Praying the Will of God

Praying the Will of God

The beginning of your journey in the life in Christ is knowing that nothing in this kingdom is of you.

1. God, the Source of all Creation
And it begins with your understanding of how humanity as indeed all creation came into being, that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them creating them for his pleasure.

Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

So, it is conclusively safe and biblically consistent to say we exist at God's pleasure. We owe him our life because he gave it to us, for it belongs to him.

2. Salvation Experience
That we are saved by grace through faith and it is not of us.

Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:3-7
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

3. Call to Life in Christ
Upon your salvation, you are inducted into life in Christ and you are empowered by God for that life. Under no circumstance are you left to yourself to figure it out alone. You are empowered by the Holy Ghost, planted in a church, and given a ministry gift to help you in your journey, to present you perfect at the appearing of Christ. All these points to one thing, it is not of you.

Philippians 2:12-13
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Romans 12:3-6
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

4. Supply belongs to God
Being humans not ordinary ones though but ones with hope of eternal life, we have interactions with this world, after all we live here. God has made adequate provisions for our time here with unfettered access to him to draw on his provision by our prayer.

Mark 11:22-24
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

This is possible because supply belongs to God.

2 Corinthians 9:8-10
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

In fact, Paul also prayed for supplies for the Philippian church and that is because supply belongs to God.

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

5. It is not about you
Having established that God is the source of all thing and to him all things belong, who and what we are today, in the spirit and flesh is of him, it is not unthinkable to say all things revolves around the counsel of His will.

Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Ephesians 1:3-14

For the umpteenth time, it cannot be over emphasized that asking whatsoever you desire is not ungodly and should also be deemed praying according to the will of God. Nonetheless, how consistent is your "whatsoever" with what God is doing on the earth today? To desire for a befitting living condition is not evil in itself but for what purpose? To consumed it on your pleasures? Are you consumed with it that you relegate the will of God to the background? Your requests are all or mostly centered on your on pleasures, the next house, car, holiday, clothes, degree, your prosperity in the things of this world.

James described this as asking amiss. To ask and not receive because the desire is out of lust, your sensual pleasures. James 4:1-10

If it is about God, then our prayers should be aligned with his will, his plan and program, what he is doing in the world today including our "whatsoever". God, with utmost fidelity, is committed to his will, plan and purpose. What is God doing in the world today?

Galatians 1:3-4
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

1 Timothy 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

The final instruction of Jesus to the apostles captured what is most important to him. It is what in contemporary times we call will, a man's last wishes, instructions on how things pertaining to him should be conducted while he is away.

Matthew 28:19-20
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:15-18
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Luke 24:46-47
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

When the Lord appeared to Paul too, the one born out of due time, his mandate was same as the first apostles.

Acts 26:16-19
But rise , and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

So, the will of God today is the saving the souls of the lost. All that God is doing today, is to get the gospel to people so they can be saved. In fact, the church is given mandate to raise men to do the work of ministry. Ephesians 4:11-15

1 John 5:13-15
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

At the end of the day, the people who love the Lord do his will, always!

Mark 3:32-35
And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

To know the perfect will of God, the bible says we need transformation by the renewing of our minds in which our minds are reconditioned to recognize and focus on what matters before God. Remember, you cannot run carnal race to obtain eternal prize.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1 John 2:17
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

And follow biblical examples, imitating their faith. In fact, we have examples and instructions to pray in the direction of what God is doing. This one, God will reward.