Looking Up When Life's Got You Down (Part 9)

How do I know the will of God. How do I know the will of God. How do I know the will of God for my career. How do I know the will of God for my job.

How do I know the will of God which city to live in, should I live in city ale. Should you be if I'm miserable in my job but does this mean that I should leave or should I stay and all important questions for single people is one specific person that God has for me to marry, but I wanted to. Somehow I hate to disappoint you, but I think I will disappoint some of you because I'm I can answer any of these questions I just mentioned, but anyone I'm going to do today. I'm going to give you the biblical tools that are designed to help you answer these questions one day pop-up in your life. I'll give you the biblical tools that would instruct you to know what to do when you order the point when you're trying to discern the will of God in your life. Those of you who think that discovering the will of God is like a crystal ball or like cracking open a fortune cookie your like a slot machine you put coins in and then you get the answer no you going to be really disappointed. I know there are some people who really even use the Bible as a lottery some time ago. I share this true story with you shared with you again this particular man was absolutely boasting about how he can open the Bible and whatever the text is I would fall on that is the will of God for him. That's what I call Bible lottery.

It doesn't work that way. This man really learned the lesson because he closed his eyes close. The Bible then opened it in the first verse of his eyes fell upon was the verse that says Judas went out and hung himself. Well of course he recognize that is not really what is looking for can be truly the will of God.

So shut the Bible and then closed his eyes and open the Bible again and the verse in which the second time. His eyes felt was a text that says draw and do likewise. He just got frustrated and he was disappointed and he recognize that this is not it.

So I said I'm going to try one.

Third time third time at Sean sake close the Bible closes Eisenmann open it again and then his eyes fell on the text that says you must do that quickly, as I deal with the apostle Paul discerning of the will of God in his life from acts chapter 21. I want to give you some practical tools that are gonna help you in discerning the will of God in your life and they are as follows.

All four of them number one you must be in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, expect God to speak to you in some way. Thirdly, test the spirits and fourthly you must always be ready to wait for the timing of God. What does it mean to be in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

You hear that word used all the time.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ and people talk about and then memorize verses in the in its constant part of conversation I want to explain to you what really what it means. It means that you are going to make your desires to be neutral as what it means. It means that you going to make your desires to be neutral hemorrhoid on this one will all have desires.

We all have preferences we all have strong feelings.

We all want smooth sailing. We all want everything to work without a hint of problem we all do not cherish difficulties and hardships.

None of us welcome trials and uncertainty. Somebody says will I really love suffering and cherish it so much. Well need some help. But submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ means that you are willing to put all the ladies in the neutral. Why why the neutral you see the neutral when you're driving you can't have it in the neutral you giving it the opportunity to go straight even drive or reverse.

You don't have to go through a lot of gears when it's in the neutral.

You place your desires in the neutral so that God can lead you to his perfect will for you if that's what you praying for actually in acts chapter 21 Paul was talking to the Ephesian elders in Miletus he said to them, in acts 20. He said they said I am going to Jerusalem and I know that I'm going to be facing difficulties and trials on tough times in Jerusalem. Then he says but God is calling me to go. I wanted to say no, wait a minute Paul, wait a minute, wait a minute.

Most people want to know the will of God so that if they see a hint of difficulty to run away from it and you're trying to tell me that you know the will of God. And you know that you going to face difficulties and you're determined to go. That's not all that was not just in a situation where he was in and then it passed no acts 2110 is a prophet by the name of adiposity comes in and he in a most dramatic way warns the apostle Paul that in Jerusalem there is difficulty, and he takes is built on the positive on his hand in history.

This is that's what's gonna happen to the person who owns this belt, Paul that's your William not Dr. jewelers Memorial stop, but that's not all you get done verse 12 of 21 the book of acts and the Christians in Caesarea began to beg the apostle Paul. Paul please immediately.

Paul, please, please, now it's time for Paul to get on the program right.

All his friends everywhere he went. Told him not to go to Jerusalem, but because he placed all of his desires in the neutral. He was determined to go to a goddess called him no matter what Paul was not afraid.

Paul would not hide. Paul would not run and Paul would not cower.

Paul will not be persuaded by well meaning Christians. There are some commentators who say that action. The good people I mean people who love God and this actually at this point in his life. Paul was disobedient to the voice of God, and he was outside of the will of God. When he went to Jerusalem need to know that. But if you really look at the text sideways or upside down in every angle from other languages. That is not one occasion that anybody said that God is saying to you, Paul. Do not go to Jerusalem. All they said that you going to face difficulties.

There is all they said not one time did God the Holy Spirit sister Paul.

Paul don't go to Jerusalem, I think Paul would've obeyed the Lord immediately. Not one time. Please hemorrhoid on this one. I wanted to listen carefully. It's okay to say to the Lord more. I prefer a over B.

