Seeking the Will of God

I have started going through a Bible study book called Experiencing God, by Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King. I'm going through it with my step daughter who is 11 yrs. old. I want to show her how there is a difference between religion and relationship when it comes to knowing Jesus. The book has as a mission the goal of helping you to grow spiritually and develop a lasting relationship with God, not to just plow through the book from cover to cover. 

I have been a Christian for 43 years. I got saved at Bible camp as a child. I have built a relationship with God, but I have to admit in some ways I had a deeper relationship with Him when I was younger. As an adult, tho, I have a greater knowledge of the Bible, and a stronger passion for doing the will of God. I've never lost that desire to know Him more, and that desire to have a deeper relationship with Him is actually growing more and more inside of me, especially as the days of His return are getting closer and closer. I want to have such spiritual intimacy with my Heavenly Father that when He asks me to do something, I will hear Him and be ready to obey.

This is what I learned this week that really touched my heart. Sometimes we have to ask the right question to get the right answer. We often want to ask, "What is the will of God for my life?" That is the wrong question. The right question is, "What is the will of God?" What is God doing around me that I need to seek, and jump on HIS bandwagon and follow HIM? It seems like such a small difference, but think about it. I will plan my life and get to a crossroads and ask God which way I should go...on MY path! I will seek Him, but I'm the one driving the ship. Rather, I should be seeking God to see if I am on HIS path, or on HIS ship; what is HE doing in my community, in the world around me, that I should be adjusting to and getting involved in to accomplish a task that He has in mind? 

God is always at work around me. I need to look around, not just in myself, or in my own little world. It really broadens things to see where I fit in HIS plan, not where He fits in mine. Do you see the difference?

Matthew 6:33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Then it is important to be moldable in His hand. I need to allow Him to do a work in me personally as His servant. Just as the potter molds the clay, so will He mold me into His masterpiece when I submit to Him like a soft piece of clay. Once the clay gets brittle, it cannot be shaped.

As far as following God the Father, Jesus Himself set the example in John 5:19: “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Just as Jesus was dependent on the Father, so are we dependent on Jesus. John 15:5: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

When Jesus called His disciples, He said, "Follow me." He didn't give all the details. When God told Abraham to leave his own country to go to a new place, He didn't give details. He said, "leave...and go to the land that I will show you." He would show him where to go but Abraham had to first step out in faith. He is the expert; we can trust Him to show us where to go and how to live our lives as we go one step at a time. It's like when you are going to someone's house; he can write down detailed instructions, but if you have your friend in the car with you, he can get there five different ways. You won't get lost because your friend knows the town and how to get to his house. When we are experiencing a close walk with  Jesus, He will lead us as we go. He knows all things, including the future. No need to feel overwhelmed or confused or even fearful. Just follow the master. Be in the center of God's will, not just for your life, but the center of God's will, period. That is the safest and most blessed place to be.