Proving God's Will

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 12:2)

I am under conviction this morning. After reading a devotional that told the story of someone attempting to give advice and comfort far beyond their own ability and the resulting pain they caused by that attempt, I sense that far too often I have written or spoken words that are not much better than that of Job's friends. I hope they are not that bad, but it is all too easy to let the left brain run on in its intellectual preponderances that feel so right at the time while not staying tuned to the right brain's level of awareness or listening to the gentle, quiet promptings or warnings of the Holy Spirit.

When I opened my Bible this morning and reread this verse those two words jumped out at me – so that...! Immediately I felt the conviction deepen that had been lurking in the background and I acknowledged it. I don't know exactly how to deal with it, especially relating to what has already happened. All I know to do right now is to say that if any of you reading this have felt the sting of my bluntness and insensitivity in anything I have said or written, please accept my deepest apologies. Yes, I am still growing and learning, but that does not nullify or excuse any pain that I have already caused. I simply have to take ownership of my problems as they are revealed to me and ask for more grace and sensitivity to better reflect the kind, gentle ways of my God.

What I see here is a clear warning to anyone who attempts to expostulate on what the will of God is without first having their own heart transformed and their own mind renewed with the true Spirit of gentleness. My mind takes me back to a Psalm that tells me something very important about my God. I looked it up and bring it to you here.

As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried;

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God,

The God who girds me with strength And makes my way blameless?

He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places.

He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,

And Your right hand upholds me;

And Your gentleness makes me great.

(Psalms 18:30-35)

The word prove brings to my mind what I have been on the receiving end all too often from well-intentioned people who felt it their duty to impose their spin on spirituality and their strong opinions about doctrine onto me. It often took the form of carefully selected texts arranged in a certain order to produce the desired proof for some predetermined belief that they wanted me to adopt. Sometimes it was even required to have the texts taken only from the KJV so that the words would support their assumptions that could not be so easily proven from other, possibly more accurate versions. There is a whole sub-culture that has grown up around this practice that has become almost militant in defense of proving that only the KJV is accurate and all other translations are somehow satanically infected.

That kind of spirit itself is all too satanically infected in my opinion. In fact, the spirit of trying to prove something to start with is often very suspect unless under the strong influence of the gentle, Holy Spirit firmly in place in the heart of the proponent. And that is what I am seeing in this verse and the message for my own heart and mind today.

If I want to get into the business of proving what is good, what is acceptable to God, what perfection means and what the real will of God is, I am guaranteed to be likely off-balance and a threat to the hearts of others if I have not first made very certain that my own heart is alive, awake and sensitive in submission to the sweet influence of the still, small voice of God's Spirit. I am convicted that this is the needed experience of everyone who truly has a renewed mind and is experiencing the process of transformation as a result of that renewal.

Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

Does that mean that this person – that I – will never again be out of balance and not cause any more damage to other hearts? I wish I could believe that were true, and I believe it could be possible if I were to always listen and stay in submission to that quiet voice. But realistically I suspect there is a great deal more growing to do in the area of submission and a lot more renewing and transformation that needs to take place before I am safe and free of potential danger to those around me.

I am comforted by the verse that comes to my mind from Romans 5:20. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. The Law (when it is talking about God-type Law) is simply the description of reality, the principles which operate that I need to be in harmony with to thrive and be life-giving. When I am out of sync with how I was created to function I cause damage and pain and bring some form of death into people's lives and hearts. The good news is that I do not have to stay in this dysfunction because where sin abounds, God's grace to transform my life abounds all the more. I just need to receive more of that grace and allow it to slow through my writing, my words and even my appearance.

Lord, teach me and help me to know how to present my body as a living sacrifice to You today, holy and acceptable as my act of worship to You. Open my understanding to see how much I conform to the ways and thinking and attitudes of this world. Renew my mind in Your ways of thinking and relating and responding. Continue Your work of transformation in my heart especially and bring my mind and heart into proper balance today under the sweet influence of Your Spirit so that I may reveal more clearly what Your will is. I want my life to be a clear channel of communication for You to use to reveal Your attractiveness to the world, not my distorted opinions about religion. Thank-you for Your grace and I claim it in the authority of Jesus Who empowers me with Your Spirit. Reveal Your face in and through me today.

(next in series)