# God has a Specific Will for You

Key Passage: 1 Chronicles 17
Date: June 7, 2024

Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to First Chronicles, chapter number 17. As we continue on our study about the life of David, David had just had the ark moved to Jerusalem, the capital city, and did it in God’s way the second time. God blessed that, and we’re right after that.

We’ll talk a little bit about God has a specific will for you. God has a specific will for every person here. Let me just ask you, maybe a big thing, maybe a smaller thing, but you have a decision or question something in your life that right now you’re seeking God’s leadership, His will in your life about a decision. How many of you are there? At least something, you’re seeking God’s leadership about something in your life. It looked like the vast majority, not all. I’m a little surprised. I thought all would be there, but the majority of us. You’re seeking God’s leadership, His will, what He wants for you.

We’ll talk about this Sunday in Sunday school also about knowing the will of God, understanding the will of God for your life. But I believe the Lord had us kind of go there a little bit tonight. First Chronicle, chapter number 17. I don’t know that this is exactly chronological as far as the timeline of David’s life. You’ll notice as it read that he has peace all around him. It seems that came a little bit later on in his life. So sometimes the Bible doesn’t just go straight chronologically; it doesn’t say that it does. But with this point in his life, he’s got peace all around, that we know that.

We’re in First Chronicle 17. Let’s stand, if you would, please, as we read the Word of God together. If you’re able, I’d respect showing the Word of God respect. First Chronicle 17, verse number one. You’re there tonight, amen?

Good deal. The Bible says, “Now it came to pass as David sat in his house.” By the way, David had a beautiful house.

The king of Hiram, I believe his name, had brought carpenters and masons and cedar trees and things down. You talk about a custom-built house. He lived in the Tashmore Hall. I mean, he just—I mean, it was—he had some kind of a house. And he sat in this big, beautiful house.

“Now, it came to pass, David said in his house that David said to Nathan, the prophet.” It’s interesting. It leads me to believe that Nathan was hanging out in David’s house. David was hanging around the prophet. Very important who you hang around. Very important who you hang around.

Proverbs 13:20 says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.” That’s a promise from God. But a companion of fools shall be destroyed. I’m not going to get by God’s word; that’s what God’s word says. It’s a promise from God. And David was wise; he’s hanging out with the preacher.

If you—I’ve tried to find it, I couldn’t find it yet—but I think somewhere in there it says they were eating fried chicken at his house. I think it’s… We have to keep digging for that one, you know.

That David said to Nathan the prophet, “Lo, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remaineth under curtains,” the tabernacle, the tent David had made for it. Then Nathan said unto David, “Do all that is in thine heart, for God is with thee.”

And it came to pass the same night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, getting it in the amazing sometime in the middle of the night. God will lead you, God will speak to you. Sometimes I’m talking 2 a.m. in the middle of the night. Just God can speak to you any time. We limit how God speaks to us sometimes. He’s got a million ways; He’s God. He can guide you. And in the middle of the night, God comes to Nathan the preacher, and He speaks to him.

Verse number four: “Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in.”

It’s interesting. Let me just ask you this: How many of you have heard the reason God wouldn’t let David build the temple was because he was a man of war? How many heard that? It’s found a couple times in the Bible, but if you read here and you read over in Samuel, it doesn’t mention that here. That does in other places. It’s almost like God says, “You know, I’m not going to bring that up right now, David. You’ve got such a good desire,” and God honors him for it, and even Solomon his son later on tells us in another place it tells us it was because of the war. But it’s almost like God said, “I’m not going to really bring that up right now. I’m just going to tell you it’s not my will for you to do it.” And God’s so merciful and gentle. One place David says, “His gentleness hath made me great.” God’s a gentle God. You don’t want to get on the bad side, but He’s a gentle God. And He doesn’t rather bring that up here. He just says, “No, it’s not my will for you to build it, and Solomon will.”

Verse number five: “For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day. What am I bringing them out of Egypt? But have gone from tent to tent, from one tabernacle to another. Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedars?”

Now it goes on, we won’t read, but He says, “Look, I’m going to do something for you, David. Your son’s going to be on the throne, and your son’s going to build the house for me. You can kind of prepare for it, but he’ll build it. And I’ll be merciful to him. It won’t be like I dealt with Saul. With Saul, he was so sinful. I just—this whole—none of his sons and none of his ancestors are going to be on the throne, but I won’t do that with you. I’ll be merciful to you, David.” It really rewards David, if you will, says that. In fact, it’s through David, see, that Jesus came, and He’ll rule and reign forever on the throne of David. But He says, “David, not now. You’re not going to build the temple right now. It’s not your will.”

