ICS Daily Devotions
Submitting to God’s Will
Jesus sets an example of how to pray to be in God’s will and have His leading in every major decision we make in life. Before he went to the cross, Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane with two wills but came out with only one. It was a difficult prayer as he was overwhelmed with the sorrow of what he had to go through. Jesus asked God if it were possible that the cup could be taken from Him but still submitted to the will of God three times in prayer. He showed us who was Lord over His life even though He was fully man and fully God. His prayer was one of consecration, seeking the will of God and not His own.
Matthew 26:36-39 NKJV
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
It can be a challenge to live a consecrated life because our flesh has to submit to the Spirit. In so doing, we are choosing to be yoked with God and allowing Him to be the stronger partner in the calling of our lives. We will come to a situation where we will not do what we like but what is right in God’s eyes and plan. While righteousness may be imputed to us, sanctification and consecration are lifelong processes. God has given Christians the Holy Spirit to help sanctify and consecrate us to Him. However, there are hinderances to living out the consecrated life and they are our pride and lack of faith in God. This lack of faith can be fear of the unknown, loss of control or doubt about the character and goodness of God.
In contrast, Jesus’ lived a daily submission to God’s will, a consecrated way of living which culminated in His last prayer of consecration in the Garden of Gethsemane where He submitted to the will of God at an agonising moment despite His overwhelming sorrow at the thought of dying on the cross. Ultimately, He had to ‘die’ to his flesh nature in order to do what God wanted Him to do for Mankind.
John 6:38 NKJV
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Living a consecrated life is a choice. When we choose to walk in His will by surrendering ourselves to Him, we will want to walk in holiness. We will be set apart for the Lord in holiness just as the Lord is holy. It covers every aspect of our lives; from choosing our life partner to our career, managing our wealth, assets and giving. We will find ourselves always seeking His will and direction for our lives and when we hear and accept His call for us, we will experience joy, satisfaction of the soul and contentment of the spirit.
Sermon Series: A Firm Footing
