iShare 2015: The Challenge

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Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

How to Know God's Will for My Life

Bill Krick

How to Know God’s Will for My Life

Father, as we begin and as we think about how to find your will, how to please you, please help us to not only understand but to apply What we learn in the days to come be with us now in this room in this next?

Hour in Jesus name amen Welcome I like I share how many people is your first I share Whoa, okay, I share is a blast It's really fun, And I hope that you come next year.

Next year it's going to be probably closer to Fresno, California.

The title of this session is how to know God's will for my life That's the title of the seminar and it's also the title of this session How to know God's will for my life.

I had a young person This is a several years ago.

I showed up visiting a Maga book program 1 day and I showed up in the morning for breakfast and there was a young man there and he looked at me with big eyes like this and he says I need to talk to you I said okay so we he pulled me aside and he said I want you to know that just this morning, I prayed that if it was God's will for me to go to such and such a college, Bill Crick would happen to show up, and he'd have to be wearing a red shirt.

And if he showed up wearing a red shirt, then it was God's will for me to go to a place, a certain college.

And I looked down and I was wearing a red shirt.

And I smiled at him And to make a long story short, he didn't wind up going to that college.

How do you find God's will for your life?

Other young people, this is a true story, they put the names of several colleges in a hat and prayed and pulled out which 1 and you know what they pulled out they pulled out a Bible college and they didn't wind up going to that 1 either true story another girl she said Lord if I see a shooting star then it's your will for me to go to this college she saw a shooting star and she didn't want to go into the college either.

How do you find out what God wants you to do?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?

Whom should I consider having on the radar screen?

Who should I even consider for the radar screen?

Okay, some of these things are more important than others, right?

They're good questions, but how do I know what God's will is?

How am I supposed to make decisions, especially today when there are so many voices out there saying what I should or should not do?

I want you to know that you're not alone.

Psalm 31 verse 3, you are my rock and my fortress.

Therefore, for your name's sake, leave me and guide me.

The Psalm writers were desperate to know God's will.

Psalm 27, verse 11, teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies.

And by the way, a smooth path doesn't, he's not praying for an easy life.

Back then, if you had a path with a bunch of obstacles, it would take you a long time to get somewhere.

So the smooth path is, you know, lead me in a place that I can actually walk and get somewhere.

Psalm 48 verse 14, this is God, our God forever.

Psalm 5 8, lead me O Lord in your righteousness because of my enemies.

Make your way straight before my face rather than crooked and messed up and cloudy and and confusing Psalm 25 verse 5 lead me in your truth and teach me is that your desire lead me in your truth and teach me for you are the God of my salvation on you I wait all the day.

Psalm 43 verse 3, Oh send out your light and your truth let them lead me.

143 10 teach me to do your will for you are my God lead me in the land of uprightness.

Psalm 139 verses 10 and 24 your hand shall lead me your right hand shall hold me lead me in the way everlasting.

Where do most people go when they want answers in the world?

If you're not a Christian, where do you go for answers to know which decision to make?

So astrologers, horoscopes, fortune tellers, palm readers.

I had a friend who was praying about whether or not he should go as a student missionary to the South Pacific.

And he said, Lord, what do you want me to do?

He went out for Chinese food, opened up his fortune cookie, and you know what it said?

It said, an exciting adventure awaits you in the South Pacific.

He did go as a student missionary and he met the woman that eventually became his wife.

He's now a pastor in Australia and he's very happy.

But it wasn't on the authority of the Peking Noodle Company that made that happen.

You know it's interesting people will pay good money for a good counselor, a good guidance counselor, a good personal Christian counselor or non-Christian counselor or a psychologist.

In the last few decades that industry has exploded.

Christian author Elizabeth Elliot observes that despite more people advancing further in education than at any time in history, with more people having advanced degrees than at any time in history, with more access to education than any time in history, we still seem less sure, less certain in making decisions than we ever have been.

1 study showed that the average college student changes his or her major more than 3 times, often much more.

How to Know God’s Will for My Relationships

Father, please be with us in this next session.

Please help us to understand and most of all help us to apply your principles from your Word in the months to come.

We talked about how to know God's will for my life.

And those of you who were here for the first session, if you were only supposed to remember 1 thing, what was it?

Before I can know God's will for my life, I have to Know God's will in general.

Like what pleases him, what makes him happy?

And before I can do that, I need to know God.

I can't know God's will for my life until I know God's will.

I can't know God's will until I know God, right?

Okay, And we reviewed and we talked about these 6 steps to know God's will for your life.

Number 1, know will of your own in the matter.

Number 4, consider providential circumstances and don't force your own providential circumstances.

Number 6, ask God in prayer to reveal his will.

And number 7, make a decision and proceed.

We're going to start in Ephesians chapter 5 today.

And since this is a segment that concerns Relationships and marriage, you think I'm going to 5 verse 22, but I'm not.

The Bible says, find out what is acceptable to the Lord.

Another version says, a modern version says, always be trying to find out what best pleases the Lord.

You know, always be trying to find out what best pleases the Lord.

What's the minimum that I can do to still stay married to my wife without her throwing me out of the house?

This is from Gospel Workers, 1892 edition.

It is impossible for us to believe that Jesus endured the untold agonies of the cross for us without having our hearts melted in love for him and if we love him we shall be solicitous what does that word mean it's a big old word desirous we shall want it we're gonna want it we shall be solicitous we will want to please him to obey him The heart stirred by the law of Christ will earnestly inquire, Lord, what do you want me to do?

