©1996 Jeffrey Brian White

Beloved, I decided to write this essay for you because, although your faith is yet small, Yahweh would give increase (1C 3:6) through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who gave himself to sacrificial death on the cross according to the will of God (Ga 1:4), adding wisdom and understanding thereto (Co 1:9), that your inner house, that is, the inner man, might be built upon a rock (Mt 7:21,24-27) and not upon the fragile and failing foundations of natural human reasoning. God is thankful for every bit of faith you have in him, for this is pleasing to him (Hb 11:6). The fact that you believe in Jesus at all is in fact evidential of Yahweh's blessing (Ep 2:8-9) and love for you (Jn 3:16). Yahweh gave the Son of God for us on account of his great love for us. Moreover, it is his love for us which makes us valuable, not anything we could ever do or strive to become. No one really knows why Yahweh loves people; it is simply enough to know that he does. This you need to believe.

Being one of his people now, it is imperative that you understand the central necessity of knowing and performing his will. He does not save us for our own pleasure, but for HIS. It is true, that we receive great benefit from this, for, as the Psalmist David wrote:

David recognized that Yahweh would do this with him. (So have many other saints through the ages.) And he also knew the key to those pleasures: »Thou wilt cause me to know the path of life«. He understood that he needed Yahweh to reveal his will to him, and he understood that God was willing to do this. He did not assume that he knew the »path of life«, but professed his confidence in Yahweh. Another translation of the same verse reads this way:

As Yahweh »causes us to know« or »acquaints« us with the path of life, we find ourselves in his Presence, and in his Presence we find »satisfying rejoicings«. Note that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6). Indeed, when Jesus manifests his Presence in, upon, and among us, we experience the joy of Yahweh, which is our strength (Ne 8:10). This spiritual realm of his Presence is the Kingdom of God, »for the kingdom of God is... righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost« (Ro 14:17, KJV). Jesus tells us to seek this Kingdom FIRST (Mt 6:33)! And so also in another place, David, seeking the Kingdom of God, prays:

We need to pray similar things.

My intention in this writing is to acquaint you with some of the teaching of the Scriptures regarding the will of God. The weightiness of the this topic is upon me because doing the will of God was the most fundamental principle by which Jesus lived in his days on earth and it is Yahweh's desire and intention that we be conformed to the image of the Son (Ro 8:29). Everyone who believes receives power to become one of the Sons of God (Jn 1:12). And the Sons of God are so described by the apostle Paul: »whoever are being led by God's Spirit, these are the Sons of God« (Ro 8:14, CLNT).

According to Jesus himself, »I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me« (Jn 6:38, KJV). This same operating principle is the very one by which we will become more and more like Jesus and obtain that inner satisfaction which only God can give. Jesus gave himself completely to the will of the Father and as a result became the Saviour of all, especially those of us who believe. He became our Atonement for sin, and reconciled us to God through his Blood. He obtained a totally unique position in God, his name being exalted above every other name, with him being the only one on whom one may believe unto the forgiveness of sins and the receiving of Everlasting Life. Similarly, by doing the will of God, each one who does his will likewise obtains a totally unique position in the realm of the Spirit and relationship with Yahweh, which no one else can possibly have.

It is important in learning about the will of God that we understand our Beginning in him.

»Of his own will begat he us« - Our Genesis in this Life of Christ is found in the will of God. We have begun to believe through his will. We were begotten with the »Word of Truth«, with Jesus! It is therefore consistent that we should continue in the will of God. Because we have been born of the Spirit of God and can therefore enter into the Kingdom of God (Jn 3:5-8), that New Creation Man inside of us expresses himself ever more with a disposition which declares »I delight to do thy will, O my God« (Ps 40:8, KJV) and »Lo, I come to do thy will, O God« (Hb 10:9, KJV). As you grow in the Lord, you will discover that your delight will be increasingly in doing his will. This is part of what it means to be spiritually minded, for Paul wrote: »...be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is« (Ep 5:17, KJV). Remember the »path of life« (Ps 16:11) I just mentioned? David prayed for Yahweh to »quicken« him and to »bring his soul out of trouble« (Ps 143:11). In doing so, he was praying for a truly spiritual mind. Consider the distinction between the Spiritual Mind and the Carnal Mind:

Another translation of this passage reads:

David understood that he needed the Lord to save his soul from the disposition of death. So he prayed »Teach me to do thy will...« (Ps 143:10, KJV). We need to be taught. For this reason, James gave the instructions as to what to DO so that we might partake of the Lord more fully. He says:

