Imet a rather engaging young lady recently within the course of a 2-day retreat
at which I had been invited to facilitate one of the sessions. We had some pretty engaging discussions within the brief series of interactions we had over that
period, and she left an impression on me as quite an agile mind. I had promised
her a copy of my about-to-be-published book about couples that work together,
but once my first book Uniquely Woman
came off the press, I thought it fit to also send her a copy. A couple of weeks
later, I received a brief mail from her thanking me once again for her copy of Uniquely Woman. She affirmed that she
was already reading my book and it had given her quite a bit of food for
thought so far. Then she asked if I could shed some light on a few questions
that had been playing on her heart and mind as she’d been reading the book Uniquely Woman.
She
asked: ‘What is the difference between
your will and God’s will? How can you trust God when it seems you’re the one making
plans for yourself? How do you know God’s plans for you?’
asked: ‘What is the difference between
your will and God’s will? How can you trust God when it seems you’re the one making
plans for yourself? How do you know God’s plans for you?’
I smiled and
thought ‘Wow, powerful questions indeed!’ I had said to her then that I did not
think those were questions I would like to respond to via email, and
either way, I would not be able to do so at that time as I was preparing to
leave one country for another the very next day and was thus milking the very
last few hours of my family vacation. I did however promise that once I got
back home we could meet to talk through these questions. That said, the Lord
has not allowed me to rest those questions and even as I thought through what I
would like to share with you in this post, He again brought these questions to
my remembrance. Being that one of my key objectives through this forum is to
get you and I to see, hear from, and walk with God on a deeper level – within
and out of our everyday experiences and interactions, it impressed on my heart
to share these questions with you today. Indeed, it strikes me that through
this young lady, it is the Lord that is asking these questions of me, as He is
also asking of you.
thought ‘Wow, powerful questions indeed!’ I had said to her then that I did not
think those were questions I would like to respond to via email, and
either way, I would not be able to do so at that time as I was preparing to
leave one country for another the very next day and was thus milking the very
last few hours of my family vacation. I did however promise that once I got
back home we could meet to talk through these questions. That said, the Lord
has not allowed me to rest those questions and even as I thought through what I
would like to share with you in this post, He again brought these questions to
my remembrance. Being that one of my key objectives through this forum is to
get you and I to see, hear from, and walk with God on a deeper level – within
and out of our everyday experiences and interactions, it impressed on my heart
to share these questions with you today. Indeed, it strikes me that through
this young lady, it is the Lord that is asking these questions of me, as He is
also asking of you.
My
friend, each of us is on a chronological countdown and as we mature in age, we
must more importantly mature in the things of God. As the days go by, it
becomes more and more critical that we understand and align ourselves with the
will of the Father for our very lives. These questions therefore hit exactly at the crux
of the matter in our walk as Christians don’t they? In our constant quest to
live lives that glorify God, to walk according to His purpose for our lives,
you and I ask these questions of ourselves, of others, and of God – perhaps
more often that we would readily admit, don’t we? I know I do, and I certainly
am not shy to admit this. To be in the will of my Father for my life; to know
that He is pleased with me; to know that the life I live, the things I do and
say bring glory to Him… these are my deepest desires. I know that I can only
achieve this state if I am mindful to be in His will in every single area of my
life. So… back again therefore to the same issue right? How do I know God’s
will for my life and how do I distinguish between my will and that of the Lord
…so that I do not walk and live contrary to His purpose? Hmmm!
friend, each of us is on a chronological countdown and as we mature in age, we
must more importantly mature in the things of God. As the days go by, it
becomes more and more critical that we understand and align ourselves with the
will of the Father for our very lives. These questions therefore hit exactly at the crux
of the matter in our walk as Christians don’t they? In our constant quest to
live lives that glorify God, to walk according to His purpose for our lives,
you and I ask these questions of ourselves, of others, and of God – perhaps
more often that we would readily admit, don’t we? I know I do, and I certainly
am not shy to admit this. To be in the will of my Father for my life; to know
that He is pleased with me; to know that the life I live, the things I do and
say bring glory to Him… these are my deepest desires. I know that I can only
achieve this state if I am mindful to be in His will in every single area of my
life. So… back again therefore to the same issue right? How do I know God’s
will for my life and how do I distinguish between my will and that of the Lord
…so that I do not walk and live contrary to His purpose? Hmmm!
