By resisting the will of God, one is also resisting the Word of God. To truly know the Doctrine of Christ, one has to be willing to do the Father’s will. The reason some struggle to understand Scripture is they are not open to receive His will, let alone the truth of His Word. Those who refuse to know the truth are more interested in their own brand of truth because it conforms to their desires. Hello religion! John 7:16-17 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17. “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself (NASB).
If you are going to understand the Bible, you have to be honest about where you are in relation to the will of God. You cannot hide behind the mask of not being a theologian. As a matter of fact, you don’t need to be a theologian to understand it. You need the Holy Spirit and a willing heart to learn.
If you’re not the least bit interested in the will of God, you might as well keep your Bible closed, and write your own version of it.
While God freely gives us His Word, we still have to be submissive to receive it.
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Him (see John 14:6). His words are spirit and life (see John 6:63). They conform to the will of the Father, and we are supposed to conform to the image of Jesus. If one keeps inserting his will and tries to conform Jesus to his own image, he will never know the truth. If you want to be truly free, you’ll continue in His Word, and as His disciple you will know the truth, and it will make you free (see John 8:31-32). You cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ apart from the truth.
We cannot define truth; only God can do that. After all, He is God and we are not. Since we cannot create and define truth, we need it revealed to us. In order to gain that revelation, we must submit to Him first. Without submission, truth will evade us.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Those who don’t fear God will embrace error and falsehood. They will never come to the knowledge of the truth, unless they repent. They do not respect His Word because they do not have a healthy respect for Him. Keep in mind the Word of God belongs to God. We have no authority to alter it. We can either accept it or reject it, but we’ll never be able to change it. Those who try, curse themselves.
Some ask for a word from God without being willing to hear anything that could be contrary to their desires. What good is it, if someone hears His Word, but rejects it? Seed sown on stony ground produces nothing (Matthew 13:19-20). An honest, soft heart receives the Word as good soil receives seed and produces fruit.
If you find yourself struggling to understand the Bible, ask yourself if you are resisting the will of God. Obviously, resisting His will is not the sole reason for the struggle; but, a good place to start in gaining revelation of the truth is examining where you are in relation to it. Ask the Lord to reveal any area of His will you might be resisting. To be clear, it’s not necessarily a case of outright rebellion. Some things, such as fear, hinder the desire to follow His will. Of course, that’s another lesson in itself. In the meantime, let our hearts cry, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”