How do I find out what best pleases the Lord, as it says in Ephesians 5 verse 10.

My parents say 1 thing and it's confusing, my peers say another, my youth pastor says another, and I read the Bible and the inspired writings and I'm not sure how to figure it out from there, and I'm confused.

Turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 12.

Romans chapter 12 and verse 2, familiar passage.

12 verse 2, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may do what?

That you can figure out what God's will is for my relationships and my marriage.

So that you can prove, so you can figure out what God's will is.

Our culture, honestly folks, our culture is like a tidal wave.

The culture in the time of the disciples was 1 main thing as it related to Jesus and the Messiah.

And they could not get themselves out of that cultural mindset.

Jesus said, now I want you to listen to me.

I'm gonna go to, we're going to Jerusalem, I'm gonna be mocked and spit on and killed, and the third day I'll rise again.

And they were like, you know, totally blinders.

They would nod their head, but they didn't get it in 1 ear and out the other.

And still when it happened, it was as if Jesus hadn't said a thing.

The reason is because the culture was like a tidal wave.

It was hard to resist cultural expectations.

The people that Jesus invested the most time and love into had those cultural expectations in their brains, just like us.

How do I figure out who I should think about marrying?

How do I figure out who I should think about having on the radar screen?

Makes it harder when my feelings are involved.

My thoughts and my desires and my feelings and my chemicals and my bloodstream all get mixed up.

But there is no place, folks, that is deeper than my spiritual life.

And I would add there's no place deeper than my love life.

If I have surrendered my love life to God, then I'm...

That is the deepest part of ourselves, the spiritual life and our love life.

If we've surrendered that to the Lord, that's significant.

Ellen White states, I don't think I have this quote on the screen, but she does say, she says, young men and young women who are sensible on every other topic.

Relationships and marriage, particularly the marriage relationship, is the place where God can be glorified the most.

It is the number 1 thing on his list to reveal himself.

It's commonly known that the relationship between God and his people in the Bible is illustrated by the marriage relationship.

The entire book of Hosea, in the book of Revelation, the pure woman, that's his people.

And the adulterous woman, who has many men.

Jeremiah 6 verse 2, lovely and delicate woman.

2 Corinthians 11 verse 2, like a chaste virgin.

How to Know God’s Will for My Career and Ministry

Last session, how to know God's will for my relationships and marriage.

Eyes wide open before marriage, half shut after.

And number 5, school is a great place to meet someone.

It can be pretty stressful dating while you're in school.

Okay, and Let's pray to start our session.

Father, thank you so much that we can spend time together at iShare learning, worshipping, listening to your word, gaining things that will help us in October and February and April and all throughout the year.

So please be with us, help us to understand and to apply your word to our lives.

We acknowledge our need of you to understand the Bible properly.

Have you ever been indecisive or felt indecisive?

My wife says that she married me because I'm decisive.

She's not here, I don't see her, she's somewhere.

I've been using my wife as an illustration for the last 2 sessions.

As I mentioned before, the average college student changes his major at least 3 times.

80 percent of all college students change their major at least once.

How do I know God's will for my career and ministry?

And After Pastor John Bradshaw's message this morning, do you see what you're going to do in a little different light?

We are gonna be serving God, number 1, whether it's full-time ministry or not.

We're going to, just the outline of this, we're gonna look at a few principles to know God's will for my career in ministry, 6 different principles.

And then we're going to look at a time in Jesus' life when he made a completely unexpected decision and why he did that.

Okay, so number 1, God has a place for us.

Not more surely, okay we got to look at the syntax and the grammar here because it can be confusing.

Not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God.

Do you have a special place on earth designated where you are to work for God?

Just as much as you have a mansion, so you have a special place designated on earth where you are to work for God.

Are there lots of places you could be a blessing?

This says there's a special place where we are to work for God.

Anybody know where the place where he spent the most time?

He spent most of his life in the carpenter's shop.

That was the special place designated on earth where he was to work for God.

89.5% of his life, he was at home, Working as a carpenter, being a boy, and growing up, and learning to carry responsibilities, and doing chores.

Life is made up of stuff like washing dishes.

That was the special place on earth designated where he was to work for God.

89, only 3 and a half years did he have his super powerful public ministry.

He who came from heaven to be our example spent nearly 30 years of his life in common mechanical labor.

God-given talents and abilities point in the direction of our career and ministry.

Turn in your Bibles please to 1 Peter chapter 4.

As each 1 has received a gift, even so minister it to 1 another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

As each 1 has received a gift, so minister it to 1 another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

So if I have received 8 units of gift X, I'm supposed to minister what?

So as you've received a gift, even so minister also the same.

So if you have been given a beautiful singing voice, try to max it out.

Use all as many of your gifts as you can for ministry.

If anyone speaks, let him speak as of the oracles of God.

If anyone ministers, let him do it with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

So again, if I've received, if I've received a gift, it needs to be put into practice.

I see this all the time with young people.

They have gifts, they have abilities, but for whatever reason the clutch is not left out.

Okay, so you know if you've got the clutch pushed in, you're just hitting the gas and nothing happens.

When you let that clutch out, it engages and stuff happens.

So you've been given gifts, but in order to get them to actually in play, in ministry, that's the challenge.

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Series

How to Know God's Will for My Life

How to Know God’s Will for My Relationships

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

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Recorded

Parts

How to Know God’s Will for My Life

41m

How to Know God’s Will for My Relationships

48m

How to Know God’s Will for My Career and Ministry

49m

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