Discovering God’s Will for Your Life By Daniel Kolenda
Part 1
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last. John 15:16
Are you seeking God’s will for your life? If so, you are not alone. Questions regarding God’s will are among the most frequent ones I encounter as I minister around the world. It seems that, regardless of the country, continent, race, culture, gender or age, people everywhere are searching for, and desiring to fulfil, God’s will for their lives. Generally I have found that these seekers fit into one of two categories, and I would like to address each one separately. The first category is those that have no idea what God’s will is for their lives. The second category is those who have a sense of what God has called them to do, but don’t know how to get from where they are now to where they know they are supposed to be. First I would ask you a simple question: where do you fit?
If you have no idea what God’s will is for your live I encountered one young man several months ago. He was actually a Bible college student nearing graduation. He had been seeking God’s will for many years, but still had no direction. He said to me, “How can I figure out what God wants me to do with my life?” We were standing next to a lamp and I noticed that it had been unplugged. I pointed to the plug lying on the ground and said to him, “How do you know what that three-pronged contraption is for? Should I stick it in my ear or use it to comb my hair?” “Of course not…it goes into the electric socket”, he replied. How did he know that? Because of it’s shape. That plug fits so perfectly into that electric socket that there is no question that it was made for it. Even a child, who had never seen a plug or socket before, could figure out that they were made for each other. This is one way that you can know what God wants from you. Where do you fit? What is it that you enjoy? What brings you satisfaction? I have heard people teach that God’s will always be difficult and hard. It will always be a sacrifice and you will have to die to yourself in order to be obedient. But I have seen that the most effective people in ministry and in life are not the ones forcing themselves to do some dreadful task because they feel it is the Lord’s will. Rather it is the ones that are doing something that they enjoy so much; they feel guilty taking a salary for it. When you find something that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning, when you find something that challenges and thrills you, when you find something that you sense you were made to do, chances are, you are getting close to discovering God’s will for your life.
Another thought. In II Kings 3:11, Elisha is described as the one, “…Which poured water on the hands of Elijah”. When we think of Elisha, we generally think of a great prophet, a mighty man of God, a giant of the faith. It is easy to forget that Elisha started out as nothing more than a servant to Elijah; pouring water over Elijah’s hands and serving him in day-to-day banalities. But his posture of servant hood put him in a position to receive a mantle. When I started working with Evangelist Bonnke, it was not as a co-evangelist; it was as a personal assistant. I had no ulterior motive other than to serve the man of God. But it was in serving his vision that I first saw the massive crowds of people being saved, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. It was in seemingly mundane moments that I was catching a passion for evangelism, a hunger to see souls saved and a desire to preach the Gospel. It was then that I saw my possibilities in God. My posture as a servant positioned me to catch a mantle. If you don’t know what God’s will is for your life, then I would challenge you to find someone else who you sense is doing God’s will, and begin to serve them and their vision as if it were your own. As you sow into their calling, you will reap a calling of your own. You will begin to discover that as you postured yourself as a servant, you were actually positioning yourself to catch a mantle; God’s calling for your life.
Begin to move in the direction of your calling
direction of your calling. Another young man approached me after a service with tears in his eyes. “I am called to be an evangelist like you” he told me. He said, “I am going to preach to multitudes and win millions to Christ”. But he went on to explain that no pastor would invite him to come and preach…he had no platform for his ministry. My advice to him was to start by winning his family members to Christ and then his co-workers and friends. Then go out onto the streets and start preaching to anyone who will listen but don’t just sit around waiting for an invitation…it will never come. Get up and DO SOMETHING! Begin to move in the direction of your calling. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. You do not need to know how to get from A to Z. All you need to do is go from A to B. You already know how to get from A to B, because it is just one step away. God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” He often asks the same question of us: what is right in front of you? Maybe you can’t have a 24-hour prayer centre right now, but what CAN you do? Maybe you can’t preach to multitudes right now, but what CAN you do? Maybe you can’t give millions of dollars to missions right now, but what CAN you do? Focus on what is in your hand and be faithful with it.
To be continued …
Now I would like to deal with the second category; those who have a sense of what God has called them to do, but don’t know how to get from where they are now to where they know they are supposed to be. One young man told me, “I have a desire to start a prayer ministry that will go on 24-hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year”. He was full of dreams, but hadn’t the slightest clue how to get there. My advice to him was simple: start with one night per week. If that was too much, do one night per month. The key is to do what you can do…begin to move in the
April 2010 English
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