Understanding the Will of God

I. THE DEFINITION OF A WILL

A. Mind
B. Purpose
C. Desire
D. Wish

II. THE SCRIPTURAL VIEW OF GOD’S WILL

A. Ten Crucial Truths Concerning God’s Will

1. The will of God is opposed by multiple wills.
a. The will of the flesh (John 1:13)
b. The will of man (John 1:13)
c. The will of the Gentiles (1 Peter 4:3)
d. The will of the enemy (Psalm 27:12)
e. The will of Satan (2 Timothy 2:26)
2. It is God’s will for all men to be saved, but obedience to that will is required for entrance into life eternal (2 Peter 3:9; John 6:40).
3. After salvation, it is never God’s will for you to sin (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and always God’s will for you to do right (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
4. Knowledge of God’s will was never intended to be a mystery (Ephesians 5:17), but is known to man in direct relation to man’s intake of God’s word (Psalm 40:8) and his obedience to said word (John 7:17).
5. The will of God has layers or distinctions within (Romans 12:2).
a. Good will of God
b. Acceptable will of God
c. Perfect will of God
6. Obedience to the will of God increases God’s desire to hear prayer (John 9:31) and prayer according to God’s will increases God’s desire to answer prayer (1 John 5:14-15).
7. The will of God is violated on earth far more than it is obeyed (Matthew 6:10; Matthew 18:14).
8. Even a man’s life work should be dictated by the will of God (2 Corinthians 1:1).
9. A man must be taught by God to do the will of God (Psalm 143:10).
10. God’s will is not obeyed by verbal commitment, but by obedience (Matthew 21:28-31).

B. The Desire of the Apostle

1. The apostle’s condition
a. “I am an ambassador in bonds” (Ephesians 6:20)
b. “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” (Colossians 4:3)
2. The apostle’s desire (Ephesians 5:17; Colossians 1:9)