GOD'S
MINISTRY
THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST OF
BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Revs. Mr. and Mrs. H. Dean Daniels
E-mail: gods-ministry@hdd-gods-ministry.com
Web-site: http://www.hdd-gods-ministry.com/
CONDITIONS OF ANSWERED PRAYER
I will place My thoughts in your mind
Hebrews 8:10 For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Speak it forth
Speak the Word
10 Conditions of answered prayer
MORE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S WILL
God does have a purpose, or work for every one of us.
There is a sense of calm, poise, dignity, comfort and peace when God’s presence is involved in a circumstance, or pertaining to a circumstance. The authority of God is present as well.
How do we know the will of God pertaining to a circumstance?
We know it is God’s will that we live a righteous life. We also know that it is God’s will for everyone to repent and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour according to:
Romans 10:1 ¶ Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 10:4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down [from above]:) 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 10:12 ¶ For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
The whole purpose of God for our character is to make us like Jesus Christ.
Unless day by day you are becoming more like Jesus, there is something missing in your Christian experience.
You are not made like Him in the flesh but in the Spirit, when you have repented of your sins and confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. We then have the mind of Christ or are to be like Christ, in agreement, with the Heavenly Father.
We are never the finished product! By the continual indwelling, infilling and CONTROL of the SPIRIT OF GOD in answer to daily surrender, assent and obedience, your life becomes MOLDED and TRANSFORMED into the LIKENESS OF OUR LORD. God’s method of changing our character is the same for every individual. God is no RESPECTER of persons.
The question of God’s will for each persons life is different pertaining to being in His service. We each are a part of the family of God, therefore our work is different, but we must all praise Him for He is worthy of all praise!
Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no uprightly. good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed [is] the man that trusteth in thee.
In PSALMS 25:1
25:1 ¶ [A Psalm] of David. Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. 25:2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. 25:3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. 25:4 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 25:6 Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they [have been] ever of old. 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD. 25:8 ¶ Good and upright [is] the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. 25:10 All the paths of the LORD [are] mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it [is] great. 25:12 What man [is] he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way [that] he shall choose. 25:13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. 25:14 The secret of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
It is the earnest desire of David’s heart that his whole body, personality, and being may be lived every day in the CENTER OF GOD’S WILL. As the result of PRAYER, he reaches the CONVICTION that "Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgement; and the meek will teach his way."
"In judgement" is the same word that is used in Psalms91 of the man who dwells in the SECRET PLACE of the Almighty:
"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder." The thought is that the meek will God cause to walk victoriously in judgement, (also, 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith and not by sight). God is prepared to lead your life every day in the center of His will. He will give you absolute assurance that you are in His will. This assurance will give you complete peace. Is not this tremendous?
Many Christians just beat about the bush. Their lives are haphazard and superficial; they do not know God’s purpose for them; they flounder over the next step to take. It sometimes seems that the more they pray about it, the more obscure it becomes. Basically they know their way, their will, and their purpose for life, but spiritually, they are living in a fog.
Perhaps you are in college to be trained for a certain career. Before you began, did you ask, Is this God’s will for me, or is it only my own choice? Some of you might have to start all over again! Are you quite certain that you really have sought the mind of God about this matter and discovered His will for your life?
How can you know? I do not believe that there is ever a moment in human experience when suddenly the whole pattern of God’s plan is unfolded before us. The Christian life is a life of faith. But God does give to each of us sufficient light to take the next step.
The Principle of Guidance
"The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his way."
This verse teaches that the whole question of guidance is not our relationship to the particular problem, but our relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. "The meek will he guide in judgement." The Holy Spirit of God guides the man’s spirit (mind of Christ), not the man’s mind. Guidance is not discovered in relation to the problem, but guidance is discovered in relation to Jesus Christ. "The meek will he guide in judgment."
Now the verse does not say weak; it says meek. There is all the difference in the world between the man who is weak and the man who is meek. Meekness is strength. Meekness means you do not retaliate. Meekness means you do not stand up for your own rights. Meekness means you do not have any rights – except to know God’s will. Meekness means that other people can scorn and mock and jeer and scoff at your and you can take it! Meekness means that you do not justify yourself. Meekness means that in your heart you have been broken. Meekness means that pride has been crushed. Meekness means that selfishness has been banished. Meekness means a spirit of humility: the spirit that was in Jesus Christ. It is the meek He will guide in judgment!
