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When you don’t want to do God’s will for your life.

If your feeling this way, you are not alone. Even our Lord Jesus Christ experienced this very thing in His own life.

As you can see from Mark 14:36 it says, “And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will”

When Jesus was facing the cross, in one sense He did not want to go through with it. It’s a mystery to us, because in other places in the Bible its speaks of Jesus coming into the world to do just that thing, to go to the cross to die for our sins and bring us salvation. But, in another sense, it’s clear that He did not want to go through with it. So, your not alone. But, please notice what He did. He said nevertheless, which means, yet, or notwithstanding, and rather. It’s a word of transition.

It means, I don’t want to do one thing, but let me move to another thought. And that thought is, regardless of what I want, I will do what You want me to do. And that is my supreme desire, it’s to carry out Your will.

So, the next time you are conflicted about doing the will of God, may God help you to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Don’t focus on what you don’t want to do, but rather on what God wants you to do. Ask God to help you. He will give you the grace in that moment.

Father, many things are easier said then done. And, this may be one of them. But, we know Lord, that when You call us to something, we are able to do it. Not by our strength, but by Yours.

In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Applicational thoughts

1. God’s grace is sufficient to help us.

2. When we are at the end of our rope, there is no where to turn but to God.

3. Be encouraged, remember times in the past when God has delivered you.

4. Don’t be condemned, many others have had the same experience.

5. Remember, there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus

6. God is Your helper, be patient, He will help you.

Don't do what you want to do.....

Pr 20:22 Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

Pr 24:29* Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

Many times in the Bible the Lord ( for our own good, and to give us His wisdom ) tells us what not to do, or what not to say. In the case of these two verses, that's what's being said to us. "Do not say etc, etc."

Both of these verses have to do with what we might tend to say, or tend to do, when someone has done something evil to us.

In Pro 20:22 We are told, "Do not say I will recompense evil"......Or don't say, I'm going to pay that person back. But rather "Wait for the Lord, and He will save you" To wait here means, to wait expectantly, and the Lord will rescue you.

In Pro 24:29, is pretty much a repetition. It's telling us in no uncertain terms to "Not to do to the other person what they have done to you"

Back to the Lord for a moment. He promises to save or rescue you in situations like what's described above. God has a plan, and He will come through in His plan, in His time, and in the meantime, it's best to follow His guidance and instruction. Don’t say or do what you might want to say or do.

In the NT, we are also told that "Vengeance belongs to the Lord"......It's not our responsiblity to pay people back for what they have done to us. We are to leave that with the Lord, that is His business.

Ro 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

We are beloved by the Lord, though not by others. Don’t avenge, ( to exact penalty from another ), but rather give place to wrath...It’s the Lord’s business.....He will repay.

Father, thank You for Your Word, it fits to our lives so well, and deals with the needs that we have from day to day. We love you, In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Practical Applicational thoughts

1. It's best sometimes to not say what you want to say to someone.

2. We don't have to follow the world's example of dealing with evil and offense.

3. The Lord has allowed your situation, and He will rescue you in due time.

4. Be patient when in a trial, God is faithful, He will help you.

5. By obeying the Lord, you will not make the situation worse then it already is.

Which heart is yours?

Proverbs 28:25 says, "He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered."

Which of the two do you want to be? Which one might you be today? Which one could you be as the day rolls on?

There are two kinds of hearts mentioned here, one that is proud and stirs up strife, and one that trusts in the LORD and finds itself being prospered. Let's take a closer look at them.

He who is of a proud heart.....meaning, (a greedy spirit, , a wide heart, an enlarged heart ) this person stirs up, or meddles, is contentious, and the bring about strife, or discord, quarrels. Meddling is of course when we are involved in something that is not really our business, and contention is causing trouble.

But, he who is trusting in the LORD, finds prosperity. To trust is have confidence in the LORD, that is, in Jehovah, or "the existing one"

That trusting heart is going to find the LORD bringing prosperity into their lives. One of the meanings of prosperity is "to take away ashes" and "to anoint" It really means, to be enriched and blessed. Ashes are a picture for us of something that has been ruined through fire. When a fire has taken place, there is normally a clean-up that takes place.

The LORD is the one who will take away the ashes of the ruin of our lives or circumstances. And, He will anoint our lives with His forgiveness, and cleansing.

The Lord is the one who alone excels in cleaning up a ruined life. So, if by some chance you have been brought to some ruin, and there is nothing but ashes to show for what has happened, know that the LORD today, can come and make your life new, and bless your life, and enrich your life.

