God's will

[Guest agima]

I know God will either answer yes or no to our prayer requests, but I've been told also that if one truly submits himself to God's will then he won't ask for anything 'cos he'll just be following.....

I believe the Bible sets the example that we are to ask. James chapter 4 tells us we have not because we ask not. As long as we have the right motives.

Look at David's Psalms. They are full of requests.

There are limitations. We are not to be selfish. Sure, I would love to live in a big house with a walk in closet and matching dishes, matching furniture, matching towels. But I will not ask for this because if it never happens I will still be happy. And desires like that are ones that God knows anyway. Look at first Kings chapter 3. Solomon was blessed because he did not ask out of selfishness.

I never worry that my desires will not be fulfilled, because as I become closer to God my desires will change. My desire used to be to not be alone. Now I am okay with being single instead of always having relationships that don't work because I trust that one day God will have the right one for me.

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We can ask God for anything. But do we have the wisdom to ask for the right things? That is probably the most important think to ask for. The Wisdom to ask for the things we truly need and the things that others need also.

God does give wisdom to those who are meek enough to know they lack it. Remember the prayer of king Solomon? How it pleased God that he did not ask for riches and stuff but asked for wisdom.

So pray for God to guide you in understanding and wisdom in knowing what to ask for. Pray to Him not to give you the silly things that you do ask for.

All praise The Ancient Of Days

[Guest Teri]

Reading through all of this brings fond memories for me. I remember when my children were small and we were walking across a frozen lake looking at all the houses what I thought rich people had. I lived in a dumpy apartment and struggle daily with putting food on the table after my husband left us. I told God at the time that if He could just make it possible for me to make 10,000 a year we would be fine. Also I had always had a dream from the time I was a little girl about living on the water. I had pushed that dream away because I didn't think it would ever happen and it was just a childish dream. Anyway me and the kids went through a lot of tough times. But somehow and I don't even know how it all came about but I live on water and make alot more than I did back then. Had I not gone through the tough times, I couldn't possible appreciate where the Lord brought me to now. The story of how all this fell together would take too long, but trust me when I say it was truly a miracle in my life. The thing that really hit me after I was here on the lake was that I wasn't even conciensiously looking for it when it fell together. So years after I had forgotten my childhood prayer God didn't forget and He walked me right to it. Looking back over those hard years I can say the thing that I did right was that I put myself last on the list always. If there wasn't enough food to go around I didn't eat. I took in mothers and their children, and befriended a homeless man who has turned out to be one of my very best friends in the world. Now he has a little place with an outhouse and it turns out he's a super mechanic so for those poverty years it came in handy. He now does free work on cars of single mothers. I guess what I'm trying to say is always do the giving thing not the selfish thing and let God decide what is best for you, because truly we don't know, but He does.

In Yeshua's love

Teri

[Guest LadyC]

So how would we know whether we are following God's will?

Is it simply by praying and telling Him that we are willing to submit to His will?

And are we allowed to ask God for the 'desires of our heart' when we pray?

I know God will either answer yes or no to our prayer requests, but I've been told also that if one truly submits himself to God's will then he won't ask for anything 'cos he'll just be following.....

i have not yet read the responses to these questions, but thought i'd answer anyway.

how do we know when we are truly SEEKING God's will? when we are willing to lay our concern at the foot of the cross (and you'll hear me say that a lot), and leave it in God's hands, trusting him in prayer and thanksgiving, we will be given a sense of peace that is beyond anything we can imagine. if we don't get that peace, then it's not of God.

sometimes giving up our own will is the most difficult thing to do. our vision is so clouded with what we desire that we don't allow ourselves to consider that God can see what we can't! but God does see... he sees what the road ahead looks like, and is gently guiding us down the path He knows will benefit us, even if it makes us miserable in the short term.

yes, we're allowed to ask God for the desires of our hearts. but we need to do it in a non-demanding way... in a way that says 'Lord, THIS is my will... and while I want it to be YOUR will, i ask that you give me the grace to accept what your will is if this isn't it'. (but ya gotta mean it!)