Sis,
I could very easily begin to share with you what my beliefs are in response to
these questions, but I have a deep desire in my spirit to hear from you first.
So today, if you will allow me, Uniquely
Woman would like to deviate a bit
from the norm and ask, from the bottom of my heart, that you please spare some
time to send me your thoughts in response to the questions this young lady has
posed. Please respond by way of the comments feature on this site, or send me a
mail at uniquelywoman@gmail.com. It impresses on me strongly that
I need to hear from you, compile your responses, wrap up with my own thoughts
and share these in a further post that I do not doubt will be a major blessing
to you and I, as well as to some other precious person out there who the Lord
wants to speak to out of this exercise. My commitment to you is to share what I
will speak to this young lady as I meet with her in a few days, as well as share with you what I know the Lord will speak to me through her
in the course of that interaction when it takes place. I’m counting on your
feedback, my friend. I really am! This is a walk you and I are taking together
in order that we grow together in Christ… for surely we must grow!
I could very easily begin to share with you what my beliefs are in response to
these questions, but I have a deep desire in my spirit to hear from you first.
So today, if you will allow me, Uniquely
Woman would like to deviate a bit
from the norm and ask, from the bottom of my heart, that you please spare some
time to send me your thoughts in response to the questions this young lady has
posed. Please respond by way of the comments feature on this site, or send me a
mail at uniquelywoman@gmail.com. It impresses on me strongly that
I need to hear from you, compile your responses, wrap up with my own thoughts
and share these in a further post that I do not doubt will be a major blessing
to you and I, as well as to some other precious person out there who the Lord
wants to speak to out of this exercise. My commitment to you is to share what I
will speak to this young lady as I meet with her in a few days, as well as share with you what I know the Lord will speak to me through her
in the course of that interaction when it takes place. I’m counting on your
feedback, my friend. I really am! This is a walk you and I are taking together
in order that we grow together in Christ… for surely we must grow!
Ihave been travelling quite a bit in the past few weeks, through the UAE and
currently in China. I wish I could share with you so many of the experiences
that I have been through in these few weeks, but suffice it to say that you and
I are truly blessed and privileged to know and to serve our Lord, the one true
living God. Everywhere you turn, it appears that society is bent on peddling
godlessness and an incredible myriad of fleshly dogma, lewdness, immorality,
sexual perversions and the like. Everywhere you turn there are millions who are
walking in darkness and in utter confusion. Many do not know what to believe,
and many who do believe are daily questioning what it is that they do believe. Sis, you and I do not believe because we are
any better than these millions of people out there. No, you and I believe
because of the love and mercy of God, and the special grace by which He chose
us and saved us, by which He called us into His marvelous light, and by which He has allowed us the honor, privilege and joy of
being able to know and relate with Him as our Father and Lord.
As
you think through what your responses are to these questions, celebrate your
membership in the fold of the beloved, within the royal priesthood. You are
only able to be conscious of the will of the Lord because of the gift of
knowing Him and His Word. We could as easily have been one of those whom the
gods of this world have blinded such that we do not believe. But, we are among
the called… the chosen generation! That’s more than half the journey, sis. How
incredibly awesome is that? Father, we give You all the glory and we say ‘Thank
You Lord!’.
you think through what your responses are to these questions, celebrate your
membership in the fold of the beloved, within the royal priesthood. You are
only able to be conscious of the will of the Lord because of the gift of
knowing Him and His Word. We could as easily have been one of those whom the
gods of this world have blinded such that we do not believe. But, we are among
the called… the chosen generation! That’s more than half the journey, sis. How
incredibly awesome is that? Father, we give You all the glory and we say ‘Thank
You Lord!’.
Sis,
‘What is the difference between your will
and God’s will? How can you trust God when it seems you’re the one making plans
for yourself? How do you know God’s plans for you?’
