Be Vigilant in Your Pursuit of The Will of God

Daily Devotional

John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

Missing the will of God will open you up to subtraction, death and things falling apart in one or more areas of your life.  Therefore, you must be vigilant in your effort not to miss the will of God.

In 1 Kings 13 the story was told of the young prophet who prophesied against the altar in Bethel stating that a king would rise from the house of David by the name of Josiah that would kill the priests of Baal on the altar. The Lord had specifically instructed him that he should not eat bread nor drink water in that place or return the same way that he came. However, an old prophet intercepted him on his way back and lied to him that an angel of the Lord had told him to bring him back to eat bread and drink water with him. The young prophet foolishly heeded his words and because of his disobedience to the word of God on his way back from the old prophet’s house he was slain by a lion. Purely out of respect for the old prophet, he did what the old prophet said without making sure that it was the will of God. His action however cost him his life. It is a reminder that things die when we step outside of the will of God. It is critical that you do not miss the will of God.

There are ways that you can avoid missing the will of God. The first was identified in John 7:17; that of searching out the word of God to see if one’s planned action is aligned with the word of God. You will only be so inclined if there is a deep desire to please God as is suggested by the scripture. The second way to avoid missing the will of God is to know the voice of the Spirit. Sometimes the will of God is communicated via the spoken word. John 10:27 says my sheep know my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. In the natural, it is not the same time that sheep are able to fully discern the voice of the shepherd from the voice of others, but as the sheep spend sufficient time around the shepherd, the voice of the shepherd becomes distinct. 

You can become better able to discern the will of God by spending more time in his presence to know his voice better while at the same time becoming more knowledgeable about the word of God.

Life Application: Actively search out the scriptures to inform your decisions and avoid running ahead and taking action before discerning what He wants you to do.  

Prayer: Lord, you have stated that to obey is better than sacrifice. Help me to obey your word at all times. In Jesus name,amen.