One Way To Know If You're Following God's Will Or Your Own
"And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."" – Jesus, Luke 22:41-42 (NKJV)
As Christians, we all need to learn to let go of and deny ourselves so that we can follow God's will. Many of us, however, try our best to deny ourselves yet still fail to follow God's will. Why is this so?
Knowing which is which
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Friends, the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 that "If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Denying ourselves is indeed a prerequisite to being a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sadly, there are many who truly desire to follow Him but are unable to because after denying themselves, they fail to establish themselves in the foundation by which we will know God's will: His very Word, written in the Bible.
I've seen many burn in passion without having firm foundations in the Word of God. They end up following the wrong beliefs, the wrong teachings, the wrong leaders. In short, they end up doing what THEY think is God's will – which is often not God's will, but their very own perception of it.
Friend, do you truly desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and do the will of God for your life? Do you truly desire to let go of your own will so that, like the Lord Jesus, you could ask God to let His will be done in your life? Then here's what you have to do:
Read the Word of God and establish yourself in it.
The narrow path
The Lord Jesus said there are only a few who find the narrow road that leads to life. Based on this, we can't look at where the majority is going, even if the majority are Christians. Take a look at what Christ did before He denied His own will to submit Himself to the Father's will:
"And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed…" (Luke 22:41)
We all need to separate ourselves from the world, even the voices of others, in order for us to hear God correctly. We need to set a time dedicated to reading the Word of God and seeking Him in prayer, alone. We must learn to separate public opinion from what God says in His Word.
If we find our direction, heart, and plans not going along with what God's will is according to His Word, then we should realize that we're not in the right direction. We need to let go of and disregard our own plans in order to follow Christ.
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2)
