Divine Guidance
Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be
sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins)
(1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready
to learn Truth from the Word of God.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth.
(John 4:24)
INTRODUCTION
HE IS THE ONE!
Before the Fall; man was a perfect creation, and that was all we could
ever be, because of the Fall-and then condemnation; Salvation was provided;
so we are able to be born into God’s family. In order to live with God, we
have to be as perfect as God is, in righteousness and justice. This is His plan
from the beginning! Never has there ever been a different plan, angels and
men have free will, this is the reason for all the “trouble” but no trouble for
God! (Isa 52:10; Isa 59:16) He did all the work Himself, He created heaven
and earth, (Col 1:15-19) angels and man, He was the only perfectly born
human, without a sin nature, and perfect in body, soul and spirit, and He lived
a perfect Spiritual life, grew to Spiritual maturity, defeated Satan and all the
demon’s, was judged for ALL our sins, will put unbelievers in the lake of fire,
and believers in heaven, and some in dark pits, He will rule forever! And never
asked us for our opinion, help or guidance! We either adjust to God’s plan, or
it will adjust to us!
EVERY PERSON WHO HAS RECEIVED Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
is the personal representative of the Son of God. He is called an ambassador
for Christ, a witness, a priest, a believer. But whatever the title, one Truth is
clear; Just as Jesus Christ represents every believer at the right hand of the
Father, so every believer represents the Son of God on earth! In order to
represent Him effectively, everyone who is born again must be guided by
God. To this end we have the Promise:
And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in
scorched places, [War, beasts, famine, disease and disaster] And give
strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, [Mature
Spiritual life] And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
[Communicating Truth] (1Pe 4:11) Those from among you will rebuild the
ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called
the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
[The Completed Spiritual life] If because of the Sabbath, [To reach Spiritual
maturity] you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
(Heb 4:7-12) And call the Sabbath a delight, [Staying in Spiritual maturity] the
holy day of the LORD honorable, [Everyday] And honor it, desisting from your
own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word,
Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the
heights of the earth; [Free from the control of the old sin nature and the false
realities of Satan’s kingdom] And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob
your father, [Mature Truth] For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
(Isa 58:11-14)
Divine guidance is the Doctrine of determining the will of God for your life,
In the Bible the Greek word for “will” is (Thelema) When thelema is used with
reference to God’s “will” for the believer, (Rom 2:18, Eph 1:1) it refers to the
purpose or plan He designed for every believer in eternity past. One of the
greatest dilemmas any believer faces is: How can I know God’s will? How
can I be guided by Him? What is God’s will for me in some crisis or difficulty
or problem in my life?
Throughout Scripture, believers are continually exhorted to know the will
of God.
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
(Eph 5:17)
A Christian who trusts in himself instead of God and His Wisdom: is
declared to be a fool. (Prov 28:26) One of the most detrimental failures in the
Christian life is lack of Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding. (Prov 9:10)
Divine guidance is the Communication of Divine will through Divine
Revelation — the Word of God. (2Pe 1:20-21) Therefore, it is obvious that
Divine guidance must be based upon the Bible itself, for the Word of God is
the Thinking of Christ.
For who has known the Mind [Thinking] of the Lord, that he should instruct
Him? But we have the Mind [Thinking] of Christ. (1Co 2:16)
Today, the only way you can know what the will of God is for your life is
to hear and Understand the Word of Truth.
In (Rom 8:14) we are introduced to God the Holy Spirit as the major
factor in Divine guidance.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
(Rom 8:14)
There is no Divine guidance apart from knowing the Word of God and
being controlled by the ministry of God the Holy Spirit. (John 4:23-24)
Together, these basics of the Spiritual life form the cornerstone for the three
Mandates of Divine guidance
MANDATES OF DIVINE GUIDANCE
Submit to the Will of God
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present
[Paristemi] your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which
is your Spiritual service of worship. (Rom 12:1)
“Present” in this verse is the same Greek word, paristemi, also found in,
(Rom 6:13) and means “to place yourself under orders” to God, or to submit
to the will of God. When we understand this, we know that this is not a “one
— shot” decision to submit to God that guarantees submission forever after.
Submission is an ongoing chain of decisions throughout the course of our
Christian life. We do not decide what the will of God is for us; rather, He
Decides His will for us and leads us step by step when we are in fellowship.
(John 15:15) We must be in fellowship with God to be guided by God. The
only way to be in fellowship is to be forgiven our sins and purified from all
wrongdoing through rebound; the grace method by which the believer in
carnality regains fellowship and Spirituality by admitting personal sins
privately to God the Father.
