St. John Studies

Are you willing to bet your life that the real world is not real? The visible, physical world is not the world that really counts.

As we get to the last post on Hearing God, these big thoughts are the ones that really count for all of us.

The biggest barrier to hearing God in our lives is the fact that many in our world just like the physical world more than the spiritual world. We want to be able to explain life totally.   We don’t want to leave things to God.

In fact, the forces against spirituality are even greater than this. It is not stylish to be spiritual.  Spiritual people are seen as stupid.  Skeptical people are the smart ones.  To have doubts, to poke holes in another’s faith, to come up with alternate explanations…that’s the cool thing to do.

This is a dilemma: God is not visible.  My Holy Spirit is not visible.  Jesus said “no one has seen the Father” and yet we are to believe.

This whole book has been about us patiently waiting for a message from God and yet many in our culture feel like the physical world is the dominant world.

And yes, many in church today feel the same way.

Why would God want to speak to us if we don’t place a value on our spiritual life?

He wouldn’t.

If you read the Bible, study the Bible, it is evident throughout that God wants to be present with us but do we want to have a spiritual life so we can be with Him?

What is required?

A rock solid belief in the power of regular personal prayer.

A rock solid commitment to the study of God’s word.

A rock solid commitment to seek out the fellowship of other believers.

A rock solid desire to be of service to the people of this world in order to bring glory to the Lord [not yourself].

A rock solid goal of working to be as Christ-like as you can be.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. Don’t get Dr. Willard wrong.  He is calling on Christians to be “individualists”, maybe even “social rebels.”

If you truly want to hear from God on a regular basis and truly want Him to direct your life, you will have to be different. You will have to take stands that are unpopular.  You will have to act in situations where many others are going in the opposite direction.

At times you will be lonely.

As I write my last post on Hearing God I am awed that Dr. Willard closes his book on a reference to the two men walking to Emmaus after the death of Jesus.  These two students of Jesus tell a man who appears about the horrible death of Jesus of Nazareth, not knowing that they were telling their story to Jesus.

Then their eyes were opened and they realized the man who was with them was Jesus.

My walk with God began 19 years ago when I found Jesus on the Emmaus Walk, a four day spiritual journey I took at a key time in my life. I found a new hope in my life, a new force that was there to guide, a Savior who loved me, forgave me and sent me down the road to a better way of life.

I saw that the physical, visible world was not the way to explain all of life.   I saw God at work in my life and in the lives of others.

I left my Emmaus Walk with a burning heart. The two students asked each other after Jesus left them:  “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?” [Luke 24:32].

Dr. Willard states “Today, as God’s trusting apprentices in the kingdom of the heavens, we live on the Emmaus road, so to speak, with an intermittently burning heart. His word pours into our hearts, energizing and directing our lives in a way that cannot be accounted for in natural terms.  The presence of the physical world is, then, if I will have it so, no longer a barrier between me and God.  My visible surroundings become, instead, God’s gift to me, where I am privileged to see the rule of heaven realized through my friendship with Jesus.”

Let’s admit that the forces of the “real world” are powerful. Practical folk want to explain everything that happens in this world.  It is not very popular to believe in a God that is not visible, rely on a Holy Spirit that you cannot prove really exists and follow a Messiah who has been gone from this earth for a long time, yet He still lives.

But that’s what spiritual people do.

You know, those people who hear from God.

“They draw their life from a conversational relationship with God. They do not live their lives merely in terms of the human order in the visible world; they have a life ‘beyond’” [Willard, 222]

Amen.

I don’t often do this but I am going to do it today.

I am going to write a personal essay to admit that I have really enjoyed writing about Hearing God.

Maybe a few of you faithful readers could guess that already.

Dr. Dallas Willard is an author that I have heard about for many years and I have had three of his books on my bookshelf for a long time [Spirit of the Disciplines, The Divine Conspiracy, and Hearing God ].

Like other books, I thought I would get around to reading Dr. Willard one day but the day never came until I picked Hearing God for St. John Studies.

Last year was a wonderful learning year for me and in some respects I don’t want to let 2015 go…but I must. It is over.

A major highlight of the year was blogging [on average] six times per week on Hearing God.

I don’t want to let Hearing God go but I must.

When I began the book, I thought I would do a chapter a week but after plowing into it on August 24^th, I soon saw that my one chapter a week plan was going to go out the window.

The subject matter was too rich.

The author’s thoughts were too profound.

