How to Know the Will of God: Presenting Our Lives as a Living Sacrifice

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, to find out how to know God personally go to know God.org KNOW know God.org he would you do me a favor sure this message was someone who needs to hear you have parted is a lot more so God's living song, especially when were trying to determine God's will.

Our pastor Gregori says we need to make sure our will is a way where my relationship my sessions. Everything I have all then you will know God's will and distance.

As you closer to God's will becomes easier to see the best way to get close to the Lord is my removing those things that get in the way that spiritual today on a new beginning. Pastor Gregori helped us fix of giant steps forward, clearing the way discovering God's plan law is an important message you want to have on hand for the future, copy, harvest, how can we know God will grow a lot. We wonder, does God still speak to people today is really interested in what happens to us as individuals. Does the Lord have a master plan for our lives, and if he does otherwise discover it. How can I learn how to know the voice of God. How can I discover the will of God.

Some steps you can take to sorta prepare the ground to hear the voice of God, and know his will, reverses 1 to 2 of Romans from the new King James version, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is a reasonable service. Don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I so that's what we call a conditional promise is a promise. You'll know what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God hears the conditions I must present myself to him and not be conformed to this world, but I must be transformed by the renewing of my mind noticed false arts of the word therefore is upset you before whenever you see the word therefore find out what it's therefore and it's always drawn upon what is previously set. So what is been said before, Paul's writing these words Romans 1204 Romans 12 is Romans 11 and the whole book of Romans for that matter what is a real message of the book of Romans will and establishes clearly that were sinners separated from God. But God loved us so much he intervened. He sent his son, who died for our sins. We must turn from that center put our faith in Christ so effectively pulsing. He listen to this line of what God has done for you.

Considering the fact that Jesus has died for you and giving you salvation.

In light of this, therefore, I urge you, brothers. The word uses. Therefore, I beseech you the King James work. Beseech means birds plea. Even back. I bet you brothers and sisters I'm pleading with you present yourself to God as a living sacrifice.

In other words, Paul is saying God is nothing he you wouldn't mind, could you do me a favor got a sandlot man I bought you with a price.

I love you and this is what I want you to do. Give yourself to me. Another translation of these verses goes as follows.

And I like this is what God wants you to do, God helping you take your everyday life. Your ordinary life.

Your sleeping, eating, drinking, going to work, and walking around life and placeable for God is an offer like this take your everyday life.

As Lord hears my career.

Here are my relationships. Here are my possessions, here is my ministry here is everything I have my bank account I give it all to you Lord I presented to you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, not generally sacrifices our dad so it's trickier to present a living sacrifice and a living sacrifice might have a tendency to call off the altar of the story of Abraham and Isaac. When God told Abraham to take us on his only son and offer him as a sacrifice and Abraham obeyed, as did Isaac.

They made their way up to the place where he would be sacrificed in a one point Isaac said he dad where's the where's the sacrifice and Abraham said God will provide himself a sacrifice. And so, as they made their way up and laid Isaac down on the altar. Abraham was prepared to take the life of his own son, if you want the last moment. Of course, an angel stopped because it was never God's will to take the life of Abraham's son was God's will to see if Abraham would commit everything to the Lord and here's an interesting thing you know we don't realize maybe because sometimes in film and religious art. Isaac is portrayed as a very small boy back to the batterers. Isaac was probably a teenager is a young man probably full-grown Sunday very easily as dad was lame on the altar. Isaac it is that you know that I'm getting kind of old when we sacrifice you, but Isaac went along with that in this story is in the Bible for a number of reasons, but it's a picture of God sending his son. The father loved us so much he gave his only begotten son. But let's not forget that the sun willingly laying his life down so present your self to God as a living sacrifice. What is that me means we give our total being bodies means your total being. So we need to present our minds present your mind to God what is. I mean he needs to fill your mind with the word of God, not the junk of this twisted culture read an interesting article in the paper this week. A survey was done from a San Francisco-based nonprofit group that attracts children and their technology use.

