Monday, October 9, 2017

Know the Will of God

It is difficult to understand that God’s will is in all the circumstances we go through, but through the process of obedience and submission, God’s will does become clearer. Many in the Body of Christ don’t realize that God is in their particular circumstances. Walking by faith and not by sight is easier said than done, but that is exactly what our Heavenly Father expects from His children. This is not the faith I have heard some ministers describe when they say that faith is sitting on a chair believing it will support you. I cannot and will not teach that. What we have received, is the faith of the Son of God. Read Hebrews 11:3 AMP, “By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Let me share with you what we experienced on our last trip to Haiti so you will see the power within the revelation in Hebrews 11:3. 

As always, when I begin to make plans with a team for traveling I go to the Lord to make sure we will be in His will. Everything was going well until we arrived in Haiti on Thursday, August 10. Gerson and Danny, our hosts, met us at the airport in an open pickup truck; the driver was a young man that only spoke Creole. Gerson and Danny sat in the back to guard the suitcases while the rest of us crammed in the front. On our way to the hotel the driver seemed nervous to the point of inattention and he collided with a new vehicle that was in front of us. Two men got out of the vehicle and argued with him then turned around and left. It was obvious he was shaken, so I put my hand on his shoulder and assured him that everything was going to be alright. We were less than half-way to our hotel when the vehicle stalled three times and we had to push it out of traffic. The driver found a mechanic who changed the battery, but it still stalled. At this point our driver was done; I paid him and hired another driver with a vehicle.  After several hours, we arrived at our hotel. Through all of this Gerson and Danny were upset and apologetic. Before they left for home I explained to them how important it is to start our days before the Lord who is the only one that knows how each day is structured for His purpose. He ordains our steps, He ordains our days.
Friday went as planned. While the women had a girl’s conference at the hotel, we had a battery put in the little ministry truck and drove to a campground to consider it for a future pastor’s conference.

Saturday we had planned to minister at a small town just a couple of hours outside Port Au Prince. We were going to minister to two groups; one group with forty young girls and the other with over one hundred pastors/leaders who had registered. We contracted a vehicle for all day Saturday, but at 5:00 a.m. the owner called to back out and decided not to rent it to us. We were waiting in the hotel lobby for Gerson and Danny to arrive when they called and gave us the news. Once they arrived at the hotel they told us Pastor Jean had a church member who had a vehicle we could use; so, off we went to Pastor Jean’s to change cars. Six of us piled into the car, stopped at a gas station to fill up and the car would not start. By this time we should have been starting the conference and we had not even left the city. At 10:30 a.m. I had to make a decision. The brothers who were hosting the conferences were calling to find out where we were and let us know that the attendees were there; they were wondering what to do. It was obvious what I had to do. I told them to cancel the meeting; feed them and dismiss them.

I can just hear someone say, “If it was me, I would be binding Satan and rebuke him out of those cars” or “It doesn’t seem you were in the will of God.” I know we were in God’s perfect will. Satan has no power over the material world. Only God has power over the elements he has created.  The only power satan has over us is through doubt and deception because we lack knowledge in God’s word. Satan wants us to doubt God’s faithful word. Let’s again read Hebrews 11:3 AMP, “By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom and goodness of God] we understand that the worlds (universe, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose]. . .” Now, if God can frame, form, put in order and equip the worlds for their intended purpose, don’t you think He can equip us for our intended purpose? Read Psalms 139: 1-18. Every day is ordained by God.

 When we are born again we do not yet know our purpose but as we continue in the discipline of His word it will become clear. It grieves me knowing there are members in the Body of Christ after years as believers who still do not know their purpose. Perhaps they have not been taught that when we are born from above into the kingdom of light, we enter a whole new life of disciplines. Psalms 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; yes, Your law is within my heart.” For many that is hard to learn because we are so used to doing selfish things; thinking of ourselves and never considering others in our decisions. Romans 14:7-8 AMP, “None of us lives to himself (but to the Lord), and none of us dies to himself (but to the Lord for) If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” My prayer is that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened so that you will see how precious you are to our Heavenly Father and to know His will, live in His will, grow in His will and rejoice in His will; which is all for the glory of His Son our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Philippians 2:13 AMP, "For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure." You want to know success? Know the will of God and abandon yourself to it; therein lies success. John 8:29 KJV “And He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.”



John Casarez