March 14, 2021 | Pastor Nathan Elms
The will of God is known through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And yet, this is a seeking function, not just a “knowing” or “speaking” function.
God has a plan for your life, your ministry. Trust me. The point is to seek, ask, knock…
Luke writes in Acts 16: "We took it as from the Lord that this is what God wanted us to do."
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, if you had asked one of the Jewish leaders how long they were going to stay there, they would have said, "Look, you think we know how long we'll stay? You see that pillar of fire by night and that cloud by day? When that cloud moves, we'll move; when that cloud stays, we'll camp.
This is totally out of our hands. God doesn't ask for any creative thought from us. He just says, 'Follow the cloud.' But as we follow the cloud, he provides manna for us, and he provides everything that we need."
God will do the same for you. He'll do the same for me. Wherever the Lord leads us, he's made a promise: "I will supply for you."
Whatever problem you're facing today, ask the Lord what he wants you to do. I'm not talking about fanaticism or some false mysticism. I'm giving you the Word of God. The Lord rewards those who diligently seek him, and he'll tell us exactly what we need to do.
1. Pursue knowing God… not just the will of God. (Psalm 27:8)
We should never pursue the Lord’s will above the pursuit of Him.
Because if we separate the pursuit of God’s will from the pursuit of knowing Him, we have turned a relationship into a formula.
Seeking to know God will save us from projecting our motives upon God.
2. Demonstrate Trust. Trust that God is working and guiding you.
(Psalm 23:3) David trusted the Lord and knew that it was God who would lead him in the right way.
(Philippians 1:6)
As we seek to know God’s will for our lives, we cannot separate trusting the Lord for each step.
Knowledge will never replace faith.
3. Ask God for His wisdom. Not just an answer.
(James 1:5)
(Matthew 7:7-8)
These verses do not reveal a major formula for understanding every mystery. But they do reveal the heart of a good God who desires that His people ask Him for things. God desires the heart of His people, and he knows how to “give good gifts to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11)
