5 Ways to Determine God’s Will

George Muller,  a mighty man of prayer and Director of an orphanage in Bristol, England, said that in determining God’s will, he first endeavored to get his heart into a place that it had no desire of its own in a given matter so that he would be open to God’s will. Next he opened God’s Word and sought the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

At a recent Women’s Connection Bible study that meets every Thursday, 9am – 11am,  a question was put on the floor: How do you determine God’s will?

We were discussing the faith of Abraham in the book of Romans, chapter 4 when this critical query was posed.

John MacArthur, in Found: God’s Will (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1977), 54-55, says that God wants you to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), set apart for God’s purposes (2 Timothy 2:21), surrendered to Him (James 4:7) and suffering on His behalf (Philippians 1:29). According to John, If these five components are true in your life then God is driving your life.

As a born-again Christian, here are 5 elements that can help you to get to God’s will:

1. Turn to Jesus Christ and God’s Holy Word and ask for wisdom.  Read God’s Word and ask Him to make His will known to you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6

 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

2. Seek God’s face in prayer and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Stay prayerful as you ask Him for understanding.

Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6

3. Ask other Godly, mature Christians to pray with you and listen to what God might be saying through them.

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in abundance of counselors there is victory. Proverbs 11:14b

4. Make sure that what you want to do glorifies God and does not contradict anything He says in Scripture. For example, if a Christian woman wants to know if it’s OK for her to date a non-Christian, you can point her to 2 Corinthians 6:14.

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

5. After prayer and God’s Word, begin watching and listening for God’s answer.  Step out in faith and follow God as He leads.  Your relationship with Him and His pattern in your life will help you in your decisions. Be ready to adjust yourself to God's plans.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

  

How to Make Yourself Attractive to Your Spouse or Spouse-to-Be

This Friday, February 1st, we continue our monthly Marriage Ministry series looking at the book of Solomon. These seminars are for premarital couples and newlyweds to long-married couples. Whether your marriage is in great shape or needs some fine tuning, everyone can benefit. 

What makes a wife think highly of her husband?  According to the Song of Solomon 1:3, we learned that the character of a man, his reputation of honesty and integrity, a man who keeps his word, causes a wife to be attracted to her husband. In verse 4, the bride states that his reputation is good and well-deserved, others are right about him!

Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is like purified oil;
 therefore the maidens love you. - Song of Solomon 1:3

When a wife feels protected, secure and loved, she can rest in the shadow of the tree that he is.

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
 so is my beloved among the young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
 and his fruit was sweet to my taste. - Song of Solomon 2:3

The husband describes his wife as being beautiful, she treats him with respect.

A man looks for a wife to show him respect, reverence and regard.

How beautiful you are, my darling,
 How beautiful you are!
 Your eyes are like doves. - Song of Solomon 1:15

However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. Ephesians 5:33 Amplified Bible

Watch a summary clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbi3dqmEiLY

Titles include…

- Art of Attraction

- Art of Dating

- Art of Courtship

- Art of Intimacy

- Art of Conflict

- Art of  Romance

- Art of Commitment

Upcoming Dates: Fridays, 6 – 8pm, Dinner served at 6pm, RSVP to 301.474.7117

February  1st

March 8th      

April 12th

May 10th

June 14^th

How has respecting your husband / loving your wife improved your marriage?

What Kind of Tone Are You Setting?

We just started studying the book of Philippians - going verse by verse - during our Sunday, 6:45pm evening service.  

After reading Phil 1:1 - Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons -  Pastor Bent mentioned that Paul established the leadership in the church right upfront: bishops and deacons.   

Leaders set the tone of the local church.  If the leader panics then the people will panic. Have you ever been on a turbulent airplane flight?  The flight attendant's calm demeanor helps to keep the passengers and the atmosphere calm and peaceful because, to some degree, we trust his/her experience and training.  The sheep (Believers in Christ attending the church) pull their confidence from the leaders.  In the same way, a wife can draw confidence and strength from a husband who sets a sure and Godly tone.

Recently, we made a change in the way that our church handles the cleaning of our facility.  A wise and mature member said, 'that's a good thing' in response to the change. She was accustomed, from her previous churches, to church members pitching in and cleaning their own church so she saw nothing unusual with this new procedure. Instantly, her words caused a calmness to come over me.  I was able to draw strength from her attitude and perspective.

Our words and behavior can have a strong impact on others.

Are people drawing strength from what you say and do?   

Does your leadership encourage others to become more like Jesus Christ?

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
 in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11