Being in God’s Will

<p>BEING IN GODS WILL </p> <p>Romans 12:2 do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove (dokimaz?? - test, discern, examine) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Today I will be discussing what it means to discern and test what is the good will of God, the acceptable will of God and the perfect will of God in our lives.  These are three measurable degrees of the will of God in the New Testament, but I will first outline the general principle of being in the will of God starting from the Old Testament.</p> <p>God’s will (thelema) for our lives is God’s pathway of purpose and meaning for our lives that flows from his heart to our hearts on our journey of life with him. </p> <p>In the Old Testament Israel was sovereignly placed into God’s will by his choice! God took them on a journey under the leadership of Moses into the promised land of Canaan. He had rescued them from out of their slavery under the harsh rule of the Pharaohs in Egypt and He gave them the Commandments of the Law through Moses for them to know what his will was for them and to know his wisdom and to learn obedience. God took the nation of Israel to be his people whose way of life would glorify God by putting God on display to all those other nations.  He gave them priests that would offer the blood of animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins and for them to know his mercy and he worked miracles of provision of food and supernaturally won battles for them against their enemies to show them his power and strength. And for about fifteen hundred years God also provided them with prophets and Kings to lead and guide them and to keep them in his will, but for all this they strayed from his path for them. There were corrupt prophets and evil kings and wicked priests who led them astray for the most part of that time as a nation. Their going astray can be summed up in one episode of disobedience and rebellion when he spoke to them through Isaiah.</p> <p>Isaiah 30: