How To Live In God's Will

“But our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands. They refused to obey and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. You did not abandon them, even when they made an idol shaped like a calf and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!’ They committed terrible blasphemies. [Nehemiah 9.16-18]

Know this about God: He is forgiving, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love.

Look at it this way:

God is:

• Forgiving
• Gracious and merciful
• Slow to become angry
• Rich in unfailing love

There are two possible ways to respond to God's character as listed above:

1. Live humbly and gratefully in the power of His will
2. Live proudly (taking advantage of His blessings) without concern for His will

It seems to me that mankind has quite the predisposition to the 2nd way listed above. It seems I have the predisposition to the 2nd way listed above.

There is but one response that is correct before our forgiving and merciful God if we are to live in His will: repentance and a repentant heart (humility).

Knowing it is our fallen predisposition to take God's forgiveness for granted, we should make every effort to humble ourselves before God. I know there are teachings our there that promote "living like kings" but I fear that those very teachings are the incubators for pride in the human spirit.

The problem however is that the "living like kings" teaching is actually essential to understanding the Kingdom of God and what it means to to do the "works of Jesus" in the earth today. The dangerous critical ingredient is humility. Jesus demonstrated that humility to perfection. We, on the other hand, have struggled with it for centuries. Is it any wonder that the list of things God hates begins with pride?

The bottom line is that for God's people today to accomplish the works of Jesus in the earth, it will require their hearts to be set on humility. It will require continuous introspect and repentance. There is simply no other way to avoid damning (limiting) human pride.

Father, I want to be Your representative in the earth today. Forgive me for pride and arrogance that has limited my ability to do so.