Understand What the Lord’s Will Is

Submitted by Lara Cook
Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:15 17  

Fall is one of those seasons in our lives where a lot of us are starting a new routine.  Things that have been out for the summer get started back up again.  Time and schedules have to be worked out.  Time is the resource we spend for the accomplishment of a successful life and we are accountable for how we spend every minute God gives us.  

In the passage above from Ephesians, Paul tells us that we need to make the most of every opportunity.   He gives a reason, "because the days are evil."  Jesus said that Satan is a robber and a thief, and one of the most important things he tries to rob from us is our time because time is a very precious possession.  With all the social media platforms there are so many more ways he can rob our time. 

Richard Swenson, a medical doctor, wrote a book in which he discusses one of the major maladies of our time anxiety and stress. He calls it "Overload," and says that people are just plain overloaded.  This time of year it is especially easy to say yest to too many things.  How can we be careful and maker sure that we are being good stewards of the time the Lord has given us? 

Understand What the Lord’s Will Is  ..do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 

What do you think God’s will is for you and your family in this season? Do you think He wants your mind so saturated with worries and anxieties that you can’t think spiritual thoughts? Do you think He wants your calendar so crowded that you don’t have time for the important things? Establishing priorities and gaining direction and control is essential for balancing our time in the best way.  Every day you get up without a personal goal, plan and direction you will merely be a puppet on someone else’s stage.

Learn How To Live Today - live not as unwise but as wise.  The two greatest enemies of time are regrets for things we did in the past, and anxiety about what will happen to us in the future. Many of us are living either in the past or in the future.  If I had a dime for every second I have spent wrapped up in worry over what lies ahead I would be set for life.  Trust God to meet your needs and provide and look at what is in front of you right now, instead of worrying about tomorrow.  

A New Thing - We will make mistakes because we are human.  The days that are evil get to us sometimes and we make unwise choices, we act foolishly, and we waste valuable time that we can’t get back again.  But the good news is that no matter what happens, no matter what our circumstances, we can affirm with conviction that our God is a consuming fire, burning away all the sin and failure of the past;  He is a  God who is "doing a new thing," making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the dry barren desert.  

Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, 
I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 HCSB