If we confess [Admit, acknowledge] our [Known] sins, He is faithful and
righteous [Just] to forgive us our [Known] sins and to cleanse [Purify] us from
all unrighteousness. [Unknown or forgotten sins] (1Jn 1:9)
If there is any sin in your life as a Christian, we are said to be “out of
fellowship — men of flesh.” We are in carnality, (1Co 3:1-4) and as long as
we are carnal, it is impossible for us to be guided by God the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, one of the first steps in Divine guidance is the use of (1Jn 1:9) to
rebound. If we are going to do the will of God, we must be controlled by the
Spirit of God, for it is impossible to do the will of God apart from the filling of
God the Holy Spirit.
Submission to the will of God begins with the filling of God the Holy Spirit
— “...Be [Constantly] filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18) When we acknowledge
our sins to God, He forgives our known sins and purifies us instantly and
completely from our unknown sins. We are restored to fellowship,
immediately our soul is controlled again by God the Holy Spirit, and are
Spiritual. The only deterrent to the Spirit’s control is sin; therefore, admitting
our sins to God, is the only requirement to receive the filling of God the Holy
Spirit. The Command of submission to the will of God is stated in. (Rom 6:13)
And do not go on presenting [Paristemi] the members of your body to sin
as instruments of unrighteousness, but present [Paristemi] yourselves to God
as those alive from the dead, and your members [Eyes, ears, mind, mouth
and body] as instruments of righteousness to God. (Rom 6:13)
The mechanics of submission to God’s will is to confess. (1Jn 1:9) These
are simply two sides of the same coin.
Submission to the will of God is not demonstrated in one particular
moment or in one particular incident, but is, rather, having the will of God as
the consistent rule for your life! Submission is choosing God’s will to be final
even before you know what His will is! It is not a question of being willing to
do one thing. It is a question of being willing to do anything! It is impossible to
submit to the will of God without the filling of God the Holy Spirit and it
impossible to know the will of God until you know the Word of God!
KNOW THE WILL OF GOD
And do not think with the thinking of this world, [Satan’s thinking] but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, [God’s Thinking] (Prov 19:21) that
you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, (Jer 29:11) and
acceptable [Well-pleasing] and perfect. [Complete] (Rom 12:2)
Along with this verse, every Command from the negative standpoint, “Do
not be,” and from the positive standpoint, “Do you not know,” is an
encouragement to know the Word of God, the will of God, and the plan of
God; and is, therefore, essential in following the Commands of God’s
guidance. Since the Bible is the source of the known will of God, whether by
direct statement or by implication from Truth, knowledge of His will is based
on the Understanding of the Word of God! Maximum perception of Truth,
techniques, and Promises results in the ability to be guided by God!
To settle questions and problems not specified in the Bible, the believer
must go from the known to the unknown. We have a perfect illustration in
algebra: X equals the unknown factor, but X cannot be determined without
known factors around it. While X is unknown, as soon as we place known
factors around it, we can determine the meaning of X. For example, if 2X =
10, what is X? Answer: X = 5. The reason we know that X equals five is
because we have known factors in the picture. Known factors determine the
meaning of X.
The known factors as far as Divine guidance is concerned, are all found in
the Scripture. With the known factors in the Bible we can Understand the
Mind and the will of God in every Thought of our life.
(1Sa 15:22; Prov 13:13; Prov 16:20) For example, a known factor is found in,
(2Co 6:14) where you are told: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers,”
(As well as believers who do not consistently stay in fellowship)
(Psa 26:1-5; (1Co 15:33;
Prov 13:20) this brings up the matter of guidance in marriage. If should you
marry? When should you marry? What kind of person should you marry? And
there are many other questions involved. But one thing is definitely known
from (2Co 6:14) — you are not to marry an unbeliever. This is directly stated
to be against the will of God. When, if and who should you marry? These
answers must be determined by a combination of known factors from the
Bible, together with the filling of God the Holy Spirit.
There are many things which the Bible directly Mandates to be God’s will
or, on the other hand, not to be God’s will. Other things not directly stated
must be determined by a rational conclusion from Truth resident in our soul.
In this way we are able to determine at any point and under every
circumstance exactly what is God’s will. But remember the Principle: You
cannot know the will of God apart from having a complete Understanding of
the Word of God! (Rom 10:2) Likewise, it is impossible to do the will of God
without the power to execute it! (2Ti 3:5) This power is provided by the filling
ministry of God the Holy Spirit. This is some of the Reasons believers are
exhorted to rebound, study the Word of God daily, and expose themselves to
Bible teaching as much as possible.
GROW IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF GOD
But grow in the grace [Fellowship] and knowledge [Thinking] of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. (2Pe 3:18)
“Grace” is the sum total of the plan of God. If you are in the will of God,
you are in the plan of God. When you are in the plan of God, you should do
the will of God. A full knowledge of and compliance with the will of God
cannot be acquired apart from the stability of Spiritual growth and maturity.
