Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Getting God's Guidance

It's good to have all the Africans back; they had a great trip! Tonight, we're going to be hearing some of the testimonies and then some more on Wednesday night, as we'll have a video put together by then. So, we'll be having a good time of fellowship. Forbe was supposed to have sent the video from our portion of the trip, but I don't know if he has. Did anyone who went on the trip get anything from Forbe-I mean besides some real bad jokes? Okay, we'll follow up on that, then, and try to see. But it will be a good time, and we're looking forward to hearing some of the testimonies. Great and exciting things are taking place!

It's good to have Elston and Annette here with us, and they're in service this morning. We're starting the pastors' meetings tomorrow, so that'll be a good time. We just had the African pastors' conference last week. I got to spend many, many hours with Tony, Forbe and Rob over there, and a lot of good things are going on. By end of the next couple of months, it looks like we'll officially have at least twenty churches in Africa that have come in and proven themselves faithful, and hungry, and pursuing. We're just believing God to do some great things; there are some good men there. We're very careful about laying hands on anyone suddenly, so we've been cautious. But there's been some good fruit, and we're excited about that!

Let's turn to the Twenty-third Psalm. I want to take just a little bit of time this morning to deal with just some basic principles on guidance, hearing the voice of God. We're in a crucial time in this day that we're living. Many of us can be so easily distracted by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. Many of you are having to make decisions about what vocation you're going to involve yourselves in. Many of you are looking at life mates. Others are having to make determinations based on Matthew 10 to allow the wisdom of God to come in. We're seeing houses divided (three against two, and two against three) because of the name of Jesus. And we need to be confident that we're hearing the voice of God.

In the past, we've talked about how-especially among those of us who are charismatic, spirit-filled people-you have the different extremes. How many of you have ever run into somebody who's always hearing from God? Don't raise your hands; you might be seated next to them! "The Lord told me...The Lord said...I heard from God...God said..." And God is talking to them all day about everything! With some people, sadly, it becomes fill in our conversation. Some attach it to try to give spiritual credibility to what they've said. Some really believe they're hearing from God. And in fact, most people are trying to give credibility to that inner voice of self-will. Some, tragically, are deluded to the place of thinking that every thought they have is God. They have too high an opinion of themselves or their ability to hear and discern. Then there's the other extreme that some of us never hear from God; but we should be, because the Lord is speaking to us. He is speaking to us through His Word. He is speaking to us through the inner witness, intuitive knowing. He is speaking to us through brothers and sisters who are given to bring edification to our lives and to speak a word in season. The primary method that God uses to speak to all of us is the Word of God. Yet, many of us are caught up with specifics of non-eternal issues. We're so caught up and distracted with those that we're ignoring many of the general, eternal biblical principles.

The way to be safe and to know that you're hearing from God in the specifics is to ask yourself this question. Am I systematically keeping the general revelations of the Word of God? Because "...to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." And if we're living in sin, if we're not doing what we know to do, we're surely not going to hear anything more specific. So, what are you doing with the general knowledge that you have-the general, declared will of God?

Many of us get distracted in hearing the voice of God by misapplying our desires to being the will of God because we don't trust God. We don't know Him. We don't really believe that He has our best intentions at heart. So, we're trying to maneuver and manipulate our will and want to add God's name to it to give credibility. "God isn't going to do what's best for me anyway. So, I'm going to make it happen and add God's name to it to give it credibility." That's where many people live, some unknowingly. It's tragic that you don't really understand and know the love that Father has for you and the good intentions that He's purposed.

Some of us (and I'll make this the last introductory statement) misunderstand one of the greatest truths in all of the Bible. And that is the fact that "...being in the way, the Lord [leads] me..." (Genesis 24:27). Many of us are afraid to say, "Here's what I planned." "Did God tell you to do that?" "No, this is my plan, but I'm confident that God will lead me from this point." Don't say, "Well, God told me to do this." Say, "No, this is my idea. This is the intention of my heart." But the Lord directs our paths.

It all comes down to this. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness [and here's what I want you to see; say it] for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:1-3, emphasis added). That's how guidance comes. Don't you want the Lord to be glorified in your life? Guidance is for His sake, not yours. "He leadeth me into the paths of righteousness-so I'll live happily ever after, so I'll be prosperous, so I'll be famous, so I'll have the best of all the little trinkets that the world can offer." No. "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness [say it again] for His name's sake.