And for just a little while, let’s just talk about this thing: God has a specific will for you. Every person here, He does. And we’ll talk about that. Let’s pray and just ask God that maybe encourage or reassure you of that and give us peace to it.

Lord, you know, Father, we have a tough time. I have a tough time many times when I have decisions to make. And Lord, would you comfort those that we do our best sincerely to do Your will? Father, would you reassure that You’ll guide under those circumstances? Father, would you encourage us to seek Your leadership in time of decisions? Father, bring peace for those that sincerely just have a heart, they want to obey You and follow Your will. Bless them tonight, Father, please. And You work as only You can. And we’ll thank You for what You do, Lord. Father, we ask for that in Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

God has a specific will for you. In an amazing, David is talking to the prophet, preacher, if you will, prophet, and God would often go to the people through the prophet. A prophet would go to the people for God; a priest goes to God for the people. But he’s talking to the prophet, and the first thing the prophet says, “Sure, yeah, man, God’s with you, David. Man, that’s a good desire you got. Won’t you go do all you want to go build the temple?”

How many would you—would you think it was a good motive, a good desire that David had to want to build a house for God? You think it’s a good thing? Sure, I think it’s a great thing. God—God blessed him for having that desire. But that wasn’t God’s specific will. And God—God said, “No, no, David, that’s not my will for your life.”

Now, later on, Solomon—his name, peace—means peace, peaceful. I have a different design for your life. You know, God has a design for every person. I look out and see Destiny; praise the Lord, she’s here. God has a design. He has a will for Destiny’s life. For every person here, He’s got a desire, a design, a blueprint, if you will, for your life.

There’s a lot of Bible examples we can just talk about, just the specifics of the will of God. Sunday school, we talked about, remember the preacher, Philip, and he went down. God said, “Hey, won’t you go down there to the Gaza of the desert?” Just by coincidence, right, that the Ethiopian eunuch was traveling there, and just by coincidence, he was reading Isaiah 53, and just by coincidence, God was working in his heart. And he said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” He said, “How can I except some man should guide me?”

There’s no coincidence. That’s God’s will for Philip to be there. Just that moment, that chariot was coming by. God’s got a specific will for you, specific will for my life.

I thought about Elijah. You know what’s interesting? Remember the famine came and Elijah, the brook dried up and all that? And God said, “Go over there to the widow of Zarephath. That widow there.” And it’s always interesting to me: she was going to make her last meal. Things interesting: the Bible says she was gathering two sticks. I don’t know what size of the bag, but two sticks. She’s gathered, and she said, “We’re going to have our last meal, me and my son, we’re going to die.” And old Elijah had the gall. He said, “All right, well, first thing, make my meal first.” And that ain’t—man, them preachers are something, you know. I tell you what.

But he probably knew that principle: you put God first, and He takes care of the rest. And so the widow woman said, “Well, all right, you big hungry fellow, always wanted to eat, you know, your stomach, you know.” And she makes them a meal, and then some for her son and for herself. Ladies are so unselfish, and I mean that, they really are. And she fed the preacher, and I’m sure she fed her son next to then her meal, and she said, “Well, I guess there’s enough of me.” And they went to bed, and they woke up the next morning. So, well, there’s a little bit of meal still left over there. And so she—same thing. And there was just always just enough; never ran out. Now, just saying, if Elijah hadn’t obeyed the will of God to be there at that moment, I imagine that lady had been cooking for years. She probably knew how much she could make, and she said, “This is our last meal.” She’s probably right. But God had a will for that preacher to be there at that moment, not just take care of the preacher, but take care of that widow and her son. But there are no coincidences. God’s got a design for the timing of everything.

What about Paul? His missionary team, they’re trying to spread the gospel over there in Europe and went out by the river to have a prayer meeting. And they came upon Lydia, seller of purple. And she just happened to be out there at the river at that time. My Bible—it wasn’t Acts 6, but what I believe it is—in my Bible, the title of that paragraph says, “The First Convert in Europe.” And she got saved just because they just happened to be having a prayer meeting out there by the river, and she was out there washing their clothes and all that. Just happened to be at the right time. And from that, really, they started that church there. God blessed. Folks, I’m saying God’s got a specific will for you, and daily, a specific will for your life.

