Finding God’s will for your life

I used to wonder exactly how I was supposed to find this out. Was God going to tell me or was I going to have to figure it out on my own? It has taken the better part of a decade of Bible study and I’m still not at the point of pointing to a passage or a dream where He told me “This is my will for you”. Our problem lies with our own stubborn nature. It isn’t just my problem, it is every Christian’s problem. We think that we have it figured out but we really don’t and unless you read God’s Word and listen to what He says in it, you will miss it entirely.

God’s will for each of us is different. Some of us are called to be teachers and some are called to be preachers or evangelists. Some of us are called to be prayer warriors for those who need God’s touch in their lives in whatever way He will provide for them. Some of us are to be healers by the way we serve others and some are encouragers to those in the ministry or the church who need that. It takes prayer and being receptive to the Holy Spirit’s words in your Spirit to hear and truly listen with your Spiritual ears in order to find out your calling, your path which God has for you to follow.

Some people pick up on this fairly early in their walk with Jesus and sometimes it takes a long time before their ears (Spiritual) can hear clearly enough to catch what He is saying. Many times it takes a good bit of Bible study and prayerful reading of God’s Word in order to learn His voice well enough to know when He is speaking to you. Unfortunately, many people in our churches today only open their Bible’s on Sunday and they leave it closed for the rest of the week. You can’t learn about God’s voice or His Wisdom by doing that, but a lot of people seem to be “reading” God’s Word along with the pastor and very little at any other time.

This is not a “how-to” article for finding God’s Will for your life but reading God’s Word is the best way to know His voice and to learn what He has said about His Will in the past. God doesn’t change and His will for us is the same as it was for His disciples and prophets in the past. Go and tell others about My plans for their salvation through Jesus. If they don’t know Jesus, then tell them. If they have walked away from the church then encourage them to come back and hear what God wants for them today! Young people need to hear this message more than any other because there are so many other messages which are being taught and put in their faces today on the Internet and on TV. They need to know which message is the Truth and it is God’s Truth!

We cannot earn our salvation because it was earned by Jesus on our behalf. All that we can do is accept it as the gift that it is.

The Light overcomes

What makes you happy?

Have you found it yet or are you still looking for that person or something which will give you complete contentment? I can tell you for sure that there is nothing in this world which will make you happy. No person or amount of money or things that you own can bring lasting joy and happiness into your life. Depending upon which one of those gives you the most satisfaction, you may feel content or even happy for a while if you do have the love of your life or an amount of money which allows you to cast all of your anxiety and worry to the wind…but it will only last for a while. The stuff that you own only gives you a sense of power because you have something which someone else doesn’t. None of these will bring true happiness for very long.

Many of us do equate happiness with less stress in whatever area of life you feel that in. Whether it is through a satisfying relationship or having enough in your bank account that makes bill paying day easy and fairly stress free. But, could you have or feel happiness and contentment if, like Job, all of it was taken away? How would you feel then? Would you blame God for your troubles? Would you blame yourself?

Feeling discontent and depressed because your life isn’t working out the way that you had hoped it would is kinda natural. Most of us do feel that way from time to time. But blaming God for your trouble or even blaming yourself won’t really help the situation and could make it worse. So, what can you do constructively about the problems in your life? Particularly if the problems were brought on by something that you did or didn’t do. The first step is to admit that you had a hand or even both feet in making your problems worse. If you get that far, then seek out help from someone other than the one who caused the problem. Preferably seek out your answer in God’s Word.

It doesn’t matter if your problem is related to a lack of money or if it is a relationship problem, there is Wisdom found in God’s Word which will give you the right advice to move in the direction of fixing the problem. You have to take the advice to heart and act on it though, God doesn’t reach down and fix things as soon as you ask. He wants you to act on His advice and seek His guidance in whatever area of your life that you need it in. Truthfully, we should be seeking Him in every area of our lives before a problem arises. Not seeking His advice and His wisdom is what gets us in trouble in the first place.

Keep your thoughts focused…

What good can I do?

When you show up to bring a sermon that God has given you to preach and no one shows up…it’s time to go home. What good is telling someone the Good News of our Savior when there is no one to hear the message?

I have heard of missionaries who have worked and struggled for years and never got a single convert to Christianity in that time. How do you keep going like this? I have prayed about it and it seems that God is saying for me to keep preaching. The only people who seem to be reading or getting any of His messages that I put out here are you good people, those who read our blog. God loves you and He does care for all of you.

Sometimes it is very frustrating though. I know that it isn’t just me or my words, because God gives me the sermons and the words that I write here. But…I am asking for your prayers and your comments because I need the encouragement right now. Thank you in advance.

Keep God’s commandments

Is anything too hard for God?

In Genesis chapter 18 and verse 14, God asks “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Why do we test Him with our “burdens” when He can take care of them with no effort? It seems that we don’t think God, in this Internet age and in the 21st century, is the same God Who split the Red Sea and brought the people through on dry land. We know from Sunday school and Bible school that God is the same yesterday, today and forever but most of us only know this intellectually. We know it in our head but we may not believe it fully in our heart.

God created the whole universe with a word! Genesis even says it this way, “and He created the stars also”. It sounds like an afterthought doesn’t it? But when you look at the pictures of the universe and everything that is out there…you know that God doesn’t do afterthoughts. He knows the name of every star out there, not just the ones that we can see in the constellations. Every star in every galaxy in the entire universe, trillions in number, God knows them all and it is His power which holds all of them together in their orbits and their courses.

The problem with humanity is that we read this in His Word but we can’t prove it. We can’t see it happening. Like the servant who thought that he and his master were about to be killed and his master prayed for God to open his eyes so he could see that “those who are on our side are greater than those against us”!

Nothing is too hard for God of course. But why do we question whether He will do what His Word says? Do we truly doubt God’s promises or His ability to do what is promised? In today’s world, Satan has caused humanity to doubt God’s existence and His abilities. Even though many don’t even believe that Satan exists either. Of course, that is his plan as well. That of course, brings into question the whole Bible itself and that is also his plan. If he can get us to question God’s existence or the veracity of His Word then belief in Him and His plan of salvation will also be questioned.

There is nothing too hard for God and everything that is happening in our world is allowed by Him because it is part of His plan to bring as many as possible to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Many people outside the United States are coming to know Jesus as their savior while there are many in the United States who are walking away from the church and their belief in God. Because our country has been pushing God out of many areas of education and family life for years. I pray that there will be an awakening and a revival of faith in our country but that is completely in God’s hands now.

God created all of these stars and planets. The size of them should inspire awe in us because He brought them into existence with His Word and nothing else.

Sin doesn’t rule over you

Lifetime service

Do you think it takes a lifetime of service to get into Heaven? It doesn’t take any time at all really. Consider the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He asked the Lord to remember him when He came into His Kingdom and Jesus said “you shall be with Me in Paradise today“. He didn’t get a chance to be baptized or to witness to anyone personally, although he has witnessed to thousands or millions since then. No, being of service to Jesus doesn’t take years and it is not required or necessary to be granted passage into Heaven. All that you need is a repentant heart and a belief in Jesus as your Savior and you will be saved.

When that day comes for you, please don’t turn away from Him. You will feel His touch in your life and you may even know for sure that it is Jesus. Don’t turn away from His call for you to be adopted into God’s family. He loves you and He paid the price for your salvation and it is a gift waiting for you to accept it.

Your soul means so much to God until His Son died just to give you an eternity with Him. Our God is AWESOME!!

It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, your future is secure in Jesus if you will ask Him to come into your heart and change you into the person that you can be. He knows how effective you will be in your ministry, He is just waiting for you to accept the job!