I had to work and work to understand what Dr. Willard was saying and I knew I had to go through the book at a pace that was respectful of its content.

Some chapters took two weeks.

Some chapters took four weeks.

Some of you probably got lost about where I was in the book but as I went from page to page, Dr. Willard kept making the hairs stand up on the back of my neck with his thoughts.

He pinpointed so many problems I had with my relationship with God and maybe he unearthed some of your problems too. He discussed the competing voices we all have in this world, the voices that take us away from God.  He challenged me to find God in the Bible and revealed that many of us Christians do everything except read God’s word.  We know God is there.  Why don’t we study God more?

I took his words to heart…

And now I have to let the book go.

Have you ever felt a little depressed that a book is over? Have you felt a bit down as you read the final pages?   You know you will miss the company of a special author.

That’s how I will feel as I leave Dr. Willard.

I am sure our next book, Paul Little’s Know Why You Believe, will be a good book.  It will be stimulating too.

There are twelve chapters. I hope it won’t take 6 months to finish the book.  I doubt it; the chapters are short.

As I get ready to wrap up Hearing God, I will comment on the book’s epilogue.

That will be tomorrow’s post. The epilogue is only six pages.  I hope to get it done in one day.

It is entitled “The Way of the Burning Heart”

I have to admit that Dr. Willard has changed me. People don’t realize it but when you learn, change occurs.  People don’t realize it but when you teach, you learn.  But I doubt that Dr. Willard would be pleased that I wrote that he changed me.  After reading him and getting to know him, he would rather me say that God used his words to change me.  That’s what he would want and that is correct.

You see, Dr. Willard knew why he was on earth. He existed to do what he could do to further God’s Kingdom and whatever he accomplished in his life, it was for God’s glory.

He died on May 8, 2013, but his thoughts live on and he continues to show us “The Way of the Burning Heart.”

Ok, God has spoken to me…what do I do?

Ok, God has not spoken to me…what do I do?

These are important questions that must be answered and Dr. Willard deals with them on the last pages of his last chapter. There is an Epilogue to this book and I may comment on that but let’s spend today discussing his advice on these two important questions.

First of all, listen to God carefully and “deliberately.” If we don’t pay attention, we will miss His words to us.  If we do hear His words, give thanks to God for the messages.

Dr. Willard is not averse to giving us practical advice. He says we need to write down God’s messages to us, especially if we are not used to hearing from God.

Meditate on the message from the Lord. That basically means that we need to think about the message.  Don’t rush off “half-cocked” and do something quickly but also don’t wait forever to take action on what God has told you to do.

Carry out the action in a suitable manner. I would imagine that means that God is not going to ask you to do something that would be too disrespectful of those around you; however God may ask you to defy convention.  Use common sense.

When God does not speak to you, think about what you are doing “in the inner forum of your mind” to block His word to you. Dr. Willard surprises me when he says that when you need an answer, don’t wait more than three days in anxiety waiting for the message.  Have faith that you will get the message in that time span.  He quotes Abraham Lincoln’s words on this subject “I am satisfied that, when the Almighty wants me to do, or not to do a particular thing, He finds a way of letting me know it.”  Lincoln had faith.

Meet with at least two people who are not your best friends to get counsel concerning God’s word to you. Of course, this needs to be private.

If you can figure out why God is not speaking to you, fix it. Dr. Willard says “Correct it. Mercilessly.  Whatever it is.  Just do it.”

If you still cannot get a word from God, you may have to act. You need to pick the best alternative.  Just remember that whatever you pick, pray that the Lord goes with you in your decision.

The fact is, He will.

I am going to share a prayer that I pray every time I get on my bicycle. It might apply.  I began to ride in the early spring of 2015 and every day I rode, I prayed for safety.  Of course, I did not want to wreck so I asked God for a safe ride.  Then it began to occur to me that a safe ride may not be God’s will for me.  I may wreck any day and that may be His plan.  I changed my prayer.  I began to not only pray for safety but I began to pray for God’s presence on the whole bike ride where ever I ended up [upright or in the ditch].  I just asked for Him to be with me.

We all make mistakes and if we don’t get a reassuring word we still have to act. God will be there no matter what action we take.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” These words were written by the prophet Jeremiah when God was absent from Israel; in fact, God was punishing His people.

They still had faith that He was present.

In this way, Dr. Willard says he has given us advice about what to do when God speaks and what to do when God does not speak.

