First Things First: Part I, Bible Study 01/06/21

Posted on January 13, 2021 by growintheword

FAITH

Synopsis of Bible Study 01/06/21

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Hebrews 10:38 NKJV
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

I.            INTRODUCTION

  1. This word today is about faith. As we embark on this understanding of faith, we want everyone to go deeper than the phrase, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” In 2020, almost everyone had circumstances come up that caused their faith to be stretched.
  2. What is faith. Is it positive thinking? It is believing in something within an impossible situation?
  3. Are you born into Faith? The answer is, “no”. You are not born into it. Faith is a learned behavior.
  4. Faith does not originate from within us. Faith comes from God and faith is in God.

II.            FIRST THINGS FIRST

A.     Focus on The Fundamentals

  1. Hebrews 12:2 NKJV looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – The Greek word for author can be translated as originator, forerunner, or pioneer, so in other words, Jesus is the originator of our faith.

B.      How Do You Obtain Faith?

  1. Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – When you hear and read the word of God, your faith grows.

III.            WHAT IS THE SUBSTANCE OF FAITH?

  • Hebrews 11:1 NKJV Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – How did you come to know God? It was by the hearing of God’s word. You can’t have a season you love God and then have a season where you fall off. You have to constantly feed your faith by hearing God’s word.
  • Faith also comes by our experiences. We believe based on our experiences with God, therefore; I believe because of the things I have seen God do in the past. This belief grows my faith.
  • Faith is not coming or becoming, it is current. Our faith must be constantly current.
  • God speaks to Joshua after Moses died, he tells him to move “now”. Faith must be something current. You can’t wait on it to occur. Not having current faith could cause you to miss the move of God.
  • The Word is the substance of my faith. The more I hear God’s word, the stronger my faith becomes. When you seek the word of God as a substance of faith, you read and understand the word in a stronger way.
    • Peter stepped out on the water. He asked Jesus if he could come out unto the water where Jesus was. Jesus tells him to come. Peter steps out of the boat and this is stepping out in faith.
  • The substance of my faith is not the opinion of others, it is instead God’s word.

A.     Dismantle Misconceptions About Faith

  1. There is word called Apologetics. Christian Apologetics is the study of reason. It is the study of the reasons we believe and have faith. It is to be a defender of our faith.
  2. Theology is the study of God. Ology means the study of. The study is not only of what we believe; it is also the study of why we believe it. Many say that they believe this or that, but if you ask why they believe it, they can’t answer why they believe what they believe.
  3. When God told Abraham to leave his country and go to a land that He would show him, Abraham has to know why he is leaving his comfort zone and go where God tells him to go. Simply put, Abraham has faith.
  4. Hebrews 10:38 38 Now the[a] just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”- The just shall live by faith. We have to make up in our mind  that in 2021, we will live by faith.
  5. My faith not only tells me what to believe, it tells me why I believe what I believe.
  6. Hebrews Chapter 11 is often called the “Hall of Faith” or the “Faith Hall of Fame.” In this noted chapter, the writer of the book of Hebrews introduces an impressive list of heroic figures from the Old Testament –remarkable men and women whose stories stand out to encourage and challenge the faith. Some of these heroes of the Bible are well-known personalities, while others remain anonymous. Hall of Faith.
  7. Hall of Fame is something not attainable by most. Hall of Fame doesn’t exist for the regular people. If we see somebody that operates at the Hall of Faith, it lets us know that the bible characters lived this faith out and they are examples for us. Moses stood on faith, Noah built on faith, and Abraham walked all by faith. All things are possible to those who believe.

IV.            FAITH VS. BELIEF

  • Some bible translations don’t make a differentiation between the two. Matthew 17:20 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your [a]unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. – Is Jesus asking us to have a little faith?
    • Mustard seed faith; is this enough faith to move mountains? Jesus is telling the disciples that they have a belief problem which is tainting their faith.
  • What keeps us believing what God has for us is the fact that we don’t believe it is possible. Do you have belief that it can happen?

A.     Belief

  1. You have to believe. The pilot has to believe what the computers tell him, when he is flying a plane.
  2. The pilot has to also believe that if he pulls back on the steering wheel, the plain can soar into the air.
  3. The pilot wouldn’t go down the runway, if I didn’t believe the plane was able to take flight. I wouldn’t start this journey, if I didn’t think it was possible.

