God's Will for You Today, Part Seven Don't Let Sin Separate You From Him!

1Thesselonians 5: 22 - Avoid every kind of evil.

We often lament our seeming inability to discern the will of God for our lives. We can find ourselves facing life changing decisions and seeking the will of God only to hear nothing. Too often, we have decided and then seek "confirmation" as opposed to seeking the will of God before making decisions. The bible is filled with direction on the will of God but nowhere does it seem clearer then in Paul's closing remarks to the Church at Thessalonica (1^st Epistle). As the Apostle Paul is signing off his letter, he provides seven instructions which he refers to as, "God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Seven of course is God's number of perfection and each of these imperatives are given their own separate verse, even though they are contained within only two sentences. No matter what circumstance you may face in your life, you can match it up with these seven imperatives to discover the will of God for you in Christ Jesus!

We have seen the first six imperatives in this series of devotionals. To recap, they were:

1)       Be happy always (Verse 16)

2)       Develop a God consciousness (17)

3)       Praise Him (18)

4)       Be in tune with the Holy Spirit (19)

5)       Do not run from the call of God (20)

6)       Do as the Bereans test everything by the light of the Word of God (21)

What do all of these have in common besides being the will of God for your lives? They are all related to developing an intimate relationship with God. Ultimately, THAT is His will for your life! Being joyful always requires you to have your relationship with God be of greater import than anything else in your life; so that your circumstances do not dictate your joy. Developing a God consciousness of prayer means delving deeper into a relational approach to prayer, as opposed to a ritualistic approach. Praising God in all circumstances brings the presence of God directly into your life! Being in tune with the Holy Spirit means you will be walking directly with God on a daily basis. Not running from the call of God means that you will be fostering your obedience to Him. And testing everything by His Word will mature you as a Christian and cement your relationship as being grounded in Christ, not the wiles of man. These are all the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. The seventh and last imperative deals with the one thing that can separate you from God, sin.

The other six become virtually impossible if sin pervades your life. You cannot be close to God if sin consistently separates you from Him. The prophet Isaiah reminds us:

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59: 2

You cannot have it both ways. You cannot conform to the world and expect to walk in the power of God. You cannot commune with God and sin. The Bible declares:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1John 1: 5-7

Unfortunately, there are many Christians who lie and do not live by the truth. Perhaps they are only lying to themselves but ultimately, God knows the heart. There is no secret sin with God. He knows all and sees all. That which is done in the dark, God will bring to light. It is the will of God for you to avoid every kind of sin; every kind of evil; as verse 22 declares. Like the other imperatives, this may not be completely achievable due to our flesh, but that does not stop it from being the will of God for you. It remains something to strive for.

Not only does this imperative speak to avoiding sinful situations but evil in general that can lead to sin. As Christians we need to be in the world, but not of the world:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12: 2

Be able to test and approve what is God's will! You cannot expect to be effective and grow in your personal relationship with God if you are in church Sunday but in the club on Saturday. There should be a change in your friends, your attitudes and yes, even your speech. Here is the admonishment from God:

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 8: 13

Sin will always take you farther than you wanted to go. It will always keep you longer than you wanted to stay. It will always cost you more than you intended to pay. God is light and cannot commune with darkness. If you want to truly discern the will of God for your life then you have to develop a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. You can do that through the imperatives found in 1Thesselonians, chapter five but without avoiding evil, the road becomes much longer and more arduous. God implores us in the book of Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12: 1-3

Are your eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of your faith today? Are you running with perseverance the race marked out for you? God's will for you is spelled out before you. He wants you to be happy always. He desires a more intimate relationship with you through the development of a relational sense of prayer that avoids the trappings of ritual. He created you to praise Him, regardless of your circumstances! He gave you the precious gift of the Holy Spirit so that you can be in tune with Him and His will for you. He has placed a calling on your life and expects obedience. He gave you His Word so that you can test everything that comes into your life and grow in maturity in Christ Jesus. Lastly, His will is for you to avoid the evil in this world because evil leads to sin and sin separates you from Him. It damages the intimacy he desires to have with you. It thwarts the will of God for your life. Never let that happen beloved. Embrace the entire will of God for you in Christ Jesus today!

Anthony Wade March 22, 2008