It is not easy to be meek. It is not easy to have other people scorn your Christian teaching, your Christian life, your Christian experience and to say that you are a fool to seek the will of God. It is hard not to retaliate to that! It is not easy to be meek when you are unjustly criticized and your character is misrepresented. We want to stand up for ourselves and have our own way; but it is the meek whom god guides in judgment. The condition of an enlightened mind is a surrendered heart.
Now when you are seeking to know God’s will, you need not concern yourself primarily about your particular problem. That is the business of the Lord. Your supreme concern is your relationship to Jesus Christ. If a man in his heart is right with God, God will deal with the problem. We often start the question of guidance at the wrong end. We are trying all the time; we are worrying our way through; we are panicky. What shall l do next? What is my next step in life? We are concerned about our mind. God is concerned about our Spirit – the humble, the contrite, and the broken hearted – that man God will always guide. But before you can know the will of God for your life, there must be this brokenness of spirit in order that Jesus Christ may have all of you.
Over and over again our concern has been simply to adjust ourselves to the problem. God says that we should be adjusted to Himself before we can be adjusted to the problem. The whole issue on the question of guidance is this: if you want to know God’s will for your life, are you prepared to pay the price of knowing? You can know God’s will. He has promised that, but He can give the answer to your need and your prayer and reveal His part only if He has the heart in absolute surrender all the time at His feet!
Jesus Christ was an amazing example of absolute surrender, "My meat," He said, "is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34). "I have come," He said, "to do thy will, O God;" the joy, victory, and power of His life was doing the will of God – and finishing His work. All through His earthly life He was under the guidance, control, and direction of the Father because He meekly obeyed and lived in submission to the will of God. The Lord Jesus never permitted one rival claim to interfere with God’s will. Because He never gave in to a rival claim, God led Him, directed Him, and brought Him through to victory!
The moment we permit in our lives a rival claim to the purpose of God, the end of guidance is in sight. You will never be guided by the Holy Spirit unless the Holy Spirit is in control. You will never find your life adjusted to problems unless it is at the disposal of the Lord. Divided loyalty is the end of all possible light to the future.
If you are troubled about the future, it may be because you are permitting a divided loyalty in your life. Something else or someone else has crept in and there is divided control. Because of the divided control no clear way can be seen to the problems of the future. You have to go back to the place in your experience where you disobeyed God, where you allowed a divided loyalty. Confess to the Lord your divided loyalty and your repentance; then there will be light upon the path. But there will never be another ray of light upon your path until you are prepared to go back to the place of disobedience and get right with Him.
How sincere are you in this matter of wanting to know God’s will? Do you really mean you want to know God’s will for your life, or are you just pretending? Do you want His will, but only on your own terms? Only if you can keep your girlfriend? Only if you can keep that boyfriend?
You will have to make your choice. You cannot have God’s will with a divided affection! God must be first; Jesus Christ must be on the throne; you must be in utter and complete surrender to Him and then He will direct you in the way of judgment. The first principle of knowing the will of God concerning anything is the absolute surrender of your life to a living Lord. When He is on the throne, He will guide: "The meek will he guide in judgment."
I have met some great men of God in my time, and I have always been conscious of the fact that their greatness lay in their intense simplicity, their absolute devotion to the Saviour, their love for the Lord. And somehow, all through their lives they had the song of victory of a risen Christ. Men of God such as Wesley, Wilberforce, and Moody have all been characterized by their intense heart devotion to the Saviour.
This principle of guidance is not complicated; it is simplicity itself. It is simply that your life is always at the disposal of the Lord in order that He may work out His plan.
The Practice of Guidance
"It is all very well for you to talk like that," you say, "but look here. I have a problem to face tomorrow. And I have to know the will of God for my future. How is it going to be done?" Let me give you an illustration.
Dr. F. B. Meyer was once out at sea on a ship for a voyage. Coming to port one night he was standing on the bridge with the captain. It was a very stormy night, and as he looked at the entrance of the harbor, it seemed very narrow. He turned to the captain on the bridge beside him and said "Captain, how do you know when to turn the ship into that narrow harbor?"
The captain looked at him and replied, "That’s an art. Do you see those three red lights on the shore? When they’re all in a straight line I go right in!"
God has given to intelligent people. Who are prepared to use their brains, three red lights for guidance. He has given to us His Bible. He has given to us His the inward witness of His Spirit in our hearts. He has given to us outward circumstances. When the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and outward circumstances are in a line, go right ahead; but until they are, stand still!