B.      Faith

  1. This is Confidence or trust in a person without proof. Belief times Action times Confidence equals Faith.
  2. James 2:17 NKJV Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – THERE IS A CORREPSONDING ACTION TO FAITH.
  3. If you can’t act on what you believe in, then why is belief necessary?

V.            FIVE ESSENTIALS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FAITH

  1. Faith Stops at The Question Mark
  2. James 1:5-8 NKJV If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. – If I’m asking God questions, am I trusting God? – Double minded is not believing.

A.     “I See It Now”

  1. Joshua 1:8 NKJV This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. – I see it now and I take it now

B.      “I Take It Now”

  1. Mark 11:24 NKJV Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. – I don’t just see it. I take it.

C.      “I Have It Now”

  • 2 Peter 1:2-4 NKJV Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. – I not only see it or take, I have it. My faith believes I already have what I asked for.
  • Faith Can Be Developed by Exercise, Use, And Action
  • James 1:22-25 NKJV But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. – You have to work your faith.
  • James 2:17 NKJV Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. – Working my faith means I am constantly working on it. Working it is not always easy. If I sow at a different level, I am working my faith.
  • Faith Focuses on The Desired Result, Not the Dreaded Outcome
  • Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ – God says he declares the end before the beginning.
  • Faith Begins Where the Will of God Is Known
  • John 5:14-15 NKJV Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” 15 The man departed and told the 2Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. – When we know the will of God for my life, why do we doubt it.
  • Faith is when the will of God is known.
  • Faith Is of The Heart And Not The Head



    • Romans 10:10 NKJV For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. – It’s a matter of the heart. Your head will talk you out of stuff.
    • God’s logic is greater than man’s logic. For example, to believe that if you follow God’s principles, you will have more than they pay you.
    • Faith comes by hearing. I take word in and I speak word out. I am speaking those things though they be not as though they were. We have to operate out of faith.
    • Do you believe? stop talking about it and start being about it.  
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Part Three: WHY DIDN’T GOD ANSWER MY PRAYER? , Bible Study 11.18.20

Posted on November 23, 2020 by growintheword

Four-Part Bible Study Series

God, Why?

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Bible Study synopsis November 18, 2020

Isaiah 65:24 NKJV “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. – This brings about the question, “Does God really mean this?”

I.        INTRODUCTION

A.     Do you ever struggle with God’s silence? 

  1. Matthew 7:7  7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
    1. Isaiah 65:24 NKJV “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

II.        WHERE IS THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYER?

·        God is there and yes God heard your prayer. Just because you didn’t get what you asked for, doesn’t mean God didn’t answer your prayer.

·        Sometimes it means God answered your prayer and His answer was “no” or maybe we simply wasn’t paying attention when He answered.

A.    SOMETIMES THE ANSWER IS NO

  1. Ever ask your parents for something and they said “no”? Just like your parents, God is not obligated to answer your prayer the way that you want Him to answer it.
  2. We always want something, because we think it is better, when it really isn’t better for us. We have to remember that sometimes the grass is greener on the other side, only because of all the manure in it.
  3. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – God did not remove Paul’s thorn. He could have removed it, but He didn’t.
  4. If God doesn’t remove your thorn then He gives you the grace to be able to handle it.
  5. Matthew 26:40-43 NKJV Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. – Jesus asked his own Father to take his hardship away and He didn’t do it. God is not going to disrupt his plan, just because you want Him to.

B.     ARE WE LISTENING?

  1. Listening is about being present, not just being quiet” — Krista Trippett.
  2. Sometimes we need to stop and listen. When we pray, we should not only be dumping our problems onto God, we should also be listening for what he has to say to us. Our pray should be a two-way conversation, not just one-way. Ever been on a call with a person that wouldn’t let you get a word in edgewise?
  3. Can God get a word in when you pray? Listening is not about being quiet only, it is about being present. We have to declare, “Lord I want to hear what you are saying to me”
  4. When you are present, you give your undivided attention to God.
  5. It is about meditation. You would be amazed at what would happen if you get the clutter out of your life and just listen.
    1. 1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” –

C.     WE MUST EXERCISE PATIENCE

  1. God may not always come the way you want him to come.
    1. Lamentations 3:25-26 NKJV The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.
    1. Job 14:14 NKJV If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. – God is the same today, yesterday, and forever. When we pray, we want same day delivery. You don’t even get same day delivery when you order online.
  2. During the time we are waiting, God is teaching us to trust Him and He is teaching us about process.
  3. They that wait on the Lord shall have renewed strength… While you are waiting, you are supposed to be serving. When we are waiting on God, we have to learn something. Do we really trust God enough to wait? Think about it, even the best food is the food that is cooked slow. We have to wait on it.