Let me ask you a question as we get ready to go into this study. When you pray for God's will, do you really want it? When you pray for the will of God, "Lord, I want Your will in my life," do you really? You have to ask the question, "Is my life lining up with my doctrine?" Do you really believe that everything that is taking place in your life is for His name's sake? Do you want God's will? Can you pray like the Master, "Not my will, but Thy will be done, even if it means drinking this cup"? Now, what could that cup be? Well, the cup that we're talking about here is the cup of resigning ourselves to anything that we don't prefer. Listen to what Jesus said. "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless [say it with me] not my will, but thine, be done." Those words just roll off of our lips, but the magnitude of these words is phenomenal! It's the secret, really, of all spiritual success. It's the fruit of embracing that cross that we've been talking about for months now. It's that ability to resign ourselves wholly to the will of God, to the goodness of God, and to the belief that our steps are being ordered. It's the understanding that we're living for Him and not for ourselves, that we're living for eternity and not for the moment.

So, where are you in hearing the voice of God? How established is the agenda that you've set for your own life? Let me ask it another way. Are you amenable to the will of God, or have you already made up your mind what the will of God is? If you have, you're probably deceived; because if you'll study the Scriptures very clearly, you'll see that no one, no man of God, ever received a full understanding of the will of God in one revelation. If you think you've got it all figured out-you've heard from God, and you know exactly what He's doing in your life and how He has ordered your steps-I want to tell you something. You haven't heard from God; you've heard from self. You've deluded yourself, you've set your own course, and, very frankly, you probably aren't going to be able to hear the voice of God. You're going to, as Ezekiel said, be answered according to your own idols. You're going to hear according to your own idols. You've already determined what you will hear and what you won't. You've already determined what you will do and what you won't.

Let me just throw out a couple of issues here as we ask ourselves if we're trusting God and believe that He's leading us into those green pastures and causing us to lie down. He's leading us beside the still waters. He's restoring our souls. He's leading us into the paths of righteousness (for your glory, for your gain, for your ease, for your comfort?) for His name's sake. Is that what we're living for, the glory of God? Can we hear?

As we look at these different areas and talk about our own agendas, we then have to step back and say, "What in my life is so firmly established that I won't entertain anything else?" You say, "This is the will of God. I've heard from God." You have nothing firm to stand on that comes from an inner witness, an intuitive knowing, or the voice of a prophet. The only thing that you can stand on with that assurance is the more sure Word of prophecy; because heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word is the only firm foundation that we can stand on.

So, when we talk about the different methods of guidance, remember we've studied these in the past. (And it's going to be tough to get all of this into one session, because it's a twelve-hour study, minimum.) But just to refresh you (get this in your notes), there are three major methods of guidance. The number one way that God leads us is through knowledge of and obedience to the Word of God. That's number one. Psalm 119:133 says, "Order my steps in thy word..." Praise God for that assurance of the Word of God! Proverbs 4:11 says, "[By the Word] I have led thee in right paths." You can grab general biblical principles such as this: "For this is the will of God, [Do you want to know God's will for your life? This is God's will for your life] even your sanctification..." (1 Thessalonians 4:3, emphasis added). "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of whether He wants me to be promoted to president of the company, to be a millionaire, to marry "Sweet Thing," or to move into such-and-such a community. I mean, I'm not interested in sanctification. I want to hear what God's got to say about the important things in life!" "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification..."

Psalm 32:8 says that when you receive instruction through the Word of God, He will guide you with His eye. You see, when you become a person who loves the Word, and you seek to do the will of God at all times, the Lord can just guide you with His eye. He'll just give your heart a glance, and you'll know the will and the ways of the Lord. And you live in general principles.

We've talked about setting agendas, especially as it pertains to life mates. We've talked about "the list." And if you say you don't have one, you're not being truthful with yourself. We all have had lists. And if you don't have one, you're probably a little lame. God's made a list. Do you want me to tell you whom you can and can't marry? Do you want me to tell you who's on your list? You shall not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. There's a good list for you to start with. Nothing else really begins to be pertinent to us. The reference point is you're not to be yoked together with unbelievers.