i remember once, several years ago, some well meaning christian friends kept telling me i needed to make a list of all the qualities i wanted in a husband, right down to the color of his hair, and pray that god would grant me the desires of my heart... and that he would. well, maybe he would have. but i think by that time i'd grown up enough in Christ to realize that my own desires in a man had proven to get me into bad relationships more times than i could count.

so i prayed that God would bring me the desires of my heart... but i didn't make a list of qualities. my greatest desire would be to have a loving marriage with a man that God chose for me. i was most concerned about the 'sexual compatibility' thing... and i had to remind myself that God created sexuality, and He would not disappoint me in that department either, if i trusted Him.

i admit, i was a bit dubious when my now-husband entered my life. he wasn't at all what i would have chosen for myself. in fact, i had someone else in mind! but when i stopped fighting God over it, i felt an enormous sense of peace. this is the first time in my entire life i can say that i'm in a healthy relationship, and the love doesn't fade... it continues to grow. God has blessed this marriage in ways i could never have imagined, and i thank Him every day for knowing what was best for me.

i have more to add, but i have to take my daughter to the doctor, so it will have to wait.

[artsylady]

Teri:

What an inspiring story! I loved that.

[Guest LadyC]

i'm back to continue my thoughts....

about thinking submitting to God's will is oppressive. God is our heavenly father, so it's only appropriate to think of this in parent/child terms!

when we were children, we often felt that our parents were harsh, over protective, and simply did not understand us. they just didn't know what it was like! doing things there way felt very much like oppression.

then we grow up and have children of our own. they throw temper tantrums. they think we're cruel and heartless. they think we don't understand, and don't know what it's like. they hate having to do things our way, because they feel they are being oppressed. my oldest daughter used to scream at me almost daily that i just 'didn't want to let her be herself'.

fortunately our heavenly father doesn't make mistakes like we human ones do, but the analogy is pretty clear, isn't it? parents understand what kids are going through far more than the kids want to believe... and we know the heartache, and often the danger, that can come from letting them do things their own way. we also know that if they will listen to the wisdom of our years of experience, our foresight, that they will be much happier and healthier individuals.

God gives us free will. sometimes His will matches up with our own will, but most of the time it probably doesn't. God's not trying to oppress us by wanting us to do His will, he just knows wants us to enjoy the rewards that come with trusting him to steer us around life's many pitfalls.

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Reading through all of this brings fond memories for me. I remember when my children were small and we were walking across a frozen lake looking at all the houses what I thought rich people had. I lived in a dumpy apartment and struggle daily with putting food on the table after my husband left us. I told God at the time that if He could just make it possible for me to make 10,000 a year we would be fine. Also I had always had a dream from the time I was a little girl about living on the water. I had pushed that dream away because I didn't think it would ever happen and it was just a childish dream. Anyway me and the kids went through a lot of tough times. But somehow and I don't even know how it all came about but I live on water and make alot more than I did back then. Had I not gone through the tough times, I couldn't possible appreciate where the Lord brought me to now. The story of how all this fell together would take too long, but trust me when I say it was truly a miracle in my life. The thing that really hit me after I was here on the lake was that I wasn't even conciensiously looking for it when it fell together. So years after I had forgotten my childhood prayer God didn't forget and He walked me right to it. Looking back over those hard years I can say the thing that I did right was that I put myself last on the list always. If there wasn't enough food to go around I didn't eat. I took in mothers and their children, and befriended a homeless man who has turned out to be one of my very best friends in the world. Now he has a little place with an outhouse and it turns out he's a super mechanic so for those poverty years it came in handy. He now does free work on cars of single mothers. I guess what I'm trying to say is always do the giving thing not the selfish thing and let God decide what is best for you, because truly we don't know, but He does.

In Yeshua's love

Teri

Beautiful story Teri Welcome to our boards :t3:

All Praise The Ancient Of Days

[Matthitjah]

Grace , Peace, Mercy, and Love in Christ Jesus!

So how would we know whether we are following God's will?

Is it simply by praying and telling Him that we are willing to submit to His will?

And are we allowed to ask God for the 'desires of our heart' when we pray?

The silliest thing I ever asked G-d was, "Am I in your Will?"

I mean no disrespect. I simply mean look back at your life. Whats following behind you? How did you get to this point?

