Chapter 11: Knowing the Will of God

I have been instructed by the Lord to do an expository of the New Testament. Normally one would start such a task with the four Gospels, or at least with the Book of Romans, the first Epistle to the Church. But I chose to start with the Book of Colossians, mainly because it was a short book, (only four chapters).

Little did I know that it was the Lord leading me to start there. He said the Book of Colossians is the “hub” of the New Testament. Suddenly, the thought of doing an expository became more and more exciting. The Lord was declaring the Book of Colossians to hold nearly every aspect of the mystery of Christ, if studied properly.

Colossians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, What is the will of God; and how can anyone be sure that what one thinks to be the will of God is truly His will? This is the question the Body is asking today. It seems no matter how the revelation of Christ in the Church unfolds, this question is either on the lips, or buried in the hearts of God’s people.

It seems, after so much revelatory knowledge, it would be easy to discern the will of God. But that has not been the case. Many are still perplexed and even fall into despair, when ‘knowing the will of God is crucial to their well-being.

Well beloved, prepare yourself to receive the cold facts and raw truth about the matter. All the promises of God are yea, and there is no shadow of turning in Him. Therefore, His promises are sure. But the Church has become so accustomed to struggling with the principles of its Faith, until it has made the promises of God of none effect. Unbelief is the sin that besets the Church and causes it to stagger at the words of our Lord. Consider the following.

John 16:12

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. The Master here speaks to His disciples who are not yet born again. Therefore, He realizes there is only so much they will comprehend of His Word. They were natural men. They could not bear the knowledge of God living in their natural bodies. This great God of creation is coming down from the heavens to live and fellowship with them. This was inconceivable.

John 16:13

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:

When the Holy Ghost is come; they would be able to bear this great truth. It is also by the Holy Spirit that we begin to understand the mystery of our salvation. Why? Because He will come to dwell in us and bear witness with our spirit that Jesus is the Lord from Heaven. For he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He will speak that which He hears. The question here should be; to whom is the Holy Spirit listening? The answer is simple; He is the spokesman for the Royal Family. But He is not eavesdropping; He is a part of the conversation. It was the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost who discussed the possibility of making man in their own image. In Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and as he is, so are we. Therefore, in us is the fullness of God. Jesus declares the Holy Spirit will speak to us. It is the will of the Father to speak to the Sons just as He spoke to and through Jesus. Whatever the Holy Ghost hears that He will speak. We cannot get around that truth. It is ordained of God for the Spirit to speak to the children of God. Therefore, the problem is not that the Holy Spirit is in rebellion and simply refuses to speak to the Sons. That is absurd. I submit that the source of the problem lies with the Sons. Why do we not hear when the Spirit speaks? Could it be unbelief has become more powerful than the witness within us? If so, what is it many don’t believe? Due to the effect of tradition and false doctrines that were fed to the Body of Christ, it is almost impossible to believe the Almighty God, the one who created the universe, actually lives within us. Thus it is also impossible to fellowship with this God. Traditional beliefs have made the Word of God (the truth) of noneffect in the lives of many in the Body of Christ. Tradition and false doctrines did not allow us to see salvation from God’s perspective. Even though we confess Christ is in us, that confession is not with the conviction that our body is the temple of God and His Son. Such a convicted confession would mandate a mentality that says, “My body is not my own; it no longer belongs to me but it is indeed the body of Christ.”

It is the desire of the Lord to speak to His people. But again, why is this so difficult for the Church to grasp? If the Body of Christ truly believed that Jesus Christ is living in their fleshy bodies as a new man, it would be much easier to believe that the new man wants to fellowship with them.

1 John 1:3

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

The best word to define fellowship is communication.

1 John 1:4

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. The purpose of fellowship is to always know the Father’s mind and heart in a matter. It is to hear from the Lord so we are not perplexed or grievous.

1 John 1:5

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. This verse starts with “this then,” which means ‘so,’ ‘also,’ or ‘moreover.’ God is light and in him is no darkness.

1 John 1:6

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

Darkness is any form of sin, fear, or unbelief. When we step outside the boundaries of the Faith, we have no fellowship with God. He is not compelled to communicate with us. The instruction was “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). We can spend decades looking for ways to get God’s attention when all it takes is holiness.