Do you want to hear some good news? God is not willing for you to remain single. It's not good for man to be alone. So, you're sitting there saying, "Oh, I don't know if I'll ever get married." It's God's will for even you to get married! God has somebody for you! There are many of you young adults here who are saying, "Am I ever going to get married?" Yes, if you'll stop trying and let God direct your paths. Do you want to know the main obstacle to your getting hooked up? You and your little agenda. Do you want me to tell you the main problem that most of you have? You think way too highly of yourselves. Did I hear "Amen!" from anybody? Come on, folks! When I speak a truth of that magnitude, there should be some kind of a response! Goodness gracious!

The pastors were talking about this, actually, just before we came in. Somebody made the comment that so many of the young adults just think so highly of themselves. The way they see themselves, and what they think, is not reality. And my response to that was, "That's human nature. That's who we all are." The good news is, you can come to an understanding through the Scriptures of who you really are, and then be able to submit yourself to the will of God and His wisdom in directing you in the way that would bring the most glory to Him. Because He leads us into the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Would you rather be able to con and manipulate somebody into thinking you're something that you're not, and finally get hooked up with them, and marry the ideal list? Or would you rather bring glory to God? "Well, I'd rather both marry the ideal list and bring glory to God!" Can that happen? Sure, it can. Will you hear anything else? I'm not saying that can't happen; please, don't misunderstand. Many of us think the will of God is this. Many of us are afraid to say what we really want in life, because we know God won't give us that. What kind of Father are you perceiving? Father wants you to have your heart's desire. Don't be afraid to tell God what you want. "I'm afraid to surrender, man! God might send me to Africa! I'm afraid to totally yield, because if I totally yield to God, everything I don't want to do, I'll have to do." That's not your Father. How do you see your Father? He wants to bless you.

I'm going to show you a Scripture here in just a moment that talks about understanding and coming into the will of God is through knowing your God. How can you know God's will if you don't know God-if you don't know how good He is, and how loving He is, and how merciful He is, and how kind He is? As we talk about relationships, He's the One Who said it's not good for you to be alone. As we talk about living and life, He's the One Who said that He's given us all things richly to enjoy. That's God's goodness to us. The problem is that we don't trust Him. We're trying to get His promises through our own ability, through our own methods, instead of living by faith and trusting God. To know God, we have to know His Word. That's the only way you can understand God. We know Him through His Word. God and His Word are one, the Scripture tells us. This Word, John 17 says, is truth. So, the Spirit of Truth leads us into all truth. The Holy Spirit will only speak the Word of God, is what that passage is telling us in John 16. God leads us through knowledge and obedience of the Word of God, number one.

Number two, we're led in direct correlation to our character: by purity and purpose of heart. You see, God can't lead someone who is not exhibiting godly character. God cannot lead the self-willed. God cannot lead the carnal, because to be carnally minded is death. It's self-destruction; it's self-will. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. The carnal mind cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to Him, Paul said. So, anytime that we're being dominated by carnal-mindedness, the true will of God and the true understanding of what God is saying and how He's leading is foolish to us. "I'm not doing that!" And it begins to be foolish to us. It's foolish to us to humble ourselves when we have the opportunity to exalt ourselves and become preeminent. But God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. If you don't have character, you can't know the will of God. You can't be led, because you're moving in the flesh. To live in the supernatural is to die to self-will, to die to self-ability. When we're weak, we become strong. It's all the opposite of what the natural mind would say. So we're led through character and purity of heart.

Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord..." The good man, the victorious man. In other words, the good man here is the guy who is victorious or one who has made right decisions in the past. It makes it easier for God to speak, because he is proven by his obedience and his character. He's a doer of the Word, not a hearer only, deceiving himself. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. That is one of the greatest revelations in all the Scriptures that pertain to guidance. That word "ordered" in the Hebrew means "to be set right." So, let me put it to you this way. If I'm a man who's been proven in my obedience, if I'm a guy who will do what God tells me to do, then He will set my path right. He'll always get me where He wants me. That's comforting, isn't it? We can't make any mistakes! All of the little things that we do of our own volition or understanding, even through our sanctified intellect-if it's not exactly what God wants, He'll set us back on course. Why? Because we're amenable. We've proven that we'll do what God says.