Lord, I really like I don't like me. It's really okay to say to the Lord in the Lord, my heart is set on a not think it's okay. It's okay to do that as long as you place a and D in the neutral and let God lead you it's okay to say to God, not God. I would rather be in this place and not that place. It's okay to do that as long as you're willing to joyfully go whichever place he finally chooses for you submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ means making your desires to be in the neutral and that is not easy.

I want you to listen carefully to I'm going to tell you there are some people who think that the moment you obey the will of God and you go somewhere else and then you face problems. All of a sudden this is all boy did I really listen to God right now my really in the will of God, what have I done. Listen to me. Please because you are the center of the will of God does not mean you will not face problems as Paul will tell you, sometimes we do get ourselves into trouble but not always the case.

Sometimes when we are at the very center of the will of God, your face difficulties and trials at times.

Often the enemy will come to you and say if you had not obeyed God. If you had done your thing, you would not have faced these problems, the devil will do that to you all the time, but by placing your desires and the neutral you will give God the opportunity to work in your life for his glory regardless of the difficulty. The second thing is this.

Expect God to speak to you in some way for me it is simple. The Lord often speaks to me through his word. I'll be sitting there early hours of the morning as it is my custom, and I'll be reading the word of God and I would be wrestling with the problem or thinking of a difficulty or something that's going on in my life and I'll be reading the word of God and the voice of the Spirit Cessna here.

This is for you Michael this for you. Here is the promise that you can appropriate today. Here is the answer that you're looking for.

Occasionally, God speaks to me through godly friends and occasionally the Lord speaks to me through my acquired voice of my wife many times God speaks to me through my God the prep darkness but I want to give you a big warning. Listen carefully. Huge warning here okay listen carefully.

Be sure that your godly friends. I'm not speaking to you out of their own emotions. Be careful lest your godly friends are speaking to you out of their own needs. Be careful lest your godly friends are speaking to you out of self-interest. Be careful lest your godly friends are speaking to you to get you to do what they want you to do in Miletus. The Ephesian elders and in Caesarea and entire, Paul's friends were trying to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem. Why why because they were emotionally attached to the apostle Paul told him go to Paulding go to Jerusalem: go to Jerusalem, but is I am not for one moment, blaming Paul's friends for trying to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem.

I'm not blaming no one moment no one second, I am not blaming them for trying to persuade Paul to avoid troubled waters. I am not blaming them for trying to protect their friends in the apostle Paul, but then were not trying to discern the will of God. There were only wanted to protect Paul, that would be impractical, there being pragmatic and yes they were being human in every sense in every good sense of the word and that is why listen carefully. That's why.

Thirdly, you must test the spirits, you must test the spirits for yourself no matter who says what do you ever it is inconsistent with the word of God. It is not from God. Ever it is not going to glorify God, then it is not of God. Evan is going to lead you into sin.

It is not of God is not going to build you up in the face, then it's not of God. The Bible exhorts us test the spirits test the spirits test the spirits. Why want to tell you why listen carefully because Satan has the uncanny ability to appear as an angel of light.

Because Satan's deception is so good that you can easily fall for because Satan's desire is to trick you and deceive you.

I remember more than 12 years ago, a young man was sitting in my office going to talk to me. He was caught in a homosexual lifestyle and I listen to him very carefully and then I pulled the Scripture and as gently and as lovingly as sensitively as I knew how began to speak to him about the power of God that can deliver all of us from any and all sin, and in the middle of the conversation he said about when he said, not regularly smell fungus over there told me it's okay I nearly had tears in my eyes for other reasons and I said my friend, don't worry about with reverence, no funguses what does God say what Scott's doing something listen to me this is of utmost importance. I know you love me as your pastor know you trust my teaching, but if I ever ever ever tell you something that is contrary to the word of God.

Don't do it. I'm going to tell you something else actually more than that, you need to get out of here as fast as you can and find the pastor who tells you the word of God because only tell you from my point of view out of the be dead before I'll compromise the word of God is microphone my point of view, but nonetheless you must test the spirits, you must test the spirits. As with the word of God says Paul tested the spirits and he followed only the voice of the holy spirit, not even his dear friends, submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ means placing your desires in the neutral expect God to speak to you in some way test the spirits and finally, fourthly, always wait for God's timing. Now I'm going to go from preaching to meddling. Not necessarily with you as much of this is it is with me. If your person has trouble waiting. I want to tell you something. I understand you I really do.