The thing to remember is that God wants us to mature as Christian brothers and sisters. He wants us to grow, whether He speaks to us or not.  He wants us to be better members of His Kingdom even without His guiding hand.

He is our Father.

He is always there for us.

Now that I have the foundation laid, what do I do to hear from God?

Dr. Willard begins the next step with Psalms 1: 1-3 and this Scripture is so seminal that I will copy it here. What makes it seminal?  It illustrates a principle in our Bible that we need to live by.  Throughout his book, Hearing God,  Dr Willard has said over and over that what we do must align with God’s principles:

“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of the scoffers;

but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on the law they meditate day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season,

and their leaves do not wither.

In all they do, they prosper.”

The Bible can be so intimidating but take a moment and study the words from Psalm 1. The words that speak the most to me are “happy,” “delight in the law,” “on his law they meditate”.  And then we see the similes: true believers are like trees planted by steams of water. Trees that are close to a water source yield fruit and they do not wither—they prosper.

Believers prosper.

We need to meditate on verses like these constantly as we take God’s principles deep into our lives.

Next, we need to be alert to what is happening in our lives. Today that is hard to do because it seems we are busier than ever and the more we have to do, the harder it is to pay attention to our lives.  Too often today, we say things and then we think about what we have said.  That is so wrong.  The thinking needs to come before the speaking.  I love the way Dr. Willard points to what God said to Adam after Adam had sinned.  God did not say to Adam, “where is God”; He said to Adam “where are you.”  If we don’t pay attention to ourselves, then we are lost.  God moves within our souls and we need to attend to our souls.

Praying and speaking to God constantly is the next requirement.  Would you speak to someone who just spoke to you when they needed something?  I hear this all the time from other Christians.  Should I bother God with things that are not very important?  The simple answer is yes.  God is in it all and by “it”, I mean your life. He wants to be in your whole life. When things go right, even little things, sing His praises.  When things get lost, ask Him to show you where they are.  When things go wrong, tell Him you love Him nevertheless and you accept His will.

“Nothing is too insignificant or too hopeless to bring before God. Share all things with God by lifting them to Him in prayer, and ask for His guidance even—or perhaps especially—in those things you already understand” [Willard, 214].

What is the point of attending to principles all the time, paying attention to what is going on in our lives and praying and speaking to God constantly?

Here it is.

It is called relationship.

Relationship is defined as how two people are connected. The more time you spend with another, the stronger the relationship is.  The more you express to another, the more they know who you are and the more you know who they are.

To hear from God, we need to have a strong relationship.

People who hear from God relate to God and guess what…

God relates to them.

As we wind down 2015 and look forward to 2016, we look forward to God’s blessings in the new year.  I hope you like the new look of the blog and today I am announcing the new book that we will be studying…

$8.67 on Amazon, $3.99 on Kindle or $8.49 at Christian Book Distributors…the Amazon or CBD book prices exclude shipping [of course no shipping on a Kindle book]

A Formula for Hearing God’s Voice

What can I do to hear God’s voice on a regular basis? Is there something that I need to do, some “formula” that I need to have in order to access the voice of God?

Well, this final question has been discussed a lot in Dr. Willard’s book and the short answer is no, there is no formula that a person needs in order to access God’s voice.

Yet, Dr. Willard does have a section at the end of Chapter 9 entitled “A Formula for Living with God’s Voice.”

Did you notice the title of his section? It was not a formula for hearing God’s voice, it is a formula for living with God’s voice.

Therein, lies the difference.

He states that hearing from God is not some gimmick, some obsession or some “formula”; it is a lifestyle that includes contact with God.

First comes the lifestyle change.

It is almost a test we have to pass. If we can show God we are serious enough to live a life devoted to Him, He will give us His words.  “Hearing His word in a life surrendered and brought to maturity by Him” is a prerequisite [Willard, 213].

Nevertheless, Dr. Willard consents to giving us steps to hear from God and the first two are what he calls “foundational.”

Entering into an additional life by an additional birth is step one to the foundation.   To do this, we take steps to do what is morally right and what is commanded by God.  To do this we have to sharpen our intention about our lives.   We have to take steps to do what we need to do in order to grow in our knowledge about God.  The key word here is intention.  I have read other work by Dr. Willard and he uses the word intention a lot.  It means aim or purpose.  It means setting a goal for our life.

