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Continuing our discussion from part one, to those brave souls who are willing to take this plunge of faith into full-time Discipleship, the Lord offers blessings both in this life, and in the Life to come. We will each be rewarded according to the works which we perform for the Lord here on the Earth, as we can determine by the following group of verses:

"Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."


"If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"


"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."


"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"


". . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."


"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."


"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."


"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lords money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, WELL DONE, THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


Again, not everyone is called to this particular kind of ministry. As I said previously, God's overall Will is that we believe in His Son; and that we then do what we can to encourage others to believe in Him as well. Exactly how you personally go about doing this, and to what degree you do it, is entirely up to you and your faith and conviction. Absolutely no one can decide this for you. Beginning with Abraham and the early Patriarchs, each individual has had to decide on his own. Finding the Will of God requires a lot of soul searching. It can't be based upon a pretentious faith. It must be based upon real faith, and a certain knowing in your heart that it is what God has called you to do. While writing about personal faith and conviction concerning the eating of meat, the Apostle Paul made the following comment which can also be applied to finding the Will of God in one's life:

"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."


God's overall Will can be compared to a mighty river. The river finds its origin in many small mountainside streams. Each of these might be considered one particular aspect of fulfilling God's Will, comparable to different levels of Discipleship. When those streams come together, they are all part of that same mighty river and can't be told apart the one from the other. They are all a part of God's Will, and they all lead to the same final destination: the ocean. The problem many of us encounter with this example, is in trying to discover in which of those streams we belong. What is our particular calling and ministry?

Part of the formula for finding the Will of God for our lives can be found in the following verses taken from the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Paul wrote as follows in the twelfth chapter of his letter:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."


The first step we have to take in finding God's Will for our lives is to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God. This is not talking about a real blood sacrifice such as was performed by the ancient Patriarchs with the firstfruits of their flocks. Rather, it is referring to a surrendering of our personal will and plans for our lives. This is where most of us run into immediate trouble. Let's face it, folks. Most of us are rather selfish individuals. We each put our personal welfare first above everything and everybody else. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the brethren at Ephesus:

"For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:"


We are our own worst enemies; and not only our flesh, but our minds as well. It is necessary that we bring both our bodies and our minds into subjection to God's Will. This is why Paul likewise tells us that in order to find the Will of God, we cannot conform to the ways of the world. That is, the ways in which the world makes us live, think and act. We must allow God to totally rewire us spiritually, so that we no longer think on the things of the flesh, but rather on the things of the Spirit. We must allow God's Spirit to totally transform us into new creatures who begin to see and understand things with the mind of Christ. We must allow our old man of the flesh to symbolically die, and let the new man of the Spirit live instead. And it's not always easy to do. These truths are made evident by verses such as the following:

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown: but we an incorruptible: I therefore so run, not as uncertainly: so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: BUT I KEEP UNDER MY BODY AND BRING IT INTO SUBJECTION: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."


"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and BRINGING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST;"


"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."


"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."


"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"


"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."


"For to be carnally minded ‭is‭ death; but to be spiritually minded ‭is‭ life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."


"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."


Exactly how does this spiritual transformation occur in our lives? The Scriptures inform us that this process is akin to taking a spiritual bath in the Word of God. Consider these two verses:

"BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."


"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."


In Jesus' time, this cleansing of mind, body and spirit was the result of the Lord verbally speaking the Word directly to the people. After all, Jesus was/is the Living Word. Just by speaking the Word, people were healed. Just by speaking the Word, demons were cast out. Just by speaking the Word, men were forgiven for their sins. Just by speaking the Word, men forsook all and followed Jesus. Just by believing the Word, we receive Eternal Life. Today, in the absence of Jesus' physical presence, God has found it fit to speak to us, and to teach us, by other means. Primary among these is the Holy Spirit. Consider the following verses:

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you . . . But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, HE SHALL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."


"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."


Please notice that it says that the Holy Ghost will help His Disciples to remember the things Jesus had spoken unto them. Of course, we modern Christians weren't there in Jesus' day; so we have to rely upon what was passed down to us in the Scriptures in order to know what He said. That is the key. In order for God's Spirit to quicken things to us from His recorded Word, we have to know what it says to begin with. We have to study the Word of God. In Jesus' time, the people came to know and understand God through the very things that Jesus did, said and taught. Jesus brought the Old Testament Scriptures alive for them. Today, we can accomplish the same by studying the Bible. In short, to know and understand the recorded Word is to know and understand God Himself. For as it is written:

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."


