Desperation Leadership Academy

KNOWING
GOD'S WILL

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Through the seasons of life we experience a lot of pressures. One of the primary demands we, as believers put upon ourselves is to do the right thing, to do what God will's for our lives. I know we have heard it time and time again from our friends, pastors, and loved ones- “just do the will of God for your life.” All of us want to take their advice and do just that, if only we knew what God's will is! I think Romans 12 helps us understand how to know what God’s will is for each of us.

According to Romans 12 in order to know God’s will we must be transformed which will produce a renewed mind. And the way we become transformed is by not being conformed to this world. Our Christian lives can be compared to paddling in a canoe, going upstream in a raging river. The river is representative of the world and its influences and lusts. The current is strong and characterizes the flow of the world and its deceptive and destructive ways. The canoe is our vehicle to keep from being influenced and overcome by the world, so the canoe is represented as Christ’s working in each one of us. Our paddles are representative of the Holy Spirits grace and empowerment on our lives to overcome the world and to move forward in His call on our lives. If we simply sit in the canoe with the paddles and do nothing to make an effort to move forward in God, our canoe will end up simply running the same course as the rest of the world and we will flow with the world’s systems. It takes purposeful effort to paddle as hard as we can upstream in order to go against the “norm” of our day and live a life for Jesus Christ. I’m using this analogy to encourage you to fight to not simply conform to this world. If we will make a resolute decision to stand up for what’s right, to live for God in obedience to His commands then we will not flow with the world, we will move forward, upstream in our call in God. By living with solid convictions in this way the Lord will begin to transform your life bringing about a mind that is being renewed day by day, by simply choosing Christ every day.

Choose to lay down your desire to live by the demands of your flesh and the lust of this world and your life will be transformed before you know it. I believe in this place of laying down your own will you will find the will of God for your life. If you live according to the Holy Spirit long enough, you will be in tune to the direction God is leading you. Choose holiness today, choose transformation by making a firm decision to not live by the worlds standards and you will find the will of God for your life, His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Tyrel Koenes
DLA Director
WWW.DESPERATIONLEADERSHIP.COM