Reap the Pleasure You Will Receive From Following God's Will in Your Life!

As Christians, we are blessed with God's gift of free will. Through this divine gift, we have been given the opportunity to develop an authentic relationship with our Creator. Instead of being robots whose every decision is dictated by the Sovereignty of our Master, we have been given the ability to make independent choices; whether to be influenced by the moral character of God, and to act on those choices -- or to choose our own path based on our human desires, independent of God's will.

Of course, non-believers will say they are equally capable of making moral decisions, too. But when moral standards are defined by our culture [instead of God's universal moral principles], we usually find that what is considered right or wrong, good or evil, varies significantly between different people groups. When there is no uniform standard of morality, and no acceptance of God's supreme authority in the world, it can lead to chaos and undesirable consequences in our lives. In addition, when there is no understanding of God in our life, or that His will for us is always good, acceptable, and perfect [Romans 12:2], man can be tempted to follow his own will and desires, with the ultimate purpose of pleasing himself.

My primary reason for writing this post is to speak to my fellow Christians about guarding our minds and hearts, and to encourage each of you to always seek the will of God. As a Christian, it is my desire to become more like Christ; to grow in my identity in Him, so that others will be encouraged to transform their lives [and this earth] to become like God intended. But, unfortunately, from God's first relationship with man in the Garden of Eden, up to this very day, thousands of years later, we as humans, tend to desire our own will, and have suffered the consequences.

Like many in the family of God, I can honestly testify that I have suffered the consequences of walking outside my Father's will. Thankfully, those choices came in my younger years, and I've had the opportunity to recognize the errors of my ways; both spiritual and physical. Neglecting God's authority over my life, and His purpose for my path, resulted in misalignment with His Divine plan. Needless to say, those weren't very productive times in my life. But I'm grateful for the lessons learned, and the repentance that led to maturing in my spiritual walk, and growth in my relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.    

As simple as it may sound, it all comes down to this ... we want what we want; we desire what pleases us above what pleases our Creator and Father in Heaven. Adam and Eve proved that, and set the pattern for all mankind. They knew God's will. He laid it out for them in exact terms; pure and simple ... "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die". But they chose to use their precious divine gift of free will to act in agreement with man's enemy, who told them, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 

And here's the rest of that portion of Scripture that is at the heart of what I'm trying to express ... "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate". This is all about Eve determining that the fruit of the tree [she was forbidden to eat] offered pleasure, and that appealed to her more than obeying the LORD God. The enemy in the garden promised if she used her free will to accept his temptation to disobey God, she could actually become like God. And the human race has paid the consequences to this day.

You see, the only way we can become like God is to follow Jesus Christ's example. He shows us the way in a passage in John 6, verses 38-46:  "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."  A little further in that passage, Jesus says "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." And again, He says, "And they will all be taught by God".

We can infer from this passage that it pleases God that His Son, Jesus, is willing to do His Father's will, rather than His own. And God wants Jesus to not lose one person that He [the Father] draws to the Son. Furthermore, God's pleasure includes the obedience of those in mankind that receive His calling on their lives, and who are willing to walk in God's purpose for them. Paul confirms this truth in Philippians 2:13 ... "For God is the One working in you, both to will and to work on behalf of His good pleasure".  

So, this is where we need to come in our journey of understanding: We have been created for His good pleasure! And when we bow to His will, rather than our own, our purpose on this earth will be revealed day by day. And that's where the fulfillment comes from. I can speak to that from personal experience. I have shared this before, but my testimony is a perfect example of what that fulfillment looks like. Nearly 20 years ago, I had a chance [divine] encounter with a man I did not know, but who told me he had a word from the Lord for me. You have to understand, at that time in my walk with the Lord, I wasn't very experienced in hearing from the Lord, so when a stranger tells me God spoke to him about me ... let's just say I was a little skeptical.

But this man revealed something that I had not shared with anyone on earth. Since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. I'd write stories in my bedroom while in elementary school. I had a few episodes of writing for a local newspaper while in high school, and some interviews for an informal music publication in college. By the time I met this man many years had passed and now that desire was a dream unfulfilled. But when he told me that the Lord had spoken to him, and wanted me to "become the pen, not the blank piece of paper", I was astounded. How did you know I always wanted to write? was my astonished response!  He said, God made you to write and it pleases Him when you do what He made you to do. He wants you to write -- not to have a #1 best seller, or to make a million dollars -- write just to please Him!

This may not seem an earth-shattering event to you, but it has changed my life and my sense of who I am. That chance encounter led to me spending nearly three years writing a novel; just for the purpose of pleasing my Father in Heaven. To be doing what He made me to do brought me so much joy and I will tell you that the story, characters, and words just flowed from my mind. There were days I didn't remember writing those pages that began to pile up. I truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as He guided me through that process. And I sensed the pleasure of the Father that I was writing for Him! That project then led to hearing His voice tell me to start this blog 15 years ago (including 2,709 posts); again to write for Him, encouraging anyone who finds this little commentary useful in their relationship with the Lord. I have self-published a couple of books, and have another one in the developing stage. 

My life has been a testimony of the consequences of seeking my own will, and the blessings of pleasing God when I choose to follow His will. It is very clear to me that my free will is a reflection of God's love for me. When I can set my path on fulfilling His purpose for my life, I receive far more than anything I could ask for, or even dare to think. And the best part of that is knowing that I am most pleased when pleasing Him! Thank you, Lord, for the gift of free will! For me, it means eternal joy in Your Presence!

