Solomon Appiah | 27 December 2020
1Co 16:8-9 (KJV)
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
For many, the new year happens to them—rather than they happening to it. They act as though they are helpless, and everything is up to God and divine providence while nothing is dependent on them. But this is an incorrect way of viewing life and Christianity.
It's like a garden. If it is not cultivated and left fallow, undesirables such as thorns and weeds will grow. In other words, life will happen to the garden. However, if there is a gardener to tend and cultivate it, the garden will only host what has been intentionally cultivated. In other words, the Gardener's intention, pleasure, desire, choice, and Will, will happen to the garden.
That is the same thing that happens with the spiritual gardens of our hearts and minds as well as our physical year(s), homes, marriages, careers, etc.
God has given you every single thing that pertains to life and godliness through the epignōsis of Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:3 (KJV) According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
FAITH, A PREREQUISITE & WORD, THE FRAMING TOOL
It is up to you to take the spiritual tools that you have been blessed with and manifest divine destiny—by framing the "2021" that you so desire predicated and founded on the will, desire, choice, and pleasure of God.
Heb 11:3 (KJV) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word [rhēma] of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
When framing the new year or your business, we do not look at what is visible and physically available and use that to plan. To do that would not be a spiritual exercise. Instead, we look into the spirit, into what God is capable of doing, and from that unseen realm, we "… calleth those things which be not as though they were." Rom 4:17 (KJV). We frame our new year of whatever it is that we want framed just like God framed the world with inspired words called Rhema. Gen 1:26 states that man was created in God's image and likeness—meaning true man [His Spirit] looks like, and functions just like God does. How does God function? If he wanted light what would he do? He would speak it into being.
Gen 1:20-24 (KJV)
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Words from the parable of the sower are seeds from which spring realities of all sorts. This is why "… That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Mat 12:36 (KJV). This is also why "… If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man..." Jas 3:2 (KJV).
The New Man, with his recreated Spirit, functions like God and is able if they choose to frame their worlds.
NAVIGATING WILL(s) OF GOD
The Greek word for "will" in Romans 12:2 is θέλημα transliterated as thelēma, and it means among other things:
will: — desire (1), desires (1), will (57).
a determination (properly the thing), that is, (actively) choice (specifically purpose, decree; abstractly volition) or (passively) inclination: - desire, pleasure, will.
G2307 (Word Study)
thélēma; gen. thelḗmatos, neut. noun from thélō (G2309), to will. The suffix -ma indicates that it is the result of the will. Will, not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure.
Rom 12:1-2 (KJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The first thing we notice is there are varying degrees of the Will, choice, desire or pleasure of God for us, such as:
- The good will of God.
- The acceptable will of God.
- The perfect will of God
Each believer is living in one of these. There may be many other degrees of the Divine Will, but Apostle Paul summarized them into these three (3).
So in the coming year, you may find yourself in any of the above. What is it, though, that determines which of the above I find myself in? The answer given by Paul is two things, all found in what has been termed the greatest commandment. The two requirements include:
- Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service
- Refuse to be conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
The import of the Greek word translated as "renewing" is from anakaínōsis "to renew qualitatively. Therefore, a renewing or a renovation which makes a person different than in the past".—Complete Word Study Bible Dictionary.
Subject to the degree and level the above takes place, a person can prove, try, allow, discern, or approve what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
What does it mean to prove a thing? It means to test it like a jeweler tries or proves metals for levels of purity and genuineness.
The Greek Word is dokimazō and it means to approve: - allow, discern, examine, X like, (ap-) prove, try as per Strong's.
Thayer defines it as:
1) to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals
2) to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy
G1381 (Word Study)
dokimázō; fut. dokimásō, from dókimos (G1384), tested, approved. To try, prove, discern, distinguish, approve. It has the notion of proving a thing whether it is worthy or not.
Until man fulfills the two conditions given above regarding their bodies and minds, they cannot know of a surety what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. People perish for lack of knowledge (Hose 4:6). Without knowing the perfect will, people cannot live it. They may end up in the good or acceptable will. But it is possible to be able to test and know which is which and live it, but one must yield their bodies and minds to the Living Word.
There are those who say there is only one will of God, and if I miss it. I have missed it. This is untrue. There exists the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
CONTINUAL TESTING
Gen 15:5-6 (KJV)
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Abraham underwent to a test the night he was told to come out and look at the stars. At the time, he was struggling to believe God. When he came out of his tent and looked at the record of the stars, declaring the glory of God (Psalm 19), he was convinced the word and promise of God said to him was true. And so the Bible says in the next verse that he believed God.
After that test, when he eventually conceived and had a child, he was put to another test. He was told to take his only begotten Son and kill him.
Gen 22:2-3 (KJV)
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Abraham obeyed. One would say, but if he has already tested me yesterday, why must I go through another test today? The simple answer is our Kardia yesterday may not be the same Kardia today—especially if we slacked in mounting guard over it and allowed in toxins and tares that which defile.
The man who received possibly the greatest commendation in Scripture was Apostle Peter when Jesus said to him, flesh and blood hath not revealed this thing to you, but my Father which is in heaven. In the very same chapter, the same Apostle Peter got one of the worst rebukes ever. Jesus said to Peter, "Get thee behind me Satan". So we see in the same chapter that, one moment, a person was hearing from the Father, and the very next moments, they were operating as Satan. Peter's heart was unguarded, and Satan was using him against the Master. This means that the fact that you got it right today, at five o'clock, does not necessarily mean you'll get it right at eight o'clock—so we undergo continuous testing and proving just as the word of the Lord undergoes proving.
