This week, I want to start a short series on knowing the will of God. This series seeks to help remove every cloud on your journey to understanding God’s will on any and every issue that concerns your life.
The first thing you must know is that the will of God is not rocket science; it is extremely easy to know when you have come into Christ. Now, let me conceptualize it so it can get simpler. The will of God is what can be described as what God had ordained concerning a matter. So, when a man seeks to know the will of God, he is simply trying to know what God’s design for that particular thing is so as to follow that pattern.
We saw God give Noah the exact description of how the ark should be. Noah went on building with all of the specification God had given to him. That was acting out the will of God. So, we can agree that the will of God is what the mind of God is on every issue as it concerns you.
Let us start from the time before Christ!
In the old covenant, we saw the will of God being expressed clearly in the laws. The laws were to govern the people in line with God’s intention as it concerns different issues ranging from work, marriage, associations, worship etc. So, the laws played the role of reflecting God’s mind to the people as touching every issue. They already knew what God says concerning an issue and in any case they default on any of these ways of pleasing God, they ran to the Priest on the next step to take. The way to atone for their sins was also well spelt out in the law. The design of God for every issue was plainly spelt out there.
King Saul knew what the mind of God is concerning offering sacrifices to the Lord. It was not an assignment for a king. He had read about it, but, he was driven by impatience to doing it his way which brought about the collapse of his kingdom. So, we see that the will of God was extremely clear in the old covenant.
However, there was an issue with knowing God in this dispensation. The people could only act on what the law says; they could not directly seek God as it concerns peculiar issues without consulting the Priest. This was the case when David had to ask God if he could go after his enemies and if he would conquer them. There was no provision for this in the law, it was a situational occurrence. This means those who do not have access to God as the Priests, Kings and Prophets (aside very few persons who also enjoyed grace in having access to God in this dispensation) would have found it difficult understanding God’s will on critical personal matters. Hence, the fear about God and knowing His will.
Eventually, Jesus came into the picture and there was a serious change in what makes the people know what God has in mind. The will of God was no longer a product of a written law. It is now embedded in a man who can now live inside of everyone. So, this is the beauty of this; the mind of God Himself is now what you carry in the new covenant which is a total fulfillment of all the laws. The barrier of approaching God without a Priest was taken away and the reading of over 600 laws was no longer necessary. The mind of God in entirety can now reside inside of man. Christ is the mind of God.
“But this new agreement I will make with the people of Israel, says the Lord: I will write my laws in their minds so that they will know what I want them to do even without my even telling them, and these laws will be in their hearts so that they will want to obey them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people” Heb 8vs10
So, to get into the realm of walking in the full knowledge of the will of God, you must first come to terms with the truth that God’s will is not difficult to know. It is not a mystery. It is an established knowledge accessible to you by the Spirit of God living inside of you.
The promise is to make His laws (which represents His will) written in your heart and by this you will know what to do even without any prophet being sent to you. This is one of your privileges in the new covenant. You now have everything to know the will of God. It is not confusing to you.
The belief that the will of God is one thing to spend days and years seeking to know (without giving disregard to the commitment of seeking His face in prayers when needs demand though) has made many people perceive understanding God’s will as a herculean task that require some extra gymnastics. No! You are by default a recipient of God’s will.
God’s will is not a mystery. It is as easy to know as your name.
Let’s continue next week on the misinformation that the devil can make you do things against God’s will and how to deal with this.
(P.S: This is a teaching strictly for those who have experienced salvation genuinely. If you have not, you can be a part of the fold by receiving Jesus to your heart confessing Him as your Lord and Saviour)
Have a blessed week.
Be Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye
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