Whose will?

I have always related well to Charles Stanley because when I hear him speak or read his books I know he has gone through the situations that he is talking about. I started to have a hunger to know God from his teaching and guidance. He is both a model and a mentor as he desires to serve God.

In this short piece from his book, ‘10 Principles for Studying Your Bible’ Stanley relates that he ‘…realized that many times God’s plan is not something we can understand from a human perspective. I had a pressing desire to pray and read His Word.’

‘There was also an emotional churning within me that would not stop. I found great comfort through reading the Psalms and studying how David gave himself completely to the Lord. He held nothing back, and this is exactly what God wanted me to do – give all of myself to Him. Over a few weeks He revealed to me that He was indeed going to move me (to Atlanta from Bartow, Fla.). Even though I did not like the idea, I surrendered myself to Him. And the moment I said yes, the inner churning in my spirit stopped The way I discovered God’s will for my life was through submitting and studying what the Bible had to say about situations similar to my own. The way I learned to obey was through prayer, surrender to God and also by continuing to read about the lives of men and women who gave themselves to be used by God.’

Too many times we try to do it on our own. By depending solely on human solutions and actions we don’t see what God wants for us or what he wants to teach us. And when we only look at things from a human perspective we can’t understand why stuff happens to us.

What is God trying to teach you about yourself and others today so you can live for Him?