What Does God Want Me To Do?
1
Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is
God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Is it just me or does this seem impossible to do?
How can it be possible to ... always be happy … always be praying … always be thankful?
Let’s break it down … here’s
the first one:
1. BE
JOYFUL ALWAYS…
Let me tell you a story that
happened to me not too long ago. I was ready to close the garage door on my way
to work. The garage door had been acting funny and in some cases, I had to hold
the button down until it closed. I admit that I had been procrastinating and I
was sure the problem would eventually clear up. (I am accused of
being a procrastinator and one of these days I plan to refute these comments.)
Well, this time, the door would not close, no matter what I did. I called Sears
and they told me how much it would for cost to send a repairman. Yikes! When I finally
got up off the floor, I called work and was forced to take a vacation day. The
repairman did not show up at 11am, I waited until 1PM, still no show.
At this
point, I asked God, "Lord, where is the joy in this situation?" Everything is supposed
to work out for good…but the good was escaping me. All of the sudden, I felt
very strongly that God wanted me to call my neighbor Elizabeth. My skeptic mind
said: "What on earth does Elizabeth know about garage doors?" Well, I finally
called her and she informed me that our townhouse development would replace my
garage door for FREE. I called the number she gave me and I was told that a new
door would be ordered immediately, I would have it within 2-3 days and they
would be right over to fix the old door. I was in shock but definitely a lot
more confident in God's blessings ... more than ever before.
Certainly God knows that it
is very difficult to always be happy. If we can't smile, then we are supposed
to pray. And when we pray, we just need to remember everything that God has
given us and be thankful for all of these things, which, in turn, will bring
joy to our hearts.
It's a big glorious circle!
This is the formula for
happiness in the Bible…it seems pretty simple:
You can be joyful always by
praying constantly... and when you pray, give thanks to God, in all
circumstances, for everything and remember, that being thankful for will
bring joy to our hearts.
'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice!' Philippians 4:4
'I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise will continually be in my mouth.'
Psalm 34:1
'And we pray this in order that you may live a life
worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good
work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power
according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and
patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to
share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.' Colossians 1:10-12
'I know that there is nothing better for us than to
be happy and do good while we live.' Ecclesiastes 3:12
Someone once told me that
there is no such thing as an 'unhappy Christian' because we are definitely on the Winning Team in the battle between Good and Evil … Jesus’ death on the cross and
His resurrection have already conquered evil for the rest of eternity.
EXAMPLE:
Let’s say for example, you were watching a Mets game on TV and you were very unhappy because they were losing. Let’s say, between the 3rd and 4th inning you get a phone call from your friend who tells you the Mets have already won the game. Then you realize, you are watching a time delayed forecast of the game. Now, when you eventually go back to the living room and continue to watch the game, you watch with a totally different outlook. It is easy to say that even if the Mets are losing in the early innings, you still have a joy in your heart knowing that the game has already been played and you know what the outcome is.
Let’s say for example, you were watching a Mets game on TV and you were very unhappy because they were losing. Let’s say, between the 3rd and 4th inning you get a phone call from your friend who tells you the Mets have already won the game. Then you realize, you are watching a time delayed forecast of the game. Now, when you eventually go back to the living room and continue to watch the game, you watch with a totally different outlook. It is easy to say that even if the Mets are losing in the early innings, you still have a joy in your heart knowing that the game has already been played and you know what the outcome is.
The joy that we have comes
from our relationship with God and knowing what Jesus did for us. We should
always be joyful about this. Remember that joy is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit,
which means that God does not expect us to do this alone. When we are living
our lives in a relationship with Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us to
help bring joy to our hearts.
'But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.'
I’d like to read you a poem by
Christian author Hilary Faith Jones
O God of such wonder –
it is my utter delight to be able to talk
and walk with you each day;
sometimes I come racing into your presence,
full of news and chatter and excitement;
at other times it is enough to simply sit and be,
gently touching the hem of your robe.
When I do not have the words to speak
then you surround me,
lifting me through the worst.
And when I am in distress,
you understand and slowly walk with me.
So I offer to you my prayers, O Lord,
with all the love in my being –
both those that tumble out loud
and those that are whispered in my heart.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
We think of joy as an emotion
but in fact joy is a choice we make. We choose to either see the glass half
full or half empty … on a trip, we are halfway from the start or halfway from
our destination. Always remember that hope is right around the corner. If we
have hope and experience the presence of Jesus Christ in our life, then we have
chosen joy!
Don’t forget that joy is not
merely a suggestion. Joy is God’s Will
for us all of the time – including in the place and time of great and
difficult trials. This raises the important question: how can we rejoice when
the darkness of our circumstances or our trials will not go away? As with every
other battle of the Christian life, we cannot win the fight for joy in our own
strength. Joy is a supernatural fruit of the Spirit. It will grow more and more
as we ask God to help us conquer our fears and overcome our difficult times. We
need to rely totally upon Him.
