Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Letting go of our desires paves the way to knowing God’s will.

Scripture of the Day:

Hebrews 13:20-21

“Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ, equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

When I first accepted the LORD, I desperately wanted to know His will for my life. I thought it was something so difficult to discover, yet in time I have seen that discovering God’s will begins first with obeying His revealed will.

Whose plan is it?

Jeremiah 29:11 (NET)

“For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.”

God longs to lead us, but we sometimes struggle to follow. Redeemed from our former way of life, we set about at times to do our will and become disoriented when things do not go according to what we planned. God is so patient with us, waiting for us to surrender our way to His.

But sometimes someone else’s sin has wrecked our lives and we wonder where God’s plans fit into that? The miracle of being a follower of the living God is that His plan is never thwarted. No matter how much man’s sins appear to ruin God’s plans for us or this world, His will triumphs. How? I cannot say I fully know how He does it, but in His sovereignty, He knows everything completely and never forgets His promises.

So, when our lives are a mess and we just don’t know which way is up or what step to take next, starting with the basics of God’s will helps us orient our inner compass to true north.Listening and hearing the will of God are two different things. Discerning His will becomes easier at the place of obeying God’s revealed will.

Be Grateful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

This might seem like an easy one, but not so much when chaos abounds. How in the world do we cultivate thankfulness when life hurts? Letting go of what I wanted or thought I had a right to, I become grateful for the little things, grateful to have a life to live at all. Grateful for each and every precious person in my life and even . . . grateful for the pain. It brings me to my knees and to the Lover of my soul.

Be Holy.

1 Thessalonians 4:3

“For this is God’s will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.”

Being holy is not just an external duty. Keeping our eye gate from anything vile and maintaining our thoughts to focus on purity are just the tip of the iceberg. Not only do we need a defensive tactic to resist all that pulls us away from honoring God, but we need to go on the offensive and feed our mind and eyes with what is lovely and godly. Focusing on what is Holy in our entertainment and lifestyle provokes us toward purity so when unholiness invites us to stray, it is easily seen as a counterfeit that enslaves us, not delight our souls that were made in God’s image.

Deny Self.

Luke 9:23

“Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

This is not a religious activity, rather an awareness of our flesh’s demands and choosing to surrender to God’s will, instead. Sometimes it might be hard to tell when something is of the flesh because it might not seem all that bad, but the fruit of the flesh becomes obvious when we train ourselves to recognize it. Anything we cannot let go of has a hold on us. Letting go of our desires paves the way to knowing God’s will.

Do Good.

1 Peter 2:15

“For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.”

Ungodly Christians living for self does a lot of harm to reaching the world with God’s love. The hypocrisy of a Christian living a sinful lifestyle creates an atmosphere where not only discovering God’s will for us difficult, but for others observing our lives, too. Walking with God helps others to yearn for His will, too.

Trust Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. 6 Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.”

This is not a once and done attitude or action. It is really hard to not rely on self and our cognitive abilities, until we understand that we are dust. Surely our Maker knows what is best. Surrendering our plans to God again and again shows relationship. As we depend on Him, He promises to fulfill our desire for His wisdom.

Seek Him.

Hebrews 10:36

“For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.”

My flesh tires of living a disciplined life. How about you? But we will not receive the prize if we do not stay in the race. It is in participating alongside God – seeing where He is working in our lives, that we begin to discover His will, rather than asking Him to join us.

Sin muddies the ability for us to think clearly and wreaks havoc on our ability to know the heart of God in our situation. Ultimately, His will is that we would walk in truth, as children of light, not darkness. That we would know Him and worship Him. This brings us the greatest delight, no matter what is going on around us. Living in His will, we have a living hope that God’s plans for our lives will be fulfilled – and they are good.

Lord, thank You so much for revealing Your heart for us as Your people. Help us to walk in accordance with Your Word and purpose. We desperately need You to enable us to do so. On matters that are not easily seen, may You reveal your will to those reading this post today who need to hear from You. We love You, Abba, and surrender our way and will to You.