Crucial Habits That Open Your Spiritual Ears to God’s Will
Over and over I hear, “I just want to know God’s will for my life.” but the will of God is not complicated. When you are born again, the desire to do His will becomes part of your nature. As you grow in your relationship with the Lord, His will for your life becomes a natural flow that leads you into the plans and purpose He has ordained for your life.
The Scripture is actually very clear on the will of God: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). Your first step is to change the way you think. This is a work in progress throughout your life. There is only one way to change your thinking: you must understand how God thinks by reading His Word.
A key scripture in my life is Proverbs 4:20-23 (NLT)” “My child, pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.”
“Above all else.” What does that mean? Above everything in your life. What’s in your heart determines the course of your life. That includes following God’s plan for your life. This Scripture is key to the Kingdom lifestyle.
If you want to know God, you must pay attention, listen carefully and not lose sight of His Word; then you will walk in His perfect will for your life.
As you read and study the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will open the eyes of your understanding, and the Word of God will become life to you (Eph. 1:15-23).
God’s will is not focused on what you eat for dinner, where you go to school, what you do when you grow up or whom you will marry. It is about what we do to position our heart with His heart to hear His voice. Jesus tells us in John 10:4b, “And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” Your heart needs to pick up the heartbeat of God.
I don’t understand how it all happens, but I know only God can change a person’s heart. Phil. 2:13 tells us, “For God is the One working in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure.”
It is not about trying to do more but trusting more. As we learn to yield our heart by asking the Holy Spirit to work in us, He will work to revive, renew and regenerate us.
How do you guard your heart? As always the answer, is in the Word of God. Scripture speaks about our lifestyle as a child of God: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
Rejoicing, praying and giving thanks are acts of our will, especially in times of trials and temptations. Thanksgiving draws attention from heaven. A heart of thanksgiving comes from a humble attitude which calls out to God, praying for His wisdom for your life. This is a lifestyle we develop, not a reaction during a crisis. Trials in our lives have a way of exposing the degree that our mind is renewed.
As Jesus was preparing the disciples for His departure, He gave them what I think of as the ultimate promotion: “I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I have heard from My Father have I made known to you” (John 15:15). He has made known all things from the Father in His Word. This invitation is an open invitation for you and me today. God’s heart desires relationship, and our heart must respond with thanksgiving. A servant does not know what the master is doing, but a friend knows and understands what his master is doing. A servant works to please; a friend enjoys His presence.
Our friendship and communion with the Lord is the power source of our life that connects us with our purpose in life. You do not have to try to figure out your life. When your heart is yielded, your mind renewed and your body surrendered, you will walk right into that place called “there” for you in this life!
Thanksgiving is not a day; it is a lifestyle. It prepares the way for a miracle and is the voice of faith. Thanksgiving is the bedrock of Christianity from which you build your Kingdom lifestyle to do the will of God for your life. {eoa}
Joyce Tilney is the Founder of Women of God Ministries, teaching women today from women of yesterday. She is an author and Bible teacher. Visit www.wogministries for more information. Her book and workbook, Why Diets Don’t Work—Food Is Not the Problem, share her testimony of how the Lord helped her lose 90 pounds. Visit the website: www.whydiets.com for information.