III.        AM I PRAYING THE RIGHT WAY?

A.     RIGHT WAY

  1. Matthew 6:5 NKJV “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. – Some people pray to please people. If you have to please the people and have their applause, then you already have your reward.
  2. We have to know that God is the source of our needs.
    1. Isaiah 44:3 NKJV For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; – You got to spend some closet time with God. When he blesses you openly, it is a direct result of your prayer time.

B.     RIGHT HEART

  1. Your heart has to be open to receive.

C.     GOD’S TIME, GOD’S WILL

  1. One reason we feel our prayers are not answered, is because we want God to come when we want Him to come. Philippians 4:6 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
  2. Stop letting Satan discourage you. Luke 18:1 NKJV Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
    1. 2 Peter 3:8 NKJV But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. – God doesn’t see time like we see time. When we pray and we don’t hear anything right away, it doesn’t mean God isn’t answering. When we pray, it has to be in line and we have to be in the right place.

IV. SEVEN THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE PRAYING

  1. GOD IS SOVERIEGN – God can do whatever, whenever, and however He wants to do it.
  2. FAITH GETS GOD’S ATTENTION – Hebrews 11:6 NKJV But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. –
  3. NO ACTION DOESN’T MEAN THAT GOD IS NOT ACTIVE – Just because it doesn’t move at the pace we think it should, doesn’t mean God isn’t moving.
  4. PERSEVERE IN PRAYER – Acts 12:12-16 NKJV So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” 16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
    1. Matthew 7:7 NKJV “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
  1. ALWAYS KNOW THAT GOD HEARD YOU – Isaiah 59:1 NKJV Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.
  2. WHEN PRAYING, IT’S NOT HOW LONG, BUT HOW STRONG – God is not impressed with repetitive praise. He wants your prayer strong.
  3. PRAY WITH PRAISE – Philippians 4:6-8 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—Meditate on these things.
    1. Acts 16:25 NKJV But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. – We speak well of God when we pray.
    1. The way we know God is hearing us, is we have to trust God. Are you waiting on something and wonder if God heard you? The answer may not come the way you think it is going to come. A delay is not a denial.
    1. There’s some stuff that you prayed for and have not gotten it yet. Know that 2020 is not going to end before you get what you asked for in your life.
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Part Two: WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

Posted on November 13, 2020 by growintheword

Four-Part Bible Study Series

God, Why?

Part Two: WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Synopsis of Bible Study November 11, 2020

1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

I. INTRODUCTION

A.     Many of us have asked why God lets bad things happen to good people. We could also reverse this question and ask why does God allow good things to happen to bad people? To tell the truth about it, the atheist is the only one that doesn’t have a problem with this question.

B.     Non-believers don’t have to ask this question. They don’t believe that God is omnipresent or all-knowing anyway. For us that believe, this question is very real. Why does God let bad things happen to good people?

C.     This brings us to another question. Is there really any good people in the world or do we just think we are good people?

II. HOW DO YOU EVALUATE “GOOD” OR “BAD”?

A.     What Makes Someone Good?

Isaiah 64:6 NKJV But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. – We think we do things that make us good, but Jesus judges us by what we are and not what we do. You can do all the right things, but still be as filthy rags.

B.     By Nature No One Is Good

James 2:10 NKJV For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. – There was only one time in history where a bad thing happened to a good person. That good person was Jesus. We don’t even stand in a place where we can say we are good. Only by the grace of God, do we exist.

  1. The question still remains: Why do wicked people prosper?
  2. Matthew 5:45 NKJV that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
  3. Romans 3:10-12 NKJV As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” –
  4. James 4:17 NKJV Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. -No one is good except God alone. We are naughty by nature. We all make mistakes and have flaws.
  5. Romans 7:18 NKJV For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. – We all have stuff in us that is not right. In fact, instead of saying, “Why do bad things happen to good people”, we should instead say, “Why does bad things happen to us?”

