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It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
Dit is hoe Sir Winston Churchill eenkeer die aksies van Rusland beskryf het. Dit is ook wat baie mense sal sê oor die wil van God. As gevolg hiervan, is daar allerhande benaderings en tegnieke wat gebruik word om die wil van God te “ontsyfer”. Sommige van hulle is so belaglik, ons kan maar net ons koppe skud…
Chuck Swindoll in his book "Stress Fractures" records this method:
A college student needed a car. He didn't know which one God would have him purchase, but as a Christian, he was determined to find God's will before he bought anything. One night, he had a series of dreams. Everything in his dream was yellow. He had his answer. After checking out several used car lots the next day, he finally found the one he was sure the Lord would have him buy. You guessed it. Yellow inside and out. He didn't bother to check it out. He didn't even give it a trial run around the block. It was yellow, so he bought it. . . . Appropriately, it turned out to be a lemon.
There is a story of a young son who watched his Preacher Dad writing out his sermon. After watching for a while the boy asked: "Dad, does God tell you what to write in your sermon?" The dad, wanting to be spiritual about it said: "Well, of course son." Then the boy asked: "Then why do you have to cross out so much?"
Daarom moet julle nie onverstandig wees nie, maar verstaan wat die WIL van die Here is.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the WILL of the Lord is.
Ef. /Eph. 5.17
RIGLYNE OM GOD SE WIL TE KEN / GUIDELINES FOR FINDING GOD’S WILL
GOD SE VOORSIENING / GOD’S PROVISION
1. Die BYBEL / The BIBLE
The WILL of God and the WORD of God always go together. We understand the will of God through the Word of God.
Dit is waarom die Psalmdigter sê:
Ek het u woord in my hart gebêre, dat ek teen U nie sal sondig nie.
your Word, O God, have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Ps. 119:11
Die eerste plek waarheen ons moet gaan vir leiding, is natuurlik altyd God se Woord.
Listen to what AW Tozer said:
We should never seek guidance about what God has already FORBIDDEN. Nor should we ever seek guidance in the areas where God has already said yes and given us a COMMAND. In those instances, what we need is not guidance but OBEDIENCE.
A. W. Tozer
U woord is ‘n lamp vir my voet en ‘n lig vir my pad.
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet a light unto my path.
Ps. 119:105
Bring every decision into the light of God's Word.
Two common mistakes concerning God's will and God's Word:
1. People put their own will above God's Word / Mense stel soms hul eie wil bo die wil van God.
2. People take Scripture out of context to make it fit our situation / Mense vat die Bybel en gebruik dit uit konteks om hulle situasie te pas.
Julle almal ken die storie van die man wat leiding nodig gehaat het en toe bid hy en sê dat by die eerste vers waarby hy sy Bybel oopgemaak die antwoord sal wees. Toe maak hy sy Bybel oop by:
And Judas went out and hung himself.
Dit was nie die oplossing waarvoor hy gehoop het nie, toe maak hy die Bybel weer toe en bid weer dieselfde gebed. Toe hy sy Bybel oopmaak was dit by die vers wat sê:
Go and do thou likewise.
Folks, that is Bible roulette.
Dit werk op dieselfde beginsel as dobbel…Speel maar jou hand, en hoop vir die beste.
2. Gebed / Prayer
When Jesus made decisions, he went to his Heavenly Father in prayer. The night before he chose his disciples, what did he do? He withdrew to pray for the whole night. The night before he went to the cross he spent the night in prayer.
Jesus made it a fundamental part of prayer when He tought us to pray. We should ask for God's will to be done. We need to make this our daily prayer:
9 Só moet julle dan bid: Onse Vader wat in die hemele is, laat u Naam geheilig word; 10 laat u koninkryk kom; laat u wil geskied, soos in die hemel net so ook op die aarde;
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Mat. 6:10
Kyk ’n bietjie na die werkwoorde in hierdie twee verse. In die Griekse taal, word die werkwoord aan die begin van die stellings geplaas vir beklemtoning. Die letterlike vertaling is: Kom, koninkryk van God. Geskied (wees gedoen), wil van God.