‘What is the difference between your will
and God’s will? How can you trust God when it seems you’re the one making plans
for yourself? How do you know God’s plans for you?’
I
pray that as you think this through, the Lord will lead you to a fresh
revelation of His will and that as you share your thoughts, you will fulfill
even further His mandate to be a blessing in the lives of His people. As you
share your thoughts sis, you will be giving expression to another avenue to let
your light shine on the world. You never know… perhaps it is through the thoughts
you share on this forum that the Lord will speak light into someone else’s
darkness and we can all rejoice with heaven as one more soul comes into the
Kingdom.
pray that as you think this through, the Lord will lead you to a fresh
revelation of His will and that as you share your thoughts, you will fulfill
even further His mandate to be a blessing in the lives of His people. As you
share your thoughts sis, you will be giving expression to another avenue to let
your light shine on the world. You never know… perhaps it is through the thoughts
you share on this forum that the Lord will speak light into someone else’s
darkness and we can all rejoice with heaven as one more soul comes into the
Kingdom.
Be
blessed sis… for you surely are!
blessed sis… for you surely are!
Ps: I have been unable to post this for the past week of my being in China because Western social media (Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, etc) is very seriously restricted there. One more thing to bless the Lord for… the freedom to speak and share Hid Word!
I have been thinking of your post since I read it yesterday. I actually wanted to reply right away but God halted me and told me to wait so that He would help me send a 'much better' reply.
I am simple woman and I usually like things broken down for me like I am a 2 year old and this is how I walk with God. With childlike faith cos adult sense and wisdom is just a blocker.
SO HOW DO I KNOW GOD'S WILL?
By first knowing what blocks it for me: MY OWN DESIRE and to be honest this is how you will also know the difference between your will and God's. Your will is what YOU want based on your own wisdom and understanding the situation. God's will is what HE wants for you which is always BETTER even if we don't see it that way at the time.
Now, remember the garden on Eden? What made Eve eat the apple? Her desire to KNOW. When trying to get God's will for us, we have to ask for grace not to put OUR OWN desires over and above HIS. Cos sometimes they won't match. We have to say, like Jesus, as he cried to God to take his cup away, Lord, YOUR WILL be done, not mine!'
Yes, usually very hard but always worth it in the end and when we have done this, and we meant it, then we can be sure that God will guide us into His will for us on that matter.
BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE WALKING IN GOD's WILL FOR SURE?
True, sometimes even after you have handed it all to God, 'self' still creeps in and tries to 'help'. The spirit of God immediately tells me I am 'trying' to help God. For any person in Christ, this voice is always speaking. Just that sometimes, we don't listen. You need to listen and when it speaks, you stop what you were thinking or about to do. Secondly, check the Word, what you are about to do? Does it go against anything God says you are or should not do? If it does, then it is not in God's will for you. God would never ask you to compromise your integrity, he will never ask you to 'fib or colour the story'. He will not ask you to bribe or 'facilitate' to have his will done. God does not need your help to have his way in your life. He just needs your obedience and 1500% TRUST.
This morning as I was praying and doing my devotional, God showed me why he wanted me to wait. Right there in my reading for today. This is what I read:
'Come in poverty of spirit to be led by the Spirit. 'Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God'.
You see, God is saying to us that His Spirit will teach a person with a TRANSFORMED AND RENEWED MIND AND LIFE that WANTS only to know God's perfect will. Audrey, we first of all have to BE FULLY REBORN IN CHRIST AND DAILY RENEWING OUR MINDS VIA HIS WORD and then we have TO WANT TO KNOW God's perfect will for our lives ALL THE TIME. Not just in crisis or when facing a particularly stormy time or difficult situation. ALL THE TIME. The Spirit of God in us will teach is just like I said above but his voice will be muted if our minds are not renewed enough to hear or understand what he is saying.
You and I know that the un-renewed mind of man and its wisdom is incapable of understanding God or His wisdom and where there is sin the light of God cannot shine into the heart to guide……
I just hope this helps you talk to this young lady…..And I pray God will open her heart and mind to receive all you share with her in Jesus name. Amen. Bless you Sis!