They found that teens aged 13 to 18 spent almost 9 hours a day on entertainment media nine hours a day of that's more by the way, than they usually sleep that social media, music, gaming or online video so you know were just glued to our phone and were just filling our minds with whatever is on our phone.

I get the gums down the what I have to have in your phone.

I guess it comes down to what websites you visit. I guess it comes down to what videos you stream, but you can put good stuff in your phone. We have a harvest app, you probably know that and you can go to our website and read daily devotionals. We have a wreath of the Bible program. In fact, if you're lazy it will even read the Bible to you while you're getting ready is push a little speaker in the read the scripture for the day in that we've got our radio broadcasts and we got our TV show we've got services that were just done. It's all there is a great app and there's a lot of other apps put up a great ministries that you can utilize so that to be a good thing with anything, you know, come on, you can Blake Angry Birds forever and you can just be wasting a lot of time just endlessly going over twitter and over your Instagram and you know how many people liked what you just posted know that. Not that that's a bad thing, but we can become a bit obsessed with it so fill your mind with the things of God.

Present your mind to God flipping in sports is picture thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise, so that things are filling their mind with doesn't meet the criteria then change your diet spiritually. Number two. We need to present our tongues. By that I mean what we say how we use our words. James 35 says the tongue is a small thing, but what serious damage it can do a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. This one little flame can ignites a forest a member I was visiting a friend who had a little cabin in Virginia and so he let my wife and I stay therein the promise he didn't really have a heater. He just had a fireplace in the stove that you had to fill with logs in this sort of heated this, but it was very cold and to constantly be filling this and I'm not a great firestarter. I live in California be my idea of logs is a Duro flame log from the market right so I said that this is really stupid. I'm embarrassed to even ask, but tell me how to start a fire again like in the Savoy start with kindling.

I said okay great when you buy that stupid Californian just to kindling above the ground. Could you go out in Chile would looks like it.

So we basically if there like twigs and things like that to get the bar started so you going grab your kindling then you chop the logs. Now that's out, but you know they show me how to do we use newspapers to so I got the fire going and met it would get so cold and that to get out of bed and run in there, put another log on the fire and keep the fire going on for a while. I feel this fireplace in this woodburning little heating unit to the top and I had to empty it, and so they told me to put the coals in a bucket there's a metal bucket so I put the passion that coals on the little metal bucket, but now the bucket was full and I needed to empty at night.well it's been a while and further cool down so I walked outside and I was on the porch and I threw the bucket out in all this – went out and I saw about 25 burning embers go out to know and they hit the forest. It was just like 45 firestarter immediately. I'm not making this up.

I'm I always had a heart attack them out there in my you know my pajamas of the hello Kitty slippers all deal. I'm finding I would burn the forest down so I run in the house will give her some kind of bucket the water with in this tiny bucket. I run a fill with water and are just going to do a night I finally got there and as I picked the little burning coals of the room up on the gravel with my hands and all my long. I kept looking under the window, fearing that I have started a fire just one little coal can do that much damage in one word can do it. And now today with social media men you can spread a message out there that can be really false.

And there's nothing that says Alliant is halfway around the world while truth is still putting it shoes on and you know, today we can just tweak this out.

Who knows if it's true, how does posted photos of its accurate positive passes along because someone else said, I'm sure they did the research away. The second that could damage someone's character that I could hurt somebody deeply.

We don't think about things like that. So we need to present Mark Thompson should I also say our post master Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment. We hear from listeners all over the country and from countries all over the world.

Thank you very much Pastor Craig for everything you do if you send me a watch online harvest service from Spain with my husband. His sermons had been a blessing to us and we face in this difficult times. Even though we can't going to church in person give all glory to God's blessings.

You could tune into Pastor Greg's Harvest at Home services as well. At harvest.org and if you have a story to share with us. Call 1-866-871-1144 that's a special number 1-866-871-1144.

Today we are learning from Romans 12 how important it is to present our bodies as living sacrifices. Pastor Greg is showing us that it's a prerequisite to discovering God's will for our lives. Let's continue. We need to present our hands and our feet or hands and her feet.