You see, there's nothing wrong with having that list, as long as you let God have the Wite-Out! God's not opposed to your having a list. He's not opposed to you speaking your desires. Jesus had a desire to "let that cup pass if it be possible; nevertheless, not My will, but Thy will be done." So, we realize, then, that the steps of this good man are, in fact, ordered by God. They're set right.

As we look at these principles of guidance, we do make determinations. Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps." There's nothing wrong with having plans. (I've got boatloads of plans!) You'll start out after them, but sometimes you don't get to finish. You'll start something, and God will then direct your steps. He takes you in another direction. How amenable are you? Will you stop and turn around at mid-stream? Will you stop at mid-sentence and change your declaration? How about retracting and saying, "You know, I was wrong. I thought this was going to be best, but that's not what God is doing. This is what God is doing."

A case in point-turn over to the Book of Acts, Chapter 16. Do you remember this passage? "And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, [they] were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia" (verses 5-6). Paul had some great plans. Revival was breaking out, the churches were being added to, and there was a great move of God. And Paul is saying, "You know, we need to go into Asia, man! We need to establish this doctrine in all of this region. It's the intellectual and cultural hub of society today. And God forbade them. Verse 7 says, "After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not." Now, that's twice! Can Paul hear from God or not? What's Paul's problem? What Paul is doing here is what we've shared with you in the past. Paul is moving in what I've termed "sanctified intellect."

I believe I have sanctified intellect. ("For this is the will of God, even your sanctification...") I've yielded myself up to the process of sanctification. I want to be pure. I want to be yielded to God. I don't always know what God wants; but when I do know what God wants, that's what I'm going to do. Until then, I'm going to do what seems to be the wisest thing, based upon the last time I heard from God. Now, the one thing I do know is that we've been commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel. So, you just start preaching, praise God! You go where doors are opened; and when they're closed, then you allow them to be closed. So many of us seem to think that, "Well, bless God, we've made a move in this way; and if the door closes, we'll kick the door down in the name of Jesus!" But the Lord opens, and the Lord closes doors.

They "...were forbidden of the Holy Ghost...they assayed..." That word "assayed" is interesting in the Greek. It means they tried, they made preparation. That making of preparation means they may have sent posters and flyers in, bought tickets already, and everything. They prepared to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not. Then they came to Troas, had the Macedonian vision, and ended up in Philippi, which became their financial support for the rest of the ministry of Paul's missions team. Who knows best? And guess what? Then they went to Asia. Now they had financial support. They had experience throughout Philippi, Thessalonica, into Athens, and over to Corinth. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in His way. How amenable are you? Do you believe that God knows best? Do you truly understand and rest in His sovereignty?

So, number two: character, purity and purpose of heart. Proverbs 11:3 says, "The integrity of the upright shall guide them..." I like that. This word "integrity" is a very interesting word also. It talks about the "innocence." Do you have a heart of innocence? Or are you someone who is experienced and jaded-you know everything already, and you've got it all planned? Are you as a child, as Jesus said? Do you come to Him as a little innocent child, just saying, "Lord, I don't know what's best for me. I have some desires, and I think I know what I would like. But it seems like many of the things I thought were right and that I thought I'd like actually don't always turn out right." The innocence of the upright shall guide them, the Scripture says.

Psalms 25:9 says, "The meek will he guide..." That's a very interesting aspect. If we're going to hear from God, we have to have a spirit of meekness, meekness towards God. Many of us judge God. We don't think God knows best. We think we've figured it out. You know-that list that we always talk about as it pertains to a mate, or the ambitions that we have? "I'm going to be a millionaire by 25. And after I'm a multi-millionaire, then I'm going to be able to give my life to the Lord and go out and serve." There's nothing wrong with having plans. The heart devises the way, but the Lord directs our steps. You might have a plan, but let me share something with you. I guarantee you that whatever plan you have is going to be amended, because you haven't figured this thing out. You don't have a clue what God is wanting to do in your life! You only have a small understanding of a general direction. Then as you head in the way, the Lord directs you. When we have that spirit of meekness (not thinking we have it all figured out and we know best), the Lord directs us. You've got to come to grips with that, because every one of us (in our natural man) believes we think we know what is best for us. Young man sitting out there, do you know what's best for you? "I just want God's will. I just want to be able to serve the Lord. So, God's will for me, obviously, is to have the most beautiful woman in the world (who is a multi-zillionaire) as my wife so that I can be about Father's business. She will be my Philippi!" There could be a little bit of carnal-mindedness in that.

