Knowing the Will of God

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

— 1 Corinthians 2:12

Run Your Race!

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

— Hebrews 12:1,2

These are running days!

These aren’t days to just sit around and wonder what’s going on or to wonder what God is doing. These are days to get connected with the plan of God and RUN our part of the great race — the great plan of God in the earth!

This article was written to stir your heart about God’s will and plan for your life and to share some of the most basic and vital information to help you to get more fully activated in God’s plan.

“Run with Endurance…”

The “race” of God’s will for your life is not like a 100-meter sprint! It is more like a marathon. Endurance is required to successfully run this race!

“The race that has been SET before us…”

God has marked out and laid out a plan for your life! God’s plan is not something you have to invent for yourself. His plan is something that He has already marked out and laid out FOR YOU.

Many people are making up their own plans. But as children of God, we should not settle for just making up our own plans, because God ALREADY HAS A PLAN! We don’t have to make it up. We don’t have to try to think it up. We don’t need to get all of our family and friends together for a brainstorming session. God’s plan has already been prepared for us from before the foundation of the world!

God is The Creator! We are “the created.” It’s now our position as the created to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to The Great Creator and say, “Great Creator, Abba Father, what is this great plan that You have prepared for my life?”

In other words, “Lord, what is the race that You have ALREADY SET before me?”

There’s a race set for each one of God’s children in Christ! It doesn’t matter…

…how old you are.

…how young you are.

…what family you came from.

…what your background is.

…your education level.

…your social status in life.

None of these matter so long as you have been born again into God’s family!

Once you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you have already taken the FIRST STEP to walk out God’s plan and to run the race that He has set before you. Good news! You are on your way!

The race of God’s will and plan for your life has already been prepared.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

— Ephesians 2:10

God’s plan is not for us to INVENT. It’s for us TO DISCOVER!

We don’t need to try and make it up, or even “work it up” in our own strength. Instead, we are called to PRAY IT OUT…to WALK IT OUT…to DISCOVER what God has already prepared for us.

“Before time began…”

who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

— 2 Timothy 1:9

Before time ever began, God saw you “in Christ” as part of His family. And He ordained PURPOSE for you! But not only purpose, He also ordained GRACE for you! And what is God’s grace? It is the ability of God upon your life to accomplish the purpose of God for your life!

Whatever God has purposed and planned for your life, He has also graced you to do it!

The beauty of discovering and walking in God’s plan for your life is that YOU WERE MADE FOR IT! You have been equipped for it! You were created for it!

God’s grace is on your life for HIS PLAN and PURPOSE. There isn’t necessarily any grace from God available for plans and purposes of our own making. This is the cause of much frustration in many Christian lives.

God’s plan works! God’s plan flows! God’s plan goes!

There is provision in God’s plan.

There is anointing in God’s plan.

There is favor in God’s plan.

All that you are looking for is already wrapped up in “the package” of God’s plan!

It’s Already Prepared

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

— Psalm 139:16

It’s now our responsibility to come to our Creator and ASK for that specific plan and purpose for which we were created. The Bible says “you do not have because you do not ask.” (Jas. 4:3)

Many believers are just making up their own plans, without any thought or inquiry of their Creator. But it is foolish to make up our own plans when GOD ALREADY HAS PLANS.

Bringing your own plans to the Lord, rather than asking for His plans, is like being invited to the finest restaurant in town where a bountiful spread has already been prepared for you, only to bring your “fast food” inside with you to eat that instead. It’s a dishonor and insult to the One who has gone to great lengths and expense to make preparations for you.

It’s now up to us to DISCOVER God’s will and plan for our lives. However, it’s not something that you will discover completely “overnight.” It’s a walk of faith! It’s an endurance race! It is something that we grow and develop in as we grow in God’s Word.

Have You Ever Asked for God’s Plan?