1 John 1:7-8

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. Many saints deceive themselves by declaring themselves to be without sin simply because they don’t commit the big eyebrow-raising sins. But if the heart is not in agreement with anything that is the mind of God, then fellowship is broken and the darkness prevails in your soul.

Those who are in fellowship with God are not walking the earth as blind sheep, fearful and afraid of the gods of this world. When every situation in which you are not able to control brings about fear, and every circumstance that places your desire to do the work of God seemingly out of reach, brings despair; then you are not in fellowship with God. When godly decisions are laced with mental anguish and the fear of threatening consequences, one is truly walking in darkness. This kind of fear is ungodly. Fellowship is the platform on which God speaks to His people. Without it there is no hearing from the Father for leadership or guidance.

It is true that the Word of God is His written will. However, there are times and situations that are not explicitly written in the scriptures to indicate what we are to do or where we are to go. It is in these times that the Father’s will is made known to us, through fellowship. The Lord communicated with the apostles after He went back to glory. He did so in dreams, visions and a spoken word to their spirit. Will He not do the same with us? Is it so hard to believe the Father is not a respecter of persons? We are all His children; by the same Spirit we cry, ‘Abba Father’.

To cut to the chase, holiness is the criterion for fellowshipping with the Father and the Son. But sin and unbelief have destroyed communication with God. It is a cursed generation that cannot commune with a God who promises to lead and guide His people. This curse will come upon those who refuse to walk within the boundaries of the Faith. Jeremiah, the prophet is our schoolmaster in this.

Jeremiah 42:7-14

7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.

8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;

10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,

14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

The Israelites went into Babylon as an oppressed people. It was God’s will for them to serve the Babylonians for 70 years. Nevertheless, the promise of the Lord was that there would be safety in their servitude. Because it was the will of God for them to be in such a place, He would protect them there. Not only so, but He would also bring them into their own land at the appointed time.

Many saints are ignorant of the will of God for their lives because at some point they strayed from the course He set them on. Many are like the unconverted Peter: they really believe they will never abandon the Lord nor His way, until either a grievous circumstance or the prospect of need arises. It is here that faith and trust vanish. Peter did not agree with the route God set for Jesus. He did not understand that suffering always precedes glory. Jesus learned obedience to the Father by the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). It might have been rugged and hard, but it was the will of God.

Verse 14…Saying, No; but we will… Most saints do not see their refusal to walk in the place where they must endure hardness as the act of saying ‘no’ to God. But we are saying no when we look for an alternative place to settle, (a comfortable non- threatening zone), where there will be no war, (adversity); nor hunger for bread, (a place of worldly prosperity and security). These saints believe they are doing that which is in their best interest. However, the Lord’s response to this behavior is not good for them at all. In essence, they have usurped their will above His. They have not regarded His desire for their lives and have gone about to establish their own. Just as the Jews said to God “No, but we will,” so has the Body of Christ said the same. Many have walked in their own will with very little regard for the will of God. The bottom line here is many do not hear the voice of God because their own will stands between Him and them.

Some in the Body have made a resolve in their spirit that no one is going to lead them outside of their comfort zone; this includes the spiritual government in the Body as well as the Holy Ghost Himself. Although they might seem to be some of the most loyal and virtuous individuals in a ministry, their variance to spiritual authority is not visible until the Holy Ghost makes a demand of them that takes the soul out of its place of comfort and control.

In considering the schoolmaster for this principle, Jeremiah the prophet enquired of God as to where the people were to go. They said they would obey the Lord, regardless of what His word is to them, (whether it is good or evil). But the report was for them to dwell in Babylon under the king of that nation. They were not to leave or attempt to escape to Egypt where the king of Babylon had no real grievance at that time.

In some cases, the Father has had such people under observation for years. They seem to be loyal and dedicated to the will of God and to their ministries. They’re not lazy or slothful; in fact, many are very hard workers. But they are also idol worshippers. They are good at what they do; but they are only good because they are doing it their way and in their timing. They are will-worshippers. They worship their own will. Therefore, they have no problem saying to their leaders or to the Holy Ghost, “No, but I will do this or that; No, but I will go here and not there.”