To be perfectly blunt, if you are a squishy Christian who does not commit to church, Bible reading, study and learning about God, you are likely to not hear from God. If you don’t know what you believe or you don’t know what is expected of you in this world you are likely to not hear from God.  If you don’t realize that you are set aside in the Kingdom of God to further His presence on earth, you are likely not to hear from God.

Step two of the foundation is seeking the fullness of the new life in Christ. Whatever you can do in this life pales in comparison with what you can do with God.  Our natural powers combined with God’s “upholding power” can make us more than we ever imagined we could be.  Life is a process of moving us from glory to glory as we find God more and more faithful.  We can experience more and more of what life has to offer if we believe in God and we back up that belief with action.   Our ability to act in God’s behalf can be surprising.

Dr. Willard cites Romans 1:17: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed–a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

A person who is trying to grow is surprised by the continual growth of the Christian life. Just when you think you have enough, God shows you more.   Just when you think you are doing your best work, God shows you how to perform better.  Just when you love Him as much as you think you can, He shows you a deeper love, a more dedicated love that connects you to Him even more.

God has a plan for you and me, a plan that is based on a new life, a plan that asks for change. As part of that plan, He asks us to be committed to growing and committed to learning.  God has a plan for you and me based on us trying to do better in our lives.  He wants us to join Him in His work.  He wants us to connect with Him so we can be better believers, better doers and better proclaimers of His Gospel.

Like a good house, it is based on its foundation. Similarly , a good Christian life is based on its foundation, a foundation of commitment to growth and a foundation of acting on behalf of God.

“I hear that you preach to a great number of people every night and every morning. Pray what would you do to them?  Whither would you lead them?  What religion do you preach?  What is it good for? “

What is unique about these questions?

1.They are tough for a preacher to answer.

2.They are written with unusual words; in today’s vernacular we hardly ever begin a sentence with “pray” or use the word “whither”.

I don’t know how many of you have bought the book Hearing God, but if you have, you will know that these words are from a questioner living in the 18^th century and the questions are addressed to John Wesley, the “founder” of the United Methodist Church.

Why start the blog today with these?

Well, the questions are about the topic of the day, the fact that they are addressed to John Wesley is unique and asking the questions gives me a chance to write about Wesley’s superb answers.

Dr. Willard writes about the underlying themes of his book and the fact that none of his ideas will make sense unless you understand the context of the Christian life.

Just getting words from God is a less meaningless activity if the words are just for our use. We all have problems and if God is used as a way to solve our problems and that is all, the words of God are really not worth that much.

God intends his believers to live a life that exemplifies His existence.   Dr. Willard says “We exist to stand up with God and count for something in His world.”

We don’t just live; we exist in God’s kingdom.

Colossians 3:17

“ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

We must know our place in this world.

John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

It is up to us to know our role in this life. Our sustenance comes from God, not ourselves, and certainly not from some other source.   The fruit we bear is for the glory of the Lord.

How does God’s speaking to us fit in? How does that relate to our context, our role in the Kingdom of God?   God’s speaking will always be a part of this, “to the extent and manner God deems suitable” [Willard, 211].

God’s words “will come without threat, to the full participation of the redeemed self, as a unique individual, in the work of God.” My life is mine but it also belongs to God.  If I do good, it is not I that instigate that good; it is God.

This is the context of the Christian life. It is what Willard calls a “life beyond” and yet “inclusive of” His guiding word.

At this point, I want to quote John Wesley’s answers to the questions posed above. I know Wesley was a brilliant man and I can see him coming back with solid answers to the questions.

“I do preach to as many as desire to hear, every night and every morning. You ask, what I would do with them: I would make them virtuous and happy, easy in themselves and useful to others.  Whither would I lead them?  To heaven, to God the Judge, the lover of all, and to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant.   What religion do I preach?  The religion of love; the law of kindness brought to light by the gospel.  What is this good for?  To make all who receive it enjoy God and themselves: to make them all like God; lovers of all; contented in their lives; and crying out at their death, in calm assurance, ‘O Grace, where is thy victory! Thanks be unto God, who giveth me the victory through my Lord Jesus Christ.’”

All I can write is wow, what answers!

Dr. Willard faces the same questions as a believer, as we all do. Why follow the Lord?  Why turn to Jesus as our guide?  Why give our lives over to this power?

Because it is the best way to live a life here on earth.

James 10: 10

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

God’s “supremacy lies in the greatness of the life He gives to us” [Willard, 212].

