God wants us to seek Him first and then,
the promises, the guidance and the direction will come.
There’s a wonderful story in Scripture about a
boy who loved God much more than he loved God’s promises. David
was nothing more than a shepherd, but one day while he was minding
the flock, an old man appeared, told him he was going to be king
of Israel, and then anointed him. (1 Samuel 16:12-13)
Can you imagine some dignitary walking into your
workplace and telling you that you’re going to be elected
president? That’s exactly what happened to David!
How would you handle a promise like that? Many
of us would probably give 20 minutes notice, buy a bigger car and
head straight for Washington. Yet David went right back to his
sheepfold! He could have become obsessed with God’s promise for
his future, but instead he sang: "Thy loving-kindness is
better than life." (Psalm 63:3) It seems that David loved
the Lord much more than he loved his own destiny, and this is what
made him "a man after [God’s] own heart." (1
Samuel 13:14)
So, even though the promises are from God
and are true and will be fulfilled in God’s timing
and way, it’s important that we not find revelation in them
until they actually come to pass. That way, we are always seeking
God first, not His promises.
Since it’s so easy to
misunderstand or misuse God’s promises, why then does He even
bother to communicate with us? The answer is really very simple:
Because He is God, because He loves us and because He wants to
fellowship with us. He alone knows the future course of human
history, and when He chooses to share His secrets with men, He
proves Himself to be all-knowing, all-seeing, all-wise and
all-loving. Scripture assures us that God’s promises are true,
and in the end, everything He has spoken will be
understood.121
So, the first way God reveals His specific will
to us is through His Word. God’s Word tells us what to do and
what not to do. He even exhorts us to consume (eat) His Word so
that it actually can become a part of us. "Thy words were
found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the
delight of my heart..."(Jeremiah 15:16 NAS)
God Speaks to Us Through Prayer and Fasting
God not only communicates His
individual will to us through His Word, He also speaks to us
through prayer and fasting. Sometimes we think of prayer as some
mysterious spiritual regimen, when, in fact, it is nothing more
than simply talking to our Creator. Prayer is asking God
what He wants us to do—what His will is—and then, listening
for His answers.122 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask
of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and
it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
Prayer is often linked to fasting, which is
abstaining from some form of daily nourishment. When we fast, we
literally "starve" our body in order to feed our spirit.
Fasting is an incredible way of hearing God’s voice more
clearly. When our flesh is weakened, our spirit is more sensitive
to the Spirit of God. Throughout the Bible, fasting was used to
"heighten" or "quicken" the perception of
those longing to discern God’s will.
Fasting was a regular discipline for men like
Daniel, who "...gave [his] attention to the Lord God to seek
Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting...." (Daniel
9:3 NAS) Later in this same chapter, God’s answer to Daniel
comes through the angel Gabriel, who says, "0 Daniel, I have
now come forth to give you insight with understanding. At the
beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have
come to tell you...." (Daniel 9:22-23 NAS) Even though Daniel
was an incredible man of God, he still had to
unlock the door to spiritual understanding through the discipline
of prayer and fasting.
Before I teach, I always spend one day fasting
for God’s specific will concerning the particular group of
people I am about to address. I pray and ask Him what He
wants me to know about this engagement, and how He wants me to
pray for the people involved. I also ask Him for insight
concerning their spiritual condition, and any specific discernment
I might need. Since I have a medical reason that prohibits me from
fasting for long periods of time, I make the very most out of my
one-day fasts! I spend the entire time alone with the Lord,
continually talking to Him, loving Him and listening to Him. My
times of prayer and fasting have become a delight, simply because
I love to be in His presence and to commune with Him.
Some examples in Scripture of those who fasted
are Jesus (Matthew 4:2), Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9, 18,
25-29), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Daniel (Daniel 10:3),
Ezra (Ezra 10:6), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4-11) and Paul
(2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27)
God Speaks to Us Through Submission to the
Spirit
Not only does God communicate His specific will
to us through His Word and through prayer and fasting, He also
speaks to us through His Spirit. God’s Word and His Spirit
always work together in revealing what Jesus’ will is. Together,
God’s Word and His Spirit are known as the
"truth"—the Word that becomes the Deed. God’s Word
contains His will, and His Spirit is who interprets it for us. In
other words, God’s Spirit works alongside God’s Word, not only
showing us what His will is, but also giving us personal
understanding of how it applies to our life.
Most of us have repeatedly heard the phrase
"we must submit to the Lord." What exactly does this
mean? The word "submit" means "to surrender
or yield to the authority or power of another." When one
army submits to another, they surrender their power and strength,
and they willingly place themselves in the hands of the superior
force.
When we initially submit to
God and ask Him to come into our life, we become "born
again" as John 3:3 says, and we receive God’s Spirit and
His new Life.123 This is the time that the Holy Spirit comes to
dwell in our spirit within our hearts. As we begin to yield,
submit and relinquish ourselves to Him, moment by moment, He will
be able to control and direct our lives and we will begin to hear
His voice.124
Notes:
121. 1 Kings 8:56
122. James 4:2; Psalm 143:8,10
123. 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:5; Titus 3:5
124. 1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 8:9; Colossians
1:21-22; Ephesians 5:18; Acts 2:4; 4:31