I thought about it. Years ago, we were in the storefront over there, the one across where Shoney’s used to be—it’s the seafood place. How many’s ever been to that seafood place? I’ve got to check it out sometime. We haven’t been there yet, you know? But it’s bad when you know locations according to the restaurants. You know what I mean? “Where’s that at by that restaurant?” You know, we understand those things, you know. But anyway, and we were looking for land and a building.

Well, I don’t know, maybe a couple months before, I just happened to go to revival in Murfreesboro, another church. And I just happened to meet a sweet couple that I went to Tennessee Temple years before, where my mom and dad went to. And I’d never met them in all my life. They’d lived—they’d been here for years before I came here. And I got to talk, meet the Dillans at that revival. That wasn’t a coincidence because much later, when we were about to buy some land and they were turning us down saying, “Hey, that’s the floodplain, we can’t guarantee you build on that,” and went back to my office that afternoon, Brother Dylan called. We’d only met that one time at the revival that just happened to be at. And they said, “Hey, how about y’all coming over there and so on and so on?”

I’m just saying God has a specific will. And God—the timing, everything—is amazing. Look, if He has the very hairs of your head numbered, it doesn’t say He knows how many hairs you have on your head, because sometimes that’s not very many. Oh, Brother Keith, he’s like, “Man, you know…” More than one person. But it says your hairs are numbered. They’re all numbered. He said, “Hair number 4,672 just fell out.” That’s how detailed He is in your life. Your hairs are all numbered. Pretty amazing. If He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, don’t you think He knows about your life?

I heard someone say this, and I thought he’s right: God is opinionated. He knows everything about everything, and He’s always right. We’re opinionated, but we’re not always right. But He has a specific will for you.

And God comes to David, and David was doing the right thing. He was talking to the prophet about it and all that is a great desire, but God says, “Hey, it’s not my will for your life.” I mean, just—I said, “No, no, not now.”

How do you get there? A lot of verses this may be you could use, but it’s a very familiar verse that’s talking about knowing the will of God. If you look over in Romans chapter number 12, it’s a great passage, just knowing the will of God, finding the will of God. Sunday school, we’ll use some other verses about this thing, but just Romans 12, verse number one, verse number two, Romans 12.

Verse number one and verse number two of God’s Word. Tell you what, if you were going to go down to verse number two, the bottom part, we’re going to see the end, all right, the end of this thing. Then we’ll go back and start at the beginning. All right, let’s find that with the end of it. Verse number two, the last part of it says, “That ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” By the way, I don’t think He’s saying that there are three wills here. It doesn’t say “what are”; He says, “what is”—that good, God’s will is always good, it’s always acceptable, it’s always perfect. What is that good and acceptable will of God? So the end of this thing is you know the will of God for your life. Okay, you’ll be able to prove in the end it’s good, and the acceptance is perfect. That’s the end of this thing. Where does it start?

Let’s go back into verse number one. How do you get down to be able to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? Verse number one: “I beseech you, I beg you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” After He gave His Son for you, that’s only reasonable that we give our lives for Him. We present ourselves to Him.

A couple Sundays ago, we gave the Bible reading awards out, and we—we still have a couple of them up here still. But Brother Anthony were taking it, and he would hand it to somebody, he would present it to them. And he said, “Look, the first thing of me knowing the will of God when I come and I just present my—I total surrender to Him. Lord, I’m not here for me anymore. I want to present my—here I am, Lord, I’m yours. Would you take me? Would you use me? Would you guide me? I’m not all about me anymore; I’m about serving You.” I want to present myself to you. That’s the start. You’re not going to know the will of God. You’re going to wander like the children of Israel and wander in the wilderness for 40 years if I’m just all about me.

The beginning of it is when I just say, “I want to yield my will to Your will.” I present myself. I’m yours, Lord. By the—God doesn’t always use those that have all the talent and everything. He uses those that are available. You’ve heard me using probably other preachers how many times: you need to drive a nail in a wall, and you don’t have a hammer around, but there’s an old shoe there or something. You take that shoe or a rock and you try to drive that nail because it’s available. And bothers them now. Well, so-and-so is so talented. If they yield to the Lord, God uses them. Friend, it doesn’t matter how much talent you got. The thing is if he yielded him, He’ll use anybody. God doesn’t work anyway. Not many mighty, He said, “He’s choosing the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.”

