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DETERMINATION

By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir
Decisions! Decisions! & Decisions! In knowing God's Will, each of us faces scores and scores and just a huge amount of choices each day. Confronted by either an employment choice, place to live, who will I marry or which socks shall I wear, we decide from the major to the minor: Yet, most of us have learned there is no easy process to automatically know what God is thinking. Mainly because we clutter our minds with all of our own desires so God's seem to be pushed aside.
Decisions! Decisions! & Decisions!

In knowing God's Will each of us faces scores and scores and just a huge amount of choices each day. Confronted by either an employment choice, place to live, who will I marry or which socks shall I wear, we decide from the major to the minor: Yet, most of us have learned there is no easy process to automatically know what God is thinking. Mainly because we clutter our minds with all of our own desires so God's seem to be pushed aside.


A Question: Is your life in tune with God's will? If not, are you in prayer about it?


In seeking God's Will we seek choices that are based on the perceived urgency of our will and desires, and we make decisions which end up making us miserable in time. Delusions, stress, and misleading common sense derail our best intentions. Right now you might be on the edge of your seat asking, "What is God's will for my life?" Major, critical, life-determining choices, such as school, career, place to live, and marriage! You may not be going through such decisions now; but, you will at some point or already have.


THOUGHTS ON DETERMINATION


God's word is paramount: It must precede everything else; what others say, what others do, what others think!


· The first thing we should do in determining God's will is remove any distractions that lay between us growing closer to God.


· Our first priority is trusting in God's sovereignty and His character.


· Do not allow yourselves to waste away by figuring God does not care about me, I am too small. Are you determined to relinquish the control of your life over to Christ? If not, then finding God's will, will not mean anything to you.


· Never look down at yourself or let others put you down for yielding your life over to Christ. Stand with confidence and assurance that the Creator of the Universe is living and working in you when you let Him.


· Our determined purpose is to do our best in all that we do, from shopping and being courteous to the clerk, to doing our best in our job even when we hate it. We are called to be our best for His glory at all times.


· To reach a level of intimacy with God requires our determined surrender of our will, not thinking about it, not reasoning with logic but pure simple surrender.


The will of God is about us abiding in Christ.


Our call is to work out what God works in us. This is one of the most profound things we can do because our will (the freedom of choice that God gives us) is one of the most profound, unique and special offerings He has for us. With this freedom of choice comes responsibility (Remember Calvin taught more on this subject and prayer, than any other!).



  • It is God's desire that all of us turn our devotion to Him, yet that will not happen because too many of us rely on our own will even though it is a gift of grace. So working out our salvation as stated in Philippians 2 is not about working for our salvation. Absolutely not! It means focusing our attention on God and working our will over like a mugger "working up his victim".

We are to yield our will by faith and obedience to God's will. Our goal out of this is that we become so in tune with an intimate relationship with God that we need not ask what His will is, but it will just become automatic.

 

In the meantime, we ask, because it builds our relationship with Him as stated in Matthew 6:8, "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you want before you ask Him." Yes, God knows. However, some people think they can get by without doing anything because whatever they do will be a part of God's predestined plan. Not! The point of us asking and praying to an all-knowing God, who already knows the outcome is to build our relationship with Him.


  • Sanctification or the process of our growing deeper in our relationship to Christ means that we surrender with the white flag of our will to God and keep focused on Him.

Philippians 1:20, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but have sufficient courage so that now, as always, Christ will be exhibited in my body whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." So keep every thought focused on God.


THOUGHTS ON SURRENDERING


· When we are surrendering ourselves to Christ, we are not giving ourselves to an enemy. We are not the plunder to an overbearing and vengeful God seeking more souls than the Devil in some galactic game. Rather we are giving ourselves to the One who loves us the most and has the best plan for us!


· True sanctification is surrendering ourselves entirely to God.


· Usually total surrender requires a crisis to unbalance our lives because we tend to be hardheaded and not yield to God's leading.


· God will bring us to the point that He requires of us and if we ignore His subtle nudges, be aware; He will use a more severe means to get our attention.


So, what do we do?


Well, it is simple, or so it seems, to rely on Christ absolutely first and foremost in your life. When Christ takes hold of your life, the course changes to match His Will, or so it should. Our life is no longer our own for He is LORD.

 

What this means is our will and desires must be put off and surrendered to Christ! And the biggest and best most fantastic journey will enfold in your life. I personally cannot imagine living any other way.

· John 17:3 Jesus is our way, and we do not need a detailed map to be in His will!


· John 14:26 we need only to follow Christ, even when we do not know what is ahead!


· John 15:5 we need not worry about our future, if we trust in His Lordship!


Finding God's will is not about programs or methods, it is about a person who is God, who wants us! A loving relationship!


Asking the question, what does God want me to do, is the starting point, Matt 6:33-34 "Seek first the kingdom of God…"And one of the purposes of God's will for us!


Carrier Pigeons amaze me with their seemingly magical ability of finding their direction from anywhere and then making their way home. Once the pigeons are let go, they fly around for a few short minutes until they get a sense of where they are supposed to go and then they fly home. For us to get a sense of direction, we too must sometimes fly around to get a sense of direction, hopefully for a short time only. We may perceive it as risky and even foolish by the ways of our society: but, would you buy a large expensive stereo or computer system and put it together or use it without reading the directions? Probably not, if you want to use it correctly. So why do we do this in our decision-making processes with our lives? Most of us spend more time with finding the will for our stereo, than with ourselves!

So, don't fear letting go of your will to His. God does not take advantage of our faith; rather He will honor us for it!


The mystery and wonder of predestination (that is God chose us and governs us before we were even born) is that our choices made from our free will are actually God's foreordained decrees! This may contradict our logic and reasoning, but this is the wonderful truth of God.


Theologians may bicker about exactly how much free will we have and have not. It is supposed to be beyond our comprehension because God is God and we are not! So take comfort, God is Sovereign! He is in charge.

 


© 1994, 2001 R.J. Krejcir http://www.intothyword.com/


Richard Joseph Krejcir, is the Director of 'Into Thy Word Ministries, 'a discipleing ministry. He is also a pastor, teacher, speaker is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena California and has amounted nearly 20 years of pastoral ministry experience mostly in youth ministry, including serving as a church growth consultant.

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