Many Christians don’t know that God has a plan for their lives. They have never HEARD! And because they have never heard it, it is unlikely that they will “ask” the Lord for something they don’t even know about. That’s why it is important to teach believers that God already has plans for them. This knowledge will give them the faith needed to ASK of the Lord and begin to receive His good plans.

Many are confused about what God’s will and plan is, when in reality, they have never taken the simple and essential step to ASK the Lord for themselves.

God’s Plans are Shalom

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

— Jeremiah 29:11

God’s plan is a plan of “peace” from the original Hebrew word “Shalom,” which can be translated peace, health, prosperity, or even welfare. Shalom is total well-being!

God’s never-changing plan for your life is a plan of peace! It’s a plan of health! It’s a plan of prosperity! Why would you want to come up with your own plan, when God has already declared that He knows His plans for you — and they are good plans, full of hope and an expected end!

We never need to be AFRAID of God’s plans. From The Scriptures we become convinced of His character and nature — God is good! All that He does is good! (Ps. 119:68)

Jesus is the GOOD SHEPHERD who came that “we may have life, and have it more abundantly!” (Jn. 10:10,11,14) It’s the thief (satan) who is ultimately behind all the stealing, killing, and destruction in people’s lives.

God does not lead us into into trouble. He leads us INTO TRIUMPH!

Some have mistakenly thought and believed that God leads His Children into “trouble here and trouble there” to teach them, train them, and to develop character in them. But we learn from The Bible how God really teaches His Children:

God teaches us by His Word.

God teaches us by His Spirit.

God teaches us by His pastors, preachers, and teachers. He sends men of God to teach us.

God’s highest and best for you is not to continually learn in life through trouble. God’s plan for you is to “trouble your trouble!” He “always leads us in triumph in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:14) This is part of His good plan for your life!

God’s plan is not something we should fear or dread. God’s plan is something we should WILLFULLY EMBRACE. It’s what we have been created for! It’s what we have been made for! It’s a place that we fit! It’s a place that we will thrive! It’s a place that we will flourish!

God’s plan is something that will allow you to bring forth FRUIT that you could bring forth no other way — fruit that remains!

God’s Plan Stands

God’s Plan is STRONG — Unshakeable and Immovable.

There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

— Proverbs 19:21

God’s plan will stand the TEST OF TIME!

God’s plan will stand the TEST OF ADVERSITY!

God’s plan will stand the TEST OF SATAN’S OPPOSITION!

The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

— Psalm 33:11

When we discover and step into God’s plan for our lives, WE WILL STAND! And the reason we will remain standing is because “God’s plan stands,” and we have chosen to align ourselves with His plans!

God’s plan has already been prepared! It is a plan of shalom! The path of the plan of God for our lives grows brighter and brighter as we go! (Prov. 4:18)

As we grow and learn to cooperate with it, God’s plan gets better and better! We will find ourselves getting stronger and stronger!

As you begin to grow up spiritually and discover and walk in greater measures of God’s will and plan, you will become a troublemaker for the enemy! He will no longer be able to beat you up and push you around!

Jesus, the firstborn son, was manifested for this purpose — that He might destroy the works of the devil! (1 Jn. 3:8) Now, as sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, we share in His purpose, continuing the work which He began — to destroy the works of satan!

We move throughout the earth, pursuing the plan and purpose of God for our lives. As we do, we bring plenty of trouble to the kingdom of darkness — souls being saved, bodies being healed, the kingdom of God advancing through us! This is God’s plan for our lives!

Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,

— Isaiah 46:9,10

As you discover and stand in God’s plan for your life, God stands with you and He is able to carry out His pleasure.

God’s plan will stand! The question is not whether or not God’s plan will stand, because it will stand! The question we must ask ourselves now is this: “Are we going to stand with God’s plan?” This is what will determine whether or not we stand.

If we stand with God’s plan, in the end we will be standing — standing with a good report, and standing in the victory!

God Wants You to KNOW His Will

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

— 1 Corinthians 2:12

God gave us His Spirit that we might KNOW. It’s His will that we KNOW.

