If you’ve ever wondered what the will of God was for you… this response from Dr. Charles Stanley is sure to help. In it, he gives Biblical counsel to a viewer as he shares memories from his own life. In Touch Ministries, 2012.If you’ve ever wondered what the will of God was for you… this response from Dr. Charles Stanley is sure to help. In it, he gives Biblical counsel to a viewer as he shares memories from his own life. In Touch Ministries, 2012.
as believers in Jesus Christ we’ve been
called out from the world and into his
light Paul told the Ephesians walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which
you’ve been called with humility and
gentleness patience and love for one
another that is the first calling we’re
to fulfill but then there is the most
specific calling of living out what God
has planned for your life how you to
serve him where are you to work
what role does God have for you in his
church well I certainly was able to
identify with these questions when I
first came to faith in the Lord but what
I’ve learned is this God will not keep
secret what he wants you to do and let
me give you an example I was saved when
I was 12 years of age when I was 14 I
knew that the Lord had called me to
preach I knew nothing beyond that I
didn’t know anything about the education
I don’t know what be required of me I
just knew that he called me to preach
the gospel and so it was from that
experience of knowing that you say well
how did you know little by little God
began to move my interest in that area
and I would go to church and always set
up closed listening very carefully I
wasn’t listening to plan how I would
preach I was just listening for God to
speak to me and so little by little that
strong feeling of desire to preach began
to work in my life until finally I knew
without a shadow of a doubt it was the
will of God for my life he’ll make it
plain to you if your heart’s right
today’s email sent us on this issue of
calling and the email reads I have been
working with our church youth group time
after time God has called me into the
ministry and I’ve ignored him I want to
make sure I’m hearing his calling and
not myself ambition or guilt
can you help well let me ask you a
question first of all what did you
ignore him you need to think about that
why did you ignore one of the most
awesome opportunities in the world for
God to call you to serve Him
whatever that is you need to deal with
it you need to confess it and to repent
of it and to ask God to forgive you for
moving in a direction that was totally
opposite from his will and purpose and
plan for your life
you see when he called you he always
calls you with the promise God’s full of
wonderful promises for example he says
in proverbs 3:5 and 6 trust in the Lord
with all your heart lean not to your own
understanding in all your ways
acknowledge him he will direct your path
and he says in psalm 32 he will guide
you with his eye upon you and in first
John chapter 5 14 15 this is the
confidence listen to that this is the
confidence that we have in him that if
we ask anything according to his will he
hears us and if we know that he hears us
we know that we have the petition and
the answer that we’re looking for now it
is the will of God to reveal his will to
you no question the first step is a
clean heart you must ask God they
cleanse your heart and to be sure that
your life is right with him and the
second step is to surrender your will to
him whatever he called you to do for me
personally was the call to preach the
gospel you it may be something else the
issue is this he does give callings and
he does guide us and he directs us and
he also increases our interest in that
calling gradually that once in a while
somebody will say well it just hit me
all of a sudden well maybe it does maybe
it does not but you the issue here and
your question is it cannot help you that
I can help you but simply answering this
question are you willing to do whatever
God called you to do you have to answer
that secondly is there anything that
pops up in your mind when I mentioned
the fact of being willing to do anything
have you laid out your desires for God
and said Lord now you need to call me in
one of these areas if you want clear
direction you must have a clean heart
and you must have an open mind and a
surrendered will God whatever
you want is what I want now if their
doubts identified them for example let’s
say he called you to preach and you said
well Lord I can’t go to school but when
he called me I had no money and my
mother could not help me and so I had to
deal with those things but you only deal
with them as they come forth and God
will enable you and remember this he
will never call you to do anything that
you cannot do your ability your skills
all of that is a gift from God he equips
us for his calling we don’t even realize
are equipped until we begin to exercise
that when you begin to move in the
direction that he’s calling you those
desires become stronger and stronger
when you begin to move in the wrong
direction
you get uneasy as a check in your spirit
you’re unhappy with yourself you feel
distant from God that’s why when he
calls you the wisest thing you can do is
to say yes the Word of God is a key
getting into the Word of God keeps you
focused upon him and oftentimes it’s in
a passage of Scripture that he’ll give
you clear direction he does not give us
all the answers we’d like to have when
he calls us we may not even see how it’s
possible for us to do what he wants us
to do or even why but as we obey Him
each step becomes clearer finally there
is an absolute perfect peace that a
calling may appear to be very difficult
view at this particular time but when
you begin to obey Him it’s like he
eliminates one inhibition he eliminates
one fear he eliminates one question one
doubt until finally the Spirit of God
has so confirmed in your heart exactly
what he wants you to do that when he
does listen there will be a proof there
will be a peace that prevails over all
your questions and doubts but will Satan
attack yes he will and he will remind
you that you’re not worthy of it why do
you think God would called you all of
those things but remember this
you don’t listen to that you listen to
the Spirit of God within you
who has made and is making that calling
very clear and let me say this if you
don’t fulfill his calling you’re going
to be miserable all of your life let me
tell you why I used to teach in the
Bible Institute most of the pastors
there had been called early in life
maybe like you but they had all said no
for one reason or the other and then
later on in life they finally
surrendered to God but without a doubt
those men would say to me you know I
look at all those years I wasted because
I refuse to be obedient to God I regret
that and I could feel in their heart
their attempts to somehow figure out
somewhere they can make up for that you
can’t make up for it that’s why it’s so
absolutely essential you surrender your
life to God
yield yourself to him Lord whatever you
want and move in that direction and
trust him to take care of you
well thank you for joining us today for
in touch God promises in psalm 32 that
he will instruct you and teach you in
the way you should go he will counsel
you with his eye upon you and if
necessary he will move heaven and earth
to show you his will for your life