If I weren't in His Will ? I wouldn't be here. I asked Him that one day riding down the road. I had travelled by chance the wrong way. I just felt moved to go that way. My children were asleep in the back of the car. I was moved to go that way. I figured why not? It would give them a chance to sleep.

I encountered on my way back after a leisurelly ride through the country. A pair of young ladys. Their car was stuck on the side of a twisty winding country road. They were in peril. As many oversized construction trucks blasted by. A factory was nearby. They stood bewildered. I distinctly heard the Spirit. Stop and help! So I stopped.

These girls were aprehensive as they should be. I told them look I have a Bible and 2 kids asleep here. They quickly brightened up. They hopped in and I drove them about 4 miles to their parents house.

The funny thing was as I drove we chatted and they told me they were Christian. They were coming from the younger ones Christian school and the car had broken down. They were just praying when I showed up.

Boy did I cry for asking the Lord if I was in His Will that night. Lesson learned Holy Spirit!

What is the desire of your heart?

It better be Jesus!

My pastors wife gave testimony just this week. she has been praying that the Lord would provide for them a house of their own. She had been to see a house. She was in a supposed Christian home. They were likely lukewarm. She couldn't afford it anyway.

She drove away saying Lord I have given up all my hopes and dreams . I have sought you. I have tithed. I have given of my time. Etc....

Then I go and see this lukewarm Christian and her lovely home. I can't even afford it anyway. Lord why won't you give me the desire of my heart?

UH OH! Now she'd done it! Repentance and quickly! For she already had the desire of her heart! The lukewarm Christian had her reward. I hope she likes it. It's just a building of wood and stone.

Isn't the Lord Jesus precious? More precious than that alabaster box? Break it open and pour it on His feet. Annoint Him! Wash His feet with your tears . Dry His feet with your hair. Pour out something more precious than a years wages. Despite the fact that others might think it unwise!

Then you will see Blessings.

Lord when I reach for a crown, give it not. For my reward is giving you Glory! You are so very precious, Jesus!

This is what I'm glad to do! I'm glad to live a life of Love that pleases you.

Bless you Saints,

Dave

[Guest Teri]

Dave that was beautiful and very true. The very best thing I like about where I live is the sunset. On one side of the lake is all kinds of houses clustered together and on the other side is too strips of woods that where they meet there is a V shape. I take people who come by out to the dock at sunset and point to the left of the lake and say look what man can do. Actually it doesn't look very pretty and and it's all bunched together. Then I point to the sunset on the right and say but look what God can do. And there between His trees is a sight of magnificent color and absolute splendor, His way of saying sleep well my beloved. I have watched that sun set for over four years now and not once has it looked the same, meanwhile the other side of the lake gets more and more clustered. And I quietly thank God for the farmer who lives on the right and refuses to give in to the call of riches he could so easily have.

Somewhere in Hosea and I'm sorry I'll try to find it. It says there has been a harvest appointed to each of us. Outside of following what God says is right and wrong which is easily found all through out scripture, I believe that harvest is his will for us. It may have nothing to do with how we earn a living, or who our family is or anything else. If we just pray for His will for us somehow, some way and I don't know how to explain it we just end up where we are supposed to be. All we really have to do is trust Him and do the next right thing and things just seem to work towards His purposes. I think sometimes we are so busy looking for the big thing, we miss the little things God has us doing. I have this kid at work who two years ago started wearing a satanic star. I talk about Jesus all the time just as general conversation, not like preaching or evangelizing but rather just regular, like one would speak of their parent or freind. Anyway a few weeks ago I noticed the star gone. I asked him where it went and he just said he started to think it was stupid. Through the next couple of weeks he was telling me about this band he had started and they at this time play heavy metal. I listened to his enthusiasm and then one day said you know what I think you'll be wonderful and maybe someday if the Lords willing you'll play a song for Him. He smiled so bright and beautiful and said yea that would be great, maybe I will. Right now he still is playing music that is disagreeable to the Spirit within me but that little seed has been planted and with prayer I have full confidence of it's growth even though I can't see it right now. I'm willing to bet alot of us are planting seeds we aren't even aware of. It is truly amazing what God can do with a soft word spoken here or there.

In Yeshua's love

Teri

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Amen Terri

You should post more often girl

All Praise The Ancient Of Days