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The Lord bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem All the days of your life. [Psalms 128:5,6] Prosperity and good success comes by the presence of God in your life, to never leave you or forsake you. And His blessing upon you is a godly growth that transforms you, making you conformed more and more to the image of His Son. It is a progressive, spiritual maturity in you that is visibly seen, even as the apostle Paul counsels Timothy, regarding the rudiments of it, of what needs to be the inner attributes in a person, for it to come about. [1 Timothy 4:15] And what therefore needs to be the focus in your inner being is what king David instructed and exhorted in his son, to say, And you my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with singleness of heart, and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will abandon you forever. [1 Chronicles 28:9]
God has a plan:
And knowing God is by a revelation knowledge in your spirit, to make it your relational experience. He has a plan and purpose, that He desires to accomplish in you. And His purposes can never be thwarted. Man’s plans will inevitably fail at some point or the other. What it requires of you therefore, is that you may grow into His plan. in the process of knowing Him, to become blameless in His sight, with a heart of integrity. The prayer of David, in sincere repentance, models what needs to happen even in you and I. It is praying that the Lord may create a clean heart, renew a steadfast spirit, and sustain you, that you may serve Him with a willing mind. [Psalms 51:10,12] And when you are surrendered to His will, He brings about a willing mind in you, by giving in you –
1] Desire
2] Delight
3] Deliberate choice
1] Desire – an attitude of willingness:
God is willing, beyond an iota of doubt. But, are you willing? It is the question that needs to be addressed and answered within you. For He reveals His will to you, but will never force you into it. He desires a willing mind.
In your free will, choosing His will:
Receiving Him, believing in His Name, is what you need to do, out of your own free will. [John 1:12] You are then born, but,of the will of God. [Verse 13] And there is a vital purpose to it all. For, it is then that the understanding of the truth, the knowledge of His higher and greater plan is revealed to you, by grace, and His word through which He expresses His will to you. And it is out of your own free will that you make the choice to choose the will of God, His good and greater plan, to give you a future and a hope.
Your mind needs to be employed:
And just as His understanding comes to you through His word, His commandments are also His enabling. For your mind when renewed by the word of God is transformed, to know His good and perfect will that you may offer yourself to it, in an attitude of willingness, as your reasonable act of worship. ‘Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, is how the Lord has taught you and I to pray. And, stir sincere minds to wholesome thinking, are the words of the apostle Peter. [2 Peter 3:1] It is also the truth that, having clarity concerning the word of God that declares His will, is what will bring about a willing response in you.
‘Be it unto me – according to Your word’:
A beautiful example would be what happened in the life of Mary, when the angel came to declare something, regarding which initially she did not have clarity, for according to the world system, it could never happen. But when the truth of the word from God was given to her, regarding the God who makes the impossible, possible, she was able to yield to the will of God, with a willing mind, to say, ‘Be it unto me, according to your word’. [Luke 1:34-38] What it teaches you is that, when the word of prophecy or promise comes to you, it has contained in it, everything necessary for the word to come to pass. And by comprehension of scriptures, when you understand the willingness of God, it will bring forth willingness of mind in you.
Word, settled forever:
For as the psalmist has declared Forever,O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. [Psalms 119:89]You need to come to a place therefore of settlement, to hear Him say, Be still and know that I am God; I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth. [Psalms 46:10] You are not God; He is. And however confused your mind may currently be, your mind needs to settle down, and rest in the truth of it. And willingness comes when the truth of it becomes your practical experience.
2] Delight, for it is written of you:
Then I said, ‘ Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me’. [Psalms 40:7] His word is unchanging, settled forever. And in His book, it is written of you, all that forms part of your life. There is no need therefore, to resort to star gazing to determine the plans and purpose for your life. And trusting in His word that is also your enabling, your wisdom and your strength, you can confidently say, I delight to do Your will; Your law is within my heart. [Verse 8] It need not be something that you dread, or think is impossible because of what is going on in your life right now, for, when you love Him, and have been called according to His purposes, God causes everything to come together for good. [Romans 8:28] In love and trust, you can lay all your weight on Him, and find delight in doing His will, for He will sustain you, even in the midst of troubles or challenges, enabling you to run your race with joy, delighting in doing His will,as the apostle declares. It was what he was able to do, even when he knew that troubles awaited him. [Acts Chapter 20] What mattered to him was finishing his race with joy.
3] Deliberate or Voluntary choice: willing mind expressed:
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [2 Corinthians 9:7] Though in the above context Paul is talking about finances, the principle of being a cheerful giver applies to every aspect of your life, for what it implies is having a willing mind, that does not give anything grudgingly or reluctantly, and not because of necessity, or out of compulsion. For, God never forces you, but reveals His will to you. ‘If anyone chooses to follow Me, let him deny himself, take his cross, and follow me..’, is the Savior’s invite. And it ought to be remembered that the cross was a symbol of shame and treachery then. Therefore, it is a voluntary choice that a person makes. And it is reflected in finding more joy in giving than receiving, and an immediate and prompt giving of oneself to accomplishing the plan of God for your life, in delighting to do His will.
Willing mind – settled on His word:
May your heart’s prayer unto the Father be, that He may deal with your mind, have His way in you, that you may serve Him with a devoted heart, and a willing mind that comes by the understanding of His word.And may He cause your mind to come to rest, to settle on the word written of you, so that the blessing of a peace that transcends all understanding becomes yours, that He may be glorified. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
