IN Christ I Can Do The Will Of God!

“having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:9-12 NKJ

A question I get asked often is, “How do I know the will of God is and how do I walk in it?” This is a very good question that deserves an answer. But unfortunately I cannot define God’s will for anyone’s life, including my own. For the will of God is revealed by the Spirit of God to all who believe in Jesus Christ. So in order to discover the will of God we have to access it through the revelation knowledge that is given by the Holy Spirit. Jesus understood this. For throughout Jesus’ ministry He said that He did nothing on His own, but only what His Father told Him to do or what He saw His father doing. In and of Himself Jesus didn’t know the will of God when He was in the form of man; except by the revelation knowledge that was given to Him after He was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you study Jesus’ life you will not read one time where Jesus performed a miracle or ministered to the people before He was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the key to understanding the mystery of God’s will. The word mystery here comes from the word musterion and refers to something that is revealed. We often think of the word mystery as it is defined in the English language as something that is kept secret. But in the original context of this word in Greek it means the exact opposite. It means something disclosed. Another way to think of the word mystery here is to think of it as the inner teachings of God that are disclosed to us by the Holy Spirit.

So how does the New Covenant Disciple access the inner teachings of the Holy Spirit? It is only accessed through our faith IN Jesus Christ! Jesus is the ONLY ONE who ever fully understood, accepted, and executed the will of God by the power of the Holy Spirit operating IN Him, even to the point of death and resurrection! In our own strength we cannot know, understand, or execute God’s will for our lives because if we could, Christ’s death and resurrection were in vain. Since Jesus is the focal point of God’s plan and the executor of God’s will in the believer’s life; our responsibility is to submit ourselves under the authority of Jesus Christ because He is the head over all things.

This is why Paul said, “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” (Verses 10-12)

The word dispensation refers to the order of things or the method by which affairs are conducted. In Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul says, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” The problem is that we misunderstand what submission means because of the way it is defined in the English language and the negative connotation associated with it. We have to come to understand it in the way my husband described it for me years ago. He said, “Holly, submission means to come under to support the mission of the one who is the head or leader.”

When he defined it this way the eyes of my understanding were opened and I was able to comprehend what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 1 in regards to knowing the mystery of God’s will. In order to have the mystery of God’s will revealed to us we have to submit ourselves under the headship of Jesus Christ so we can fulfill the ministry of Jesus on earth and that is done by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in us. This is the key to operating IN the mindset of Jesus Christ because only Jesus knows how to submit to the will of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Can you see it now? In order to know the will of God all we have to do is grow in wisdom and understanding of God’s Word as revealed by the Holy Spirit. This comes in accepting the authority of Jesus Christ in our lives and supporting His mission until the day of His return, through faith. It is that simple! This is where we become stabilized in our faith because we understand who we are IN Christ! It is in fellowshipping with Christ through prayer, study, meditation, and worship, where we grow in wisdom and understanding. I want to encourage you to meditate on the passages today and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth about who you are IN Christ so you are able to submit under His headship. This is where you will begin to walk in the will of God according to the ministry He has called you to do in this life and where you will begin to operate IN His mindset.

Prayer: Jesus, today I choose to submit myself under Your headship, understanding that You are the only One who has ever submitted to the Father’s will. I believe by faith that as I do this; I will begin hear the voice of the Holy Spirit teach me all things that pertain to life and godliness. I desire to do Your will and to fulfill the ministry You have called me to. I praise You for revealing Your will to me through the Holy Spirit and I believe by faith that I am empowered by Your Spirit to walk in it. Amen