The key is us presenting ourselves. “Lord, I’m yours, and not my will, but Thine be done.” That’s the key. It all starts there. You try to live for Him, wholly acceptable, which is a reasonable service.

And then verse number two: He says, “And be not conformed to this world.” This old world really tries to push us Christians and say, “Well, you’re always trying to push me to be a certain way.” Actually, the Spirit of God is; He’s trying to make you look like Jesus. But the world—you ever notice that people are so good at accusing somebody doing the thing they’re doing? That’s exactly what the world is. It’s always trying to conform us into their image, the world’s image. It’s always trying to push us to be the worldly way, from TV, from conversations to advertisement to their music; they’re always trying to push their agenda. And God says, “No, you don’t know my will.” You present yourself, so don’t be conformed. You can have to fight back, and you’re saying, you can have to say, “No, I’m not going to,” because they’ll try to conform. They try to conform preachers to the world’s image, and it happens a lot. There are hip-hop preachers of here. This will be cool, you know what I’m talking about. They do preachers like that. I guarantee you they do all of us like that, trying to conform us to the world’s image. And I said, “No, if you don’t know my will, you present yourself, so don’t be conformed.”

How do you do that? Look at the next thing He says. He said, “But be transformed, not conformed, but transformed by the renewing of your mind.” There’s a lot there to that: renewing of your mind. I don’t know about you, but I’m shocked how fleshly I am. But God will work on me. He’ll get me halfway decent, you know, and I’ll go to sleep. And while I’m sleeping, the devil comes in there. He must just pour into my ear or my head junk, because I wake up about a flesh a mile long. Anybody else like that? And the best thing I can do is go get in the Bible and get some coffee to go along with it. And I have to renew my mind. It’s a daily thing. And I have to pray. And sometimes that prayer will first saying, just, “Lord, I don’t know why or how the devil’s got back in my heart this morning. Please, clean me up again. I need to be clean. I’m so sorry I got my mind’s off here there and yonder.”

And it’s amazing—I don’t know how you—and I’m rambling here for a second—but I am so tempted in the morning to look at the news and everything else on my phone, and I say, “Lord, no, I’m turning that—I’ll turn that baby off.” I first get up, I’ll turn it off. I’m not always been there; I’ve lost before. Man, I want to be renewed. I want to be transformed, not conformed. I need to get away from the world. It helps me just to turn that thing off. The world will make it without you for a little bit; it’ll be all right. I know you hold it together like it’ll make it.

And just get along in the Bible and prayer. So many different things renew your mind, your mind. Music, good Christian music. I think about Brother Glenn; he was telling me, and we shared it at the funeral, but Ms. Ritha, she’d get up, and he’d give her her me time, and he said many a time he’d sit in there, and she would be—she’d use her phone to do it—but she’d listen to a certain Christian song she’d just loved, and he said he’d come out sometimes, and she’d be out there listening to a song; she’d have her hands up, just praising the Lord. She’s renewing her mind. Preaching such a good thing to help you renew your mind. Praise the Lord, you’re in church on a Wednesday night. So many different things God could use and lead and guide, but renew our mind.

Let me transform what that you may prove. It takes time. We’ll talk about that in a moment here if we have time to get to that. But it takes time to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God leads, though. He leads as I get my mind renewed. I was praying. I was prayed about, “We need to get some more tracks in here before our spring soul-winning campaign is just right around the corner.” Man, I’m excited. The devil’s got some Christians—not all of them, and all of us—just convinced that we, you know, COVID’s got us in lockdown. Man, I believe God’s been plowing the fields. People are ready to listen. Man, I’m excited about getting down to put some seed in the ground and see what God will do, you know. And people are like, “Something’s going on. We won’t know what’s going on.” And I’m excited to look forward. And I’ve been praying, “Lord, what tracks?” you know. And I’d like to maybe get a different track. And I was yesterday, I believe, at a conference, and some preaching was going on. And boy, they’re not preaching. God just very clearly said, “Hey, that track used to go back and get that track.” But He was leading when I was trying to get my mind renewed, and preaching is a good part of that.

