Not my Will

God lives and works today. Behind every event in our lives stands his great and perfect will. And as he says in Jeremiah 29, I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

But why do we recognize his plans and will so seldom? Why do we make ourselves miserable by fighting against the difficulties and burdens we must bear? Today's program is a testimony about surrendering our wills, an important topic, especially at the end of the year. At a certain time in my life I received a motto which was like a gift from the Lord. It read as follows, Do not act according to your own will, but according to his will, no matter how difficult and incomprehensible it might seem to you.

Ways of obedience are following his will and in joy and glory. These words made a deep impression on me, how often my self-will had taken me over. Sometimes I felt entirely possessed by this terrible self-will of mine.

I was constantly sinning against others because of my strong will and domineering personality. But I would never have noticed how serious this sore spot in my life was if God had not spoken so clearly to me through this motto. God was merciful to me and granted me the desire to fight the battle of faith against my self-will.

One day we decided to think up names for the various rooms of our house, and as an outward sign of my aim of faith and as a personal reminder of the words the Lord had given me, that his will be done and not mine, I chose for my room the name Will of God. I firmly believe that the Lord will help me to abide in the Father's will, a will of goodness and love, for in the surrendering of our wills lies all the blessing and happiness of God. I've experienced this.

Perhaps you too are suffering because of your self-will. Would you like to become free? Then take the next step. Surrender your will to God many times a day.

Begin every morning by expecting God to let things go against your will during the course of the day. Ask him to grant you the grace to say yes, unless of course someone demands something against your conscience. Give thanks for all the opportunities you have to let your will be broken through situations and circumstances.

So make the most of them by always humbling yourself and asking for forgiveness when your first reaction was displeasure or even rebellion. In this way, your self-will will no longer receive any nourishment and will starve to death. Yes, you will be joining the Lamb of God and saying, Yes, Father, I love your will.

By surrendering your will to God, you unite your will with his, and this unity brings great joy. Yes, streams of peace and joy will flow into your life. The Lamb of God You have been listening to a program written by Basilea Schlink of the Little Land of Canaan.

To learn more about how God lives and works today, visit us at our website www.canaan.org If you contact us, we would be happy to send you a free inspirational booklet. If you do not have access to the web, please contact this radio station for our postal address. God bless you.