Please take a moment to say this prayer…
Father, above all else
today, we choose to be joyful. We also commit ourselves to pray throughout the
day with Jesus by our side. And Father, today I will deliberately be conscious
of giving you thanks in all my circumstances. Please help us to do this, we
pray in Jesus name. AMEN
Please think about what has
been said …pray about it … meditate on it … go back and re-read parts of it …
when you are ready, please go on and read about ‘pray without ceasing’.
2. PRAY
WITHOUT CEASING…
Everything that we do…needs to be
preceded, supported and followed up by prayer.
Imagine
inviting your neighbors over to visit with you. You ask them to sit down, then
you totally ignore them. Now, imagine you have asked Jesus to come
into your heart…when this happens, Jesus says: “I am with you always”. Now, do you
ignore Jesus or do you acknowledge His presence in everything you do and in
everything you think?
Do you ask Jesus for His opinion on the various events
that take place and the numerous thoughts you have throughout the day? Believe
me, including Jesus in ALL of your decisions throughout the day, will
definitely change the way you think, the way you act and the things you say and
do. Are you courageous enough to take this step? This is the beginning of how to ‘pray without ceasing’.
IMPORTANT: Please remember that we must also listen
and not do all of the talking. When this happens, be prepared to take part in
some incredible moments. Once Jesus has your attention, He will ask you to do
many interesting and fascinating things.
The issue is
NOT so much … when we pray, how we pray, what we pray for … instead it is WHY we
pray. The reason we pray should always be based on our love for God and on our
love for each other. What we ask for should NEVER be based on pride, revenge,
hatred, jealousy, etc. Prayer releases our free will (i.e. our choices) to be in line with God's Will which is perfect.
REMEMBER: If you do not have the time to pray quietly
at least 30 minutes every day, then you should pray for at least 1 hour every day.
The greatest
joy in the world is to know that you are Right with God … that your sins are
forgiven and that your sins have been washed away by the blood shed by Jesus.
Please close your eyes and join me in this small prayer. Please put your hand
on your heart.
You can pass out of darkness into light, out of death
into life by simply making Jesus the Lord of your life. Oh God, I know that I
need you. I know I am a sinner and without Jesus I am lost. Jesus, I want you
to come into my heart and I want you to save me. Right now, I make you the Lord and Savior of my life.
The question that remains for us is: will we trust GOD
no matter what - even though it may mean a beloved child or spouse gets a
terminal disease, or is injured in an accident, and dies; even if folks we're
battling in prayer for, turn their backs on GOD; even if we or someone we're
praying for loses their job and gets into a financial bind, etc...WILL WE STICK
WITH OUR GOD BECAUSE WE KNOW HIM and He is trustworthy? We cannot be 'fair weather' Christians.
It is ALL or nothing!
LET’S IMAGINE THIS . . .
Imagine having
a meeting with your parents, with your best friends and with God to plan out
your life. Your parents know your past and a lot about you, your friends may
know a lot about how you feel about things. Now, God knows the past, present
and future, He knows your innermost thoughts and feelings, He knows what others
are thinking and where their hearts really are and He wants the best for you.
Now, you must choose (using your Free Will). Do you choose your plan, your
parent's plan, your friend's plan or God's plan? It only makes sense for us to
move all other plans out of the way and to choose God's plan (God's will) for
us and for our families.
"All things work out for good for those who love
God and trust in Him."
God's plan for
you may involve some difficult moments and experiences, you need to be very
patient, you need to trust that God loves you and wants the best for you and
that eventually, all things will work out for the best (no matter how bad
things seem to be at the moment).
All athletes endure losses
and defeats, difficult moments in training, pain, etc. before winning a medal,
yet the end result is magnificent. The most beautiful plants need to be pruned
and trimmed....if you were a plant, this would really hurt, yet the results are
beautiful.
"Be still and know that I am God" ...
"My ways are not your ways"
Does your free will (your choices in life) prevent or
delay God's answers to your prayers?
e.g. for God to bless you with healthy
lungs, you must choose to stop smoking
e.g. for God to bless you
financially, you must choose to be generous with what God has given you
e.g. for God to give you a
peaceful heart, you must choose to stop deceiving and lying to others
e.g. for God to forgive you,
you must choose to forgive others
e.g. for God not to judge
you, stop being critical of others...please don't gossip
e.g. for God to bless you
with His beautiful light, you must decide to come out of the darkness and stay
away from the shadows
e.g. for God to free and
deliver you from your earthly prison, you must choose to break free of whatever it is
that is holding you and you must choose to let go of whatever you are holding
on to.
"... and lead us not into temptation ..."
"... resist the devil and he will flee"
"... resist the devil and he will flee"
Are we trapped ... are we prisoners and not even be aware
of it?
e.g. would God approve of the internet sites, the movies, the books
that we read?
e.g. would God approve of
where we 'hang out'?
e.g. if a cashier gives you
too much change...do you keep it or do you return it?
e.g. do we look for revenge
when we are offended or hurt by someone?
e.g. will we compromise God's Will to get a promotion, to get more money, to be more popular,...?
e.g. do we cheat on our
taxes?
e.g. do we constantly
criticize and gossip about others?
e.g. during the day, what
fills your thoughts? are your thoughts on good things?