Proverbs 6 says there are six things the Lord hates those seven things he did test haughty eyes. That means arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands, and kill the innocent heart. The plots evil deed that raised to do wrong. How much better it is to dedicate our hands and our feet to God. Romans 1015 says how beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news sensitive using my hands and feet for destruction and tearing down.

I use them to build up and help them to bring the message of the gospel.

That's by the way, this is the logical thing to do to present my personality to present my mind to present my words to present my tongue to present my hands and my feet. It's a logical thing to do. Paul says in verse one.

I urge you therefore, brothers, for the mercies of God present. Sure, something him as a living sacrifice. This is your reasonable service. In the phrase reasonable service to be translated. The logical thing to do. In other words, to be a halfhearted Christian is a logical you know what I came to Christ they came out of complete darkness, and I was raised by my crazy alcoholic mother living her wacky life than I myself made a lot of bad decisions and got ended drugs in my life. It just gone downhill, and when I screwed the gospel I believed in Jesus. I put the whole life behind me.

I wanted nothing to do with it anymore and I was ready to go for it. So I started going to Bible studies and I started you know, learning scripture and learning what it meant to be a follower of Jesus and I met a few people that were kind of trying to live in two worlds. I looked at them like what is wrong with you. I've just come out of that and I've seen things that a person should never see and you do not want to flirt with that world you know and then there were can I live in into the world, you know, and I thought that doesn't make any sense at all because I know where that lead hunting in the same way, here's a policy.

Don't try to live until world to me.

It's logical and makes sense to dedicate everything to God the means as you grow older, your commitment should grow stronger. You should be more committed to Christ at 57, then you were at 17 kn cute little little baby needs help, you know eating. Or maybe they need their diaper changed. We need to watch over, but is not cute when there warning the believers said no Lord for years that they could never grow. It's like they're in a state of suspended animation. That is, that same person always struggling, always having a hard time always falling back and recommitting falling back recommitting the time, get with the program here totally commit yourself to God and do it every day to be filled with the spirit. Hello the pure life can have an attitude of gratitude start putting those things in the play. This is what God wants you to do so number one present yourself to God hears. Point number two if you want to know God's will.

Don't be conformed to this world. Look at Romans 12 again, don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind know what we mean when we say the world you know sometimes you throw this term around a lot as Christians, even the truly worldly. Don't be worldly when does it mean to be worldly. Sometimes if someone is a little fashionable.

That's worldly man, you shouldn't be in style should be laying like me even talk like this is spiritual know you're just weird.

Okay that's all that it that's religious weirdness don't even know what you're talking about what don't and it's wrong. You know, watching TVs, worldly or going to movies worldly wealth granted. Maybe some TB and movies could be worldly but I don't think you can say all those things are necessary, try to understand what the Bible means when it says the world will be talked about the world in the biblical sense God is not speaking of the earth or the planet.

The Bible even says the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. God gave us this beautiful planet that we live on to enjoy know when the Bible speaks of the world.

And speaking of a mentality it's speaking of a culture that speaking of a sinful way of thinking and living in the Bible tells us that the whole world is in this way of the wicked one, meaning say so. He's the one that's manipulating the evil horrific godless things that are happening today is at first John 215 says from a modern translation defining the world listen to all of the world's ways don't love the world's goods, love of the world squeezes a love of the father, practically everything that goes on in the world wanting your own way wanting everything for yourself wanting to appear important is nothing to do with the father just isolate you from him. The world with all of its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out. Whoever does what God wants to set.

I like the translation of the King James's love not the world. These are the things that are in the world for all that's in the world, the lust of the flash of the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, not just a modern way of things short of the self obsession roots all about you. Everything is about you this selfishness that can drive us don't live that way. Don't be conformed.

The word conform is an interesting word that Paul uses it refers to the act of assuming an outward appearance that does not accurately reflect what is within me say that again in the I did conveys this, assuming an outward appearance that is different than who you really are on the inside like Halloween. You know will be dress-up and Halloween. You know so you take on this first thought on this person, but you really not that person that I've told you about these wacky warning labels that are out there. You know that had the put on different items that you may buyer whatever things that you use warning that you should not use the sins of the wrong purposes. This is a wacky warning label not making this up on a Superman cost you it says wearing the suit does not enable you to fly. This is actually on a Superman because I'm thinking you know why that's there.