This is our place in the world, our context. This is our gift from God.  His words along the road of life are so helpful from time to time but the overall picture is so much more than words.

A life with Christ is a life well-lived…

Risk: the possibility that something bad or unpleasant (such as an injury or a loss) will happen; someone or something that may cause something bad or unpleasant to happen;  a person or thing that someone judges to be a good or bad choice.*

The idea of risk sounds ominous doesn’t it?

What happens to risk when you live a life where you get your guidance from God? Is risk ever even relevant?  Does God’s guidance preclude the notion that you even have to take a risk?

Dr. Willard says that risk is just a part of life and certainly we need to be able to take risks. In fact, he says we should take risks.

I have friends who are scared to death to risk anything. I know a woman who is so conservative that she lives in horror of doing something that is new or inventive, much less risk-taking.  She fears the idea that something unpleasant may happen.  I would describe her life as very inhibited, at times she seems to be scared of living.

What does one give up by not risking?

Growth.

I hate to say it, but when we have a chance to take a risk, we should calculate the risk and if it is not stupid, then God will be there to help us. Many think He will guarantee our success, but He may not.  If the chance that we have taken is not reasonable or intelligent, we may experience failure.  But there is a truth here that we need to heed; there is learning in the process of failure and we have a God who wants us to learn.

Dr. Willard quotes A.T. Pierson who says “One great law for all who would be truly led by God’s pillar of cloud and fire, is to take no step at the bidding of self-will or without the clear moving of a heavenly guide….there is never any risk provided we are only lead by God” [italics mine].  Dr. Willard disagrees with this very conservative outlook on life.  “The immaturity of many Christians today is due to their adopting the attitude toward risk expressed in this statement, as the whole truth about hearing from God.”

Dallas Willard’s book Hearing God is all about hearing the voice of God in our lives and the “no risk” attitude is just man’s way of using God to make life easier.  We want a secure life.  We want a life without surprises.  We want a life without risk.

What happens when we risk and the reward is not worth the risk?   We blame ourselves.  We blame others.  Yes, some even blame God.

We have failed and we don’t see the learning that has occurred. We just see the failure.

On a personal note, I can relate to this. I have taken chances and failed.  I know it hurts to fail.  I was talking to a pastor about the “long-term” look at life the other night.  She said that it is hard to be happy when you are right in the middle of a mess, but if you can just hold on to your faith, you can see God at work in the process of risk and even the resulting failure.  It may be years later, but He is there.  God wants us to grow and after learning from the failure, that’s exactly what can happen.

Yes, it hurts to be “in the mess,” but over a period of time, the mess may have been just what you needed. Also, the resultant growth is what you needed.

Dr. Willard states “we need not seek risk, but we will never be without it, at least in this world. Nor should we try to be.”

Will hearing from God preclude the notion of risk?

No.

In Dr. Willard’s words “only risk produces character.” [Willard, 210].

I am thinking that this is a good thing.

Take a risk; God will be there, whatever happens.

*Merriam-Webster Dictionary

When I am not getting guidance from God, what do I do? What do I have that will keep me going?

Well Dr. Willard says you get something “greater than a word from God.”

What does he mean?

What could be greater than a word of guidance from God?

Well folks, what you get when you become a solid believer is the fact that you don’t need to have God guide your every move.   God has trained you under His hand.

So many people in Christian circles talk about the elusive idea of Christian maturity and I know I have written about it numerous times in 2015. But what is it?  Is it something that comes about as you live a certain number of years on this earth?

Of course your age has nothing to do with it.

Is it something that you can force yourself to have?

No, I don’t think so. You can’t make it happen.  It can happen over a lifetime of dedication to God but it is brought about by the response that you have to your circumstances.   Let me be specific with some examples.

You have a health problem and the news is not good. You have financial hardship…you lose your job and you can’t pay all your bills.  You have a death in your family or your good friend dies.

The big question is, how do you respond?

Do you crumble? Do you go into a panic?  Do you do “out of character” things?

No, no and no…

You have been trained under the hand of God and instead of crumbling, going into a panic or doing “out of character” things, you stand firm.

You have what God has given you on a regular basis to sustain you in times of trouble.

You have faith, hope and love. If you know your Bible, these three words sound familiar.  Of course they come from 1 Corinthians 13.  In this chapter of the Bible, Paul talks about faith, hope and love being the greatest gifts that the Lord has given us.

