Why do we sometimes feel God doesn’t hear our prayers? How to pray in a manner that we can be assured of answers at all times?
Overview
What does seeking God’s will mean?
What are the types of God’s will for you?
- Fulfilled will – completed through his Son
- Revealed will – parent’s responsibility, Christ Centered home
- Specific will – marriage, Career
- Grey Areas – principles will help us make a decision in these grey areas
- For what purpose did God call us?
- What are some important principles in finding God’s will?
- What means God uses to guide us?
What is our responsibility?
Seeking God’s Will
A general idea of what it means is found in Matthew 6:33 …But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well….
- Why do we need to know God’s will?
He is ruling our hearts, minds, and actions, including our motivations and desires. So, we seek what is best, as Jesus has planned out the best for us.
- How can we know his will?
It is about placing Christ foremost as Savior and Lord and allowing Him to guide us.
- What will be our loss if we don’t seek his will?
When we only look to ourselves or what we want, we miss His golden opportunities and goodness.
God’s Will
Fulfilled Needs through Jesus
Need for Love
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).
Need for Family
God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world. 5 God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan (Ephesians 1:4-5).
So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, & you belong to God’s household. Ephesians 2:19)
Need for Life
- I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).
- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).
Need for Guidance
- You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t rely on your own intelligence. Know him in all your paths,& he will keep your ways straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Need for Strength & Victory
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I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
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God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Need for Protection
- You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t rely on your own intelligence. Know him in all your paths,& he will keep your ways straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Need for Forgiveness
- Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Act 2:38).
- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Need for Health/Healing
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If any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore them to health. And if they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5 :14-15)
Need for Food & Clothing
- Why do you worry? “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:28,33).
- I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed (Psalm 37:25-26).
Need for Wisdom
qIf any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).
Need for Hope
- In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4).
- We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).
Need for Friendship
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No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends. I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13,15)
Need for Peace
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
- Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27).
All Needs
- God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
- My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
God's Revealed Will
God's Revealed Will
As we seek God’s righteousness, His character and virtues can fill our Life
| Topic | Reference | Topic | Reference |
| Citizenship | Roman 13:1-7, Titus 3:1 | Happiness | Matthew 5:3-12 |
| Cleanliness | II Corinthians 7:1 | Holiness | I Peter 1:13-16 |
| Consecration | Romans 12:1,2 | Honesty | II Corinthians 8:21 |
| Contentment | I Timothy 6:6 | Honor | I Peter 2:17 |
| Courage | Psalm 27:14 | Honor to Parents | Matthew 15:4 |
| Diligence | Romans 12:11 | Hope | I Peter 1:13 |
God's Revealed Will
| Topic | Reference | Topic | Reference |
| Patience | Hebrews 10:36 | Temperance |
I Thessalonians 5:6-8 |
| Duty | Luke 20:21-25 | Humility | Luke 18:9-14 , Philippians 2:3-11 |
| Endurance | Luke 21:9-19, 2Timothy 2:3 | Joy | Luke 10:20 , John 15:11 |
| Faith | Matt 8:5-13 ,Mark 11:22-24 | Kindness | Colossians 3:12,13 |
| Godliness | Titus 2:11-14 | Labor | John 9:4 |
| Forgiveness | Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:31,32 | Love | Luke 10:27, I Cor 13 |
| Freedom | John 8:31-36 | Obedience | John 14:15-24 ,Acts 5:29 |
| Fruitfulness | John 15:1-8 | Overcoming | John 16:33, Revelation 3:12 |
God's Revealed Will
| Peacefulness | John 14:27 Romans 12:18 |
Truth | John 14:6 ,John 17:17 Ephesians 4:14,15 |
| Perseverance | Mark 13:5-13 | Trust | Psalm 37:3-5,Proverbs 3:5,6 |
| Prayer | Luke 11:1-13,Ephesians 6:18 | Steadfastness | I Corinthians 15:57-58 |
| Pure Thinking | Philippians 4:8 | Worship | John 4:23,24 |
| Purity | Matthew 5:27-32 II Timothy 2:22 |
Watchfulness | Mark 13:34-37 |
| Reading the Bible | John 5:39 ,Psalm 1:2 Psalm 119:97 |
Zeal | John 2:13-17,John 6:27 |
| Resolution | Ephesians 6:10-18 | Righteousness | Matthew 5:6,Matthew 6:33 |
| Reverence | Psalm 89:7 | Sincerity | Philippians 1:9,10 |
Revealed Will – Parents’ Responsibility
What responsibility do parents have in bringing up children?
a)Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
b)Proverbs 13: 24 – Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
c)Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Revealed Will – Parents’ Responsibility
Sometimes parents are separated for years because of jobs & financial considerations.
1 Timothy 6:6-10 gives several principles regarding money.
A)What brings contentment? – Religion does make a person rich.
But godliness with contentment is great gain(V6).
B) How much money can I take out of this world? – Nothing
for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. (V7)
Parents’ Responsibility (Cont'd)
C)What should I be content with? –
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.(V8)
D) What happens to people who wants to get rich? (V 9, 10)
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Revealed Will – Christ-Centered Home
For parents & their children to fulfill God’s wonderful plan for their lives they must live together. They can establish Christ- centered home in which the father can instruct the family acc. to scriptures. So that
a)Philippians 2:15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
b)Deuteronomy 6: 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Specific Will of God
For example, guidance or finding God’s will is often restricted to such things as:
- Whom do I marry?
- Where do I work?
- What car should I buy?
- What house should I buy?
- Should I go to college, and if so, where should I go?
But these are specific areas which God will fulfill in his own TIME.
GREY AREAS like Movies, Parties, time pass
What principles will help us make a decision in these areas?
A) 1 Corinthians 6: 12 Use your bodies for God’s Glory – “I am allowed to do anything,” you say. My answer to this is that not all things are good. Even if it is true that “I am allowed to do anything,” I will not let anything control me like a slave.
B) 1 Corinthians 10: 31-33 -So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do it for the glory of God. 32 Never do anything that might make other people do wrong—Jews, non-Jews, or anyone in God’s church.
GREY AREAS - Principles Cont'd
1 Corinthians 10:33 I do the same thing. I try to please everyone in every way. I am not trying to do what is good for me. I am trying to do what is good for the most people so that they can be saved
C) Romans 14:13 –So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith.
D) Romans 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin
Grey areas
The verses above indicate that:
- a) God has given a freedom to do anything but said not to become slaves of it. g watching TV is not harmful but becoming a slave to it is not good.
- b) Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
- c) Do it all for God’s glory. Please keep watch on your steps & ask before whether this step of mine will bring glory to God or not.
- d) Anything that is NOT based on faith is sin. (Romans 14:23)
Our responsibility
How does God accomplish His will in my life?
Philippians 2:13 – Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it.
What is our responsiblity?
Philippians 2: 12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed
not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence,
continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
Specific Will of God
For example, guidance or finding God’s will is often restricted to such things as:
- Whom do I marry?
- Where do I work?
- What car should I buy?
- What house should I buy?
- Should I go to college, and if so, where should I go?
But these are specific areas which God will fulfill in his own TIME.
References
1. Content taken from Navigators’ LOAD (life of a disciple) series
2. Powerpoint made by Swati Griffin Salins