Someone somewhere probably climbed up a tree or maybe even on a roof and off they went so your assuming a persona that's not really used to what is that mean the Bible say don't act like you are something you are not the Phillips translation puts it this way. Don't let this world squeeze you into its mold. Don't be a poser. Don't be a want to be.

Don't worry so much about being cool. Focus on being godly. That's the thing to be godly to be the coolest thing around is a godly man a godly woman someone that doesn't keep in the culture and march in lockstep with what everyone else says they should do a person a man a woman a young person who thinks for themselves because they think biblically and they do what is right and that's what got us a don't act like you belong to this world.

Don't be ashamed of who you are as a follower of Jesus were living in a time where you can catch a lot of flak for being a Christian were living in a time you may be ridiculed, you maybe even physically assaulted for being a follower of Christ. In some cases, some of even been killed for their faith. We been here more of that these days. Sadly, but second Timothy 212 says, if we endure will reign with him we would disown him, he will disown us. Don't disown Christ stand up for Christ will be conformed to this world but we can transform the renewing of your mind. Then you will know God's will start your great glory. Practical insight on how we can discover God's will for our lives. And there's more to come here on a new beginning and pastor Grace message called how to know the will of God and by the way, you can get an instant replay of today's message. If you missed any part of the insight just go to our website harvest.org or call us for a CD copy, 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 hour phone number 1-800-821-3300 Pastor Greg, our listeners really love it when Kathy joins us here in the program.

Yeah, I think they enjoy hearing about the two of you. You talk once or twice of how you met Kathy and began dating. But that's told in some detail in your book Jesus revolution against the backdrop of the Jesus movement. Yes, you and Kathy really had a front row seat for that movement. Yeah, that's true.

And you know we did not realize at the time that we had a front row seat to a genuine spiritual awakening, but indeed we did and I wanted to share my story not to live in the past but hopefully to prepare for the future you know if you get in a car you probably noticed that the rearview mirror is a lot smaller than your windshield. That's because you need to spend more time going forward, then going backward okay so it's good to reflect that because we can learn from the past and we can reflect back on the great work that God did you know in the Psalms we read the phrase all that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men will see the psalmist repeat the great things that God did for the nation Israel. It's good to remind yourself of what the Lord is done and then it's also a great thing to say Lord would you do it again. We've had revivals in the history of America in the past and I would say were overdue for one right now. In fact, I don't know what else could change the course of our nation worse so divided politically were divided racially were divided in every way imaginable, and only Christ can bring us together. We need a change of heart. We need the Lord to pour his spirit out on our churches and on our country, but it starts with us. So I've written a book called Jesus, revolution, and I tell the story of how I came to faith how I met my wife how we came together how we saw the Lord work how we started our church is a lot there is also some historical backdrop there to help you understand what we are facing that the times I think as you read this book, you'll say wow that sounds a lot like our nation right now so it seems to me that we can learn from the past. In this case. As I said before, the fame of revival spreads the flame of revival. So let's talk about that theme. Let's look back a little bit and let's pray that God will do it again. I'll send you a copy of this book Jesus revolution for your gift of any size whatever you send will be used to help us continue to teach God's word and call people to Jesus Christ and I hope this book will be a blessing for you order your copy now of Jesus revolution now. That's right, you can call 1-800-821-3300 and someone is here to take your call around-the-clock, seven days a week will be glad to send it to you to thank you for your investment so that we can continue to bring these studies your way each day and share the gospel with hundreds of thousands of people each year. So once again, call 1-800-821-3300 or right a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or order online@harvest.org and by the way, when we send you Jesus revolution will also include the brand-new study guide that goes with it to help you get even more from the helpful insights and principles in the book, so contact us today. Pastor Greg comes back with the finale to his insights on knowing God's will, and the final installment in his message series, with every growing Christian to know hope you tune in here on a new beginning for Greg Laurie was made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org