So, the thing that we need to comes to grips with is that ability to approach God in meekness. Moses was the meekest man in the earth. He was willing to stand against the tide, against natural forces, but was humble enough to hear and to do the will of God. He was subordinate to the wisdom of God. Who was that man, Moses? He was the one who tried in his own strength to deliver the children of Israel. With all of his own intellect-trained in the war colleges of Egypt, a mighty warrior, a great politician, a man of position, a man of wealth-he failed in all of his own strength. And the God that he tried to serve and represent (but failed), he found in the wilderness.

Many of us think that we're making all of these plans to serve God, but God is not interested in your just serving Him. He's interested in your knowing Him. When you become meek, and you humble yourself, and you're wandering around (no longer as a prince of Egypt, but as a nomad), you glance over and see this bush that burns, and it doesn't consume. You turn aside and say, "I've got to find that." And as you approach that bush, you hear these words. "Take off your sandals; you're on holy ground." And you encounter God. What Moses thought was the will of God failed. And what sounded like foolishness, to approach Pharaoh with just a shepherd's staff, was the method of deliverance. When God speaks to us, many times it appears He is asking us to do something that is foolish. It's surely different from what we had anticipated. And God says, "I'll be with you," because it's for His sake. He leads us into the paths of righteousness for His sake. So, we see number two, the character and the purity of heart. Proverbs 18:15 says, "The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge."

The third aspect is that God leads us through communion: prayer and fasting. This is so important. You'll never know the will of God without being in fellowship with Him. Many of us want to know the mind of God. I want to know the heart of God. I'm not satisfied with just knowing the mind of God. Do you remember this? The Lord spoke to Moses and said, "Look, I'll tell you what. I'll send forth My angels, and I'll destroy the enemies. I'll let you go in and inherit the promises. You can be prosperous. None of your enemies will be able to stand before you. But I'm not going with you." And Moses said, "If Your presence doesn't go, I'm not interested in going. I don't want anything but Your presence. I don't want Your blessings. I want Your presence, and I want Your heart. I want to know that I'm right with You." As long as I'm like John the Beloved, lying on the bosom of the Lord, I'm content with everything else. I'm content with abundance, lack, feast, or famine. We have that treasure of knowing that we've got the heart of God. That's what brings about what we live for, to hear these words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

It doesn't turn out the way we think. You've got plans; I understand that. Our hearts devise a way, and there's nothing wrong with that. But the Lord directs our steps. Jeremiah 31:9 says that through supplication, through intercession, will He lead us. Are you spending time in the presence of God, emptying your own will, in meekness humbling yourself, and through brokenness letting Him show you the wickedness of your own heart? The twenty-fifth Psalm, verse 5 says, "Lead me in thy truth, [for]on thee do I wait all the day."

As we get ready to close for this morning, do you want truth? Do you want the will of God, or do you want your way with God's endorsement? God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Can I say it another way? Those of you that are holding onto your agendas and your plans, and you're wanting to know why something isn't happening, why it's not going your way-God is resisting you! And until you die to that self-will, until you die to that false vision and dream that you've created-sometimes from a child... So many of us have had planted into our minds certain thought processes about who we're going to marry, how we're going to marry, and what vocation we're going to have. Our fathers have made plans for us to be attorneys, or engineers, or doctors, or whatever it is. And all those good little Jewish moms are promoting their kids, and these different things that we see in society. "You're going to have it better than I had it," they say. Then as a young person you turn to your dad and say, "Dad, you know, yes, I went through school with a 4.0 average, and I aced my SAT's. But you know, my heart was touched in Africa, and I believe God wants me to go there." Dads, how many of you are amenable to the will of God? "No! You can't go over there and live like that. You're not going to go over there and live in those circumstances." And all of that child's years, he heard you telling him, "We just want the will of God, son. We're believing the Lord." How amenable are you? Does God have the Wite-Out as it pertains to your life's priority list? Can God direct your path?

