Insights to Discerning God’s Will
This past Sunday, I announced my resignation as Senior Pastor of Cross Church. Completely content in the Lord serving here now for thirty-two and one-half years, God has issued a new calling on my life. On Tuesday, April 2, I accepted the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee.
Needless to say, over these past months, I have needed to discern the will of God pertaining to my life and calling to the ministry. In this article today, I want to share with you a few insights to discerning God’s will for our future.
Insight #1: A God moment is a point in time when God defines your life and turns your life toward Him.
Walking with Christ daily is imperative to discerning God’s will for your life. Staying in the Word of God, the Bible, and filling your life with the Word daily in an overflowing way is necessary to see God turn your heart toward Him. When this occurs, you will experience points in time when God more clearly defines your life and calling.
Insight #2: When these God moments occur, they lead you to God’s will.
These God moments can be personal and private with God in the midst of walking with Him daily or He can use events or experiences to demonstrate Himself to and through you. He can also use both, as He did with me. These spiritual markers will ignite your life toward God and His will for your life.
Insight #3: As you more clearly understand and see God’s work within you, you will more clearly understand and see what God wants to do through you.
Even after all these years of walking with the Lord and leading people, God took me back to my calling and giftedness in order to set my path before me. I believe God has been preparing me for much of my life for this assignment by placing me on an undeniable path providentially.
Insight #4: God uses everything we walk through in life to prepare us for what He has ahead of us.
God may use some or even all of your life experiences to prepare you for what lies ahead of you. When you are anchored in the Word of God daily, this will empower you to see your life from God’s perspective. You do not view life from the lenses of experience, but through the lenses of Scripture. This matures what you sense God is doing rather than being driven by experience alone, which can be extremely dangerous.
Insight #5: God’s preparation precedes God’s calling.
God calls you to do what He prepares you to do. Enough said.
Insight #6: God’s will and future for you are not controlled by you, but by Him.
You do not control or dictate God’s will; He does. You do not belong to yourself; you belong to Jesus. If you called into the ministry of the gospel, you do not get the privilege to determine where you locate and how you are going to spend your life. When this is violated, you settle for much less than what God has for you.
Stop reducing God into your selfish and vocational box. Release God to do whatever He desires to do in and through you, regardless of what it may be or where it leads you.
Insight #7: Always keep the heart of Isaiah 6:8, “Here am I, send me.”
Early in the morning on March 4, 2018, God led me to begin praying Isaiah 6:8 into my life daily. Yes, for over thirteen months I prayed Isaiah 6:8 daily, which God used to keep my heart aligned with the Holy Spirit, and ultimately unknowing to me, what God was doing in my life. Never did I imagine while praying these words, all would become so personalized that it would dramatically shift my calling, position, and location.
God seeded my heart with Isaiah 6:8, cultivating a culture in my life that whatever God wanted, I was ready to do. I was willing to go and more than willing to stay.
So Much More
There is so much more I could say about these matters. Perhaps I will in the future, but today, my goal is to keep this article brief enough that the insights glisten before you more clearly. May you discern God’s will for your future.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
P.S. If you are interested in viewing the entire message from Sunday, April 7, 2019, at Cross Church, watch this from our Springdale location.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Thanks to the Heroes of the National Day of Prayer: Our Volunteers Who Make the Vision Walk
I am so thankful for the men and women across towns, cities, and counties in America who volunteer with the National Day of Prayer. They are the heroes who make this vision walk. Our missional vision is mobilizing united public prayer for America, and the men and women who volunteer their time and contribute in any way are the heroes of this movement.
People who love to pray for America and lead their communities to do so are a rarity. They are often overlooked and underappreciated. To each of you who volunteer: Without you, this would not and could not happen.
From our national area leaders to our state coordinators to our city, town, and county leaders, and to each person who greets at the door, writes a support check, secures a venue, stands in prayer, extends an invitation, writes the story, works social media, asks a friend to join, and the person who talks about all that is happening on Thursday, May 2 with others… one thousand thank yous!
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Seven New Videos You Can Use in Your 2019 National Day of Prayer Observance on May 2
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.