God's Heart and Will
Recently, Parker and I were discussing the core values of Liberty Church Union Square – one of our core values is following God's Heart and Will. To follow Gods Heart and Will – I think we need to make it clear WHY and HOW we do that and what the Bible says regarding this specifically.
WHY:
The Bible says:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:9-10, 18-19 NIV)
God says in HIS very Word that in our hearts we can know the great hope God has called us to. That this hope is not something we need to beg for but is our inheritance. He promises that if we believe in HIM we will be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why it is so important to know Gods Heart and Will. We are called to carry this out. It’s our inheritance and He has given us power to do so.
GOD'S Will
The Bible says that God's will is “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Gods Will, first and foremost, is that we have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
- God's Will – Relationship
- How do we develop our relationship with God?
- Spending time with God in His presence, listening and obeying, worship, His Word the Bible.
- There is a book called Secrets of the Secret place. I strongly suggest reading this book. It has taught me more about pressing into God than any other book besides the Bible.
- How do we create an environment where people can build a relationship with God?
- Love God with all your heart, mind, soul
- Love one another
- Live from a place of overflow
- How do we develop our relationship with God?
2. God's Will – Unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
He made known to us the mystery of His will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10 NIV) How do we bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ?
- Partnering with God DAILY
- Soaking in His Presence
- Forgiveness
- Intercession
- Knowing our authority
- Knowing our identity
- Community
- Living from a place of Freedom, Boldness, and Courage
- Being after Gods own heart
GOD'S HEART
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23)
How can we be people after Gods own heart? Let’s look at David
22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ – Acts 13:22-23
- Davids top priority is relationship with God
Psalm 5:3 – In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. - Trusting in The Lord – no matter what the circumstances, David trusted God
Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Radical obedience – David preferred obeying God over being King.
- Humility
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves
How to bring light to Union Square
Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. – 1 John 2:7-8
What’s getting in our way?
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. – 1 John 2:15-17
I encourage you right now, to do a heart check. What is possibly creating a hesitation in you?
