For Everyone Struggling To Do God’s Will

*And nothing is hidden from your sight, wherever I go, you’ll find me.
You know every detail of my life, YOU are God and you don’t miss a thing.
You know me inside and outside and have totally memorized me.”~ “Bethel Music: You know me.”

 

 

Every time I feel like my life is running out of control – my control, when things happen that I just didn’t expect, I go to Psalm 139 and feel such assurance that God is just in control.

 

I have grappled and struggled with some things in the last week about what God might want for me in certain areas in my life.

Yes, I desire to do God’s will but that still doesn’t make it easier.

Yes I pray always that Lord let your will be done in my life but when I comes right down to the nitty gritty, and God’s plans doesn’t fit in with mine, I get all scared and experience a mixture of what I call the “what ifs”

Lord I can’t see farther than the next step you are pointing out for me, what will happen in the future?

My own plans got it all figured out, I will get this, then do this and that will take me through the next 4 years of my life, but your plan Lord, I can’t see further than the first step on the staircase.

You said what? I should trust you?

Walk in faith?

Trust you?

Oh, do you know what you are asking Lord?

Who walks by faith alone? (We- we actually are meant walk by faith, not by sight, but I digress)

I have been through the stage of “what ifs” and I still go through it now and again sometimes and if it’s the same for you, let’s explore what can help us who struggle with God’s will.

And of course, our exploration begins with the Word…

For the duration of this study now, let’s let the fear go and let us let the Word sink into us.

 

What can make the struggle between doing God’s will and our fleshy desires easier?

 

Romans 12:1-2

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

 

Now, I’ve never seen this before but there’s a direct correlation between “giving our bodies as living sacrifice to God and knowing His will for our lives”

For me, when I grapple with what God wants to do in my life, I keep my intellect, emotions, body and life away from God.

I’m saying “Lord, I can’t give it to you, I can’t, I just cant”

But here’s what we really need to do if we are to know and follow God’s will for us.

From Romans 12:1-2 above, we must give our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice, as this is truly the way to worship Him.

And someone maybe saying “hold up, doesn’t giving my body to God mean that I am to abstain from pre-marital sex and sexual immorality?”

I’d say yes, but let’s look deeper…

As someone who almost has a degree in struggling with God’s will – I mean, at a time I didn’t want to pray about something because I was scared about getting the answer…

What I was doing then was withholding my body – my life from God.

But Romans up there says that “giving our bodies to God is truly the way to worship Him”

So can we see that worship isn’t just lifting hands in church?

Our lives – the way we live, surrendering our bodies to God is true worship too.

In relation of that verse to me too, it’s not just my withholding my body from God, it’s my withholding my mind, my thoughts, my intellect away from God. Picking my intent for what I would want to use my body and mind over God’s intent for me.

Now, that’s just the first step to our understanding the deal about struggling with God’s will.

Secondly Paul says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

 

See that?

Let God transform you by changing the way you think, then(and only then) can you learn to know (and follow and obey) what God’s will is for you.

Now, if you must stop grappling with God’s will, you must lay aside all thoughts of your own mind set and thinking.

What is really happening when I don’t want to follow God’s will for me?

I’m basically conforming to the way the world thinks.

I think “Lord, the happening place in the world for Lawyers right now is Lagos, so I believe that that’s where I should be, I will make lots of money and become a powerful lady lawyer”

Or

“I bet that you’d give me a man who’s already established. I am not cut out for one who’s still struggling, I just can’t Lord”

So it goes on and on and on.

The thinking of the world.

The thinking of our own minds may not necessarily be wrong, but what happens when it clashes with what God wants for us?

What happens when God is saying I have better for you?

One thought must then be let go for the other to take charge.

Which would it be?

The Bible makes it clear which mind set should be dropped.

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.”

 

“Do not depend on your own understanding”

What is your own understanding?

Romans 12:2 calls it “the behaviors and customs of this world” and the way we think.

If we must stop struggling with what God wills for us, then we must let our own understanding, intellect, reasonings, etc… let them all go when they conflict with what God has for us.

 

What then happens when we let them go?

Only then can we then know what is God’s will for us and then know that it is pleasing, acceptable and perfect.

And only then can we know this absolutely soothing deal about the will of God…

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

I can’t tell you all just how much that verse soothes me anytime I get worried about what God may want for my life.

Some days when I struggle and struggle, I just let those verses wash over me.

Whatever He has for me is of good and He can never harm me.

Even I may think in moments of doubt that “I can’t get that job, I can never get a godly and wonderful marital future, my business may fall…”

But when God thinks of me, He doesn’t even have moments of doubts like I do.

His own thoughts reflect good for me all round.

He doesn’t see a break in the good stuffs He has planned for me, all He sees is the ultimate good that His plan and will for my life will bring.

And what do I need to do to see what He sees?

Just trust Him.

Just trust what He says in His word…

Sometimes I read Psalm 139 over and over again when I just get a whiff that “oh my God, you are leading me down a path that I won’t ordinarily chose for myself.”

I read and let this sink into me…

Psalm 139:17-18

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them;they outnumber the grains of sand!And when I wake up,you are still with me!”

 

I’ll encourage us to read and meditate on the whole of Psalm 139, it would lay some of our worries to rest.

No wonder David was so secure in God.

Through his journey in the wilderness to becoming king, he always knew that God’s thoughts towards him were precious.

Just as His thoughts towards us are precious and lovely and good and amazing and contain no harm at all.

 

It’s amazing isn’t it?

So why should we be struggling with following the path He has laid in our hearts to follow?

The path can only lead us to a glorious futures.

So struggle with God’s will, be gone!

If I have to read His Word every moment for His Word to wash over me and still my raging heart, I will.

I will rest, assured that He has got me.

As you should too.

I finally surrendered it all to God after about one week of struggling with “what ifs” and even though He hasn’t still given me an answer, I just feel such peace, such peace that He has got me.

Whatever you say Lord, I will do it.

Wherever you say, I will go.

My body, will, intellect, I lay down at your altar.

You will take care of me, I know.

I trust You.

It’s a sweet surrender that I’m still basking in and one that I hope this study can lead us all to bask in.

Time and time again when you feel worried, read those scriptures above and let them sink into you.

God’s got us in whatever path He choses to take us through…ALWAYS.

 

Prayer:

Lord I desire to do your will.

I desire to walk with you and what you have for me.

Every thought in my mind, every mind set that isn’t of you, I lay down at your altar.

Let me know your will for my life and give me grace to follow and obey.

I trust You Lord, I trust You.

 

 

 

And so, it’s awesome to be back on #OnlineBibleStudy again right?

I know, its awesome for me too!

Who can understand with me how absolutely delightful it is to dig into God’s Word?

It just gives such joy and pleasure! More so because everything in it is true – true through and through.

And a bigger part of this study is our fellowship with each other.

What did you get in your heart as you studied along?

Are you currently struggling with God’s will?

Did this help?

Can you share with us what helped you in the past?

The comment section is open, please drop your thoughts, I always love to read them.

 

And if you haven’t read this before, I transcribed Nathaniel Bassey’s message on the will of God here and here

Do well to click on it and read. It’s a message that will be of immense help to you.

 

 

Till our next #OnlineBibleStudy,

Much love,

Frances.