Colossians 1:9-10     And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;    

Seeing The World Through A Kingdom Lens

In 2023, I published a book, titled Through A Kingdom Lens: Discovering What The Church Lost. I was acutely aware that God's purpose for "the Church" was not being fulfilled.  First of all, Jesus did not come to earth to establish a Church, or buildings, in which His followers were to sit and be led by men according to their understanding  of who He was. He came to establish and extend His Kingdom of Heaven [and its government] to earth. 

The late Dr. Myles Munroe has been a huge influence on my journey with the Lord. Before discovering his writings, sermons, and videos, I was unfamiliar with the concept of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible would soon open up to me as I came into the knowledge of Dr. Munroe's definitive and authoritative definition of a kingdom: "It is the governing influence of a king over a territory, impacting it with the king's will, his purpose, and his intent; producing a citizenship of people who reflect the king's culture, nature, values, and morals."

It is a foundational tenet of our faith that we see Jesus as the King of both Heaven and earth. With that in mind, let's continue with Dr. Munroe's thesis. "Jesus came to manifest His wisdom and execute His will with His Nature (which is Glory), and to fill it with His sons. Furthermore, He created and ordained mankind as His governmental representatives on earth." [NOTE: In the Greek language, the term for this body of people is EKKLESIA]. "The people living under that rule or government are known as citizens of the kingdom. There is a ruling document, or constitution (called the Bible) and moral laws to follow; ideals and standards by which the citizens are expected to live. Jesus, as the King of God's kingdom, presently lives and rules from His home country, Heaven. But He has sent a Governor (the Holy Spirit) to transform us, teach us, train us, and change us into citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and to establish a kingdom culture on earth." 

I hope by now, it is easier for you to understand that wherever God is, it is His domain. He created it. Heaven is where He dwells and where He has all power and authority. It is where His sphere of influence is declared and exercised. It is where His Kingdom is firmly established. But, we need to understand that Jesus expanded that kingdom and sphere of influence, giving the power and authority of God's kingdom citizenship to those here on earth who choose to follow and obey Him. 

With what I believe is a clear and accurate description of God and His authority that is given to us in the Bible, I became increasingly frustrated with my discernment that the modern Western Church has lost that identity. How can we look at abortion, child and adult pornography, child and adult sex trafficking, the international drug trade, the corruption and greed in our nation's government, and the myriad of other ways we've offended God, and not conclude that "the Church" has lost its way in fulfilling their mission? As the earthly arbiter and intercessor of God's Word here on earth, can we honestly say the Church has done a good job of reflecting God's culture, nature, values, and morals? Just look at the state of our country, and the answer is clearly NO!  

But let's expand our view even more, and take a look at the world. I think the modern view of Christianity is from a succinctly Western perspective. And most American Christians are focused on their faith from their own personal viewpoint. In other words, we need to understand that Jesus came to change the world, and to return it to His Father's standards in Heaven. But Jesus talked about the world and all that would happen in it, and to it, as Satan increased his will and influence on the hearts of mankind. And we can clearly see the ways his lies have corrupted this realm and inhibited the ways, morals, and government of God's Kingdom on this planet. The world is made up of men, and men have certainly lost their focus on establishing the Kingdom of God on earth.

The peoples of the world desperately need the government of the Prince of Peace to be established, bringing order out of the disorder, and His Light into the darkness that is surrounding us. Here's the sad truth: The earth does not look like Heaven. In fact, the "gates" (ruling power) of Satan are fighting back whenever and wherever the Ekklesia makes strides to transform any territory. Do you remember in the Bible, when Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica, and they were causing an uproar among the citizens with their message of the Kingdom of God? This is how the citizens described Paul and Silas's influence ... "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another King, Jesus."

We need to see and understand that Paul and his companion were turning the WORLD SYSTEM upside down! We need to be doing that in our day! We need to be dethroning human kings and calling out groups of believers to stand in opposition to the worldly systems of our day, and to act as representatives of our Heavenly King! We need to see ourselves as independent from kings and politicians and we need to agree to become ruled by God's system of government through the Holy Spirit. Instead of being in opposition to the world system and the leaders it has enticed to follow its dictates, our governing body of "the Church" has enslaved itself to the world system, becoming religious organizations (identified as "businesses.") Instead of operating in opposition to the world system, churches too often look just like [or promote[ the systems of the world. 

I want to conclude by stating that I have not lost hope in either the Church or the world. I intend to continue my mission and assignment to turn my little corner of the world upside down as an ambassador of my true home, the Kingdom of God. As I watch the world spiraling ever closer to destruction and war, I know it is crucial that I persevere in carrying forth our King's message of love, service, and sacrifice. But I am also aware that I will be hated, just as Jesus said I would. I am praying that the fire that was lit with the assassination of Charlie Kirk, (and all those that have come before him, and will come after), will continue to burn in the hearts of faithful men and women. 

Finally, there's a bigger picture I hope I can paint for you ... Every single person born on this earth was a pre-existent spirit being, created before the foundations of the world. We have all been sent to earth to live in this host body, with the plan that we will reconnect with our Creator, declare our allegiance to His Kingdom, receive His Spirit, and begin to carry out our assignment to advance the Kingdom of God, thereby defeating all the works and plans of Satan; defeating his dark kingdom as we deed those territories back to the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God. We're in the spiritual battle of the ages. Be vigilant; be intentional; walk in your Kingdom identity, power, and authority. We have been called by God, and our King goes before us!

Matthew 6:9    Our Father who is in Heaven, uphold the holiness of Your Name. Bring in Your Kingdom so that Your will is done on earth as it's done in Heaven. (Common English Bible)