But what’s the end of that? That you may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God. But let me say this: If you’re yielded and you sincerely—it’s not about you getting your way; you’re wanting to do the will of God—God will lead. Did God lead David or not? Help me out. Did God lead David or not? Yeah. Even when the preacher said, “Man, go do it.” God in the middle of the night or somewhere in the night, He spoke to that preacher and said, “You go back and tell him, that’s not my will.” God will lead.

It’s interesting what God says in verse number six. Look over there in verse number six. First Chronicles 17, verse number six, just amazing. God kind of saying, “Hey, I can lead you if I would need to or want to. I can tell you about the building of the temple if I want to.” Verse number six: “Whereas wherever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedars?” As God kind of saying, “Look, man, I could have told all those leaders if I wanted you to build a temple. I’m very capable of leading you.”

Do you ever like me and God, “When are you going to show me? When are you going to lead me?” And God said, “Paul, I can lead you when I’m ready.”

It’s a wonderful promise over there in Proverbs 3:6. You might look it up; you’ll know it, Proverbs 3, verse number 6. Great promise found there, Proverbs 3, verse number 6. We know Proverbs 3:5 and 6, but verse number 6 just got a great promise tucked in there. We preached on an old couple months back, but it’s just a wonderful reassurance of God’s leadership. Proverbs 3, verse number 6. He says there, “In all thy ways acknowledge Him.” It’s not as hard as I make it to be sometimes. I just acknowledge Him in all my ways, every way, just acknowledge Him. We studied out that word a couple months ago, but “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Pretty clear, it? Yeah. He shall, as God’s promise, shall. Friend, He’s not playing games with you. He’s not a God that’s just kind of making you spin around like a mouse in a maze. He’ll lead you if you’re sincere and you truly want to know His will and you’re willing to do His will—that’s key. He’ll do His will. He’ll guide you. He’ll show you. He’s very capable of that. Never has there been a person that is totally surrendered—that’s key—totally surrendered, but God didn’t lead. He’ll lead. He’ll guide. He’ll show you. He’s capable of that.

Can I say this? And I’m talking to myself here: You don’t have to tell God how to lead you. “God, do this,” you know, “this and this.” Maybe God might in His mercy follow your plan a little bit, but God’s God. He’s got a million ways to show you. He’s going to guide through His Word; we know that. His Spirit lives inside of you; you know that.

And by the way, it’s amazing as you read the Bible. I remember years ago we were trying to help someone going through a divorce, and I was trying to think, “How much should we help them? How much should we not?” and all that. And that morning I read in there when it said, “Support the weak” over there in the New Testament. Well, God just said, “Yeah, take care of that.” God can lead through His Word. Circumstances. Sometimes God does lead through circumstances. Sometimes just the peace of God rules in your heart, and the peace through the Holy Spirit just gives you a peace. We knew the Lord was leading us to the Nashville area. We didn’t know what part of Nashville. We didn’t know a soul here. And we were talking about it the other day. We drove through LaVergne and Smyrna on Murfreesboro Road. We were trying to find the exact spot, and both of us about the same time, we just had a peace inside, and we just—man, we’re finally home. I can’t really explain it, just the peace. We knew. Sometimes God leads with a peace. Sometimes circumstances, sometimes close or open doors, sometimes through counsel. David was getting good—God gave him good counsel. He was talking to Nathan about it. That’s a good thing to do. The Bible says that, Proverbs 24:6 and in other places, “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war,” and “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”

Sometimes do desire for as God was working within you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. He gives you the will, the desire to do something. God has got a million ways to lead you. And we sometimes just frighten God: “He’ll leave me. He’ll lead.” If I’m surrendered, “Lord, I want…” He’s not trying to play weird games on you. Now, He’ll lead.

Can I say this? It’s in His time. Isn’t it interesting? Back over here in Chronicles, the first thing Nathan, the prophet, the preacher, he said, “Oh, go do it. Do whatever’s in your heart, man. God’s with you. Go do it.” But then in verse number three—verse number three—“And it came to pass the same night.” Now, God did it pretty quickly, that same night. Now, He had already said yes, but then that same night—I don’t know what time of day it was, maybe in the morning time when Nathan said, “Go do it”—but that same night, that night, that the word of the Lord, word of God came to Nathan saying, “And we’ll tell David, ‘No, that’s not it.’” It’s always in God’s time.