If we are to be taught, then we must be willing to LISTEN without overreacting or responding before that Word of Truth is completed. The word translated as »word« in James 1:18 is the Greek word logos, which means "word, discourse, computation" and comes from an Indo-European root meaning "to lay". This word also appears in John 1:1, where it says »In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God«, with the Word being Jesus Christ. It bears the connotation of something being laid forth in words or numbers. Our word 'lecture' comes from the same Indo-European root. Be attentive to that spoken discourse of the Spirit of God. Listen. The word translated as »truth« is the Greek word alêtheia. It means "truth", but can also be translated as the unhidden or the unlatent. We have all grown up from our youth on thinking that somehow the Truth was just naturally within us. This was untrue. It is on account of our New Birth, being begotten of the Will of God, that we now have Christ in us, the hope of glory (Co 1:27), and the Truth is in him who is now in us, and »we have THIS TREASURE in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us« (2C 4:7). Even so, we still have this problem of the Carnal Mind and the devil seeking to oppose the apocalypse or unveiling of that treasure. »We know in part« (1C 13:9), and therefore must be taught. As we LISTEN, that Anointing, the Presence of Yahweh himself in us, will teach us all things (1J 2:27), mixing that Word of Truth with the Faith of Christ in our hearts (Hb 4:2).

Continue, Beloved, to receive the Word of God (Jn 1:12), believing, and trusting in Jesus to lead you into all truth through the Spirit of Truth (Jn 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:13), who is that Anointing who abides in and with you. Note that it is the »engrafted word«, that Word of God grafted into your consciousness and memory and reasoning which is able to save your soul. Hallelu Yah! Another translation reads »the implanted word« (CLNT). You are God's garden, and the Word is that Seed which he plants in you, his garden. From every Word of Truth you receive with meekness sprouts another aspect of Jesus in you, that is, another measure of his divine nature and power. When someone is speaking that word, he or she may be either sowing or watering, but God is giving the increase (1C 3:5-9).

We need to obey the truth if our minds are to saved; we need to believe the truth.

Both James and Peter wrote of this truth. The condition is that we must continue in Jesus' word. Then we shall know the truth and become free from those things in the heart which bind and prevent us from doing the will of God. Note that this purification of the soul is unto »unfeigned love«. As the Jesus frees us from every sin as we continue in his word, we will learn to love in truth, that is, our disposition will change and metamorphose unto the full manifestation of the Love of God (1C 13:4-8). We have much to learn about loving, but Jesus is our teacher and our way.

It is imperative that we perform the will of God, that we do the word. If all we do is hear, we will deceive ourselves and drift into error and reap the fruit thereof (Ga 6:7-8). But if we do the Word of Truth, we will sow to the Spirit and reap everlasting life. There are some things you should know about the one who actually DOES the will of God:

You have no idea what terrible experiences you will miss by hearing the Jesus' word and doing it. On the other hand, if we do the will of God, we will enter into his Kingdom, we will experientially enter into that righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Ro 14:17).

Jesus considers those who do the will of God to be his family! Like him, you have been born of God and you partake of the same Spirit and Nature.

I repeat, »He that DOETH the will of God ABIDETH for ever«. More on that later...

Yahweh's voice shakes everything within us which »is made«. What have we made? What reasonings and beliefs and opinions and modes of operation have we chosen over the years? What traditions did we get from our parents? From society? From religion? Those things which »cannot be shaken« are those things established by the Lord in us. They are the things of the Kingdom of God in us which we are receiving as we continue to look in that »perfect law of liberty«. Note that we are receiving a »kingdom which cannot be moved«. This same Kingdom is the one which Jesus tells to seek FIRST, knowing that all of the worldly things we need will be added to us as we do (Mt 6:33-34). This »kingdom which cannot be moved« is characterized by »righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost« (Ro 14:17). And so it is that these things will remain and not pass away as the world and its desires. Whatever God builds into your life will stand. The rest, those things in us which can be shaken, will be consumed by the fire of his Presence.

John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize or immerse his people in FIRE (Mt 3:11). That fire is the Word of God. Yahweh spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and posed the question »Is not my word like fire?« (Jr 23:29, BE). And the effect of the word is INTERNAL. Jeremiah wrote (with regard to that word which Yahweh was giving him to prophesy) »And if I say, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I cannot contain« (Jr 20:9, BE). That word which Yahweh had implanted in his heart could not be restrained forever - it had to find expression. Therefore, Beloved, be encouraged. Receive that engrafted word. Remember, the same One who died on the cross for your atonement is that same One who is the Fire (Hb 12:29). As with Jesus, so also with you (1J 4:17). Of Jesus it is written » And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth« (Jn 1:14, KJV). That word is being »made flesh« in you that the glory of God might be seen in you. The purpose of God is that we also might become »full of grace and truth«. This shaking and burning of our imaginations and thoughts and opinions and belief systems is meant to destroy everything in us which is not of God, that is, everything that is of the world in origin. Another note about that Consuming Fire, who is our God: »For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her« (Ze 2:5, KJV). The same in whom we are immersed is the same One who is within.