It may be, of course, that in some instances outward circumstances are unfavorable and do not seem to be in line with the inward witness of God’s Spirit or the promises of His Word. It may be that one has to fight such circumstances as a real challenge to faith and prayer. It is impossible to lay down an inclusive line of guidance to cover every individual case, but whenever God is calling us to exercise a step of faith and to go forward with Him, we can count upon Him to undertake in every detail.
Finding the guidance of God from the Word of God is intensely practical. Perhaps you have used a promise box: the thing that you reach into and pull out a text from the scriptures. I am sure that kind of thing has been a means of comfort to a lot of people, but I am not prepared to stake my future on a lucky dip! I do not think that is God’s way for me. It may be a help to take a promise out of a box, but I want to be more sure than that.
Several years ago I faced a serious issue. I felt God was calling me out of business as a chartered accountant on the staff of Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., into the ministry. I had no training for the ministry. I had never been to a theological college. He spoke to me too late in life or, shall I say, I listened to Him too late in life. I knew on the one hand that God was speaking and, on the other hand, I knew that everybody else was against it.
I took a piece of paper and drew a line down the middle. On one side I put, Arguments in favor of staying in business, and on the other side I put, Arguments in favor of going into the ministry. When I began there was an equal amount of arguments on each side. Each morning I took that piece of paper with me for my quiet time. As I read my Bible I asked the Lord to give me a verse which would meet one or another of these arguments. I said, "Lord, I am not here to evade you. I am here because I want to know your will. You saved me in order to guide and use me. Very well, then, Lord, what is your will?"
Day by day I turned to my Bible. Almost every day a verse seemed to speak to me and I began to write that verse against one of the arguments. At the end of a year every argument in favor of staying in business had been wiped out. It took over a year, but I was not in a hurry. I was willing to wait; I wanted it to be in God’s time. Too much was a t stake to dash into the thing. I wanted to intelligently find the will of God. And I found it as I sought the Lord through my daily Bible reading and meditation. I committed it all to the Lord and step by step the way opened.
Too many Christian people, I am sorry to say, do not think for themselves. I have known people who are tremendously intelligent in every other aspect of life except in the realm of the Spirit. They think about their job; they pass their examinations; they work at the thing they are doing. But when it comes to the things of the Spirit, they say, "Now all I have to do is let my mind be a blank." That is not very hard for some of us! However, the devil can fill a blank mind as well as Christ. Guidance does not come to an empty mind; it comes to a heart full of the love of Jesus Christ. If day by day I will turn to my Bible and honestly and earnestly seek to find God’s will, He has guaranteed to show it to me: His Word is a light to my path and a lamp unto my feet.
This process will take discipline! It will take time. It will mean that you are going to turn to the Bible every day. Nothing in your day – any day – must be allowed to crowd out that quiet time spent on your knees with your Bible and in prayer. If you have your schedule so tight that you cannot give an hour to your devotional life each day, you are running into defeat and temptation. You cannot stand in these days against the power of evil unless you are feeding your soul and your mind and heart with the Book. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).
The freshest moment of the day should be given tot he study of the Word of God and to the discovery of His will. How sad it is to get into something that is not His will – and to waste years that could be more fully lived for Him.
Now a second factor in the practice of guidance is the witness of the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus has come into your life, the Holy Spirit comes to guide you. Perhaps you are saying, "I think God’s will for me is Africa. I think He is calling me to the mission field, but I am not sure, I want to know." You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt. God is tremendously concerned that you should live your life in the center of His will. If His will for you is Africa, the pressure of the Spirit of God will cause you to have no peace until you start moving toward Africa. And if God’s will for you in not Africa, you will discover that the pressure of the Spirit of God is relieved and there is no sense of push toward Africa. The inner pressure of the Spirit of God, the sense of urge, the sense of
burden, the sense of crying to God that He might save the people of the land is with you, perhaps. You cannot escape it – the will of God for your life. This pressure of the inward Spirit of God upon your life will direct you into His will! But if the will of God is not Africa, you will find there is no pressure at all. The inward witness of the Spirit – and what a precious gift it is – is sure to be there in the surrendered life.
A brief word now about guidance through outward circumstances. The Christian moves into the will of God and discovers the will of God through the Bible, through the Spirit, and through outward circumstances. There comes a time in a man’s life when every door is shut except the one that God opens. You may be knocking at many doors just now, trying many ways, but there is only one right way and in God’s time He will open that door and close all others. Be patient.
