for the honor and glory of God.

Okay, say I’ve done all this, I’m still in the wilderness, so to speak. In which direction does God want me to go? The key is not to submit to the world’s “squeeze play.” Steer clear of its value system. As Christians, we often face some tough decisions on what is “worldly” and what is truly God’s will. J. P.  Morgan once said: “A man always has two reasons for doing anything—a “good” reason and the real reason.” The particular situation may be difficult, but the choice is always clear: am I trying to please myself, preserve my interests in the group I associate myself with, or am I really interested in pleasing God?

The only way I am able to stay out of the world’s mould is to renew my mind, take inventory of what I look at, listen to, read etc. God’s will is known by becoming familiar with his word, the Bible. The world’s will is known by becoming familiar with its popular entertainment (TV) and through magazines and advertisements—all of which are designed to increase my appetite for sex, things, and pleasure. There is nothing inherently wrong with these things, but do I really need my appetite for them increased? I already have an appetite, but the world’s way is to inordinately increase that appetite, so that it controls me, rather than letting me through the power of God’s Spirit control my desires.

So how does this tell me what God’s will is? Well, years ago F.B. Meyer, a famous preacher of his day, was on a sea voyage. As the captain of the ship pulled into a narrow harbor one dark and stormy night Meyer asked him how he knew when to make the turn. The captain told him: “That’s an art. Do you see those three lights on shore? When they’re all in a straight line, I go right in.” And, so it is for the Christian. We have three navigation lights: the Bible, the inward witness of the Holy Spirit and outward circumstances. When all three of these are in alignment, one with the others we know which direction to go. Until they are, we must wait. Waiting is often difficult, but it is often the best thing to do.

In the next few verses (Romans 12:3-8) Paul lists some of the services we could do on behalf of God. We have our three lights: God’s word, God’s Spirit and God’s circumstance (the place where he has led us). In the end, however, only one thing really counts—be honest in my estimate. In the end I must act on what I have been given by God. I need to be honest about what I know (the word of God), what I understand about what I know (the Spirit of God) and my present circumstances (where God has led me). If I proceed with an honest heart, I can do nothing more. God will do the rest.

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