What is God's Will?! An insightful view into the heart of the Creator on His grand plan for his Creation.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18----The will of God.

Ever wondered what really was the Will of God. I remember an incident where someone passed on and then one of the sympathizers said, “don’t worry, its God’s will. He knows why it happened’. And then I asked myself, Could God’s will be that cruel cos I obviously know God is Love, but the words of this lady totally contradicts the very nature of the I AM. Ok, I know for sure that it is not the will of God that any should perish. The great Apostle Peter confirms this for us speaking under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in 2 Peter 3:9.

‘Rejoice always, Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:16-18.This is one passage that so clearly spells out God’s plan, His true will for his children and indeed everyone in Planet 3.

Knowledge of God’s will is the difference between your walking through life as a victor or a victim. (Hosea 4:6; My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge);

How much of his will do you Know and apply to your daily Life. God confirms his desire for us to have a good life in Jeremiah 29:11 ‘I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring you the future you hope for.

Let’s analyze the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A)   Rejoice always: It’s not a hidden fact that the power of Joy lies in every thing working out for our Good. Rom 8:28. When we have what we want, then there is always abundance of Joy. Rom 8:32 shows us that if God did not keep back his only son from us, then he will freely give us all things. Note the word, freely.  So why is it that I do not see these things? One may ask. Jesus told us why In John 16:24 “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name; ask and you WILL receive so that your Joy may be full. We have seen clearly that the fullness of joy can only be attained when we ask. If you are yet to receive, then you have not asked. Ask, that YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL. Many Pundits will come up with the “asking according to God’s will” quoting 1 John 5:14-15 ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us…”

That raises the question of what His will is again. We can view this in two different ways. Many Christians have assumed that the primary reason why they did not receive answers to their prayers is because such prayers were not consistent with God’s will. They quickly came to the conclusion that God did not want them to have what they were asking for. Really?! So if you prayed for a car given that u have been on the” Leggidez Benz” machinery for quite a long time, and then a car doesn’t surface, its God who didn’t want you to have a car. In other words, he wants you to keep being on the foot factory business? That totally contradicts his nature and we know the nature of God is true to his word. I will give you 2 ways to determine whether or not your asking is/was consistent with his will for you.

·      Firstly does it conform to the requirements of 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 and Jeremiah29: 11. Is what you asking for something that will make you rejoice and give thanks? Then it is consistent with God’s will. Is it in alignment with God’s thoughts of good and not evil? Then it is His will. That means also that he hears you. 1 Jn 5:14-15.

·      Secondly, many religious pundits fail to acknowledge one of the key exclusive imprints of the Holy Spirit in this scripture (1 JN 5:14-15); the fact that we have ‘a hearing with the father’. Lets make a quick dash to John 16:23,24, Jesus clarified an important subject for continual argument here in this passage. He made use of the word whatsoever. That is what it means ‘whatsoever’. Now I know they are lots of people that may want to turn up issues with this word, but let’s note the group of people or persons Jesus was addressing in this scripture, his disciples; which in present day is You and I, us, the believers, the church. Now as a believer, you will certainly not ask for a bomb to blow up a city because that is not consistent with your nature. It is a total contradiction of who you are and what you are. So we now that our whatsoever is in the realms of ‘safe items”. Now before looking at 1 John 5 vs. 14, lets take a look at the verse just before it, verse 13 “I write this things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (Jesus), so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

·      This clearly brings out the point I just emphasized on; the category of persons addressed. The second point I want to bring out here is this; let’s link 1 Jn 5:13-14 ‘I write this things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God (Jesus) and John 16:23b ‘I tell you the truth, my father will give you whatsoever you ask IN MY NAME. Now we know we can ask for whatsoever, Jesus told us so. But How we ask for the whatsoever is the ‘will of God”. And Jesus gave us the recommended way in which we can ask such that we satisfy “the will of God”. He said clearly and John also reiterates this ‘we should ask in his name”. That is the will of God for us in accordance to what we ask. ‘for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. 1 Thessalonians 5:18b.

·      Notice clearly that the above passages either begin or end with the name of Christ. This is because it is the only acceptable way of asking the father for what we want, in the name of his son. This is his will for us as concerns our asking. Therefore whenever you ask in the name of the son of God, be confident enough that you have a hearing with the father because you are sure asking according to his will—in Christ Jesus.

B)   Pray continually; One may be tempted to rephrase this as ‘ask continually”. But mature Christians do know that prayer is not only a medium for asking from God but primarily a medium for fellowshipping with him and enjoying his divine presence in a special way. No doubt, most people pray when they want to ask (I used to do that too *winks*). But it is important for us to grow in this area such that we not only see prayer as an asking platform but a divine fellowship with the father. God desires for us to continually enjoy his divine presence, thus the command to pray continually. Jesus reiterates the father’s desire and also gives us a grand benefit of praying always when in Mark 14:38, he admonishes us to watch and pray so we can avoid the traps of temptation. God’s will is for his children to live a peaceful life and we can see this when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray saying “Keep us away from temptation, and deliver us from evil”. Matt 6:13.

C)   Give Thanks in all Circumstances. Many quote this only in distressed times. But this scripture was not to serve as an encouragement recipe in distressed. Give thanks in ALL not bad circumstances. This scripture is an admonition to live an ever-grateful life to the father, recognizing him as the source of wealth, Joy, happiness and every good thing. James 1:17, Deut. 8:18. So what happens in the bad circumstances? We continue to give thanks. Why? Because we should learn to count it all Joy when we fall into diverse trials knowing that it worketh in us a more stable and strong faith which builds endurance and leads to perfection such that we lack nothing (James 1:2). This enables our perfection In Christ.

Beloved in Christ, next time you are confused about what God’s will for your life is, simply check the terms and conditions listed above. Have a lovely day.