Wednesday, August 23rd, '17
All rights reserved © message by Kris Jackson
ON
FINDING THE WILL OF GOD
"Wherefore
be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians
5:17)
Henry Drummond, revivalist and missionary to Africa
in the late 1800's, when asked about discerning the will of God opened the
flyleaf of his Bible and read this formula:
"First, pray. Second, think. Third, talk to
wise people but don't regard their word as final. Fourth, beware of putting
forth of your own will, but don't be too afraid of it. God never unnecessarily
thwarts a man's nature and liking. It is a mistake to think that His will is
always in the line of the disagreeable. Fifth, meanwhile, do the next thing,
for doing God's will in the small things is the best preparation for doing it
in the great things. Sixth, when decision and action are necessary, go ahead.
Seventh, you will probably not find out until afterward, perhaps long
afterward, that you have been led by it".
Let's touch on some highlights. First, praying
opens the mind and sensitizes to the still small voice. "Ask and it shall be
given you". It, what? Guidance for one thing. Next Drummond advises that we
think. Thinking flashes the caution light and allows us to see things
objectively. Often, people jump on a bandwagon not knowing where the parade is
headed. Then talk to the wise. "I will get me unto the great men, and will
speak to them, for they have known the way of the Lord..." (Jeremiah 5:5) In the
multitude of counselors there is safety, said Solomon, but even they are often
behind the curve. To lead you mustn't lag.
I like that Drummond told us to not always be
afraid of our own wills. Every man has a good side that is fighting the bad.
Conscience should judge between them. If God dwells within then His desires
also dwell within and surface from within. "If you abide in me, and my words
abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you" (John
15:7). The fifth point, now act on that pure motive. The wish list becomes a
work list. Put feet to your prayers. Point six extrapolates on that. God gave
you sense and the gift of reason, so make decisions. It's a toss up on which is
better, wearing out the knees of your pants praying or the soles of your shoes
doing. Lastly, God often reveals what was right long after the fact. You reap
what you sow later than you sow. The proof is in the fruit. Our prayer is, "Thy
will be done" and to "be" done it must be "done". If the light inside is green,
it is time to let out the clutch.