Divine guidance involves one step at a time. Each step must be growth and
advance in the Spiritual life.
Actually, the three Mandates of guidance cannot be separated, for each is
dependent upon the others. We must submit to the will of God through the
filling of God the Holy Spirit, we must know the will of God through the Word;
and we must have Spiritual maturity in order to do the will of God to the
maximum! Failure to accomplish these three Mandates through carnality,
ignorance, and or lack of Spiritual growth prevents us from doing the will of
God for our life.
CATEGORIES OF GOD’S WILL FOR THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER
The question of the will of God for each individual believer falls into three
categories: What does God want me to Think? What does God want me to
do? Where does God want me to go?
THE VIEWPOINT — OPERATIONAL WILL OF GOD
What does God want me to Think?
Obviously, He wants me to Think with Divine Viewpoint. The Bible — the
Word of Truth in the right lobe is Divine Viewpoint. Hence, this corresponds
with the second Mandate of Divine guidance — know the will of God.
(Isa 55:7-9; Prov 23:7; (2Co 10:5)
We are destroying speculations [Satan’s thoughts] and every lofty thing
[Arrogance] raised up against the knowledge of God, [God’s Thoughts] and
we are taking every thought [Of the old sin nature] captive to the obedience
of Christ. (2Co 10:5)
Our strength comes from the Word of God. In ourselves, we are weak.
Bible Truth is the backbone of the soul that supports our Spiritual life. In order
to Understand the Viewpoint will of God we must store up Truth in the right
lobe so that IT, (God’s Thinking) guides ALL of our decisions!
THE FUNCTIONAL WILL OF GOD
What does God want me to do?
The functional will of God involves everything that a Christian should and
should not do to glorify God. The list of do’s and don’ts includes many
wonderful things found in the Word of God: rebound, the filling of God the
Holy Spirit, learning Truth, the Faith-rest technique, Occupation with Christ,
prayer, witnessing, and many others. The requirements for doing the will of
God are the first and second Commands of Divine guidance — submit to the
will of God and know the Word of God. (Mark 4:20)
THE GEOGRAPHICAL WILL OF GOD
Where does God want me to be?
This category has to do with location. The geographical will of God,
however, is never considered apart from the operational will of God. If
believers are doing what God wants them to do, then they will eventually wind
up in the place where God wants them to be! We all understand that crossing
an ocean or going to a foreign country does not make one a missionary. The
Operational — Thinking will of God must come first. Christians become
missionaries by first witnessing in their own locale, in their own
circumstances. A believer who will not witness at home will never witness in
another country where conditions are much more difficult. The third Command
of Divine guidance — grow to Spiritual maturity — is definitely related with
the geographical will of God.
An excellent illustration of God’s geographical will is contained in the Book
of Jonah. The will of God for Jonah was to go to Nineveh, where he was to
declare the Gospel. But instead of going to Nineveh, he took a ship going in
the opposite direction. He was finally thrown overboard, swallowed by a
great fish, vomited onto dry land, and then reluctantly went to Nineveh.
Jonah’s problem was his hatred of the Assyrians, which created an
unwillingness to execute the known geographical will of God.
Another dilemma of the geographical will of God was faced by Jacob
when he was to go down to Egypt. Jacob thought it was wrong for him to
leave the Land, so God said, in effect, “Do not be afraid, Jacob. It is my will
for you to go to Egypt at this time. But your family will come back again.”
(Gen 46:1-4)
Paul, in, (Acts 16:7) longed to go to Bithynia; but God restrained him
because He wanted Paul in Philippi and Peter in Bithynia. David Livingston,
the great missionary explorer of the last century, planned to go to China but
was hindered by the war between England and China. Since it was God’s will
for David Livingston to be in Africa, not China, the war in China made it
impossible for him to be in that country. The geographical will of God for him
was accomplished through this providential circumstance. Adoniram Judson
started out for India, but officials would not let him land in Bombay. You see,
God wanted him in Burma. What appeared to be a problem of immigration
was actually a question of the geographical will of God.
SEVEN DIRECTIVES DECLARED TO BE THE GENERAL WILL OF GOD
A key principle of Divine guidance is stated in. (1Jn 3:23)
And this is His Commandment, [His will] that we believe in the name of His
Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, [Reach Spiritual maturity] just as He
Commanded us. (1Jn 3:23)
This verse reduces the will of God to utmost simplicity. The Verse is
divided into two parts, First, God’s will for the unbeliever is to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Second, His will for the believer is to acquire Spiritual
maturity — Virtue love, the Spiritual life.
SALVATION
It is the will of God that every member of the human race be born again.
We know from (1Ti 2:4) that God made provision for eternal life through
Jesus Christ. There is only one issue for an unbeliever: What do you Think
about Christ? Every human being begins to comply with the will of God when
he expresses faith alone in Christ alone.