I try to get God to work on my time, but He didn’t do it; His time. Now, that time when you start seeking, and then the time God shows you—that time period in there, God’s doing so much during that time, so much God’s working.

Probably the best place I can think of, and you probably know better places, look over in James, chapter number one. We’ve looked at this before, but just what is God doing during that time? Look over in James chapter number one. James chapter number one. And we’ll just start in verse number two there, James 1, verse number two. He says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” I used to just stop there and think, “Man, I got to count it all joy when tough times, divers.” Man, how can I do that, Lord? I’m trying.

You know, it’s so helpful when I read below that. It’ll tell you how you do that, why you do that. How can you count it all joy when you fall into the divers temptation? “Knowing this,” He’s telling you how to do it, of course you know this, “knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” God values patience. He values it. He’ll make you and I wait for years sometimes. Now, patience is not the end product; it’s part of it. It’s one of the ingredients. Okay?

Look at the next verse, verse number four: “But let patience have her perfect work.” In other words, you can get so flustered and mad and bent out of shape that you go through the trial and you never get what you’re supposed to get out of it because you didn’t let patience have her perfect work. And here’s the sad part of that: a lot of times you fail the test, and you’ve got to take it again. That ain’t no fun, you know what I’m saying? I don’t want to take that test again. So you’ve got to let patience—don’t get bad out of shape. God will lead. He will in His time. You’re arrested. You believe that’s faith. Every trial is a test of your faith. That’s why it says right there, verse number three, “knowing this, that the trying of your faith”—every test, the bottom line is, the trying of your faith—always is. It’ll work patience, but then you’ve got to let patience have her perfect work. She’s trying to do something. What she’s trying to do, it’ll tell you: “That ye may be perfect,” that’s mature, and that it means sinless, it means complete, full grown. You’re a mature Christian. “That ye may be perfect and entire wanting”—or lacking? If wanting? No, you’re not lacking in certain areas of a Christian life. You’re a well-rounded, you’re a full-grown Christian in every area.

Brother Busho, and I hope he don’t mind—I don’t know if they’re watching online tonight or not—but he said something to be one of those beginning days of him in the hospital. I’ve told several people, “Man, that takes some spirit.” I think I told him that takes some spiritual muscle to be able to say that. But he mentioned some other people that’s had cancer, and he said, “You know, I really didn’t”—this is not his wording, and I hope I get it right. Brother Bush was probably… If I don’t get it right, he’s going to come down and get me. Amen, he’s watching online, you know. But he said something to this effect: He didn’t show them the care that he probably should have. He said, “Man, when you get cancer, it’s totally different.” And he said, “God’s working on me,” something to that effect. And God, He tries to make you perfect and entire wanting nothing. And so often, so, “Lord, watch your will here.” It’s been years sometimes before God gives me an answer, but God’s working on me from there to here. And if I let patience have a perfect work, He’ll make me perfect and entire wanting nothing.

Now, in the middle of that, in the next couple of verses, just awesome. Verse number five: “If any of you lack wisdom,” right in the middle of it, “you’re going to lack wisdom.” I do. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.” I like that: “upbraideth not.” He won’t come and say, “Well, Brother Chip, I can’t believe you’re asking for wisdom. You don’t know any better than that.” God never does that. Yep, because I ask Him, sometimes the Lord probably could say, “You big dummy, Paul, don’t you know any better?” But He never does. He upbraideth not. Give it to all men liberally and upbraideth not. And here’s a wonderful promise there: He says, “And it shall be given.” In His time, He’ll always guide. He’ll give you the wisdom you need in His time.

And isn’t it interesting the next couple of verses? “But let him ask in faith,” just rest assured He’ll guide you. “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” That’s when we go off and do our own things because we’re not waiting on God. “For let not that man think that he should receive anything of the Lord.”

By the way, you remember the children of Israel? God said, “Go into the promised land.” They said, “No, no, no, we’re not going to follow Your plan, Lord.” We’re not going to go. What happened? They wandered 40 years. Just be patient. God—God, He’ll always lead if I’m—I’m surrendered. You say, “Well, what about it’s taken so long?” I’ve been there. I’m with you. I’m learning. I’m not there; I’m learning. He’s working on me. He’s trying to make me perfect and entire wanting nothing.