Turn to Proverbs 16, and we'll finish with these last couple of verses. Proverbs 16, verse 7, "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. A man's heart deviseth his way: [Now, that's an interesting word. "Devising" means "to create or to invent"] but the Lord directeth [sets right] his steps." The Lord directs his steps; He sets them right at all times. Whose steps? This man of righteousness that we spoke of, this man of meekness, this seeker of the will of God. The one who says, "The Lord is my shepherd." John's Gospel says, "My sheep know My voice, and another voice [including that internal voice, your voice, the voice of self-will, the voice of all knowledge, the one true voice in all of the universe-you know: self] they will not follow."

So, as we look at these passages, glance over at Chapter 19, verse 21, for just a second. There are many devices in a man's heart, and people like myself have many devices, projects. Man, I've got some projects! I've got places to go and people to see, man! Anybody that hangs around with me knows there's always something on the burner. I'm just out wanting to see what we can stir up for the Lord-lives to be reached and new methods of doing it, with the same power of the gospel. "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." I have confidence in that. I can't get myself messed up if I'm meek enough to hear. And the counsel of the Lord will stand. I'm devising these ways. I'm setting courses. I'm doing what I think God would have me to do and what will bring glory to Him, because He's leading me into the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. I'm seeking the glory of God. I'm not looking for my own way and my own will. And don't misunderstand that. I contend with it just like you do. In the midst of all this, the flesh will rise up. You'll be distracted by something that's carnal, or something you want to do in the natural or in the flesh. But if you have a heart that is amenable to the will of God, if all of these different aspects (of character, purity and purpose of heart, knowledge of the Word, and communion with God) are in place, then He will set you right. He will direct your steps. I don't live in fear that I'm going to miss God, but I'm doing what I know to do. The Scripture says here, then, that we have the confidence that He will direct our steps. The counsel of the Lord shall stand.

The last verse for this morning, Chapter 20, verse 24. "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?" Forget about figuring this thing out, man! A man's going is of the Lord. Let me tell you something. If you've got it figured out, it's finite. Your mind is finite. God's will and God's mind are infinite. He can't reveal it all to you, because you can't understand it. So, based upon that, knowing God and that He loves me, I know His intentions for me are good. He's going to order the steps of the good man. His will for me is that I'm not alone. His will for me is that everything I touch prospers. His will for me is that no weapon formed against me will prosper. His angels are given charge to bear me up, so I'm invincible. His will is: greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. His will is that I go into all the world and preach the gospel. Then I do that which I know to do.

To help you out, we've set up different reference points and guidelines of how to relate to one another in the body as it pertains to life's mates. We've seen how to go about those things, and not to do it the way the world does-through manipulation, and deception, and darkness-but to walk in light, and in community, and to prefer one another. As it pertains to vocations, you understand that God is never leading you to a bigger, higher position with more pay when it costs time with your family, and loving your wife, and instructing your children, and fellowshipping with the Body of Christ. Because it's very obvious that we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves. All of these basic principles help us determine, "That can't be the will of God. It is not the will of God for me to get more money and spend less time with my family." These things are no-brainers; but people struggle and pray, "Oh, what is the will of God?" It is so obvious what the will of God is if you know the Word. If you're a man of character, if you're spending time in communion, you'll know the truth. And that truth lets us be free to hear and to do God's will. Nevertheless, not my will, but Thy will be done.

Father, we thank You for Your Word this morning. There are so many distractions in this age that we're living in, so many opportunities to run to and fro. We live in a society that is transient. Your Word and Your truth came to a people that were to be called and established, to not move the ancient landmarks, and, generation after generation, to train up a godly seed. We're a people in the world but not of it, so we ask for Your wisdom. We ask for Your ways to be made real. It's not easy to walk these things out in this generation, but it's necessary. And Your will does not change based upon the century that we live in. Twenty-first century American Christians live no differently from first century Christians. We submit to Your lordship. We do Your Word at all costs.

Many of us, Father, who thought we were yielded to Your will and Your ways have hidden the Wite-Out from You. We've already purposed Your will, and we will hear nothing else-not be double-minded and unstable in all of our ways. You resist the proud and gives grace to the humble. Help us to pray in faith, "Not my will, but Thy will be done." Lead us into the paths of righteousness for Your name's sake. That's our heart's cry, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen, amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. As we prepare to go our way, just turn to somebody next to you and say, "For His name's sake." Amen. Go in peace; God's love go with you, in Jesus' name.

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