C.     Because Of Christ, We Are Declared Good

  1. We are only deemed good through Christ, because God has taken on all of our sins and he is transforming us.
  2. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. – By nature, we really don’t even seek God the way we are supposed to.
  3. Colossians 3:9-10 NKJV Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

III. WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER?

A.     Pain Awakens Us To God

  1. “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ― C.S. Lewis
  2. James 1:2-4 NKJV My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
  3. Psalm 119:71 NKJV It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. – We wouldn’t have learned about God, if we hadn’t gone through what we did. No one asks for suffering, but when it happens, know that there is a benefit tied to it.
  4. Romans 5:3-4 NKJV And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. – Faith in Christ is not a guarantee of a good life free of trouble.
  5. Bad things do happen to good people. Because we have free will, pain can display God’s justice.

B.     Pain Can Display God’s Justice

  1. Hebrews 12:7-11 NKJV If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Things happen that we hate, but we learn to appreciate it later. Its like dreading a whipping from our parents when we were younger and later finding out that it was for our own good.

C.     Drives Sinners To Repentance

  1. Punishment makes wrong people, do right.
  2. Psalm 119:71 NKJV It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. – Sometimes you have to have things happen to put you back in the proper place.

D.     Used To Advance The Kingdom Of God

  1. Suffering has meaning. How many things in nature, besides us, complain about what they go through? How many trees are upset when a tsunami come? You think you are that until you suffer, but afterwards you realize who you really are.
  2. Everything you go through has some purpose tied to it.
    1. 1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV 12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
    1. Romans 5:3-5 NKJV And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. – Tribulation produce’s perseverance. Everything that we have to go through produces something in our lives.

IV. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

A.     Abraham Intercedes For Sodom

  1. Genesis 18:22-25 NKJV Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” – Abraham just kept pleading with God. Sometimes, the good have to suffer with the bad.

B.     Moses

  1. Exodus 5:22-23 NKJV So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? – In Moses eyes, nothing could justify what they were going through. 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” – Everything that happens bad, we must realize that there must be some purpose behind it.

C.     Job

  1. Job 2:9-10 NKJV  9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? [a]Curse God and die!”But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. –– Job did nothing wrong. His wife says curse God and die, but Job didn’t. Through all of this, Job realized that though God sleighed him, he had to trust Him.

Ponder this: It’s all in how you see it. You can interpret a situation the wrong way. That’s why it is important to get revelation. Revelation will help you with your situation. It will help you get the proper perspective.

  1. You interpret things a certain way sometimes, because you don’t have revelation.
  2. Example: There are some people standing outside a hospital room. You can hear a woman screaming at the top of her lungs, while standing out in the hall. While the woman is screaming, the people outside her room was laughing. This guy walks up and hears the woman screaming and see the people laughing. He is furious with them for laughing and he asks, “Why are you laughing?” and “Why do you think her screaming is funny” ?

What he did not know was the woman was screaming, because she was having a baby. The people were smiling and laughing, because they knew that after all of this pain, there would be a blessing. That blessing would be her new born baby.

See the guy only saw the situation from his perspective. It is important to have the proper perspective when dealing with pain. This is why we must thank God for everything we go through. Stop asking why you have to go through this. Just learn to go through it with dignity and perspective.

When you trust the sovereignty of God, you know that He knows what’s best.

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How to Know God’s Will for Your Life, Bible Study 10.28.20

Posted on November 4, 2020 by growintheword

Synopsis of Bible Study October 28, 2020

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I. INTRODUCTION

  1. How willing are you to write a blank check with your life? Wanting to be in God’s destiny for our lives is one of our biggest challenges we have in life.
  2. Take a moment to examine why you want to do what God desires for your life. Is the reason because you want to know God or is it that you want to know the formula or plan that God has for your life?
  3. While on your journey, don’t allow trying to figuring out God’s will for you to become an idol. You should never pursue the Lord’s Will over be pursuing God Himself. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous and all these things will be added.
  4. We look for the spiritual GPS to tell us where to go. What we really want to know is the future, instead of knowing God’s will. We have to be open to the preparatory process.
    1. Psalms 37:3-6 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit[a] your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.-Read full chapter- The scripture is telling us not to be all over the place. As a consequence, he will give you the desires of your heart. Be committed to what God wants to do in your life and he will bring it to pass.