At times when we need a word from God [and many of those times are times of trouble], faith will sustain us. Faith is used so much that it has a vague meaning but it means trusting God, having assurance that God is with us, having confidence in the Lord.  Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  You can have more faith by regular prayer and the study of God’s word.  You can exercise your faith by obeying God and doing service for others.

Hope is the second gift of God that is there to sustain us.

I have so many people in my family who are going through hard times and many of them have lost hope. They are being buffeted by poor health, poor working conditions and relationship problems.  They have given up.

But the Christian who has hope anticipates that something good is going to happen to help their situation soon. They have hope that things are going to turn around.  They see a brighter future ahead.

Anticipation of a brighter future will keep you holding on when times are tough. That can lead to a stable response in times of trouble.  Stability is a definite sign that a person is a true believer; they can project positivity in the face of problems.  They can look forward to the future when the present is dark.

Love is the the last gift that will sustain us when we need guidance or we need a word from God. If God is not fulfilling our needs, love allows us to concentrate on others.  Turning our thoughts to others takes our minds off of our needs and that can be so theraputic.

Of course Paul says the “greatest of these is love.” The act of meeting the needs of others in a time of personal trial is a powerful message that is not lost on others.

When you are not getting guidance from God, what do you do? What do you have that will keep you going?

You have a lot to keep you going if you have spiritual maturity. If you don’t have that, you don’t have enough.

In Galatians 5:13, it says “The one who sent Me is with Me.” You know you are not alone just because you are not getting a word, getting guidance, getting answers to your prayers.

A spiritually mature person who has been trained under the hand of God has faith, hope and love.

And they know that those three are enough.

We know that ultimately God has control of all, but we have to deal with people all the time. And with people, we have a terrific lack of control from time to time. This leads to final question # 5:

When God gives me a message and I know what to do, can people get in the way of me taking action to do God’s work?

The answer:

Yes They Can.

This is a fascinating twist on the theme that Dr. Willard has been working on in his whole book. For the most part, we have discussed his ideas with the implication that God is totally in control.

He is.

But people in our lives can really mess us up.

Dr. Willard refers to this as the fact that we are all involved in a “Cosmic Conflict.”

We may indeed feel that we know what to do. Specific God communication has come our way.  But we live in a world of people that may not be “on the same page” as we are.  Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world.”

What does that mean?

It basically means that we need to do what is right as followers of God; do not do what is popular.

We are surrounded by people who will bring darkness into our lives and these people can cause trouble that makes us question whether we are doing the right thing, but Dr. Willard cites John Wesley as he reminds us “Best of all, God is with us!”

Wesley and Willard have confidence that even in the dark times God does not desert us, [Romans 8:28]  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” We must hold on to our faith as people come against us and circumstances get in the way of our plans, but God will prevail.

Dr. Willard even gets more complex in his explanation when he speaks of God’s role in the person who is working against you doing His will. “[In] Others [who] may be involved, …they may not know or may not do the will of God.  And God may not override them.”

Could God override them?

Of course He could.

Dr. Willard says that our world is a crucible of soul making. In case you are not familiar with that word, a crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures.  When you hear that a Christian is in a crucible, this means he or she is undergoing a severe test or trial.

Maybe, just maybe God is wanting to see how we can overcome the people who stand in our way.  Job passed his test; can you?

You know the difficulty you face when you go against convention. People don’t want you to try something new.  They don’t want you making a stand.  They distrust your new direction.

They want you to stay the same way you have always been.

Yes, the will of God can sometimes be unfulfilled due to some of the people around us in our lives. They have choices to make as we do and if they are not doing God’s will, they may indeed be serious stumbling blocks.

We are too quick to blame our failing on ourselves…our lack of courage, our lack of faith, our lack of skills.

But maybe we need to look at the people around us.

People in your life can support you and encourage you. But we all know that there are people who are very discouraging.  We all know that there are people who are very negative.  We all know people who don’t care about anyone but themselves.

There is a phrase that Pastor Joel Osteen uses at the beginning of his church services.

The phrase goes like this: “as children of God, we are overcomers and more than conquerors and God intends for each of us to experience the abundant life He has in store for us.”

This is a good phrase to have in mind when people in your world begin to attack you when you are just trying to do what God has told you.

When people get in the way, God knows that this is a real problem. Always remember, God will show you the way…

The way of the overcomer…

The way of the conqueror…

The way of the believer who is enjoying God’s abundant life.

Ephesians 6

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”