Let your perfect will be done in my life Lord, by Pastor Samuel Obafaiye
What is will?
Will is defined as ‘the mental faculty by which someone deliberately chooses or decides on a course of action; it is diligent purposefulness or determination; it is self-control or self-discipline; it is the power of making a reasoned choice or decision or of controlling one’s own actions’.
I have come to understand that after Divine power, the next most powerful thing among spirits and human is will power.
This is attested to by the Almighty God
Genesis 11:6
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
The present state of our world today is a combination of God’s will power and the freedom of the will power God gave to spirits and human. God created a beautiful world and entrusted it into the will power of humans, but the human allowed themselves to be manipulated by the will power of evil spirit and messed up the destiny of mankind.
However, not too long from now, the sovereign will of God will be established with eternal lake of fire, a new heaven and a new earth.
When God made man and the angels, the most notable strength He gave them is will power. He did not want to create robots, which He could. But He chose to give these creatures the power to made decision based on the truth they know.
It is unfortunate that most times, this power of will is wrongly used.
Satan and 1/3 of angels were said to have used it wrongly.
Adam and Eve equally used their will power wrongly.
You and I sometimes use this power wrongly too.
Man is made up of body, soul and spirit. The soul plays a very significant role in the eternal destiny of the man. It comprises of intellect, emotion and will. It is this attributes that led to the salvation of our soul and the re-birth of our spirit. Even then, the soul will still need to exercise his will power to live holy and to run from evil in order to make it to heaven.
I have come to understand that where we are in life, what we are and who we are today is to a large extent a derivative of our will power Vis a Vis the will of God for our lives.
So that the life we live now may fall into the perfect, good, permissible or unacceptable will of God. Meanwhile, the desire of God is that we experience His perfect will for our lives.
– Jesus, Peter, Israel for King/Ephraim, Jonah
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 John 1:2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
So in order to prosper in life, have peace, have a hope for a better future and escape evil, it is important to know the plan of God for our lives and/or at least keep praying for His perfect plan to be done in our lives.
I recognise that we at times go through seasons of trial, persecution and affliction. God must have allowed these to happen for a reason. We must however understand that our will power must still be exercise appropriately.
Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Example of Job. The season of affliction was permitted by God. He did not allow it to stay. He refused to curse God.
Example of Jesus. The season of temptation was permitted by God. He did not allow it. He refused to do what the devil said.
– If you are going through a season of affliction, I decree an end to it in Jesus name.
The plan of God regarding the children of Israel was to make them a nation of kings and priests. They were only required to use their will to obey His commandments.
Even though they promised they would, but they used their freedom of will to serve the golden calf not too long afterwards.
Exodus 19:5-8
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.
Exodus 32:1-4
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
It was a good thing that in all the days of Joshua, the bible says that the Israelites served The Lord. As Joshua was about to die, he charged the people to continue using their will power to serve God, which they vowed they would, but after his death, they began to serve other gods.
Joshua 24: 14-28
– The will of God for Paul was to suffer for the gospel and witness unto the then Caesar. He fulfilled that will in the end. He surrendered himself for the deadly assignment.
– The will of God for Mary was to yield her body for the Holy Ghost to overshadow to conceive the Saviour. She surrendered herself for the dangerous assignment.
– The will of God for the 12 disciples was to become fishers of men. They left their families, work and vocations and surrendered to the difficult assignment, except Judas Iscariot.
– The will of God for Elisha was to continue from where Elijah would stop. He surrendered, left his business and finished the assignment perfectly.
– The will of God for Saul was to be the first king of Israel. He failed in the second year of his reign.
– The will of God for the young prophet was to go to Bethel, deliver God’s message and return to Samaria. He went, performed well, but made error while returning.
– The will of God for Samson for was him to be a terror to the Philistines all his life, but carelessness and love for strange women would not.
– The will of God for Achan was to settle in the Promised Land with his family and have the belongings of the people of Ai, but haste and greediness would not. All his family became heap of stone.
Two things that can destabilise one’s will vis a vis the perfect will of God. One’s reaction to:
1. Trial – seeks to test our patience (wait a bit)
2. Temptation – seeks to test our self-control (do it now)
Which one is easy? “Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, burden is light”.
Trial is light burdensome, because it is from God. God is merciful – He knows our frame. It is for elevation.
Temptation is from devil exploiting the lust of our flesh. No mercy with Satan. It is to destroy.
We need the grace of God to overcome both.
Abraham – trial was hard – Eleazer will be mine heir.
Temptation from devil came through his wife. The child was not supposed to be. So was sent away.
– If you are holding on to Haggai or Ishmael, may God severe them from you.
Thank God there is help available to us:
1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
James 1:2-3
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
How to live within the perfect will of God
– Know what the will of God is for your life.
John 18: 36-37
Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
– Seek to accomplish that will of God
John 4:34
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
– Pray for it to happen
Luke 24:41-43
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Prayers
Almighty Father, let me identify your perfect will for my life in any circumstance
Almighty Father, let me make your will my will
Almighty Father, send your messengers to me to strengthen me to do your will
Almighty Father, help me to accomplish your perfect will till the very end
Sermon delivered on August 31, 2014