These Sons have violated the most sacred of all laws; “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Their will is their god; they are usurpers. The scripture has said, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13). The work should be that which God has chosen to do through us according to the good pleasure of His will, not ours. Thus the will and the work should be a manifestation of God in us. If we obey and submit, God renders a promise to “make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well- pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:21). God works in us through Jesus Christ, who is the new man dwelling in our fleshy bodies. Submission to this plan of action developed by God will make our works perfect before Him. Please note the promise made to Judah:

If ye will still abide in this land

• then will I build you, Obedience to God always brings about increase and expansion; spiritual knowledge and revelation, and the privilege to serve. Will-worshippers do not reverence servitude as a privilege in the heart; they merely speak of it as such with lip-service.
• and not pull you down, Sooner or later the Lord will execute judgment on those who walk in their own will. The deception here is that judgment has not come. But the truth is, it will come either in this world or the world to come.
• I will plant you. The only surety we have in this life is if the Father establishes us. Doing His will makes us valuable to the Body of Christ and guarantees us a steadfast place in the Kingdom.
• and not pluck you up. When we judge ourselves as successful doing our own will, a sense of false security is developed.

If someone were to ask, “Do you believe God can blow on all that you are doing and bring all your efforts to naught? The answer undoubtedly would be yes. But the truth is though many saints know that God can indeed to this, they don’t really believe in their hearts that He will. The will-worshipper hides behind his good works and good moral behavior. These give him a sense of false security. But God said to Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”

Now let us continue with our schoolmaster.

Jeremiah 42:15-18

15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;

16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them

18 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. When you depart from the way of the Lord and the route He places you on, trouble is in your path. There is no security that is able to protect you against disobedience to God. The Lord said something to me that echoes loud in the Church today: The people of God seem to think Servitude in the Kingdom of God is an option. They seem to believe that if they do nothing spiritual to add to the Kingdom of God, it is well with their soul. But that is a gross deception. We are all called to the ministry of reconciliation and every path God sets for us is designed to give us the opportunity to influence the lives of others. This may not be preaching or teaching; it may be giving, administration, helps or some other provision for the Body that God has compacted us with. Therefore, the Lord will lead and guide you to that place of servitude which will glorify Him in the end. Most likely these are places of sacrifice. They may also promise to hold no good thing for the flesh. However, the spirit will be fulfilled. Whenever God’s Word to you becomes a controversy in you, the door of communication with God is shut. Those who come to fellowship with the Lord must first believe that he is and that he rewards those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). This diligent seeking is “to ask back,” “require,” “to search out or investigate.” To ask back is to bring the Word back to God’s hearing, or rather to ask those things that are relative to His purpose.

And while we’re on the subject of the flesh let me make it clear, that it is not the flesh that sins. The flesh seeks nothing. It is the soul that seeks those things that are comfortable to its flesh. But these are prayers that go amiss, for they have no regard for the mission of Christ. Your comfort zone for the flesh is a place of “do nothing” for Jesus. If your soul seeks after the comforts of this world, while Jesus is seeking to win the lost at any cost to the flesh, you will never have true fellowship with the Father, Son or Holy Ghost. You will always be perplexed regarding direction for your life.

DIRECTION IN MINISTRY

Another place the enemy seems to take the advantage is when the sons, who are not in true fellowship with God, take the posture that if God wanted them to do something, He would just tell them personally. But take note of the fact that God also uses His leaders to give us direction for our ministries.

Acts 13:1-4

1 Now there were in the Church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. “The Holy Ghost said,” is the problem in the many spiritual circles today. Why did not God speak directly to Saul and Barnabas? Instead, He spoke through His servants. He gave ministerial instruction to Paul and Barnabas through the mouth of others. But when will-worship is a factor, the servants of God are seen after the flesh.

WILL WORSHIP

Colossians 2:18-19

18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary(of the will or willful) humility (fane or false humility) and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Will-worship does not regard Christ as Lord of the flesh. It does not fully embrace the revelation of the new man who lives in us to will and to do.

