The Inward Journey

How do we find and experience the will of God? Is it simply asking for Divine guidance and God’s blessing upon our life? Or, is the will of God something much deeper that is revealed in the process of living?

Many sincere Christians express their desire for the will of God in their life with comments like, “I’ll pray about that” or, “I‘m asking God to know His will in such and such a matter.” Then after prayer and sometimes fasting, the petitioner emerges with a directive to move forward with a particular task, or perhaps a check in his or her spirit to NOT move forward. It is good to prayerfully consider the decisions that are before us, but is this really what it means to find the will of God? Is it possible there is a depth to the will of God that far exceeds following simple directives? For example, what about those times when we are sure we heard the voice of God and yet the results were disastrous? Did we miss it or was the will of God somehow revealed in the unfolding calamity?
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By Douglas B. Clark

“To everything — a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens: A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted. A time to slay, And a time to heal, A time to break down, And a time to build up. A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip. A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing. A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away. A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak. A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace. What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?
I HAVE SEEN THE TRAVAIL THAT GOD HATH GIVEN TO THE SONS OF MAN TO BE HUMBLED BY IT” Ecc. 3: 1-10. Young’s Literal Translation.

On more than one occasion I have had trouble seeing how the season I was in could possibly serve the purposes of God. Most recently it was a season learning to be content without the blessing of steady work. It is interesting to me the things that lie dormant in us until we are faced with the right set of circumstances that bring them to the surface. In my mind I had a false expectation of God’s provision, based on my faithfulness to Him. Instead of learning to be content in whatever state I was in I had expectations regarding what I perceived to be God’s role and what I thought was my role. These expectations led to severe travail that in turn brought about utter humility. While in this season it was difficult to do anything but focus on my situation. I have found though that God has a way of directing our attention away from our difficult situations and back to Him. With the passage of time I found out there was nothing I could do to move the hands of God on my behalf. I have learned there is to be no partnership, but only my will conformed to His.
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It was more than thirty years ago that I read a series of articles by George Hawtin in publication called The Page. I was still a babe in Christ and the idea of God having a purpose and plan for creation was just beginning to unfold within me. There were truths that I felt in my spirit, yet was unable to articulate. I thank God that out of each generation He raises up those who are able to express what He is doing in His people. Douglas B. Clark

According To The Purpose By George Hawtin

“And this is in harmony with God’s merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it-The purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one head in Christ; yes, things in heaven and things on earth, to find their one head in Him.” - Eph. 1:9,10. (Weymouth).

Long before there was a world or any man, God, almighty and all wise, planned every detail of the whole creation from start to finish. He not only planned each detail of the earth itself but with infinite wisdom He planned your life and mine before the foundations of the earth were laid. 2 Tim. 1:9. He planned the moment and place of your birth, the circumstances that were to prevail throughout your life, your down-sittings and up-risings, the trials and tribulations, the joys and sorrows that were to have their part in shaping you according to His purpose. He knows the appointed times and how many ages He will spend to bring you to the perfection He planned for you before the world began. I am perfectly aware that this is NOT church tradition. This is not what we were taught from our youth nor is this commonly accepted doctrine, but I affirm that this is truth according to the Word of God, and it is also according to the true longing of your own spirit within you.
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By A.P. Adams
Author of
The Spirit of the Word
Originally published in 1895

THE TRUE BASIS OF REDEMPTION
” If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time, will I wait until my change come. thou wilt call and I will answer Thee. Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands” (Job 14:14-15)

HERE, in this passage is expressed, THE TRUE BASIS OF REDEMPTION,-”THOU wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.” (Job 14:14, 15) It is only as we recognize man as the work of God that we can understand his redemption. When I say man I mean, not merely Adam, the first man, but all the redeemed, as finished, in the image and likeness of God. To the whole redeemed race, thus finished, the words of the apostle are applicable,-”We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which GOD hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2: 10) Hence in order to understand Redemption we must understand Creation; for the former is simply one step in the process of the latter. Let’s look then first at the subject of

C R E A T I O N


The common idea is that God created man perfect and complete in the garden of Eden, and thus started him all right; but evil invaded that peaceful and blessed retreat, successfully assailed the man and the woman, and the dreadful consequences were sin, alienation, the loss of Paradise and universal death. Thus was God’s handiwork marred and his plans disarranged, and now he must commence all over again, as it were, first, to repair damages and then to carry out his original plan as best he can. This is the common idea among the great mass of Christians, and yet the simple statement of it as above is enough to make one suspect that the idea cannot be just exactly right. Is it so?-that God is altogether such an one as ourselves?-whose plans may be upset?-whose will may be thwarted?-who may be compelled to change his plan because of some interfering agency or evil power entering in and for the time being getting the better of him? Is it so? Why, no, we say; and yet what shall we do with the Bible story of the “fall of man” as we term it? Shall we make God responsible for it? If his will was not thwarted in that terrible fall, must we say that it was in accordance with his will? Many cannot say that, it seems blasphemous; and yet either that is true, or else his will was thwarted and his plans disarranged and upset by an evil power, mightier, or for the time being more cunning than himself. What shall we do in this dilemma? How shall we untangle this seeming snarl? Let us see how the Bible helps us.
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By Douglas B. Clark

One of the most misunderstood characters in the New Testament is the Antichrist. He is a master of illusion and has managed to dupe many of God’s people. He is a ventriloquist who skillfully projects his voice unto another. A look on the Internet reveals the diversity of opinions about the identity of the Antichrist. There are some who believe President Bush is the Antichrist, while others including John Calvin believed that the office of the Pope is the Antichrist. I also found a website implying that all Christians who do not keep the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath, are part of the Antichrist. Throughout history there have been others who have been suspected as the Antichrist including, Nero, Stalin, Mussolini, and Adolph Hitler. So the question remains: Who is this man of mystery and deceit and how does his role affect the lives of Christians and non-Christians alike?

First let’s define what the term antichrist means. Anti means either against or in place of, while Christ means anointing. So an antichrist can either be flat out against Christ, as were the Jews who did not recognize Jesus as their Messiah, or something offered in place of Christ. Since Christ means anointing then anything that would replace or come against the anointing would also fit the definition of antichrist. Read the rest of this entry »