Christian Living
“I make mention of you always in my prayers, making a request if, by some means ... I may find a way in the will of God to come to you”
Romans 1:9-10
Welcome to 2012 and to our new blog site – www.thereturnoftheking.wordpress.com !
As we draw closer to the return of the Lord, it has become imperative for us to help find ways to encourage and strengthen one another. I hope that the blog would not only create more opportunities for us to interact as a family but also give us a chance to share our personal struggles with a view to finding the love, counsel, prayer and the faith of others that is able to help us to finish strong.
Today, I share a word on the importance of not only discovering God’s purpose, but also on the greater need to find a way in the will of God to pursue that purpose.
Known and acknowledged as being sold out to God and to His kingdom, Apostle Paul’s statement in Romans 1:9-10 reflects a cardinal attribute of his life and one which I believe allowed him to be so mightily used of God.
In it he informs the church at Rome of his desire to visit but tells of his persistent prayer that God may help him to find a way to do so in His will.
Given the repeated persecution, arrests and imprisonments he suffered, a visit of any sort was probably a matter sensitive enough for him to seek God’s approval. And yet his desire to visit only in God’s will was not based on caution or care for his life for though when a prophecy came warning him of the persecution and imprisonment that awaits him in Jerusalem (Acts 21:4; 10-14) he waived it stating that he was ‘ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus’.
Our knowledge of God’s will is no guarantee that we would always be mindful to do it in His way. There are examples of men who knew God’s will and yet suffered the dire consequences of their lack of commitment to finding a way to do what they knew had to be done in His will. One of such is the story of the prophet as told in I Kings 13. Another is that of Moses as told in Numbers 20:7-13. An ability or means to do otherwise, as was in Moses’ case who on God’s instruction had taken the same rod that had brought water from the rock and parted the Red Sea in his hands. Yet God’s instruction that He takes the rod was not a sign that using it was in His will.
Being mindful to do what needs to be done on issues where we really have no choice does not say much of us. But to have the liberty to do otherwise and yet concede that liberty opting rather to find the means to ensure that it is done in God’s will is, I believe, the hallmark of a life completely devoted to God.
Our devotion to handle matters in God’s way will protect us from the modern and prevalent attitude that the end justifies the means.
Knowing God’s will on an issue is great. But sometimes, the will of God does appear difficult, impracticable or out rightly impossible to do. So, what do we do? Do we abandon doing God’s will because we cannot seem to figure out how it can be done? No, we hold on steadfastly committed to God’s will, but we earnestly ask the Lord to help us find a way to do so in His will. We have His promise to make a way of escape for us.
For example:
• We are under intense pressure and persecution to experience God’s intervention to bring an end to our long wait for healing, employment, a life partner, the fruit of the womb, etcetera. Suddenly we learn of a place (probably called a church) where others who share similar fate as ours seem to go and instantly receive a solution to their problems. We go there in search of a testimony but strongly perceive or observe certain practices that do not align with the Word of God. Do we put aside our perceptions or observations or do we earnestly pray for God’s grace to help us discern if finding a solution there is in His will or not?
• We are in ministry and find that somewhere along the line we seem to have lost the intimacy and worship that once were the hallmarks of our walk with God. Now we find that we are able to go from year to year on a combination of human wisdom, charisma, human intelligence and experience, human and financial support – these all seem to be able to produce a work that outwardly show all the signs of success. Do we continue or do we stop and earnestly cry to God to help us to find a way to do His work in His will?
• After a long wait for a life partner, one emerges within the body that appears to love God as much as we do. The physical chemistry essential to marriage is evident and he insists on pre-marital sex as a condition for courtship. Faced with the threat of separation, do we put the need for abstinence aside and make light of the need for it or do we separate ourselves to ask God for help to find a way to carry on in courtship in His will?
• While it is essential for us as Christians to test every spirit and ensure that those to whom we have yielded ourselves to (as spiritual covering) are genuinely God’s, nevertheless we must ask God for help to find a way, in His will, to access the authenticity of their walk with God. We must flee the temptation to slander or speak evil of things we know little or nothing about.
We must not allow self will and the physical and or financial ability to execute a task without the need to revert to God lure us into believing that we are capable, outside of His help, to know how His will is best served. Proverbs 3:5-6 admonishes us to not lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways to acknowledge Him and thus shall He direct our paths. See also Proverb 14:12.
There are no greater places to ensure that we seek to do things God’s way than in those areas where what we do are outwardly regarded as His will.
May God, in whom we live, move and have our being grant us the grace to never cease to ask or receive from Him help to find a way to always do His will in Jesus’ precious name. Amen!
Shalom!
Chi Onwuchekwa
www.thereturnoftheking/wordpress.com
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 644 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Chi Onwuchekwa or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 644 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.