Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:17
Understanding the will of the Lord should be the priority of every believer because it is paramount to victorious Christian living. First and foremost, the will of the Lord is the rule of all His proceedings.
In other words, God does not act contrarily to the counsel of His will; everything God does is always in perfect consonance with His will.
Paul, the apostle, said, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11).
God does all things after the counsel of His own will. Therefore, to walk and work with the Lord, we need to understand His will.
God is working in us today in accordance with His own will: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
If what God is constantly and unconditionally doing in us will be made manifest in our lives, then the understanding of God’s will is of utmost importance.
Understanding God’s will facilitates the manifestation of God’s power and wisdom in our lives.
On the other hand, being ignorant of God’s will hinders the flow of God’s Spirit in our lives. When one is ignorant of the Lord’s will, it reflects in the use of his time and opportunity that comes his way: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
To redeem the time, you need to understand the will of the Lord. Lack of understanding of the will of the Lord will result in living unwisely or foolishly.
You can only understand the will of the Lord through His word because the will of the Lord is in His word.
The word “understanding” in our opening scripture (Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is- Ephesians 5:17) simply means “to put together (mentally) or to comprehend”.
That means it involves your mind. Your mind, therefore, needs to grasp what the will of the Lord is for you to function at the center of God’s will.
In other words, it takes an understanding of God’s will to do God’s will. The will of the Lord is a spiritual reality, which your recreated spirit is already familiar with.
However, your mind needs to know what the Lord wants you to do for you to actually do it. It is your mind that instructs your body on what to do and not your spirit.
The knowledge we are talking about here is practical knowledge of the Lord’s will, meaning you do not just know it but also do or practice what you know.
Do not be ignorant! Ignorance will rob you of your effectiveness in the work of ministry and make you passive toward what the Lord has prepared and provided for you. It will make you act foolishly. Therefore, you need to understand the Lord’s will.
Confession
I am not unwise; I understand the Lord’s will, and I am always doing what is pleasing to the Lord.
