Introduction – Part 1
“For each one of us, there is only one thing necessary: to fulfill our own destiny according to God’s will, to become what God wants us to be.” ~ Thomas Merton
“There are no ‘if’s’ in God’s world, and no places that are safer than others. For the center of His will is our only true safety. So let us pray that we might always know that will!” ~ Corrie ten Boom
The desire to decipher God’s Will seems to dominate the thoughts of a growing number of “awakening believers” – those folks who are no longer satisfied with merely soaking in life’s “simple pleasures” &/or obtaining mere “spiritual comfort.” While some of them have professed Jesus as their personal Savior and believe in the righteousness of their faith — and while others have chosen to soak their lives in the hope-full redemption promised by “good deeds”, they all still find themselves suffering from regular bouts of sadness, boredom, worry and frustration. In addition, they continue to slip regularly into “non-Christian” behaviors: accumulating unnecessary material wealth, championing violence against their enemies, gossiping about their neighbors, criticizing all sinners for their failings &/or condemning non-Christians for their “false beliefs.”
“See what Love the Father has Given us, that we should be called Children of God, for that is what we are.” ~ 1 John 3:1
And yet many yearn to live a more power-full “Christian” life while simply not knowing how to do so. At the same time, they have refused to relinquish a fundamental hope – a belief that this life is more than a mere “proving ground” for the Hereafter; that the Universe (a.k.a. God) has a “deeper purpose” for our existence; and that following God’s Will is important Here & Now. In the depths of their Souls, they believe that God has “plans” for all of us – that we each have unique gifts that we are to actualize for the betterment of others. Our job, then, is to rediscover those gifts and bring them to fruition …
“The Lord God Guides us; therefore we cannot be disgraced … He who vindicates us is within …” ~ Isaiah 50:7
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.”~ Isaiah 61:1
“Your Kingdom has come, your will be Done on Earth as it [already] is in Heaven.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:10 — see also Luke 17:20-21 for the relevant location of “Heaven”)
“He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”~ Jesus Christ (John 9:3)
“You will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me, and that I am in You.” ~ Jesus Christ (John 14:20)
“And yet where sin is increased, Grace abounds all the more …” ~ Romans 5:20
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” ~ Romans 8:26
“The Gifts of the Calling of God are irrevocable.” ~ Romans 11:29
“If there is a physical body, then there is also a Spiritual body.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:44
“And all of us, with unveiled faces, perceiving the Glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image — from one degree of Glory to another; for this comes from the Lord.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God; a house not made with hands … For in our tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. And yet when we remove this tent, we will not be found naked.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:1-3
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. See, everything old has passed away. See, everything has become new!” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
“If we Live by the Spirit, let us also be Guided by the Spirit.” ~ Galatians 5:25
“Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.” ~ James 4:8
And yet even though it is quite obvious that we are all called to find and follow God’s will, little has been offered us by our religious leaders in the form of practical methods for aligning our lives with the Bible’s “Way” (or with any other religious creed, for that matter). We have not been given clear guideposts to know what God’s Will is for our lives, and we have been given no tangible methods for accessing the perfect knowledge of our internal Advocate (what some know as the “conscience” or the “the Holy Spirit” — see John 14:16-26 & John 15:26). Indeed, even the Christian church — supposedly the keeper of this Wisdom, has been teaching us doctrines and principles that cannot be reconciled with Jesus’ Way of absolute Love & Forgiveness, much less our own God-Given understanding of morality and basic fairness …
“For the sake of your traditions, you make void the Commandments of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their Hearts are far from me’”~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 15:6-8)
“Who are you, a human being, to argue with God? … And indeed, [God] says: Those who are not my people I will call my people, and those who are not beloved I will call beloved … They shall all be called Children of God.” ~ Paul in Romans 9:20-26
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To all who are thirsty, I give the gift of water from the Spring of Life. Those who conquer will inherit these things … Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the Water of Life as a gift.”~ Revelation 21:6 + 22:17
In Truth, it is the church that teaches us that “non-believers” are damned to Hell for eternity and that God is a God of vengeance, and yet Jesus encouraged us to “Love your enemies … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful … Do not condemn and you will not be condemned.” (Luke 6:35-37)
In Truth, it is the church that teaches us that Salvation comes after mentally professing a faith in Jesus as one’s “personal Lord & Savior”, and yet Jesus himself noted that “No one is Good but God alone” (Mark 10:18) and that “If you wish to enter into Life, uphold the Commandments.” (Matthew 19:17)
In Truth, it is the church that teaches us that some wars are “holy” and that others are “justified”, and yet Jesus noted clearly that “Blessed are the Peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9)
In Truth, it is the church that teaches us that Divine Justice is a punishment-based “eye for an eye”, and yet Jesus informed us that “The Father judges no one” (John 5:22) and that “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Matthew 12:7)
In Truth, it is the church that often still quotes some of the more violent passages of the Hebrew Bible (a.k.a the Old Testament) to justify non-loving behaviors, and yet the New Testament makes it quite clear that “In speaking of a New Covenant, [Jesus] has made the first one obsolete.” (Hebrews 8:13 — see also 2 Corinthians 3:15-16).
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