Seeking God’s Will I — Spiritual Growth for New Believers

Scripture Readings:

John 7:17 (NRSVUE):“Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.”

Matthew 10:29–31 (NRSVUE):“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Romans 8:14 (NRSVUE):“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Psalm 119:105 (NRSVUE):“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Matthew 18:15–20 (NRSVUE):“If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the brother or sister listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the brother or sister refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector.Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

1 John 2:27 (NRSVUE):“As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.”

I. We Must Obey God’s Will

Before we were saved, everything we did was according to our own will. At that time, we served ourselves and sought to please ourselves—whatever made us happy or whatever we liked, we would do. But now we are believers in the Lord. We have received Christ Jesus as our Savior and acknowledged Him as our Lord, the One whom we serve. We confess that we have been bought with a price and that we belong to Him. Therefore, after salvation, there must be a fundamental change: we no longer live by our own preferences but must live in obedience to God's will.

After believing in the Lord, the center of our life changes. It is no longer about ourselves—it is about the Lord. The very first question we must ask after salvation is, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" (cf. Acts 22:10). We should learn to say to the Lord when facing any decision, “Lord, not my will, but yours be done.” Whether determining our future or choosing a path to walk, we should always say, “Lord, not my will, but yours be done.”

The life we have received now has a fundamental requirement: to act according to God’s will. The more we obey His will, the more joy we experience inwardly. The less we act according to our own will, the more upright our path before God becomes. If we continue to act according to our old ways, we will not only lack joy—we will experience pain. The more we follow our own ways after salvation, the more pain and less joy we will feel; but the more we walk by the new life and according to God's will, the more peace and joy we will have. This is a profound transformation. Do not be deceived into thinking that following your own will leads to joy. After you believe in the Lord, if you stop following your own desires and begin to learn to submit to God’s will, you will see that this path is full of peace and joy. A Christian’s joy comes from doing the will of God, not from doing what we please.

As Christians, we must learn to accept God’s will and let it govern everything. A person who yields gently to God's will avoids many detours. Many people fail, and many do not grow in life because they follow their own ways. The result of living according to one’s own will is suffering, poverty of spirit, and in the end, having to do God's will anyway. God always uses circumstances, different environments, and situations to bring us to submission. Unless you are not chosen by God, He will let you go your own way; but if you are chosen, He will use His own way to bring you to Himself and lead you in the path of obedience. All disobedience only leads to more detours—yet in the end, you will still need to submit.