Dear fellow preacher,
You and I have been called of God to perform His exact and specific will for the place He puts us, and in the time He allows us to live. Nothing else is good enough, and nothing less will be rewarded in heaven, let alone on earth.
Ah, but the ‘trick’ is actually finding His specific will!
Two of the greatest Bible verses on this subject are found in the life and teaching of our Lord Jesus. He taught this truth in Matthew 6:10, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Later, He practiced this truth in Matthew 26:42, He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
It’s probably safe to say that most all God-called preachers have a rough idea of what God wants done, but after that it gets a bit ‘fuzzy’. And yet, God is not playing games with us. As in most things, the preliminaries are easy to see and understand; but the further and deeper we go, the more carefully we must think and pray before we proceed. So it is with God’s will: we must proceed carefully day-by-day.
Start every day by getting alone with the Lord and pouring over His Word (and perhaps a chapter from a good devotional book), then go to earnest prayer, asking God to teach you His will and guide your steps today.
This was the formula used by the great preachers of yesteryear, and I have tried to follow it. It’s been my experience that, when I follow the formula, God always comes to me and reveals His will for the day, or for a particular project I have in mind, though sometimes I must labour long in prayer.
But the old devil is a crafty enemy, and he tries to substitute God’s ‘Holy Will’ with his own ‘Holly Wood’, by enticing us to build our churches by dropping our standards and becoming more ‘entertainment-centered’. What a mistake to mingle the ‘chaste virgin’ (2 Cor. 11:2) with the harlot (1 Cor. 6:15)!
Never substitute God’s ‘Holy Will’ for the devil’s ‘Holly Wood’. God doesn’t bless worldly churches.
Stay in the game!
Your brother in Christ,
Steven J. White
Pastor
I’d like to invite any Independent Baptist preacher (pastor, missionary, evangelist, or retired) to offer helpful advice, experiences and thoughts that will encourage others in the ministry. I want others to hear what you have to say. If this is of interest to you, please email me your thoughts or suggestions. None of us will get ‘paid’ for any of this, but all of us will get ‘sharpened’.