Colossians 2:20-23

20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Verse 20 directs us to the fact that we live in the Spirit, and not in the world. Therefore, why would we be subject to ordinances of the Old Testament that governed the activities of the flesh? This verse is written with a very matter-of-fact mindset. It points to the new creature (soul), who is baptized in the Spirit. He actually lives in the Holy Ghost.

Now the body that was once under the ordinances of the Old Covenant, is now the “new man.” It is Jesus Christ in the flesh again. But Jesus is the fulfilling and the end of the law. He is the righteousness of God manifested in a human body. God made the body holy through the circumcision of the flesh that it might be kept blameless until the coming of our Lord and Savior. Therefore, what would be the need for such ordinances in the first place? Furthermore, the sin of the sons is not of the flesh, it is of the spirit or soul. Thus the divers washings and ordinances of the Old Covenant would not be able to cleanse a son of God from sin anyway. Darkness must be purged from the soul that usurps authority over Christ and commits sin.

SUBSTITUTING MORALITY FOR CHRIST

Will-worship is an abomination before the Lord because it negates the work of the Cross. When it is not God through Jesus Christ who both wills and to do in and through you, then it is your will that dictates the work of the flesh. Revelation falls to intellect, purity kneels to pride and ministry becomes a job. But the greatest deception of all is when good moral standards become a substitute for Christ. One can easily be deceived when they exalt their good moral behaviors to the right hand of God. The soul that prides itself in keeping the moral commandments and the ordinances of man; but will not present its body as a living sacrifice to be led by the Spirit and the government of God, is grossly deceived. Good moral standards do not always reflect the character of Christ. Christ is longsuffering, forbearing and willing to suffer and obey the will of God in all things.

WILL-WORSHIP IN PRAYER

It is true that God leads and guides us through our personal relationships with Him. However, many who pride themselves on having a great prayer life are deceived because of the disposition of their hearts. For instance, many times in prayer the word we have learned is brought inside of our dialogue with God. However, the word is a mirror and it provides us with a revelation of ourselves. This revelation of our spiritual disposition is often rendered as, “God spoke to me last night and showed me thus and so.” But the truth is if the revelation is negative, then God is merely allowing you to see what stands between you and Him. He wants you to see it, fix it and then come before Him with a righteous heart of obedience.

Furthermore, this revelation of your spiritual disposition is not fellowship with God. It is quite the opposite. You are at the place of washing and cleansing. You are looking at yourself inside the Word as you attempt to talk to God. God is not fellowshipping with you if you have places in your heart that are off limits to Him.

I want to make this very clear. There is a difference between two people who are out of the way, if one’s heart is full of drawbacks and stipulations and the other’s heart is open to obey correction and ‘to go’ or ‘to do’ whatever is the will of God. The latter can achieve fellowship, within which God will chasten or rebuke, regarding his spiritual character.

The word you know will convict you of unrighteousness. Note that many in the Body say, “I really saw myself in that word that was preached.” Well, in prayer we rehearse the word, which is faithful to reveal all unrighteousness. But prayer should be more than a revelation of ones’ faults. It should be true worship, guidance and leadership.

Jeremiah 42:19-22

19 The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.

20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.

22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.

Jeremiah is very forthcoming in his response to the Children of Israel, “For ye dissembled in your hearts…”. This word ‘dissembled’ means to vacillate, stagger, and to be out of the way. Many saints go through all the motions as if they are going to obey whatever it is God asks of them; but in their hearts they know the things they will never consent to; and the places they will never go.

God knows where we have drawn our lines in the sand. He knows there are some things He will never get some of us to willingly do as it pertains to building and edifying the Body of Christ. In such cases, the Will becomes a Wall of partition. This “Will Wall” separates us from the Father and the fellowship we long to have with Him. Some will always say “No, I won’t do that, but I will do thus and so.” Therefore, if such is the case, in prayer, God will only allow you to see the things that hinder you in your pursuit of Christ. Many ministers preach very well the hindrances to walking in the Spirit because they are revealed to them every time they kneel down to pray. For this cause I will continue to pray that we all are filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.