II. HOW TO SEEK GOD’S WILL

  1. Walk With God And Not Against God
  2. Train yourself to walk with God. Discipline yourself and God will do more in this area in your life
    1. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. – Trust in God and he will tell you where to go. Ex- Bishop Walker explains that when he first come to Tennessee, he came to Mt Zion Church, because that is where God had sent him. This church didn’t look like what he expected and even the music didn’t sound like what he was used to. Instead of staying, Bishop left and went to another church down the street. This really didn’t do any good, because God sent him right back to Mt Zion. When he got there this time, an elderly lady says, “You must be a preacher. Let me take you to the Pastor”. The rest is history.
  3. The point here is, you have to trust when God is telling you something.
  4. God puts you in a place not for your right now, but instead your “not yet”.
  5. Trade Your Will For God’s Will
  6. Bishop explains that he wanted to be a lawyer, but God said, he would be a preacher. God knows His plans are better than ours could ever be.
    1. Romans 12:1-2 NKJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
  7. Obey What You Know To Be God’s Will
  8. Once God reveals to you, what he wants you to do, then you have to obey God’s will, no questions asked.
  9. Psalm 23:3 NKJV He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. – Scripture is not proposition. It is to reveal God’s plan to you.
  10. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. –
  1. How Has God Wired You? Only you can do what God has called you to do. Bishop explains how wired and high strung he was when he was a child. He stayed in trouble, because he just couldn’t sit still. Now look at him. All of this energy was needed for the assignment he is doing right now. Pay attention to your desires and sensitivities.
  2. Gain Sensitivity To The Spirit Of God – Ask God what He is doing in your season.
  3. When you pray, don’t pray and just pray and get up. Sit there, be quiet for a minute and then let God speak back to you.
    1. John 10:27 NKJV My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. – Just because you have been saved for a long time, don’t mean you automatically are in the will of God.
  4. If you are not sensitive in this season, you won’t pick up on what God is saying to you.
  5. Humble yourself. Are you doing things for the right reason?
  6. Come out of your comfort zone. If you consistently seek God’s will for your life, you will come out of your comfort zone.
  7. Listen to your heart.
  8. Give God Authority Over Your Heart
  9. Psalm 37:4-5 NKJV Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit[a] your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. – God will give you the desires of your heart, not of your flesh. We want to be in tune of God’s will for our life, so that we might to have the right desires of our heart.

III. THREE STEPS TO ENSURE YOU ARE ALIGNED WITH GOD’S WILL

  1. Allow God To Open And Close Doors
  2. Paul – The Macedonian Call
  3. Sometimes God will block a thing, because he doesn’t want you to go there.

Acts 16:6-9 NKJV Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in [a]Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the [b]Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” – Closed doors show us explicitly what God doesn’t want us to do. Don’t miss the open door trying to force your way into doors that are closed.

  • God will sometimes disrupt stuff. What He is doing is closing that door.
  • David Saves The City Of Keilah
  • 1 Samuel 23:9-13 NKJV When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”
    And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will deliver you.” 13 So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.     – Saul is on his way to Keilah, because he knows David is there. Saul was going to kill him and everyone else there. Once the Lord told David that the people of Keilah would give him up, David escapes and as a result, the people of Keilah was saved. Once Saul realized David had escaped, he decided not to go to Keilah.
  • Paul – The Will Of God Comes With God’s Fragrance
  • 1 Corinthians 2:12-17 NKJV Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. – There is a scent you have when you walk in the spirit. People can sense when you connected to God.
  • Be Willing To Wait
  • Lamentations 3:25-26 NKJV The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD. – It is good to wait on God.
  • Pursue Only What Will Bring God Glory – Be sure to desire the things that are in God’s will and not things that God forbids.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
  • Matthew 21:28-32 NKJV “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. –

IV. MY WILL VS. GOD’S WILL?

  • John 5:30 NKJV I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
  • Philippians 2:13 NKJV for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. –

When you arrive at the crossroads of God’s will:

  1. Recognize
  2. Jesus warned us we would be treated like the world treated him.
  3. 1 Peter 4:12 NKJV Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
  4. Remember
  5. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it
  6. Reflect – The same way athlete trains, we must train our spirit. We have to feed it spiritual things and we have to condition it.
  7. Refuse – The way you conduct yourself in hard times is evident of God working in your life.
  8. Philippians 1:28 NKJV and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
  9. Resist – The next time God’s will and yours don’t see eye to eye, realize that you don’t know all the circumstances. We don’t see what God sees. Gods will for your life is good, acceptable, and perfect.
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