God’s plan is not complicated! It’s simple, bright, clear, and clean! God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. (1 Cor. 14:33)

What are the things that God wants us to know? What are the things that He wants to reveal to us? He wants to reveal “the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” He wants to reveal His plans and purposes for us, to us! And He reveals these things to us “by His Spirit.” (1 Cor. 2:9,10)

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

— 1 John 2:20

God has given every believer an anointing within TO KNOW. That anointing will teach you and cause you TO KNOW what’s true and what’s a lie! This anointing is built into every child of God. It abides in you continually! (1 Jn. 2:27)

When you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit moved on the inside of you and now you have an anointing to know! The Great Teacher lives inside you!

The anointing within you is not there so that you can “wonder” what God’s will is. The anointing was not given so that you can speculate about God’s plan. No! No! You’ve got something stronger than that! You’ve got something more sure than that! You’ve got something more definite than that! You’ve got something more enduring than that! You have an anointing within you TO KNOW!

God wants you to KNOW the plan and purpose of God — where He wants you to go, what He wants you to do, and where He wants you to plant yourself.

But, it all BEGINS HERE. We must stop for a moment and ask ourselves this: “Have I ever asked God about His plan for me? Have I ever asked God what He wants? Have I ever asked Him for His will? Have I ever asked God for HIS PLAN?”

“Lord, What Do You Want Me to Do?”

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

— Acts 9:6

On the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus encountered a bright light which brought him to his knees. It was the Lord! And what was the question that Saul asked of Him? “Lord, what do You want me to do?” This is a question that we must all learn to ask if we want to fulfill all of God’s good plan and purpose for our lives.

We have not because we ask not! Thank God for good churches and ministries which we should all be a vital part of, but we must learn to think beyond just our church or our ministry to consider GOD’S PLAN.

Churches and ministries are a gift from God to help us with this very thing — to equip us to walk out God’s plan and purpose for our lives! It doesn’t end with just being a part or member of a church. God has a plan!

These are good questions TO ASK for yourself:

“Lord, what do You want me to do?”

“Where do You want me to go?”

“What’s Your plan for my life?”

When we ASK, we will RECEIVE! Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you.” Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives!” (Matt. 7:7,8)

“Speak the Mysteries of God’s Plan“

For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit
he speaks mysteries.

— 1 Corinthians 14:2

When we speak in tongues, we are not speaking to men. We are speaking directly to God! We are speaking “mysteries.”

What are mysteries? These are things in the mind of God that we don’t yet know or understand.

God’s plan for your life is certainly not a mystery to God. He is the one who planned it! But God’s plan is often a mystery to us. Through tongues, God has given each of us a way to begin to tap into those mysteries…into the divine secrets…into the things we don’t yet know.

You can open your mouth anytime you want — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year — and speak words which the Holy Spirit will give you, accessing the mind of Christ! You don’t need to wait to feel goosebumps or a special spiritual sensation. You can open up your mouth anytime you want and speak in tongues to God!

So, if you desire to walk in God’s plan for your life, you will want to consider asking yourself these important questions:

Have I asked God for His plan?

Have I taken any time “speaking the mysteries” about that plan?

God’s plan for your life is not in your head. It’s not a product of your human intellect. You can’t figure it out or reason it out. All that God has planned for you simply won’t fit in your head! It’s much bigger than your head! The Bible says, “He has placed eternity in our hearts.” (Eccl. 3:11)

The eternal plans and purposes of God are inside your spirit, and with the help of the Holy Spirit and tongues,
you can begin to release them!

The plan of God for your life is an ETERNAL PLAN! It was prepared for you from before the foundation of the world! And the only way to begin to know it and tap into it is BY REVELATION — by the Spirit of God, as we open up our mouths and speak the mysteries in tongues.

This is something you can do while you are in your house, driving the car, or while you are at the office or carrying out your daily tasks. Even if other people are around, you can still pray in tongues quietly under your breath without disrupting others.