Doing the will of God in this case is believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and
believes in Him, may have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the
last day. (John 6:40)
Whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:16)
So first of all, it is the will of God that every member of the human race be
saved. God Himself made this possible by sending His “only begotten
[Uniquely born] Son” (John 3:16) to accomplish the work of Salvation.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died [As a substitute] for us. (Rom 5:8)
When the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man and unique Person of the
universe, hung on the cross between heaven and earth, He bore our sins and
took our place. We were under the condemnation of death; (John 3:18) yet
Jesus Christ was judged for us.
He [The Father] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our
behalf, [As our substitute] that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him. (2Co 5:21)
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)
It is impossible to do the will of God until one begins at the cross. Jesus
said to a very religious man, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7) To others
He said:
I am the way, and the Truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father, but
through Me. (John 14:6)
I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if
he dies. (John 11:25)
The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. (John 6:37)
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matt 11:28)
And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12)
Over and over again God declares in His Word that it is His will for all
members of the human race to believe in His Son; Jesus Christ bore the sins
of every human being. (1Jn 2:2) He paid the penalty for sin in full, redeeming
mankind from the slave market of sin. (Gal 3:13) When He cried out on the
cross, “It is finished,” (John 19:30) Salvation was accomplished.
Appropriation by faith is the only condition for doing the will of God in
Salvation.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that [Salvation] not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one
should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)
After the unbeliever enters into the will of God through Salvation there are
other general Directives of God’s will that define the Spiritual life of every
believer.
SANCTIFICATION
It is the will of God that all believers be sanctified.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain
from sexual immorality; [Mentally and physically] (1Th 4:3)
“Sanctification” here means to be set apart unto God by being in
fellowship with the Lord, so that you will be under His direction, ready to
serve Him in any way, under any and every circumstance! There are three
different kinds of sanctification in the Bible.
1. Positional sanctification signifies that every believer at the moment of
Salvation acquires the absolute status quo of being set apart in Christ Jesus.
(1Co 1:2; Heb 10:10; Col 2:10) At the moment a person believes in Christ as
Savior, he is entered into union with Christ; he shares all that Christ has and
IS; he is a partaker of the Divine nature. (2Pe 1:4)
2. Experiential sanctification is the function of the Spiritual life after Salvation,
that involves the believer’s Spiritual growth by means of the filling of God the
Holy Spirit and Operation Z. (Eph 5:26) The key to being sanctified in phase
two is the proper use of, (1Jn 1:9) and learning Truth. This produces Spiritual
maturity!
3. Ultimate sanctification is the absolute status quo of the mature believer in
his resurrection body, in the eternal state. (1Co 15:35-54; Php 3:21;
(1Jn 3:2) They will be set apart unto God for all eternity. And are assured of
living in God’s presence forever. (Rev 3:12)
Since sanctification is used in three different ways, we must always ask
the question, How is sanctification used in the context of, (1Th 4:3)? The
answer is very simple. Since the will of God is the issue of phase two, it is
God’s will for us while we are on earth, to be in fellowship with the Lord and
experientially “set apart” unto Him.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain
from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel
in sanctification and honor. (1Th 4:3-4)
“That you abstain” introduces a purpose clause that begins to amplify
some of the Principles in connection with sanctification. The “vessel” here is
analogous to the body of a believer, (Acts 9:15; (2Co 4:7; (2Ti 2:20-22) that
is permanently indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes the
believer’s body a temple for the indwelling Jesus Christ. Since the believer’s
body is the temple of God, he should glorify God, and this can only be done
in the power of the filling of God the Holy Spirit.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have
been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1Co 6:19-20)
SPIRITUALITY
It is the will of God that we are to be controlled--filled with God the Holy
Spirit.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with
the Spirit. (Eph 5:18)
The filling of God the Holy Spirit excludes human morality (Carnality) and
provides the basis for producing Virtue. (Gal 5:22-23) No matter what
Christian activity we may engage in — praying, giving, attending church,
witnessing — if we are out of fellowship, at best it is human morality.
(Psa 39:5) It is not the will of God to operate in degeneracy and or human
morality, for both are obscene to Him (Prov 6:16-19; Isa 64:6; Rom 8:8)
THANKSGIVING
It is the will of God that we give thanks in everything.
