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The Secret of Knowing God’s Will

19 Nov

I’ve been posting about the power of God at work in us.  This is the power that changes us and others.  We saw that the first component of the Holy Spirit’s power in us is love.  It’s this love of Christ that provides the spiritual pressure that propels us forward.

We started by looking at Paul’s view of this power.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

The second component of power is described here as self-discipline.  Actually the word translated self-discipline is literally a saved mind in the Greek.  I believe that the two components of power in the Word of God are love and a saved mind.  If we follow this through we find that the rest of Scripture confirms this.

Remember what I said about electrical power.  The two parts were voltage and current.  How does electrical current relate to the truth of a saved mind?  Physically speaking, current is electrical movement.  Current is how fast the electrons are moving through the wires.  In the verse we read from Second Timothy, Paul said that the components of spiritual power were love and a saved mind.  Just how important is it to possess a “saved mind?”

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

Without a saved mind, a mind that has been washed and renewed by the Word of God, we will never grasp what God’s will is for our lives.  The problem is that most modern Christians don’t place a priority upon renewing their minds.  We want to think and act the way the world does.

This makes for a very interesting dilemma.  Most Christians seem to want to know God’s will for their lives.  Yet, we don’t prepare our minds to receive it.  According to this verse the only way to know God’s will, is to renew your mind.

This was evident in the ministry of Christ.

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
John 6:38

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
John 4:34

In natural terms, electrical current is the movement of electricity in the lines.  Power requires movement or action.  Jesus was able to move and act because His mind was attuned to God’s will.  It’s clear from Scripture and the life of Christ that a saved mind is spiritual current because it produces action.  We know from the Word of God that “faith without works [action] is dead.” (James 2:17)  A saved mind is a mind that is full of faith THAT ACTS upon that faith.

Question: Is renewing your mind a priority in your walk with Christ?  What do you do to accomplish this?

© Nick Zaccardi 2012

 
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Posted by on November 19, 2012 in Power of God

 

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No Turning Back – Part 2

21 Jul

Genesis 12:4-6
So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.  At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

The story of Abram’s life always amazes me.  The Word of God was not in written form yet, so he had no Bible.  He had nothing written, upon which to base his trust of God.  Yet, with open arms, he received the promise of God as the path for his life.

Not only was he convinced of the Lord’s faithfulness himself, but it spilled over.  A whole host of others were willing to put their future into the hands of his God based solely upon Abram’s word.  Two whole households moved to a new country in response to the call of God.

Is your faith that evident?  Are there people that have trusted God based upon your word and the testimony of your life?  We need to walk in the things we believe.  Our faith needs to be seen and felt by those around us.

We have the written Word of God.  We have thousands of years of history to view the faithfulness of God.  How can we ever doubt Him?

If you have never made a decision to set the Word of God as the path for your life, today is the day for you.  Spend time, today, placing your destiny firmly in the hands of the Lord.

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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The Word

14 Jul

Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

In this passage, the Word of God is compared to a double-edged sword.  The Word of God is sharp enough to cut through all your barriers to get to the real you.  It knows where you live.  It will find you and you cannot hide from it.  People try to run from the Word, but it catches up with them.

Once the Word of God is sown into your heart it’s inescapable.  As we walk through our everyday lives, we find that the world is alive with testimonies to God’s truth.  The Word of God opens your eyes to them all around you.  The Holy Spirit can speak sermons to you throughout the day.

Once activated in a person’s life, the Word cannot be stopped.  It will achieve that for which God empowered it.  Just think of the effect it will have if we yield to its power.  If I line my ways up with God’s ways, I will see a greater degree of transformation taking place in a shorter time.

Don’t fight it.  Let the Word of the Lord do its work in your life.  Don’t go a day without prayerfully reading a portion of Scripture.  After you’ve done that, then meditate on it throughout the day.  It is life-changing.  Apply it to your life, and see the difference it will make.

 
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Posted by on July 14, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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Famine

06 Jul

Genesis 42:1-5
When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”  He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt.  Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.  But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.  So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

Many people down through the ages have had to deal with famine.  Sometimes it’s a dry weather pattern.  It might be poor farming techniques.  Whatever its cause in a particular area, its effects can be devastating.  We have all seen pictures of famine victims from around the world and maybe have even sent some money to help relieve the suffering.

The Bible speaks, however, of an even greater famine that is experienced by His people.  I’m talking about a famine of the Word of God.  It seems that these days, it’s not a famine of availability but a famine of receiving.

In the above verses Jacob’s sons were willing to take a wilderness journey of many weeks in order to satisfy their physical hunger.  With us – if it’s not handed to us on a platter, we are not willing to strive spiritually.

We need to take the initiative to hear from God’s Word.  Are we willing to put forth the effort to receive a feeding that will last throughout time and eternity?  Avoid a famine of the soul.  Spend quality time in prayer, read the Word, and hear from God that your spirit may be full.

 
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Posted by on July 6, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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