The more we immerse ourselves in the written Word of God, the more we will not only come to know and understand God, but we will also know what His Will is for our lives. We will learn how God operates and what He expects of each of us as Christians. If you are in tune with God's Spirit, He will speak to you through His recorded Word. I am sure that some of you have already experienced this. Things will just seem to pop out of the pages at you. You might be praying and reading, and all of a sudden there's a verse; and you think to yourself, "Wow! That is exactly what I was looking for! There's the answer right there!"

What is truly exciting about this process is that the more you read and study God's Word, the more the Spirit can link things together for you and show you the Big Picture. I can honestly say that in writing my articles, this is constantly happening to me. The Lord, by His Spirit, just pours it on, and I just type away putting it all together for you in one compact little package. Well, sometimes my packages are big, but boy are they juicy!

You know, sometimes I will get a bit discouraged; especially after I have received negative responses from the enemies of Christ, or from some of those self-satisfied religionists who don't like the things I preach. In fact, just the other day, this woman -- a friend on Facebook who is supposedly a sister in the Lord -- posted a message on my timeline, and also sent me a private message, in which she stated that my work for the Lord is in vain. Seriously, folks. She said to me "your work is in vain." I couldn't believe it. It was as if Satan was speaking right through her. Well, I don't need that kind of negativity in my life, so I promptly unfriended her. Quite to the contrary, the Scriptures tell us this:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that YOUR LABOUR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD."


Sometimes I think to myself, "What's the use? I am such a mess myself. Why do I even bother doing this? Nobody really cares what I have to say. Who am I to tell others what to believe or how to live?" When this feeling comes over me, I will try to shut up for a while and not say anything, and not write anything. But you know folks, it doesn't last very long. Before you know it, it is like God's Spirit within me just kind of bubbles to the surface, and I am back at it again, writing articles, composing poetry, compiling new KJV Bible Verse Lists, and creating new graphics. I just cannot stop what God has begun in me.

As you may know, the young Prophet Jeremiah experienced the same thing. During those forty years that he preached in the land of Israel, he received a lot of persecution for speaking out against the corrupt Jewish religious elders, the corrupt political leaders, and even the people themselves who were in a deep state of apostasy. That included sacrificing their own children on the altars to the false gods. As a result of his preaching, they accused him of being a false prophet, and a traitor to his own nation. Eventually, they threw him into a pit in prison. Well, dear Jeremiah decided to try to keep quiet and not prophesy anymore; but consider what happened:

"Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."


In the previous verse, the word "stay" means he was unable to stop himself. He simply could not withhold the Lord's Spirit which was endeavoring to speak through him. I would not be surprised if some people now accuse me of presenting myself as some kind of self-styled prophet. Well, I can assure you that I am not a Prophet. A true Prophet is someone to whom the Lord gives something new to say, as in a prediction of the future. To my knowledge and recollection, I have never done that. And quite frankly, I do not like titles anyway.

To be honest, all I do is take what has already been said and written in the Bible, and try to present it in a form which is easier for some of you to understand. It is like taking a jigsaw puzzle, or a connect-the-dots, or maybe a color-by-numbers painting. All I do is endeavor to make a little more sense out of what is already there. I am nobody special. I am just doing what I can to love the Lord, and to love other people, by faithfully sharing the truth with them from what I have learned from the Bible over the years. If anything, I would consider myself to simply be just one of many teachers, or scribes, who is trying to do what I can to feed, inspire and motivate my fellow Christian brethren.

Returning to the main theme of this series, if I could simplify it into one statement, it would be this: To know the Will of God is to know the Word of God. Why? Because in knowing His Word, God can reveal His Will to you. Not only that, but with so many false voices and lying spirits in the world today, unless you are familiar with what God's Word does say, you could very easily open yourself up to a voice which is NOT of God! You could unknowingly become deceived! It is important to remember that in revealing something to you, the Lord will never contradict something He has said in His written Word. He may expand upon it, but He will never contradict it. Please don't forget this point.