Back to the scripture, there is not only one will for you! God is vast, and in him are many wills, pleasures, choices, or desires he has for you—but he would prefer that you all chose the perfect will, but some simply do not.
For those who believe in one will for all of us. Let us take some hypothetical situations. If there was only one woman for you to marry and she died at birth or before she turned five years old, then that would mean you must never marry. Again if there was just one person for you, then if you lost a wife to illness, you must never remarry. But we know this is not the case.
ADVERSARIES, PERSECUTIONS & CHALLENGES ARE NECESSARY
Let's read two verses in Paul's first epistle to the Corinthian church—specifically Chapter eighteen, verses eight to nine.
1Co 16:8-9 (KJV)
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
In verse eight, Apostle Paul says, I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost—because he needed the continual infilling and the power that comes along with the infilling to handle the adversaries connected to the great door and effectual opened unto him.
Verse nine says, a great door, and an effectual is open unto Paul, but it comes with many adversaries. Jesus said something similar.
Mar 10:29-30 (KJV)
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Light attracts flies. Great doors and effectual attract adversaries and houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands come with persecutions. It is just the way it is. However, with the infilling and empowerment of the Holy Ghost, the believer "… can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Php 4:13 (KJV). The key phrase is "through Christ"—not independent of Christ. Christ is the Anointed One and His Anointing.
The above shows that God allows adversaries and persecutions for our own good.
When a baby passes through the birth canal, God could have made it an easy process, but he did not because the baby who has been living in water all this while needs the intense massage to transition from water living to physical air living.
No caterpillar would ever become a monarch butterfly without adversity in the cocoon stage. Persecutions builds faith and character.
Jas 1:1-4 (KJV)
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Rom 5:3-4 (AMPC)
3 Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.
4 And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.
Rom 5:3-5 (KJV)
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Obedience is learned through suffering.
Heb 5:8-10 (KJV)
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
We have great doors and effectual. But there are also other doors that may not lead to the perfect will of God but rather to a good or acceptable will. But before that, let us look at the verse more closely.
1Co 16:8-9 (KJV)
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
The Greek Word for Great is Megas defined as:
- great: — abundant (1), great (115), greater (30), greatest (10), loud (42),
It is also defined as "years" in the following scripture:
Heb 11:24 (KJV) By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Paul was saying a door has been opened to me now that I am ready for it because I have come to years. Its effectual, active, powerful and operative—the opportunity is effectual but it comes with those who would seek to oppose me--adversaries. Whenever a worthwhile door is opened such as the opportunity to enter your promised land, there will be Canaanites such as those in Jericho as adversaries there. You will simply have to defeat then using the plan and rhema of God—not the stratagems of men.
THE CASE FOR MULTIPLE WILLS, YOU DECIDE
Some believe that there is only one will of God, one destiny for your life for 2021. But the testimony of Scripture does not agree with this, because in Romans chapter 12, it says there are varying degrees of the will of God. It's not just one. These are varying descriptions of the will of God. You can choose to discern and be in the perfect will of God or the acceptable desire of God for your life, or the good desire of God for your life.
The word will can also be translated as choice, or determination so you can by the renewal of your mind, choose to live in the perfect choice of God for you, (his perfect determination for you), or his acceptable determination or choice for you. The word will also means pleasure. You can live in the perfect pleasure of God for you or the acceptable pleasure of God for you.
It is our choice by what we do with our "hearts and minds" As far as God is concerned, there's a 2021 that he has programmed which is his perfect desire or His perfect will or His perfect choice for us. However, by our own doing, we can choose to enter a new year, but not into his perfect will, but instead chose his acceptable desire. The good thing to note is that it is not God who forces us to live in his good or any kind of will. It is dependent on what we do with our minds and hearts as well as our bodies.
The sad part is that when people have departed from the perfect will, many may not be aware of it. They do not even know that they have departed from the perfect will or desire.
However, now that you have been taught, you can determine for yourself the one you want for yourself, and you can plant it.
Isa 51:16 (KJV) And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
In like manner, you can receive God's Rhema or his word, and plant your new year and pursue the perfect will of God for your life.
HEARING GOD
Now, there are those who would say that I do not know how to hear God for myself, so how do I plant with no seed [words]?
The Bible says:
Joh 10:14-27 (KJV)
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Your physical ears may not know His voice, but your spirit ears hear his voice. What is necessary is for you to start the process of hearing. "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap."
Jos 3:13 (KJV). God acts when we move not when we are stagnant and debating. If you want to hear, start praying.
1Co 14:15 (KJV) What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Pray in the spirit, and as you do, your spirit will hear what you shall say with your understanding.
As you pray in tongues and you are focused on the will of God for your life, the words will be given to you; there will come a time when you will start speaking and making declarations about yourself and your new year—or whatever you are trying to frame.
Even if that doesn't come right away, begin by prophesying into your own new year after speaking in tongues and saying things like,
"I declare that in this new year I will keep in step with the Word of God and the will of God for my life that I shall live according to His commands that I shall love the Lord with my whole mind and my whole heart and my body"
As you keep speaking, the Holy Ghost will take over at a certain point, and He will put his words in your mouth so you will speak it into the new year.
ACCEPT THE HELP OF THE HELPER
Stop doubting and wondering whether it is God, or else you will negate your own prophecy. Believe him and speak in faith. Stop doubting and accept the help of your Helper.
Luk 12:11-12 (KJV)
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
Rom 8:26 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
In the place of prayer, we must learn to accept the help of the Holy Spirit and just yield in Faith. Have more faith that the words coming out are ordered by God than faith in the devil to influence your words and prayer.
