Developing A Proper Prayer Life - Part IV

YOUR WILL BE DONE
This particular section should be of great interest to every believer, and the reason is that, as a child of God, you should automatically want to find out what the will of God is for your life. Yet most Christians fail to do this, and failing to seek the will of God in all things is a recipe for disaster.

Let us discuss this first, and try and answer this question: What is the will of God? In my humble opinion, I think we can say that the will of God is the Word of God, which means that everything we do must line up exclusively with the Word of God. If the Word is not consulted and abided by, then the results we experience will not be what God desires for us. Too many Christians fail to seek out what the Bible says. I believe an answer for every question that we will ever have as believers, is found in the Word of God.

Now I know that most will say, “Pastor Gabe, the Bible does not say anything about smoking, or drugs, or things like that.” Yet the Bible does say that we as Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit of God dwells within us (I Cor. 3:16). That should answer this question right there. As believers, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and He will guide our paths and show us what’s right and wrong.

Secondly, the will of God is currently being done in heaven, but not here on earth. One could say that what’s being done here on Planet Earth, regarding what is taking place in the church, is not the will of God. When you look around as to what is being preached and proclaimed in many churches around the country, or even around the world, it is not the Cross of Christ, and, as a result, not the will of God.

I firmly believe that it is the will of God for every church to preach the Message of the Cross, not only for salvation, but also for sanctification. It is imperative that we do so, for as the apostle Paul said,_ “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God”_ (I Cor. 1:17-18). That should sum it up right there—that the will of God for the church is to preach the Message of the Cross and to preach it under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS IS THE WILL OF GOD
What does it mean to preach the Message of the Cross? To put it very plain and simple, it means that whatever we preach, the prominence must always be on the Cross of Christ. Now, we must explain, as we constantly do, that when we refer to the Cross of Christ, we are never speaking of a wooden beam, for there is no power in a wooden beam, but rather what Christ accomplished, which was to pay the sin debt that hung over mankind, and to break the grip of sin over the life of the believer.

Sometime back, I was watching television, and it was on one of the programs that I generally like to watch. The host of the program is a legitimate archaeologist and travels around the world in search for answers regarding famous past events. On the program I just happened to be watching, this archaeologist went in search of the actual Cross of Christ, the same one that He hung upon. After flying to Jerusalem, and looking at several resources, he found himself in a monastery of sorts, where it is claimed that the priesthood there had an actual piece of the Cross that Jesus Christ died upon. They showed it— a piece of wood—that’s all it was. Now, whether or not it was truly an actual part of the Cross is left for debate, but the fact is that no power can come from that wooden beam, for no one has ever been saved through a wooden beam, and neither has anyone been delivered through a wooden beam. It’s a wooden beam, that’s all, nothing more and nothing less.

So, getting back to the question of what does it means to preach the Cross? It means that Jesus Christ is the source of all blessings, and that the Cross of Christ is the means by which we receive these blessings. Faith is the key that unlocks the door, and the Holy Spirit oversees everything. That’s the Message of the Cross in a nutshell. As a pastor, it is my job and responsibility to teach the Message of the Cross to my congregation, whether its members be young or old, the Cross of Christ must be taught. They must know in their heart of hearts that the Message of the Cross is not just a one-time deal for salvation, before moving on to something else. Rather, it is a one-stop shop for everything that we will ever have need of as a believer.

Most preachers of the gospel have some knowledge regarding the Cross for salvation, and we thank God for that, but the sad reality is that the majority of Christian pastors have no understanding regarding the Cross of Christ for sanctification, and it’s a shame. The Holy Spirit gave this message to the apostle Paul so that he could give it to us as believers, and especially to pastors to proclaim the Message of the Cross to their congregants so that they can have life, and life more abundant (John 10:10).

This is more than just a mantra, or even a declaration; rather it is a way of life. Our focus should be on Jesus Christ, and Christ alone. Second, our object of faith must be the Cross of Christ. The power source is the Holy Spirit, which will always produce a positive result, which is victory. That’s why I say that it is the will of God for the Message of the Cross to be proclaimed, for this message will bring victory over the world, the flesh, and the Devil in the hearts and lives of all believers who simply accept and believe this.

THE WILL OF GOD FOR THE BELIEVER
As it comes to us as believers, we should all ardently seek the will of God for our lives. We should desire, daily, to seek His face, and His face alone, when it comes to our personal well-being. Every single believer has a specific purpose as to why he is here, and it behooves him to continually seek the Lord as to what He would want him to do.

We all have a specific function and a certain role to play in the body of Christ, and it’s up to us to find what that role is. We are not all called to be a part of the five-fold ministry—pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, apostle—but we all can do something. God may call you to be a banker, a lawyer, a teacher, housewife, a ditch digger, etc. But whatever He calls you to do, that you must do. The worst thing for you is to not follow after the will of God for your life and seek to do something else. You must daily seek Him as to what He wants you to do, and not what you want to do.

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