How to Know and Do the Will of God (Part 1)

Before you can effectively begin to pray, you must know what the will of God is.  What does God want? For example, it would not please a vegetarian if I took them out to a steakhouse and ordered a 16oz steak for them. Neither can you approach God without knowing what He desires to get done.

A few years ago I was listening to a teaching from Curry Blake in which he said he had two burning questions. If he could get these two questions answered, his life would be complete. First question: How can I know the Will of God? Second question: How can I know when I am being led by the Spirit?

So for years he pondered these two questions until he finally got an opportunity to meet Dr. Lester Sumrall, and he presented him with these two questions. Dr. Sumrall, in his frank and simple manner, answered these two questions:

To know the will of God- READ THE BIBLE

To be led by the Spirit- DO THE BIBLE!

It really is just that simple. In order to understand what God desire for your life, just read what the scriptures say. Sometimes we make the will of God out to be this mysterious unclear path, that you can never fully know. Jesus was pretty clear in what He has told us to do. For example, in Luke 8:22, Jesus told His disciples to go to the other side of the lake. So what was the will of God for the disciples? To go to the other side of the lake. Did it matter that a storm arose? Did it matter that they almost died? No, because Jesus spoke it, and that is the will. In fact, Jesus was so confident, in the very next verse, the Bible says he fell asleep. Yet the disciples were in a panic, fearing they would die, so they awoke Jesus to handle the situation. Jesus was not pleased, in fact He rebuked them for not having any faith. The disciples were expected to believe His Word and know that they would make it to the other side. If you have received a word from God, then that is the will of God! So God is expecting you to stand on that word, even if storms, turbulence, or friction comes (because of the Word).

In Luke 10 Jesus sends out 72 people and tells them to heal the sick in whatever city they enter. So what was the will of God for these 72? To heal the sick.

Key principle: The Will of God = The Word of God

“But what if God had some secret plan to give sickness to some people to teach them something” Why would God give people something that He sent His people to destroy? An exterminator’s job is to rid a house of pesky insects that can destroy a house. Would he secretly inject a house with termites, just because he wants to? Would a dermatologist purposely give his patients a cream that causes acne? That’s how ridiculous it sounds when people think God is giving people sickness.

According to 1 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4, God’s will is that no man should perish and that all men would repent and become saved (healed and delivered). This is God’s will.  So then sickness in NOT the will of God. John 6:38 says that Jesus has come to do the will of the Father. So he went around and enforced the will of God- healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, raised the dead.

“But if God is in control of everything, won’t the will of God just happen anyway?”

This is the mindset that many Christians today have. But we are instructed to have the mind of Christ. Do you think Jesus had this mindset? No he didn’t. The mindset of Jesus was this: the will of God is not being done on the earth, therefor I must do the will of my heavenly father. Because if I don’t do it, it won’t get done.” This is why Jesus prayed, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, even as it is in heaven”. Jesus knew there was no pain and sickness in heaven, and He came to enforce the will of God on earth. And we are to have the same mindset as Jesus, because He left to go to heaven. He expects us to keep the family business going. The business of doing the will of God– healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead. That is the mantra that I live by– everywhere I go, I bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, at a restaurant, NBA game, or even working out at the gym. If I am there, someone is going to be blessed financially, healed, or receive an encouraging prophetic word.

The mindset that we must have as Christians is a cross between a military soldier and a police officer. You are a soldier because you were given clear commands from your commanding officer Jesus. He told you to love your neighbor, forgive, heal the sick and cast out demons (Mark 16). Any good soldier knows that you fully carry out your command until you are given a new one.

You are a police officer because you have been given authority to arrest illegal activity wherever you find it. What is illegal activity? Illegal activity are things that Jesus paid for with the stripes on back and His precious blood. So if you see sickness, you have the right (and the authority) to enforce God’s will. A police officer, if he spots a crime, does not say, ‘well maybe they had a good reason for the crime”. His job is to bring the illegal activity to justice, not to think and rationalize ‘why’.

“But what if I don’t feel led to pray for the sick?”

This is again how many Christians today think. They think they must be led in order to do the will of God. If a policeman is riding along with his partner, he might receive a call from dispatch, “We have a robbery on 8th and Market Street”, they will respond and head to the scene. But if they are riding along and they visually an old lady being robbed by a criminal, do they have to wait for a phone call from dispatch? No, because they have been given authority to handle the situation.

You have been given authority to handle the situation, you don’t have to wait on a call from dispatch (heaven). As Sons of God, we are led by the Spirit. It is not your desire to do the will of God, it is the Holy Spirit in you that drives you to do the will of God. It does not say to wait until you feel led to obey God. If you see it, act!

Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good, setting free all that were oppressed by the devil. The apostles did the same thing.

How is it that in 2013, we don’t even know if God wants all people to be healed? let alone go out into the marketplace and heal. Be sure to read Part 2 where I explain where these thought patterns came from and how we can be set free!

Troy Anthony Smith is a Pastor, author, and the founder of Demonstrate It, an organization that believes in healings, signs, and wonders. Pastor Smith currently resides in Los Angeles,CA, where he can be found at the grocery stores, malls, and street corners, laying hands on the sick, prophesying to the lost, and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God.

Do you desire to learn more about healings, signs, and wonders. Check out my latest book Demonstrate It? On Sale at Amazon.com