What are you clinging on
to...what is clinging on to you?
"...but
deliver us from the evil one."
Summary:
We trust and believe that
God's plan (His will) will bring about the best for all of our lives. Let's
decide to choose God's plan ... we need to put our plans aside ... loosen our
grip and break free of 'old' ways ... then, we need to get ready for many great
and wonderful things from our loving Father...in the name of Jesus Christ.
"The truth will set you free."
“The truth will bring you peace and joy”
GOD HEARS YOUR PRAYER
God definitely hears your cry!
No more suffering!
It has been too long,
your time of joy has come.
God wants you to be full of
joy and peace.
As you give yourself over
to Him,
He will fill you with so
much joy
that it will be running
over in your life.
The greatest joy in the
world is not
the joy of acceptance or
having possessions.
These things are only
temporary
and eventually, they bring
us right back
to where we started.
The greatest joy in the
world is realizing
that you are truly loved by
God,
no matter what you have
ever done
and no matter what you will
ever do.
In the same way that we
trim away
dead or unhealthy branches
from a tree
so it can grow to be
strong, beautiful and healthy,
God does the same with us.
The trimming will be very
painful,
extremely sad,
unexplainable at times
and very disappointing, but
eventually,
the end result is amazing
and your health
and beauty (inside and out)
will overflow
with so much joy and peace.
Please take a moment to say this prayer…
Father, above all else today,
we choose to be joyful. We also commit ourselves to pray throughout the day
with Jesus by our side. And Father, today I will deliberately be conscious of
giving you thanks in all my circumstances. Please help us to do this, we pray
in Jesus name. AMEN
Think about what has been said …pray about it …
meditate on it … go back and re-read parts of it … when you are ready, please
go on and read about ‘Always Give Thanks’.
3. ALWAYS
GIVE THANKS …
1 Thessalonians
5:16-18
16 Be joyful
always; 17 pray
continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for
you in Christ Jesus.
It does not say give thanks
FOR all circumstances but IN them. During tough times we should all still be
praising God and thanking him. As Matthew Redman wrote:
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord Blessed be your name
When life is
hard, things are going badly and everything seems too much to bear, we should
still be able to give thanks to God. I have experienced tough periods in my
life and praising and thanking God during those times has not been easy but I
realized that God is still the same, He still loves us just as much and He will
never leave us.
Giving thanks is that
expression of gratitude we give to God when we decide to give Him the glory for
the good around us and trust Him with the bad. When things go right we praise
and when we are not sure about our circumstances and are upset, it is the voice
of reason that says, “I thank you God that you are
trustworthy.”
Or to put it in the words of
an old hymn (this is the shortened version):
When upon
life’s billows you are tempest-tossed.
When you are discouraged
thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings,
name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see
what God has done.
Searching our minds for the numerous reasons we have to be thankful and joyful
is the way toward being in the right frame of mind.
Why can't our faith and
character grow without the suffering of family members, friends, acquaintances,
etc. Because it is only in these situations that we are challenged to STILL
believe, trust, and rely on GOD's Word, in spite of what we are experiencing.
Remember, FAITH means a deliberate determination to believe in something we
cannot see or feel the evidence of. We need to 'hang on' to God's Promises and all will eventually be well.
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain
of what we do not see.
We live by faith not by sight.
As Merlin Carothers puts it in 'POWER IN PRAISE':
"So if GOD TELLS US he's working everything out
for our good, and we see everything go wrong, our faith grows when we stand on
God's Word and thank Him for everything that is happening."
IMAGINE THIS . . .
Imagine you are in the ocean fighting the waves and in danger of drowning.
Imagine someone comes in a
lifeboat to save you and to pull you out to safety.
Imagine ocean creatures that
have a hold on you, won't let go and keep pulling you down.
Imagine you are holding a
very heavy bag of 'treasures', that makes it impossible to pull you out of the
water but you won't let go of it.
WHAT IS PULLING YOU DOWN THAT WON'T LET GO OF YOU?
"...and deliver us from evil..."
WHAT 'TREASURES' ARE YOU HOLDING ON TO?
"resist evil and it will depart"
WHAT WOULD EVER ENTICE YOU TO DIVE BACK INTO THAT DANGEROUS
OCEAN?
"...lead us not into temptation..."
Please take a moment to say this prayer…
Father, above all else today,
we choose to be joyful. We also commit ourselves to pray throughout the day
with Jesus by our side. And Father, today I will deliberately be conscious of
giving you thanks in all my circumstances. Please help us to do this, we pray
in Jesus Name. AMEN
Please think about what has
been said …pray about it … meditate on it … go back and re-read parts of it.
God bless you and I truly hope these thoughts have helped you in
some way. Please know that I love you and that you always have my devoted
prayers.
Your brother in Christ ... Jaime