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The Beginning of God's Will for Your Life


Today I have the privilege and pleasure of welcoming Charles Specht to the oasis. I first met Charles when we worked together on Michael Hyatt's Platform Launch Team. Instantly I sensed God had bigger plans for our team than launching a bestselling book. 


You will see why I was impressed with him as a writer, father, pastor and friend.
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by Charles Specht


  • Should I marry this person?
  • Which college should I attend?
  • Should I homeschool our children?
  • Which job do you want me to take, God?
Have you ever asked God questions about His will for your life? Have you ever wondered what His plan for your life is, and whether or not you’re actually in it right now?

Did you know that God wants you to know His will for your life? It’s true. His plan was never meant to be a carrot on a string. In fact, the Lord has already told you what His plan is, many times over. The issue, frankly, comes down to whether or not you have ears to hear.

God’s will for your life is like a coin with two sides. The top side is God’s REVEALED will. The bottom, His UNREVEALED will. Most people are overly concerned about God’s unrevealed will, such as where to work, who to marry, etc. The blunder we believers tend to make is that we often focus on His unrevealed will while ignoring what He’s already revealed in Scripture.

Did you know that the phrase “will of God” appears in the Bible numerous times? This phrase has to do with all the specifics regarding God’s plan for your life. The problem with most people, however, is that they want to know God’s UNREVEALED will for their life while—at the same time—being disobedient to what He’s already REVEALED.

The key to rightly discerning God’s plan for your life first begins with being the type of person God calls you to be. The New Testament outlines this REVEALED “will of God” for your life, and it can be broken down into the following twelve categories:
  1. Salvation.
  2. Sanctification.
  3. Thankfulness.
  4. Prayerfulness.
  5. Ministry.
  6. Giving.
  7. Submission.
  8. Hard-working.
  9. Wise.
  10. God-centered.
  11. Suffering.
 Let’s focus on just the first one for now. God’s will for your personal life is that you be saved.

God the Father sent His Son into this world to die on a cross—for you! He didn’t do it for any other reason other than that you might be saved. It is His magnificent plan. It’s how God the Father builds a family for Himself. He absolutely loves adoption, and all those who trust God become the adopted siblings of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:35).

The way God draws people to Himself in order to save them is by allowing them to be sorrowful to the point of repentance. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).

You see, when a woman is broken over her sin, God uses it to draw her to Himself. This plan in the will of God does not lead to sorrow for God’s child, but to everlasting peace.
           
Once a woman is saved by God’s grace, she then receives an insatiable desire for the things of God. The apostle John wrote, “The world is passing away, and also its lust; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). To be singular focused on God’s glory and His plan for your life is precisely the reason God saved you in the first place. It is His will for your life today.

QUESTION: In what areas of your life have you been asking God to reveal His will to you?



Charles Specht is a writer, a pastor, a father of 5 children (2 adopted "special needs" children from China), but mostly just a guy trying to figure it all out. He's devoted to pushing the envelop of Christian media, encouraging believers to be deliberate when crafting their own words to declare the inerrant Word. He has a passion for technology, for reading and writing, for serving Christ, and for figuring out how the worlds of traditional- and self-publishing are evolving before our eyes.

You can visit his church blog at CrazyAboutChurch.com or his Christian Writers website at GodlyWriters.com. Follow him on Twitter @CharlesSpecht, Facebook, and Google+.

16 comments:

  1. Excellent post, very encouraging, thank you!!

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  2. WOW!! This is a truly powerful message. Thank you. I am in awe and speechless as I try to process this post. Amazing.

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    1. Thank you, Carla!

      It's amazing, really, what God has told us and we just don't see it for what it truly is. It's only been quite recent that God has opened my eyes to understanding more of His will for my life. I prayed for a few years for "God's will to be done in my life," but only recently began studying the Scripture more to see what God has already been revealed about His will. Weird, huh?

      Blessings to you!

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  3. Very powerful message. If I had to say one area I'm awaiting God's will, it would be with my brother and his family.

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    1. Hey there, CrazyNutsMom (love then name, by the way!).

      God is so powerful and He can do anything, including whatever is going on in your brother's and his family's situation. Keep your eyes focused on the Lord and continue to storm the gates of heaven in your prayers!

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  4. Wonderful message, indeed! It ties in nicely with what I posted yesterday. Isn't it wonderful how God works?

    Blessings,
    Marcia

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    1. I know! God has a wonderful way of working out things like that. Thanks for stopping by, Mrs. Settles!

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  5. To answer your question - every time something completely out of my control makes a big disruption in our lives! :) But then something good comes of it and I believe it happened for a reason - so another person could benefit of our misfortune. I really like the description of revealed vs unrevealed - thanks!

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    1. Thanks, Nan. Separating out the "revealed" and "unrevealed" aspect of God's Will has helped me tremendously, also. It's amazing to realize how many times God reveals things to us.

      I started preaching through the book of James two weeks ago. It has been eye-opening to realize how many times the Lord allows trials, for example, to enter into our lives in order to "test" our patience. The test is never meant to fail us, but to mold us for His glory.

      Blessing to you!

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  6. Woof...I'm sort of speechless.

    I'm still waiting to figure out His will when I broke both of my arms at the same time :)

    I love to start the day with the Rosary, 2 Our Fathers, 2 Hail Mary's and 2 Glory Be's :)

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  7. The Lord works in very mysterious ways, Sharon.

    Sometimes, I believe, that we may never know (in this life) why God did what He did. He has His reason(s) for it, nevertheless. One of the 12 aspects of God's REVEALED will listed above is "suffering." Occasionally it is God's will that we suffer for a time, which builds our character, patience, and reliance upon Him as our Father.

    Keep your eyes solely fixed upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith! (Hebrews 12:2). Blessings to you, Sharon!

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  8. This is really interesting to me. My husband and I have been through many trials the past decade and we've always wondered, is this God's plan for us or is it an attack from the enemy? Of course, in the end, God always brings good from whatever we've had to endure. God has definitely used these trials to transform me into a passionate follower of Christ who desires to share His word and love with anyone willing to listen. I feel like a completely different person and I know when I pray, the words are much more aligned with what I believe God would want me to pray than my own selfish desires. That's not to say I don't pray for those as well. Haha! I'm just much more submissive to God's will than my own.

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  9. Rosann, I think you may have answered your own question. LOL.

    God does use "many trials" to conform us into the image of His Son. Your prayer life would seem to indicate that ("I feel like a completely different person").

    God is building you up, sister! Keep it up!

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  10. Great post and insight Charles! Thanks Shannon for sharing your platform with this important message!

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    1. Thanks Tor! Blessings to you!

      PS: I can't wait until you guest post on my blog and I guest post on your blog. Hint, hint. LOL.

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