It’s important to acknowledge God’s plan with your heart and with your mouth. “Lord, You have a plan for my life! You know my future! I may not know it right now, but You want me to know it! You have even given me Your Spirit that I might know it. And so now, by Your grace and with the help of Your Holy Spirit, I am going to open up my mouth and speak mysteries to You about my future.”

As you take time to speak out the mysteries of God in tongues, they become revealed to your spirit.
Mysteries prayed out bring revelation.

There is something about taking the mysteries of God’s plan and purposes from within your spirit and SPEAKING THEM OUT that causes them to get “decoded.” It will bring more light and revelation about the plan of God. It doesn’t all happen overnight or in an instant, but as you stay with it and speak in tongues to your Father God, it causes a revelation of the plan of God to “be built” within your spirit! It often happens piece by piece, brick by brick, until you know that you know, that you know what God wants you to do. And once that happens, no one can shake it out of you! It is YOURS and has become a part of you.

Are we taking time to pray out these mysteries? We don’t want to just make things up! We want to pray things out! Speaking mysteries to God is an important part of our cooperation with His plans. We should pray UNTIL WE KNOW. This is where the Lord wants to bring you — to KNOWING His will, plan, and purpose.

Willing to Do His Will

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine,
whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

— John 7:17

WILLINGNESS is a vital part of knowing God’s will and plan for your life.

Are you willing to do anything?

Are you open to anything that God might want to talk to you about?

Do you have reserved areas that are “off limits” to Him, that you really don’t want to talk about?

Why is a willing heart so important? If we have areas of unwillingness in our hearts, it becomes very difficult for the Lord to communicate with us the way He intends.

When we were born again, we received and entered into a free-will kingdom. Jesus said, “Whosoever wills, let him come.” No one has to do anything they don’t want, nor will the Lord force His will and plan upon you. In fact, even if you did something that the Lord wanted but with an unwilling heart, it’s not acceptable to Him. God looks at the heart, and a willing heart is always required. (1 Sam. 16:7; 2 Cor. 8:12)

A willing heart is a hearing heart.

We must be on the lookout for this type of thinking in our heart: “I would NEVER do this…or I would NEVER do that.” We want to be willing and open to whatever direction the Lord may want to lead us. When our heart is closed or we have off-limit areas, we are not in a spiritually healthy position to hear from God.

If you want to know God’s plan, you must be WIDE OPEN to whatever He might say to you.

Sometimes it’s a healthy exercise to go down the list of everything that you think you DON’T want to do or that you wouldn’t want to do. As you go down your list you can say, “Lord, I’d really rather not do ‘such and such,’ but if it were Your will, I am willing to do it!”

This really requires faith! You must have faith in His character. You must have faith in the fact that His plans really are good and that it will be beneficial to follow Him.

Do we really believe that He knows what is best for us?

Do we really believe that His plan is a plan of shalom?

Are you willing to go where He directs?

Are you willing to stay where He plants you?

Without a willing heart, there will always be lingering doubts, questions, and hesitations, because you won’t know for sure what God wants you to do.

A willing heart puts you in a position to hear from God!

This does not mean that God necessarily wants us to do all the things on our “rather not” list, but He does want us to be willing and open to Him concerning these things.

A willing heart is a knowing heart.

God is a good and faithful communicator! He is not confused, nor is He the author of confusion. God will absolutely communicate with us, but some don’t know His plans simply because they don’t really want to know.

What it really comes down to is this: What do we really want? Do we really want to do His will? Because if we do, He is always faithful to cause us TO KNOW what He wants us to do.

If we will to do His will, we shall know!

Knowing the will of God puts you in a powerful position! God is not confused, and we, His people, should not be confused either.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

— Matthew 11:28-30

God is a gentleman and will not force His will upon you. Jesus’ call to us is “Come to Me…” If you want to fulfill God’s plan and purpose, you must learn to come to Him on His terms. When you do, you will find a yoke that’s easy and a burden that’s light!

—Joseph Kack

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