So wanneer ons dan bid, moenie net bid dat God Sy wil bekendmaak nie, maar maak jou beklemtoning eerder dat Hy Sy wil sal dóén.
3. BEGEERTE / DESIRE
Many people are afraid that God is going to ask them to do exactly what they don't want to do. O no, God is going to call me to be a missionary. (Liedjie - Lord don’t sent me to Africa) If He calls you to be a missionary He will put that desire in your heart.
His suggestions will come to us, not so much COMMANDS from the outside as DESIRES springing up within. They will originate in our will; we shall feel as though we desired to do so and so, not as though we must
Hannah Whitall Smith
4. GAWES en VAARDIGHEDE / GIFTS and ABILITIES (1 Corinthians 12).
God sal aan jou die gawes gee om Sy wil vir jou lewe tot uitvoering te bring. As God wil hê dat sy moet sing tot Sy eer, gaan Hy defnitief vir jou ‘n wonderlike stem gee.
God will give you the gifts you need to fulfil His will for your life. He just isn't going to give you a bad voice and want you to sing. He isn't going to do that to you and He isn't going to do that to us.
5. Goddelike MENSE / Godly PEOPLE (1 Samuel 3:8-9; 2 Samuel 12:1).
God spoke through Eli to Samuel and through Nathan to David.
6. OMSTANDIGHEDE en OOP DEURE / CIRCUMSTANCES and OPEN DOORS
Want ‘n groot en kragtige deur het vir my oopgegaan, en daar is baie teëstanders.
because there is a wonderful opportunity for me to do some work here. But there are also many people who are against me.
1Kor. / 1Cor. 16:9
Maar toe ek in Troas gekom het om die evangelie van Christus te verkondig, hoewel ‘n deur vir my in die Here geopen was,
When I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ, I found that the Lord had already prepared the way.
2Kor. / 2Cor. 2:12
As ons na hierdie Skrifgedeeltes kyk, kan ons duidelik sien dat Paulus vir oop deure gekyk het, en as hulle oop was daardeur sou gaan. Soms is dit baie moeilik om deur die oop deur te stap. Net omdat jou situasie moeilik is, beteken nie dat jy buite God se wil is nie.
Ask Joseph, sitting in jail. Ask Moses when Pharaoh's heart was hard and the situation was getting worse every week. You can tell you are on the road to success it is up hill all the way. Go through open doors and don’t get discouraged if things get tough when you do.
II. ONS DEEL / OUR PART:
1. OORGAWE / SURRENDER
God maak nie Sy wil bekend aan die wat nie toegewy is aan Hom nie. Hy maak dit bekend net as jy bereid is om te sê:
I'll go where you want me to go and I'll do what you want me to do.
Our job is surrender and once we give him our agenda, it is amazing how things clear up. This is exactly what Romans 12:1-2 tells us.
1 Ek vermaan julle dan, broeders, by die ontferminge van God, dat julle jul liggame stel as ‘n lewende, heilige en aan God welgevallige offer dit is julle redelike godsdiens. 2 En word nie aan hierdie wêreld gelykvormig nie, maar word verander deur die vernuwing van julle gemoed, sodat julle kan beproef wat die goeie en welgevallige en volmaakte wil van God is.
1 . . . offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship 2 . . . THEN you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Rom 12:1
2. GEHOORSAAMHEID / OBEDIENCE
Turn to Colossians chapter 1. Follow along as I read verses 9-11:
9 Daarom hou ons ook nie op nie, van die dag af dat ons dit gehoor het, om vir julle te bid en te vra dat julle vervul mag word met die kennis van sy wil in alle wysheid en geestelike insig, 10 sodat julle waardiglik voor die Here mag wandel om Hom in alles te behaag en julle in elke goeie werk vrug mag dra en in die kennis van God mag groei, 11 en met alle krag bekragtig word volgens die mag van sy heerlikheid tot alle lydsaamheid en lankmoedigheid met blydskap.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every.
