How many of us sometime during our life time saw that sign – “Wet Paint – Do Not Touch” and we touched it??? Or how about as kids, saw a taped off area that said, “Do Not Enter” and thought – “That applies to everyone but me”, and then we entered???

The next three blogs I wanted to focus on some things we’re told not to do in the Bible:

1. Being anxious – Do not be anxious about anything . . . (Philippians 4:6).
2. Testing God – Do not test The Lord your God . . . (Deuteronomy 6:16).
3. Boasting (Bragging) – Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches . . . ” (Jeremiah 9:23).

We’re going to look at some exceptions to the rules and “break” all three of these. Let’s take on the first one . . . Anxiety.

We live in a world that offers plenty to be anxious about. I can only watch the news for about 15 minutes and I start to get anxious, angry, and discouraged. Harvard Business Review did a study showing that over 40 million Americans suffer from mental health challenges – anxiety being one of the top areas. The problem is that this study was done in May of 2020 – we all know too well what happened the rest of 2020 and what is still occurring in the name of anxiety.

Like I stated in the beginning – I don’t want to focus on the negative attributes of anxiety. One day while reading my Bible – this verse popped out at me:

“You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:2)

Wow, that is the only time I’ve seen the word “anxious” used in a positive context. We are allowed to be anxious to do the will of God. However, what exactly does that look like?

It seems as though God’s will can be clearly stated or personalized to our specific calling in life. For the clearly stated, there are verses that flat out say “God’s will” . . .

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . . (Matthew 6: 10)

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

May He equip you with all you need for doing his will. (Hebrews 13:21)

There are many more – this is just a small sample. But what about God’s personalized, specific, and unique plan for our individual lives? Believe or not – He covers that topic also:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2) Three keys points show up here:

1. Learning God’s will starts in our minds – Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Author Jon Gordon has cited research revealing that 80% of our thoughts on a daily basis are negative. Think about it (pun intended). We’re driving down the road – and the thought pops into our heads that we are a lousy (fill in the blank _______) friend, spouse, parent, employee, church member, citizen, etc. Then the thought “takes root” and starts to grow: “I am a lousy friend – when was the last time someone called me to hang out? And how about all of those people that didn’t “like” my latest post? And what about . . . . on and on it goes until our thoughts become feelings. And, those negative thoughts want to make a permanent home in our minds and continue to grow like an aggressive weed. The remedy is replacing the negativity with the truth and positivity. For example: “I’m not a lousy friend – I have people that I can call in an emergency and who love me unconditionally. I need to be more of an initiator and call them. Who cares if no one “likes” my post? It wasn’t that great anyway!” There’s even more power when we speak the truth out loud.
2. Learning God’s will goes against the norm – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world. Have you ever attempted to paddle a canoe or boat upstream against the current? You can push and strive and try harder – but eventually your energy gives out and you start drifting back downstream with the current. Unless you are salmon 🙂 There is not enough room to list all of the strange things going on the last several years with the “behaviors and customs of this world.” I never imagined a world where some men desired to be pregnant. A world where robbers are emboldened to fill their bags with stolen merchandise and casually walk out the door. Or, how some states are proposing legislature to take away a parent’s right to protect their children against changing genders? How do we know if/when to speak out or take action? The good news is that our culture is continually changing – but our God never changes. And He has graciously provided a manual for us to get through this life. To help clarify confusion, we can use the filter question: “What does the Bible say about __________?”
3. Learning God’s will is customized for us – Then you will know Gods will for YOU, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Do you have a comfy outfit for after work or you wear in the evenings? That t-shirt that fits just right? Sweats, shorts, or pjs? Socks or barefoot? There is nothing like slipping into that outfit after a hard day – and then it is time to be at peace and relax. That’s a slight glimmer of what we can feel when we’re walking in God’s will for our individual lives. Don’t compare yourself to the great orator on the stage you hear every week, the worship pop star that has an angelic voice, or the cool Christian comedian who has 67K followers on Instagram. Hopefully, they are walking in God’s customized will for their lives – but so can you and I! We come in daily contact with people that those “stars” will never meet. Our “stage” and foreign country is right where we are at this current moment. God has strategically placed us there.

Conclusion – BTW – We can be smack, dab in the middle of God’s will for our lives – and our circumstances are rough, times are difficult, and it might seem God isn’t there. That is where our relationship with God, time in the Bible, and prayer throughout the day will bring to us “the peace that passes understanding.” (Phillipians 4:7). The hour is late. Now is the time to take the focus off of ourselves and truly seek out: What would God have me do today??? A continual sense of urgency. Actually, a sense of anxiety . . .

Blessings,

Dave 🙂

https://www.amazon.com/author/davidrische