Thanksgiving is an expression of worship toward God that increases in
capacity with the believer’s advance to Spiritual maturity. Gratitude is
expressed through a moment-by-moment mental attitude arising from Truth in
the right lobe of the soul, (Psa 138:1-2) and through prayer. (Eph 5:20;
Php 4:6; Col 4:2)
In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1Th 5:18)
You are to be thankful, no matter what happens in your life! This can be
quite a problem since everything that comes into your life is not pleasant. In
fact, there is going to be a great deal of suffering, temptation, heartache,
testing, adversity, trial, and tribulation. But you need not be concerned, for
there is a specific Promise for the suffering of believers in Spiritual maturity or
on the road to Spiritual maturity.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
(Rom 8:28)
If you are positive to the Word of God and taking in Truth consistently, on
a daily basis, suffering can only be a blessing for you! All things are not good,
far from it. But for the Spiritual believer, “God causes all things to work
together for good.” (Even our failures) All things in your life are not pleasant,
but all things still work together for good; and since they do, it is God’s will
that you thank the Lord for everything that comes into your life — the
suffering, the adversities, the trials and heartaches; as well as the blessings,
the successes and victories. Remember, suffering is designed to bless the
Spiritual believer. (Rom 8:17-18) Even the suffering of discipline is a blessing,
for it is God’s warning that you are not in His will; and He is reminding you to
rebound and keep advancing. If you are to do the will of God, and if you are
to be guided by the Lord, you must acquire knowledge of Truth to provide
capacity for suffering. Only the believer with Truth in his soul can truly
appreciate suffering as a form of blessing from the Lord. Do you, as a
Christian, have the mature capacity to thank the Lord for every disagreeable
thing that happened to you today? Do you have the capacity to thank the
Lord for the heartaches, the problems, the difficulties? Capacity for this
phase of Christian living comes only from positive volition to Truth and then
learning and applying that Truth. Only then will you have capacity for all the
suffering, as well as for the blessings, the victories, and the successes in
your life.
SUFFERING
It is the will of God that we suffer.
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is
right [For blessing] rather than for doing what is wrong. [For discipline or
punishment] (1Pe 3:17)
Although there are many factors in this particular Concept, when you
understand that the purpose of suffering is blessing, then you begin to realize
that God has a reason for it all. If it is God’s will for you to suffer, then
ultimately you will be blessed in suffering.
Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God
[Suffering for blessing in Spiritual maturity] entrust their souls to a faithful
Creator [The Lord Jesus Christ] in doing what is right. (1Pe 4:19)
God is always faithful to us even through suffering. Undeserved suffering
is one way of directing our attention to the things that are important in life —
fellowship with God, learning the Word, growing in grace, etc. Suffering
honors Christ by proving the Reality of our faith, (Spiritual life) (1Pe 1:7) by
developing obedience to His will (Heb 5:8-9) and perseverance and
confidence in the Spiritual life, (Rom 5:3) and by restraining arrogance.
(2Co 12:6-10)
TRUSTING
It is the will of God for every believer to trust the Lord.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, [Right lobe of the soul] And do not
lean on your own understanding. In all your ways [Thoughts] acknowledge
Him, And He will make your Paths [Thinking] straight. (Prov 3:5-6)
Do not depend on the human thinking of life, but rather on the Divine or
Biblical Viewpoint, (God’s Thinking) trusting the Lord and His Thoughts in
every situation! Do you want God to guide you? Do you want Him to direct
your path, to lead you along the way? Then here is how: “Trust in the Lord
with all your heart!” The pure Thoughts of Truth, not the deceptive thoughts
of man, are the basis for Divine guidance. Do not depend on your own
understanding; do not depend on human viewpoint; do not depend on the
thinking of other people. (Isa 65:2; Jer 16:12; Jer 18:12; Jer 23:17;
John 2:24-25) Think with Divine Viewpoint in everything and He will direct your
life. He will always guide you. There will never be a time when He will let you
down — not even once!
GOOD WORKS
It is the will of God for every believer to produce Divine good. (Virtue)
(Gal 5:22-23)
For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the
ignorance of foolish men. (1Pe 2:15)
Here we see that “doing right,” or producing Divine good, is the will of
God. Believers are left on this earth to represent and glorify the Lord Jesus
Christ. Part of representing Him is to be effective in the realm of production,
which is the natural by-product of Spiritual maturity, Just as there is no place
for human morality in Salvation, (Eph 2:8-9) there is no place for human
morality in the Spiritual life! (2Ti 3:5)
After Salvation, God provides the assets whereby we can glorify and
serve Him, whereby we can represent Him effectively as ambassadors for
Christ. Therefore, it is the will of God for the believer to produce Virtue.
However, all such production must be in the power and filling of God the Holy
Spirit.
TYPES OF THE WILL OF GOD
Three classifications of will exist in history. First, Divine will or the
sovereignty of God; which exists eternally, apart from the will of any creature.