All you need to do, is to come to Him, and to ask Him for His Grace and His mercy, and He will freely give it to you. Remember, He loves you more then you know.

Father, thank You for who You are, and for what You do in our lives. We can make such a mess of things, but You can bless what we have broken.

In Jesus name amen.

Bob Grenier

Pastor Calvary Chapel Visalia

Applicational thoughts.

1. You can be different.

2. God changes lives.

3. You can go from ashes to blessings.

4. Have faith in God today.

5. God is the God of forgiveness and restoration.

6. Let Him work in you today. Just believe Him, and act upon His Word.

What will happen tomorrow?

We don't really know.

Proverbs 27:1 says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Here we are being given wisdom from God. Don't boast about tomorrow etc. What does that mean? Boast is also translated, foolish, and can mean to make into a fool.

The simple reason that we ought not to boast about what may happen tomorrow, is that we don't know. No one knows that will happen even a second from now.

Much is said about this same issue in the NT, in James 4:13-17, but to summarize here, what we ought to say is, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that".

In other words, it's normal and needful to make our plans, and to even have our desires about tomorrow, but it's God's way for us to always remember, that He is in control, He is guiding, He has plans for us for the next day, He is leading our lives. So, to live with the Lord's will in mind is how consider what will happen tomorrow.

Father, we love You, and we thank You that we find comfort in knowing that You are in control of our lives, and You have a plan for tomorrow, and for the rest of this day, and for the rest of our lives. Help us to live with You as the priority in our lives. Putting You first in all that we do. In Jesus name,

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

P.S Here are 6 Applicational thoughts.

God is also working all things that happen today and tomorrow for our good.

God's plan and ways are much better then anything we can come up with.

God's ways and plans may not be easy for us to accept, but He will help us along.

God knows what is best for us.

God has the power to bring about His will in our lives today and tomorrow.

Trusting the Lord is the way to go. He promises to direct our paths.

Jesus does not give up on you, even when you trip up and stumble

Mark 14:27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’

Mark 14: 28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Jesus knew ahead of time that virtually all of those whom He had chosen would stumble and be scattered in one of His own darkest moments. But, He chose them anyways. ( perhaps it's because He has no perfect people to choose from )

He knew they would be tripped up during this incident of His being arrested, because it was written ahead of time, God said it would happen.

When we trip up, we can falsely think, "the Lord is through with me, He will never use me again" The guilt and sense of failure because of our sin can be overwhelming.

But, the Lord does not give up on you, just because you may have given up on Him. Please notice what is said in Mark 14:28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Jesus was letting them know that He had plans to meet up with them after He was raised from the dead. He would meet them again. And meet them He did. In fact, one of the stories is about Peter in particular, and of how the Lord restored him back to fellowship and ministry.

So, if you have tripped up, if you have stumbled, if you have strayed away from the Lord, please know of His unchanging love for you, and of His desire for you to be back in fellowship with Him.

The Bible says that if we confess our sins, He if faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1st John 1:9

"Lord, we pray for any and all who may be reading these words today, and ask that You would pour into our lives, and into theirs a renewed sense of Your grace and Your love for them. And, of Your desire for fellowship and usefulness in each life. We thank You for cleansing us of our sins, and ask that You keep us and give us strength today. In Jesus name, amen"

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

P.S Some applicational thoughts

1. Focus on the the Lord not your sin and failures.

2. Jesus knew when He picked you, that you would fail.

3. The Lord forgives us when we confess our sins.

4. Forget what is behind you and look to Jesus

5. Remember God is faithful, even when we are not.

When Jesus sang...

He was signing from Psalms 113-118. This is what Jews did following their celebration of the Passover meal.

Mark 14:26 says, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives"

These Hymns, or Psalms are primarily about one thing. They are about the Mercies of God. Can you imagine Jesus singing there with the disciples about Mercy.

What is mercy? It can be explained by comparing it with some other attributes or characteristics of God.

Justice is when we receive what we deserve.

Grace is when we get what we don't deserve.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve.

God is merciful and He has been merciful to us, and He will continue to be merciful to us forever and forever.

Jesus said, blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy. Matt 5.

May today be a day where we are reminded of God's mercy towards us, and may we extend that same mercy to others. In fact, may it be a day where we at some point can sing like Jesus did about the mercy of God.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

P.S Some applicational thoughts.

1. Being merciful to others is a sure way to receive mercy ourselves.

2. Showing mercy to others is what we would want shown to us.

3 God is pleased when we are merciful to others.

4. Being merciful is being Christ like.

5 We can pray for and receive God's mercy today in our lives.