As you have already seen, many, many things of God touch upon this business of the Will of God. And all of these things will help you to discover his will for your individual life, his specific will for your personal existence, and enter into that will, in seeking, in the doing thereof, and in the fulfillment of Yahweh's purposes thereby and therein. But none of this information is useful at all if we do not believe and understand that HE SPEAKS and WE HEAR. We must get to know his VOICE. Just as we express ourselves through our voice, Jesus likewise expresses himself through his. Let no one deceive you. God does speak to human beings. Certainly this is evidenced throughout the Scriptures. The book of Genesis begins with God speaking (Gn 1:3). The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ ends with him speaking (Rv 22:20). The very first thing God says is »Let there be light!« (Gn 1:3). So you can be sure that his intention is that we should have Light. Fire radiates light. Jesus said »I am the Light of the world. He who is following Me should under no circumstances be walking in darkness, but will be having the light of life« (Jn 8:12, CLNT). To follow someone means that the person being followed does the LEADING. His leadership requires we requires that we obey his voice, and faith is obedience. When he speaks, we believe and enter into his will, following him, and having the light of life. This is why it says »See that ye refuse not him that speaketh« (Hb 12:25, KJV). Jesus wants us to have the Light, to have him, to know the truth, and be made free (Jn 8:32).

Now, consider this:

Jesus said »My sheep are hearing my voice, and I know them, and they are following me« (Jn 10:27, CLNT). Everyone who belongs to Jesus hears his voice. This you need to believe. Too many fail to follow because they don't realize that they are hearing his voice. They misunderstand sometimes and in ignorance refuse »him that speaketh«. This is why we, like Paul and Epaphras did, need to pray for God to fill us »with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding« (Co 1:9, KJV). It says in Isaiah »And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left« (Is 30:21, KJV). We can trust Jesus to make his words known to us. This is, in fact, one things which the Spirit of God does:

The Holy Spirit speaks and causes us to hear the voice of the Lord. He is the Declarer of the will of God unto us and the One who causes us to increase in the knowledge of God.

Rest assured, when we are hearing his voice, the Spirit of God is entering us and giving us what we need to do his will. Ezekiel was told to »stand up« and then the Spirit of God »raised« the prophet to his feet. All the more reason for us to hear and not be afraid of what he will say to us. This is the kind of salvation we all need. Even as I was preparing the study from which this essay was born, I discovered that I was terrified of the will of God and was tempted to lay it aside for another time. But then I remembered the righteousness of God and his love for me in Jesus' death on the cross. So I asked him to cleanse away all of my fears, which he did, and I was once again able to continue. The result has been that I have gained a better understanding of him and his will. You see, I knew that Yahweh wanted me to do this study and examine all of the Scriptures which specifically mention his will. Had I refused him, I would not have been able to write this! But God gave me strength and caused me to hear his voice.

Beloved, Jesus will speak to you. That is one of the many promises of God and the single most important dealing of God in your life as it pertains to knowing his will. I have always known him this way. Even before I believed and received him into my heart, he spoke to me. After I started to address him in speech, calling upon the name of JESUS, he answered me and began to reveal himself all the more to me. And so it is with all who call upon him in all seriousness. The Scripture says that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Ac 2:21). And it is the will of God that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1Ti 2:4). That includes you.

First of all, consider the word MYSTERY. Mystery is in English and several other languages a direct borrowing from Greek. It is a religious word and referred originally to the Mystery religions of the Fertile Crescent and the Roman Empire. Wherever the word »mystery« appears in the King James Version New Testament text, it translates the word mustêrion, which Strong defines as "...from a derivative of muô (to shut the mouth); a secret or "mystery" (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites)" [#3466G]. In their Greek-English Lexicon, Liddell and Scott define it this way: "a mystery, secret rite: mostly in plur. mustêria, ta, the mysteries, religious celebrations, the most famous of which were the Eleusinian mysteries of Demeter or Ceres...any mystery or secret thing: a mystic history or dispensation" [L&S]. The Greeks called an initiate into such mysteries mustês, for this one held these secrets within. Until Jesus Christ came, the Will of God remained a secret. Paul preached this mystery as it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Although the Scriptures present the will of Yahweh in so many different ways, it is still very much a mystery to one who has not been initiated into it by the Spirit of God. Nevertheless, we can understand some things about it from the Scriptures and trust Jesus to unveil the mystery to our hearts and minds.