Second, demonic will is the basis for the angelic conflict. Demonic will seeks
to interfere with human history in an attempt to hinder Divine will. To that
purpose, Satan seeks to influence and undermine the Salvation of unbelievers
and to entice believers to ignore God’s Word, (Gen 3:4) thereby preventing
their advance to Spiritual maturity. Satan is also in the business of keeping
believers from reaching the correct geographical location. (1Th 2:18)
Third, human will was created to resolve the angelic conflict. God has
given free will to mankind and He does not violate that free will. That is why
some people are never saved. God permits unbelievers and believers to
make decisions, whether or not they are compatible with His desire for them.
The story of Balaam reveals three types of Divine will and how His will
interacts with human will and neutralizes satanic will.
DIRECTIVE WILL OF GOD
The directive will of God is the same as the desire of God. His Directives
are Commands and prohibitions: “Do this! Don’t do this!”
And God said to Balaam, Do not go with them; you shall not curse the
people, for they are blessed. (Num 22:12)
Balak, King of Moab, wanted to hire Balaam to curse the Jews so the
Moabites could defeat them. God’s will for Balaam was to refuse to go with
the messengers from Balak: “Do not go with them, you shall not curse the
people.” Hence, God’s directive will prohibited Balaam from accompanying
them.
PERMISSIVE WILL OF GOD
The permissive will of God means that God allows man to make decisions
and allows certain things to happen even though they are not His desire. God
does not coerce human volition. Balaam had decided to go contrary to God’s
directive will. Balaam was operating on materialism lust from his old sin
nature; since Balaam was determined to become rich, he desperately wanted
the fee from Balak for cursing the Jews. Wealth was more important to
Balaam than submitting to the will of God. Therefore, he used his negative
volition to disobey the will of God.
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, If the men have come
to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I Speak to you
shall you do. (Num 22:20)
The fact that God permitted Balaam to go indicates Divine recognition of
free will. If God had violated the free will of Balaam, then God would not be
glorified by such forcing. In grace, God sought to discourage Balaam’s
abstinence. But once Balaam went on negative signals, God stood aside and
permitted him to go. However, God will be glorified and His plan for human
history is always accomplished in spite of the hostile decisions of man.
(Psa 76:10)
God disciplines for disobedience, but He does not force obedience. While
the righteousness of God did not violate Balaam’s human volition, the justice
of God disciplined Balaam. God’s discipline was a demonstration of His love
for Balaam to motivate him to get back into God’s will (Prov 3:12; Heb 12:6)
OVERRULING WILL OF GOD
The overruling will of God means that Jesus Christ controls history.
But God was angry because he [Balaam] was going, and the angel of the
LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Then the LORD
put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, Return to Balak, and you shall speak
thus. Then Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I took you to
curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them! And he
[Balaam] answered and said, Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD
puts in my mouth? Then Balak said to Balaam, Do not curse them at all nor
bless them at all But Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell you,
Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must do? (Num 22:22; Num 23:5-26)
Balaam was not permitted to curse the Jews for several reasons. First of
all, the discipline and judgment of Israel is always a Divine prerogative.
Second, Balaam’s curse would have been equivalent to anti-Semitism,
(Gen 12:1-3) which involves Satan and demons as well as negative human
volition. Under God’s overruling will, in keeping with His Promise of,
(Gen 12:2) He exercises His Divine sovereignty to protect His people from
satanic action. Consequently, Balaam was hindered from cursing the Jews.
The directive will of God is the exercise of His sovereignty, which would not
allow Israel to be cursed.
The permissive will of God involves the negative volition of a human being, in
this case, Balaam.
The overruling will of God involves Divine frustration of satanic will. Satan
desired to curse Israel, but God would not permit it.
However, Balaam will pay the highest price that a believer can pay for his
disobedience; by returning for the money, and showing Balak how to stop
Israel. (Num 31:16; Num 31:8; Jud 1:11-13; Rev 2:14)
THE MECHANICS OF DIVINE GUIDANCE
(Acts 11:5-16)
How does God actually go about guiding people? The story of Peter and
Cornelius emphasizes eight mechanics of Divine guidance. By way of
background, in, (Acts 11:1-4) the Jewish believers in Jerusalem had received
news that Peter had preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. (v. 1) When Peter
returned to Jerusalem from the house of Cornelius in Caesarea, they
questioned him about the gentile Pentecost. (v. 2) These legalistic believers
opposed and criticized Peter for eating with uncircumcised Gentiles who did
not observe Jewish dietary Laws. (v. 3) Peter explained the situation by
describing retrospectively (Thinking back) what had happened in Caesarea
and Joppa. (v. 4) As he recounts these events, factors in God’s guidance
become apparent.
GUIDANCE THROUGH PRAYER
Peter relates his experience:
I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision.