When Peter was in prison, he had to walk right up to the iron gate before it became an open door. Don’t expect God to reveal His will for you for next week until you practice it for today!
The Power of Guidance
The Christian not only does what God tells him, but anticipates what God wants him to do and does it almost without being told.
A while back the West Indies cricket team played a series of test matches against England. It was a very humiliating experience for an Englishman! The men from the Indies team got the English team completely rattled. When on e man on the West Indies side, called Worrell, went in to bat, everybody just knew that he was there to stay! Before the ball had left the hand of the bowler, Worrell had adjusted his bat and placed it where he knew that ball was coming. And the poor fellow with the ball just bowled his heart out, but it was no use. He could not put a surprise over. It was no used trying a fast one or a slow one, and off break or a leg break. Whatever he did, Worrell’s bat seemed to be in the right spot before the ball had left his hand. The secret? Anticipation.
Let me put it another way. I have a very good friend who plays for Ireland at rugby football. My friend is also a Christian. He came to play against England at Twickenham not long ago; the next day he was giving his testimony in Richmond Theater at our Sunday evening service.
Recently I went to Dublin and saw Ireland play England. That afternoon they went through the English team like scissors through paper. And it was all because of this one fellow. Whenever he got that ball out of the scrum he seemed to be on the move seconds before his opposite number. He seemed to know exactly what the opposite man was going to do and what direction he was going to take. When any of the opposing team came his way he would swerve around them and proceed the other way. The poor fellow who opposed him that day must have been frantic. How did this brilliant footballer and great Christian accomplish it? Anticipation.
Apply this principle to the spiritual realm. The Christian does not merely do what God tells him to do. He does not site back with an empty mind and bit of paper and hope that God will fill it. He knows in certain circumstances quite clearly what God would expect him to do and he does it (James 4:17).
When you are tempted not to do the right thing in your friendships, anticipate God’s will and do it. Do not say, "Can’t I, just this once?" or "It doesn’t matter, only this one time." It does matter. Know that God’s will for this life is ordered and walk in that way. The Christian discovers that when he is weak, he is strong. He discovers that when he obeys, he receives power. When some tremendously alluring thing is put in a man’s hand, he may find it fascinating and thrilling and wonderful, but he knows it is not God’s will. When the Christian turns to face the will of God and resists all the allurement, he discovers in the first step he takes that he is receiving the power of the Holy Ghost. He anticipates God’s will.
Are you permitting things in your life that you know are not God’s will? The basis of your sexual relationships may be wrong. Some of you may be ruining your future and wrecking God’s purpose for
your lives. You will never get to the mission field; you will never get into God’s will; you will never get victory because you are living on a low level!
You say, "I can’t help it. I’m weak. It’s too nice, it’s too pleasant, it’s too thrilling. It is the instinct of my mind, my body. I like it." If you have the boldness and courage to face the will of God and say, "God help me, I am stopping it now," you will find the first step is empowered by the Holy Spirit: "The Holy Ghost whom God has given to them that obey Him." You have to take a step in obedience. Although you may profess to be eager to know what is the will of God, your study, your mind, your program have just been ruined by the kind of thing you are doing.
The Christian should anticipate that God’s will is purity. And as he anticipates God’s will, he should boldly believe that God will give him the needed power.
Are you prepared for the price of knowing God’s will? If you are not, don’t hypocritically say that you want to know God’s will. You don’t! Don’t go to anybody and say, "I want to know God’s will about this and God’s will about that," if you are unwilling to part with the thing that makes it impossible for God to show you his will!
You say you have no power? Look up to Jesus Christ, unto Him who has all power. Are you prepared for the price of God’s will? Your answer to that question will determine your future. Is it going to be failure again? Is it going to be sin again? Or is it from this moment, "Lord Jesus Christ, thy will; nothing else, nothing less, nothing more – thy will?" His will is holy. As you dare to take the step of obedience, the power of the Holy Spirit floods your life.
Do you want to know God’s will and to walk in it? If you do, are you prepared to pay the price and stop the thing that makes it impossible for God to show you His will? Get right with God and He will guide you.
A PRAYER
Living, loving Lord, reveal to me the sinfulness of sin and the futility of
seeking guidance unless there is a surrendered heart. Bring me, dear Lord, to
thy feet. Draw me to look into thy face and, counting upon thy power, to walk
in obedience in the way of peace.
Revs. Mr. and Mrs. H. Dean Daniels