10/01/2020
Does life, or those you encounter in it, attempt to lead you away from the will that God has planned for you? Once we have prayed that God reveal His will for us, and we begin working towards it, are we tempted by the world to go a different route? Sometimes we are offered great positions, power, or treasure, and it can look good to us, even holy, but if it isn’t what God has planned for us then it is a ruse, a lie, and in the end, a curse. So how do we resist these apparent gifts, or honors, and remain in the humble will of God?
“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
John 6:15 ESV
When Ann and I were first married, and very young, I moved her to the Washington D.C. area where I was enrolled in Technical school for computer programming. As we drove from Nashville to Washington she cried because I was moving her so far from the home where she was raised, then later, after I graduated, I moved her back to Nashville, where I took my first computer job, and she laughed all the way home. I knew this was where i would spend my life, and we settled into a wonderful church, and started our family... we were incredibly happy.
“For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”
Isaiah 30:19, 21 ESV
A few years passed by, and I was working for a clothing manufacturing company in Nashville that was a part of a large clothing conglomerate. One day the corporate head of the technical services area came to me and offered me a big promotion with a very large boost in pay. It sounded wonderful, and to most it would have been an easy decision to accept his offer, but it meant I would need to move to North Carolina. So, remembering how happy Ann had been to come home to Nashville, and after praying for God’s will in this, I turned down the job. They called me four more times from the corporate office over the coming weeks, and each time the salary increased, until eventually they sent the CEO of my company to talk to me, but my answer remained no, finally, I was offered control of Data Processing for one of their largest sportswear holdings... one with worldwide prominence. However this job meant relocating even further away, to the Pacific coast... so I prayed again, and God’s answer remained the same, so I declined the job. Maybe you have faced something similar in your life, where you were wrestling with a decision that seemed so obviously right, and like a great blessing, but God said no.
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:17 ESV
So how do we make the right choice? How do we turn down amazing wealth, or positions of power, and do something that appears on the surface to to be much less... maybe even a mistake? Well, we begin in prayer by asking God to reveal His will to us, and then, if it appears so contrary to what we feel is right for us, or our family, and we don’t understand why He would ask us to make this decision, we ask Him again. Finally, after Becoming convinced of God’s will... We obey Him.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Jesus faced decisions like this, and He would always separate himself from the distraction of others, and speak privately with His Father. We talk about how Satan tempted Him when He come out of the wilderness to begin His ministry, and of all that He was offered, but we rarely speak of our opening scripture today, and how the people around Him tempted him yet again... This temptation was one that they were even prepared to impose on Him by force. So He withdrew from them and prayed... but He was not meant to be their earthly king, and God led Him away from them. Jesus always sought, and obeyed God’s will; He was perfect in this way.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 ESV
As for me, God’s will for me wasn’t to be one of worldly greatness, but of humble spiritual success, and to serve Him from Nashville, TN. In the end He did give me a job with worldwide impact, but it wasn’t meant to be an earthly job, but in something I could never have seen coming when He told me time and again to turn down all the earthly offers for wealth and power that would come my way. There have been several such offers through the years, but God’s answer has remained firm; No! So he prepared me, and then led me to that perfect place where He could use me for His glory. As a result my life has been full, rich, and although I have faced hardships and pain like all who live life, it has been amazingly happy, and complete in Him.
Are you prepared to answer God’s call to you, to discern His will for you, to wait on Him as He makes you ready, and then to obey as He instructs you? If so then you may wrestle through the suffering and temptations of the world, but in the end you will find it to have been infused with His joy, and love.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the perfect plan you have for my life, and for your will that guides me to complete it. Thank you for the times when you have told me to proceed down a straight and narrow road I understand to be good, but thank you more for the roads filled with blind curves and mysterious destinations. Help me Lord to trust in you, and to lean on your understanding as I obey you... even when it is contrary to my judgement. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who reigns in perfect glory, and directs my every move. Praised be your name for steadying my steps, and leading me to serve you when I am so tempted to serve my own desires. Great are you in wisdom, and for gifting it to me when I need it most. You are merciful Lord, and stand by me as I come to you time and again with the same desire, or question, asking “Father is this really your will?” You are patient as I come to know your will, and do it. Your grace pours over me from Jesus, and His example teaches me to lovingly follow you always. Forgive me Father as I stumble along this pilgrimage road of life, and Lead me by your Holy Spirit to seek your face, and to become righteous before you... washed clean by the sacrifice of your Son Jesus. Take me into your house, and seat me at your table where I will dine, and worship you forever, and ever.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
Psalm 37:4-5 ESV
Rich Forbes