(Acts 11:5)
The believer has a legitimate right to ask God for guidance, for
clarification in prayer. Guidance through prayer is authentic only when a
believer is confronted with a situation which is not specified by some direct
statement of the Bible. For example, it is not necessary for a believer to pray
for guidance in regard to marrying an unbeliever because the Bible
specifically forbids this. (2Co 6:14) However, we certainly may seek God’s
guidance through prayer in the matter of: if, when, who, and what believer we
should marry if any. (1Co 7:28-35) There are many times when we as
believers may go to the throne of grace “that we may receive mercy, and
may find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16) Often this is a time when
we need guidance in a particular matter, and God provides that guidance as
we seek it through prayer. (Matt 21:22)
How are we guided through prayer? Through the Divine Thoughts, and
circumstances we have accumulated in our lives; and by God the Holy Spirit
bringing them to our remembrance. (John 14:26) They are not direct answers
from the outward voice of God. But He also may answer in unexpected
ways. He may answer the desire of our request but not our specific petition.
But if we trust that an answer will be supplied and apply Truth from our souls,
we will discover His guidance in the matter. A “door” will either open wide or
shut; we will either get a bump on our head as the door slams, or have a
smile on our face as we walk through the door.
GUIDANCE THROUGH THE HUMAN SPIRIT OF THE SOUL
And when I had fixed my gaze upon it and was observing it. [Katanoeo]
(Acts 11:6)
Katanoeo, “observing,” in the imperfect active indicative means “to ponder
something very carefully in your MIND!” God always leads in compliance with
His Word, never contrary to His Word. Guidance comes through the Word of
God, which must be assimilated; for the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit is
operative only through knowledge of Truth. The two are related by:
(Rom 8:14) “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God.” [Spiritually Mature sons] The more we know about the Word of God,
the more we Understand the Thought’s of God.
Were it not for Truth in Peter’s human spirit, he would not have gone to
Caesarea. In Caesarea he Pondered on the things that he saw, and he
recognized God’s will through associating the situation with his knowledge of
the Word. Peter observed and evaluated from Divine Viewpoint that Church
Age believers were no longer governed by the dietary Laws of the Mosaic
Law. (Acts 11:6-10) Therefore, he ate with the Gentiles. Under the Concept
of Divine guidance, God intends for the believer to use the mentality of the
right lobe of the soul to discern His will; in any and every situation in life.
GUIDANCE THROUGH REPETITION
This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the
sky. (Acts 11:10)
GUIDANCE THROUGH GOD’S WORD
I also heard a voice saying to me... (Acts 11:7)
Before the canon of Scripture was completed, there were several ways in
which God communicated with believers. There was direct communication,
known as the Spoken Word, “Thus says the Lord;” dreams, trances, visions,
Old Testament preaching, and Old Testament Scripture were other ways in
which God guided His people. Peter was guided through Divine Revelation,
which in this case, during the unique pre-canon period of the Church Age;
was a trance in which Instructions were given directly by God. (Acts 11:5)
But now we receive our Instructions through the completed canon of
Scripture! (1Co 13:10)
GUIDANCE THROUGH PROVIDENTIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
And behold, at that moment three men appeared before the house in
which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. (Acts 11:11)
Three men had made the day’s journey from Caesarea to the house in
Joppa where Peter was “staying.” Their arrival established a providential
circumstance. The work of God is often called providence by which He molds
all events into the fulfillment of His eternal purpose! (Deut 32:39) But we must
be careful in interpreting these circumstances; they can be deceptive.
Sometimes circumstances are to test us with regard to knowing the Word of
God. (Luk 4:10-12) If a door opens that is contrary to God’s Word and we
walk through, it demonstrates that we do not believe and Think with the
Thoughts of His Word. However, there are many cases where God opens
doors and guides believers through providential circumstances, and this is a
bona fide type of guidance.
GUIDANCE THROUGH THE FILLING OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
And the Spirit told me to go with them [To Caesarea] without doubtfulness...
(Acts 11:12)
This was direct Revelation from God the Holy Spirit in a “vision” that led
Peter to Caesarea. But today, the Holy Spirit never guides the believer apart
from His filling ministry and the written Revelation of the Bible. The Holy Spirit
cannot guide the believer when he grieves or quenches Him. (1Th 5:19;
Eph 4:30) Again we have the necessity for the filling of God the Holy Spirit.
We must understand that the will of God is that we be habitually filled with
God the Holy Spirit. (Eph 5:17-18) Then, we can begin to Understand His
plan for each of us individually.
GUIDANCE THROUGH COMPARISON OF EVENTS
Cornelius held the key to Peter’s vision. When Peter arrived at the house
of Cornelius, an event occurred that led to Peter’s further guidance. We have
a verification of the situation in, (Acts 11:15).