Perhaps the most prominent fact of the Will of God in this passage is the fact that it is his GOOD PLEASURE, that which pleases him well. It was »according to the good pleasure of his will« that Yahweh predestinated or foreordained us to become his children through Jesus Christ. That foreordinatation is likewise according to PURPOSE. With this I would say God has a purpose for each our lives, a purpose which he desires to reveal, into which he desires that we enter through simply believing him when he speaks. This is what Abram did (Gn 15:1-7, especially verse 6). When Yahweh spoke, Abram believed his words. Thereafter, Yahweh revealed more of his will to Abram in more detail. Abram continued to believe and this resulted in Yahweh changing his name to »Abraham« (Gn 17:1-8, especially verse 5). Consider Paul's explanation of Abraham's experience:

»God, who... calleth those things which be not as though they were« (Ro 4:17, KJV) - You need to recognize that the Holy Spirit is going to declare his will to you and that what he says will often be something which doesn't exist yet. This was Abraham's experience. Not only did Abram believe Yahweh and considered him »able to perform« what he said, but Yahweh did in fact perform it. This is chronicled in Genesis through Joshua and throughout the other books of the Old Testament. This you need to believe, that God is able to do everything he says to you. Look what the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar learned:

Nebuchadnezzar did not apparently believe Daniel's prophecy concerning him being given the mind of a beast for seven years (Dn 4), but it happened exactly as the prophet had spoken and this was Nebuchadnezzar's realization after it was all complete. Although punished for his pride, the king's faith toward God was strengthened by his correction. Nebuchadnezzar's experience is instructive, for the will of God is often corrective in nature, even if that aspect of it is not perceiveable at the outset. But, we must have correction if we are to truly become manifest sons of God (Hb 12). Beloved, be encouraged! Surely, if Yahweh could give Nebuchadnezzar a different heart, that of a beast, he can do that with us, the exception being that he will give us a heart like Jesus (Ez 36:25-27).

Because there is an ongoing revelation of the will of the Lord, Paul was able to write to the Ephesian believers »...be ye not UNWISE, but UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE WILL OF THE LORD IS« (Ep 5:17, KJV). We should note the real definition of WISDOM as presented here. Wisdom is knowing WHAT the will of the Lord is. Therefore "Unwisdom" is remaining, that is, choosing to remain ignorant of his will. Ignorance is darkness, but we are called to walk as »Children of Light« (Ep 5:8-14). A few pages ago, I talked about praying for the will of God. If we pray »thy will be done« and understand that it is God's desire that we understand what his will is, then we can be sure that he will cause us to know his will.

Read the Gospels. Concentrate on Jesus' words and teaching, for he himself said:

Jesus challenged them to actually do what he said. That was to be the test of his words, whether or not they be of God. Likewise, it is the test of all teaching. It is also the test of the word which Jesus speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. Whatever Jesus is telling you to do, that do, and you will know its true origin. Therefore:

If you have erred in your understanding, you will find out. If the word you are hearing is originating in God, it become manifest that it is.

Beloved, there a couple more principles I would like to share with you, that you might gain more courage and understand more completely.

As I have already said, Yahweh calls his people to be »conformed to the image of the his Son« (Ro 8:29, BE). When Jesus said this to his disciples, they did not understand what he meant. Of course, we all need to eat food for our bodies to survive. But our spirits need the performance of the will of God to be properly nourished. Even as good nutrition is important to the body, good spiritual nutrition is important to our spirits. Jesus said: »...It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God« (Mt 4:4, KJV). He said several other things which relate directly to this truth:

Remember, we were once DEAD in trespasses and sins (Ep 2:1-10).

First and foremost, we must remember that Jesus is »the true bread from heaven«. No ritual or mental configuring of man can possibly nourish your spirit as the Son of God. Only he can do that through the Word of God energized by the Spirit of God. We partake of him coming to him in prayer through believing upon him. No amount of self-help anything can substitute for his will working in us.

 NOTE: Anyone reading this should understand that this type Scriptural writing is very compact as compared to normal prose, though not as compact as the New Testament writings. For this reason, I would like encourage anyone reading this to read it twice or thrice. The first reading should be just that. During subsequent rereadings, it would be good for the reader to look up all of the referenced Scripture verses and read them along with their contexts. This action will help give a more complete and accurate understanding of this document.