Col. 1:9-11
Notice in verse 9 Paul is concerned with learning God's will:
we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Notice in verse ten Paul is concerned not with learning God's will but will living out God's will:
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.
There should be a relationship between LEARNING God's will and LIVING God's will.
Daar moet altyd ‘n verhouding wees tussen die leer ken van God se wil, en die uitleef van God se wil!
3. VERTROUE / TRUST
5 Vertrou op die HERE met jou hele hart en steun nie op jou eie insig nie. 6 Ken Hom in al jou weë, dan sal Hy jou paaie gelykmaak.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Spr. / Pro. 3:5-6
Ons werk is nie om die volmaakte wil van God te ken nie. Ons moet net reageer op wat Hy vandag aan jou en my bekend maak. Ons het nie die hele bloudruk van Sy plan nodig nie.
It is possible to cheat ourselves of fully walking in God's light because we held back daily obedience when we could not see the end result. Just walk in his light today. . . just walk step, by step, day by day. If He speaks to you today just say “Yes”.
God ken die pad. Ons moet vandag die stap van gehoorsaamheid neem. Ons moet vandag oorgee en vir God sê:
I’ll go where you want me to go, O Lord, I'll do what you want me to do.
There was once a young boy by the name of Billy Frank. He was born into a Presbyterian home. By the time he was 8 years old he was rising at 3 a.m. to help milk the 75 cows owned by his dairy-farming father. By the time he was 12 he was driving one of the family delivery trucks while a hired man trotted from door to door with milk and cream. By the time he was 15, he had his own delivery route. It was up at 3 a.m., delivery by 5 a.m., and back for breakfast at 7 a.m. where the Bible was read and prayers were said. Then it was off to school at 8.15 a.m.
Teen die tyd dat Billy Frank 17 jaar oud was, het hy daarvan gedroom om ‘n professionele “baseball” speler te wees. En hy was goed. Hy sou dit gemaak het, maar God het ‘n ander droom vir Hom gehad. Een aand is hy en ‘n pel na ‘n herlewingsdiens toe wat naby sy huis in ‘n tent gehou is. Hulle het eintlik gegaan om die spot te dryf met die evangelis. Maar daardie aand het God gepraat, en Billy Frank is vorentoe om ‘n oorgawe aan Jesus te maak. Daardie oomblik het sy lewe verander.
It was 10 p.m. by the time Billy Frank got home and crawled into bed. Five short hours later he was up and at it. That morning, during family devotions, Billy Frank shared with his family the commitment to Christ he had made the night before. He said, "I know my life has changed, but I'm not sure how. I am sure of something else, though. When I finish high school, I'd like to study for the ministry."
Vandag is Billy Frank beter bekend as William Franklin Graham: Billy Graham.
God still impresses his will upon the heart and mind of his followers.
God still calls to ministry. Jesus said that the greatest hindrance to his church was lack of leaders.
37 Toe sê Hy vir sy dissipels: Die oes is wel groot, maar die arbeiders min.
37The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Mat 9:37
In the closing moments of this service I am asking the Lord to move in some lives. I’m going to open the altar and ask for you to take a step of obedience if the Lord is speaking to you.
Will you surrender your life to God? I want nothing more than your will for my life!
Will you obey? The Lord is prodding some of you today to kneel at this altar and make the prayer of Samuel your prayer:
Speak, for your servant is listening
1 Sam. 3.10
Or the prayer of Mary your prayer: “May it be unto me as you have said.”
There may be some who he is calling to a specific role as pastor or a missionary or a Christian teacher. Come forward and say yes.
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Skatermaters