The Holy Spirit fell upon them, [Cornelius and his gentile friends] just as
He did upon us [The Jews] at the beginning? [Day of Pentecost] (Acts 11:15)
By connecting the development of Pentecost in Jerusalem to the
phenomenon that Peter witnessed in the “house” of Cornelius, (v. 13) this
similarity confirmed to him that gentile believers were just as much in the
Church as Jewish believers. God’s plan was for both Jew and Gentile to
share an identical position in Christ in the new dispensation called the New
Covenant Church Age. This is further substantiated by, (Rom 1:16;
Col 3:10-11).
GUIDANCE THROUGH RECALLING SCRIPTURE
And I remembered the Word of the Lord. (Acts 11:16)
Peter did not review the sermons he spoke in Caesarea with the people in
Jerusalem. He did not go into great detail in reciting the events; but he did
make it very clear that he remembered the Words which Jesus spoke in:
(Acts 1:4-5) “For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.” [On Pentecost]
As Peter recalled this, it contributed considerably to his guidance from
God — to his Understanding that both Jewish and gentile believers had
received the power to live the unique Spiritual life of the New Covenant
Church Age. (Acts 1:8) Again Peter was guided because he had Scripture in
his right lobe, and God the Holy Spirit reminded him at the proper time.
CONCLUSION
Let us go back to some basic Principles: It is the will of God that all
members of the human race be saved. He is “...not wishing for any to perish,
but for all to come to repentance.” [A change of mind] (2Pe 3:9) “And this is
His
Commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love
one another, [Reach Spiritual maturity] just as He Commanded us.” (1Jn 3:23)
Perhaps at this very moment you are trying to decide for yourself: Am I in
a position to do the will of God? If you have not received Christ as your
Savior, then that question must have a negative answer. Can you do the will
of God? No person on the face of this earth can do the will of God until he
believes in Jesus Christ. The very first time in your life when you accomplish
God’s will, is that moment when you personally believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ, receiving Him as your Savior.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right [Power, ability] to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)
Jesus Christ did all of the work in Salvation. There is nothing we can do.
There is no energy-of-the-flesh activity; there is no human deed or work
which can be added to this “how will we escape if we neglect so great a
salvation?” (Heb 2:3) God the Father is the author of the plan of Salvation,
and God the Father is perfect. Since God the Father is perfect, His plan is
perfect, but if in any point of the plan man and his energy-of-the-flesh works
enter into the picture, then it is no longer the perfect plan of God. Therefore,
man’s deeds cannot in any way be involved in Salvation, or Spiritual maturity!
All of the work has already been accomplished by Jesus Christ on the Cross.
He was judged for our sins. He took our place.
And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the Cross. so that we might
die to sin [The old sin nature] and live to righteousness; [The Divine nature]
for by His wounds you were healed. (1Pe 2:24)
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our
transgressions from us. (Psa 103:12)
There is nothing we can add, there is nothing we can take from this
incomparable Salvation. Since it was accomplished two thousand years ago,
there is nothing left for us today but to enter into the plan by faith alone.
Jesus says, “I am the door; if any one enters through Me, he shall be
saved...” (John 10:9) You can enter only through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Entering this door is a simple matter. It means simply to believe in Jesus
Christ as your Savior.
But These [Thoughts] have been written that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His
name. (John 20:31)
If you desire eternal Salvation, if you want the forgiveness and purification
of pre-Salvation sins — all the sins committed before Salvation — and the
Promise of forgiveness and purification of post-Salvation sins through
rebound. (1Jn 1:9) If you want Divine guidance to do the will of God, you
must begin at this point:
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved... (Acts 16:31)
As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are free to pursue the individual plan of
God for your life as you are guided by Him. To summarize the Principles of
Divine guidance, first and foremost, we must have the power to execute the
will of God; God’s will cannot be executed in the energy of the flesh.
(Rom 8:8) This is humanly impossible. The only way to do the will of God is
through the power of the filling of God the Holy Spirit. “All who are being led
by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Rom 8:14) This is the Concept
of submission to the will of God. As a result of being filled with God the Holy
Spirit, through the Principle of, (1Jn 1:9) we can submit to God’s will, not just
when we know it but even before we know it. In other words, we are here to
do His will and, therefore, we are willing to do His will. (John 7:17) Second,
the will of God is contained in one book, the Word of God. We must know the
Word of God to do the will of God. Finally, Spiritual growth and Spiritual
maturity are essential in Understanding and accomplishing the will of God.
Add to this the Mandates, categories, and mechanics of Divine guidance, and
we have the fundamentals for executing the will of God.
This study constitutes the general Biblical Concept of guidance and gives
an overall appreciation of the subject; but it does not tell you what to do in
each specific case. This must be determined from your individual application
of Truth, and Principles in the Word of God. Divine guidance is a matter of
Understanding the Biblical Commands that impart God’s will, growing to
Spiritual maturity, and depending on the Lord to Reveal the details of His will
for your life.
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.
(Psa 48:14)
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