I know exactly where you are because it is one of the hardest things waiting does not come naturally to most of us my compass some God bless you. Not only that, but most often young Christians, particularly confuse waiting for God with idleness and make everyone time is that is waiting for God to call him. So what you doing that I'm spending a lot of time in the library. I said I'm just doing some work somehow ministering on I'm just reading and getting myself ready to hear the call of God as I do not waiting for God. You're an idle man need to go and do something because I want to summon what help me in my understanding of waiting for God and what it means is that dear saints more than 24, 23 years ago when he explained to me the difference between waiting for the Lord and being idle in the name of the Lord. This is the word waiting in the Bible does not mean the way reason English is your waiting for a train in the train station when you waiting for the train in a train station. What you do is sit down and you look to the right and you look to the left in your letter to watch you look to the right and you look to the left and to watch you might be frustrated and you get up a little better than the pace of Florida translate whatever it is he waiting for his leg feel frustrated you get more frustrated by the second and you keep waiting and waiting, that is not what waiting upon the Lord in the Scripture means at all, let me share with you what have blessed my life for quarter of a century waiting for the Lord comes from the term of a waiter or waitress in a restaurant, a high class waiter or waitress to have them tell around her hand and what is he doing is she doing all the time there watching you. They waiting for you. Hey, I need immediately that this or what can I get you that's waiting to see your water running down. Then he comes and brings the water in their cells up all the way to the top. That's a high class waiter you play just finished what is he doing is watching you. So he comes into me as a finisher he takes a plate.

What is happened when when when a good way to really a high class waiter is working, what is he do you get up to go somewhere and you come back is folded, and right there by the arm of future. That's what waiting upon the Lord means. It means that you are always serving the Lord, that you always ministering to the Lord that you're always watching the actions that you're always ready for his command anymore, but you're working your busy you're serving your paying attention. You are all tentative to the voice of the Lord is with waiting for the Lord means when you are in that mode you know about the way that not a single person in the Old Testament, a single profit that God called to serve was idle. Sitting there biting the fingernails of wasting their time doing something in the voice of God came in his you fear you go on to proclaim the word of God. When you are in that mode of waiting at the Lord's table.

You can be sure that he will let you know his will in his time he will tell you what he wants you to do. He will tell you what he where he wants you to go. He will tell you when he wanted to move. He will tell you where to be ill tell you how to respond even see Paul knew that he was obeying the will of God.

He was obeying the voice of God, who knew there were some difficulties. Yes, but they were incidental. Why, because he knew if he is going to be at the very center of the will of God.

God is going to be with him and that's enough. When Paul got to Jerusalem he was bringing an offering from all the Gentile churches and we know that from the Corinthian letter he he he brings this offering from the Gentile churches and he places it there in the church of Jerusalem. But you know the first thing they said that is all.

Thank you Paul and you went to this great trouble. We thank God for you know the first thing he got was a criticism Paul bedroom. I hear that you are not living as a Jew telling the Jews not to live as Jews. You turn your back on your culture. You turn your back on all the things that we believe in not remember.

Paul said I don't want to offend anybody, and he's a Jew and he felt his offending the Jew so he went ahead recognizing that these are not important issues in the Christian ministry. They not necessary for salvation who went along. I am personally convinced as I looked at this passage in every way I could that Paul because he had learned to wait upon the Lord because he had learned to discern the will of God. He also learned to major on the majors and minors on the minors. They got together when you are waiting upon the Lord, you will learn to choose your battles in your battlefields. When you're waiting upon the Lord, you will discern what is necessary for salvation and what is a matter of Christian liberty. Why, because it is in the Lord's will, that your life will operate at its best when you are in the perfect will of God. Always, there might be storms brewing all around you, maybe battles taking place and waging everywhere difficulties of insurmountable box you are at peace because you are in perfect harmony with your maker.

I want to give in the lustration I'm going to conclude many many years ago a story that's told about a model T Ford pulled off the side of the road and the hood was open young man was driving the car was just QuickDraw trying to get the car cranking again and he couldn't and he was there for a long time.

He was sweating. He was frustrated he was getting irritated and after a long time and in the midst of his frustration he looked up and low and behold a beautiful chauffeur driven limousine pools and right next to him and a well-dressed man walks from that chauffeur driven limousine and then he looks at the engine and he says to the young man do this and this and this young man looked at him as to what do you know you not even driving your own car was a no rich guy sitting in the backseat and the chauffeur driven limousine, but finally Vada frustration. The young man went ahead and followed the gentleman's instructions and sure enough, the car cracked up again very quickly and then man was so absolutely amazed he turned to this distinguished looking man and he said they miss it. How now how did you know all of this.

How did know exactly what to do know the man put his hand out and he said I'm Henry Ford and I designed this machine.

I know exactly how it works and when you are waiting upon the Lord, your designer, he will let all things work for good because you love because you've placed your desires in neutral.

You're asking to hear him because you have tested the spirits because you are waiting for his time. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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