It is when we don't know God's Word that we put ourselves in danger. If you don't believe this, just look at all of the garbage which is currently being espoused by New Age thought advocates who claim to channel Space Brothers and the like. Look at all of the many false prophets who populate most of the social networks. Look at all of the utterly ridiculous interpretations of Bible prophecy. Look at the doctrines of devils which have invaded so many churches. The simple fact is that when people reject the true Word of God, the Lord will send them strong delusion, if that is what they really want. So that is why it is so very important that we dwell in God's Word, and try -- or test -- the spirits. Consider the following verses:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."


"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."


". . . because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"


"And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I WILL GO FORTH, AND I WILL BE A LYING SPIRIT IN THE MOUTH OF ALL HIS PROPHETS. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."


Within certain sectors of Christendom, there are people who believe that we shouldn't make a single step without making sure it is God's Will first. From the minute you wake up, until the moment you go to bed, you are expected to be in the Spirit hearing from the Lord regarding every move you make. Personally, I do not know anyone who is that in-tune to the Spirit of God. Well, Jesus was, obviously. Not only that, I think the idea of constantly worrying about whether or not you are in God's perfect Will throughout the day would drive a person absolutely crazy. It sounds like the same bondage as those folks who won't do a thing without reading their daily horoscope or calling up their favorite psychic. Additionally, it seems to me that this type of walk with the Lord would remove any degree of free will. In essence, you would be a robot or a walking zombie. It sounds kind of cultish, does it not?

The way I tend to look at things is like this: We already know from reading the Bible what God's general Will is for our lives. He wants us to be saved. He wants us to share the message of Salvation with others. Exactly how we go about doing it is similar to the example of the river I discussed previously. If you feel that the Lord might be directing you in a particular direction to do something, but are not yet sure what it is, the best thing to do is to just wait on it, and to continue doing what you already know is God's Will.

For example, perhaps you are praying about whether or not the Lord wants you to go to a certain mission field. While you are waiting to find out, continue to minister to people in your immediate area. In this way you are still fulfilling God's general Will for your life as a Christian. One thing I do know is that if something is God's Will, He will put it in your heart to want to do it. Consider this verse that is found in the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Philippians:

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."


Not only will the Lord put His Will in your heart, but He will also provide the means to enable you to do it. If it requires money, perhaps He will provide the money by some miraculous means. Maybe someone will give you an unexpected monetary gift. Or maybe you will get an unexpected bonus from work. All kinds of things can happen. If it is someone you have considered speaking with about the Bible, perhaps the Lord will do something to put that person in your path. In some cases, if the decision involves a major change in your lifestyle, you might even want to ask the Lord for a specific sign to confirm His Will.

As some of you may know, this is precisely what Gideon did in the Book of Judges. Gideon had a miraculous encounter with an Angel of the Lord. During the encounter the Angelic Messenger informed Gideon that the Lord was going to use him to free the Israelites from the Midianites who were oppressing them. Gideon listened in disbelief. He required some proof, so he asked for a specific sign on two occasions. Today, this is popularly known as Gideon's Fleece. So he asked for a sign; and once it had been fulfilled, Gideon requested that the exact opposite happen; just to make certain that it was the Lord. If you are interested, you can find the entire story in Judges chapters six through eight.

As the old saying goes, "Where the Lord guides, He will also provide". If the Lord isn't opening the way, then perhaps it isn't His highest Will for you at that time. As I explained previously, God has promised to provide all of our needs. So if He is not doing so in your case, then you simply need to ask yourself why. If the Lord is not providing for you in a certain direction, then you just have to trust that He knows what is best for you and not push the issue. The worst thing you can do is to try to go ahead in your own strength and wisdom. Remember the verses I shared earlier. This was King Saul's mistake; and it not only cost him his kingdom, but it also cost him his life, and the lives of his sons as well. So it pays to wait on the Lord, as to do otherwise may indeed lead to nothing but disaster.

It seems that in seeking the Lord's Will, He will usually respond to your inquiries in one of several ways: He might give you the go-ahead to do something. He might show you that it is not His Will at all. Or, He might reveal that something is His Will, but not at that particular time. In other words, maybe He wants you to wait a while. In short, you may get a yes, no or wait response from the Lord. The main thing you have to remember is that if you humbly ask the Lord with all sincerity to reveal His Will to you, He most certainly will. After all, He certainly does not want you wandering around half-confused not knowing what His Will is for your life. In the Book of the Prophet Amos we find the following verse:

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."


While that verse specifically concerns Prophets of God, I think it is safe to say that we can apply that same lesson to discovering God's Will for our lives as well.

Please go to part three for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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