Four years we were out of the ministry praying, “Lord, what do You want us? Where do You want us to go?” Four years before God led to the Nashville area. Sometimes it takes years. But in this time, by the way, He was growing us. We needed all that. I needed all that. He’s growing us. And in His time, He’ll lead.

Some of you heard this. I’ll be done after this. But, you know, preacher boys go to Bible college to learn, you know, a call to preachers, call to prepare it, and they’re learning. But also, they’re going there to find a rib, you know what I’m talking about? You know what God put Adam to sleep and took that rib out. They’re looking for the wife there. And some of those ladies are there to get the Mrs. degree too, you know. And I went to college. I was—I know you’re going to find this shocking—but I took five years. I crammed five years into four. It was hard to do. I could have graduated in four years, but I had dated a lot, but just weren’t God’s will. So that last year I said, “Well, man, I’m going,” you know, “I’m working and all that. I’m going to slow down and enjoy a date more.” That was proper dating, amen. I mean—I mean, no physical contact, literally. I mean, and the Bible says it was good for men not to touch a woman. And so it was right, but nothing wrong, you know. “Whoso findeth a wife.” Amen. I was looking. I was looking everywhere, man, you know. We just couldn’t find a little of God. And I even dragged that last year into two, and even after that, I just—now that’s to the point I was so frustrated. Now I was to the point literally, I said, “Lord, do You not want me to get married?” And I was trying to be totally surrendered. I said, “Lord, is it going to kill me, but that’s Your will?” And I was to that point, just going through all that. I was so tired of looking because nothing was turning up, and I just lowered, “Whatever You want.”

And about a month before I graduated, I was walking down the halls in between—there’s a class going. I didn’t have a class that period. I had my books in my hand. And I was walking on the bottom floor of the hallway. And I was walking down here, and I said, “Lord, I’m about to graduate, and I’m not going to go anywhere in the ministry because I’m not married. I didn’t want to go out in ministry being single.” And I said, “Lord, You need to show me whom my wife is right now.” Now I had prayed about a million times about that. And God very rarely doesn’t like this for me, but I said, “Lord, you know, you show me whom my wife is right now.” And as soon as I said that, Miss Tammy came around the corner. And I said, “That, that, that, that, that, that.” Honestly, about a year later, we were married. But it took years to get there. I was here—I’m talking about years. But God was growing up.

But God led. He’ll lead you. Just you look, and you say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do here.” Just rest. Let patience have her prayer. In God’s time, He’ll guide. I don’t know how many times I’ve drawn a line in the sand with a date. “All right, Lord, by this time, if such and such doesn’t happen”—when we were trying to find God’s will for those four years about where to start a church—“I draw a line. All right, Lord, by October, whatever, we’re just going to go start a church somewhere.” And God would wait until October with so-and-so was done. It’s kind of like He’d step across the line. He’d say, “What you’re going to do now?” Just going to wait. I don’t know how many times we’ve been through that. And I’m not there when I’m trying to get at the point and say, “You know what? I’m not going to fret and worry about it. God said He shall direct, and He’ll direct in His time.” I want to stay seeking and surrendered, but I know He’ll lead. He led David. He did. David even got the wrong counsel at first, but God led. He always will. Always rest in His leadership.

This is a verse. It’s such a good verse. The Lord kind of reminded me of. I told him about Abraham. Remember how long Abraham had to wait? And it’s Hebrews 6, at least 25 years he had to wait. Hebrews 6:15: “And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” That’s a good verse. After he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. And God will lead. He’ll give you what you need in His time. It’s always in His time. And, boy, He likes it when we patiently, and we grow that way, and we don’t have to repeat it that way either. Amen. Glad you’re here tonight. And I don’t know what’s going on. We’re getting out a touch early tonight. We did last Wednesday, early, early. I better hush. We won’t get out early tonight. It’s only four minutes, amen. But glad you’re here. Don’t forget Valentine Banquet. If you haven’t signed up, please sign up. Looking forward to God using that. Pray that God will use that in life, if you would, and then Sunday be in your place. And we’ll be honoring marriages Sunday. All heart Sunday, I believe it is. Brother Humphreys, would you dismiss us in order for her, please, brother.

Original File: God has a Specific Will for You - Pastor Paul Chisgar Wednesday 21021