The Will: The mental faculty by which a person decides upon and controls his own actions or those of others. One's determination and direction of intent. That which is inwardly desired or determined. e.g. God's will be done. A person's attitude, inner wish or preference.
Hebrew = nephesh = soul, desire
Greek = thelema or thelo = to wish e.g. "Thy will be done."
The will is undoubtedly the most sacred and private part of a human being; the one region into which we can invite or dismiss all others in the universe. The will directs the thoughts, the words and the actions. The will is like the driver in a motor vehicle or the captain of an ocean liner. In the final analysis it is the will that decides the course a person takes and the destination at which he/she arrives. Let us examine what the Scriptures have to say about the will.
Man is a free moral agent. He has a free will, the ability to choose good or evil. The exercise of this free choice demonstrates to God and the angels the leanings of the will. Every thought, every word, every action is simply a signal to others as to which way the will is leaning, which way you want to go. Your will is the real you, the inner part of your make-up that matters most, the strategic area of decision which Yahweh seeks to influence for good, and the Devil seeks to influence for evil. But the Most High will never force or break your will as Satan does. Instead, with utmost respect for your personal freedom, He seeks to win over your will, to influence you towards good - but always with your consent. For in winning your will (your mature, reasoning, adult allegiance and affection) He will have won all of you. If you give Him permission, He will bless you abundantly without reducing you to a spiritual robot.
Strange as it may seem, the Most High values a person's will (which is the one area of your make-up that is 100% you) far more than a person's intellect, colour, physical appearance, talents or social graces: assests which people are usually born with. The will on the other hand is the real you: the cause and effect of your whole character. The will is often referred to in scripture as the 'heart.' In assessing people the Most High first looks at the heart - the will. That is why His choice of people is often bewildering. Man looks on the outward appearance; but God looks on the heart.
|
1 Samuel 16:7 |
"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. |
|
1 Corinthians 1:27 |
"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in His presence." |
Look over the church membership and notice how true is verse 26.
|
26 |
"For simply consider your own call brethren; not many (of you were considered to be) wise, according to human estimates and standards; not many influential and powerful; not many high and of noble birth." (Amplified Bible) |
Even though the Most High has chosen us to be His followers, He does not force His will upon us. We are not turned into walking, talking toys. We still retain the freedom to choose Yahweh's way or Satan's way. This freedom of choice remains with us as long as we live. It is ours. Every one must make the choice between good and evil, between God and Satan. There is no escaping that decision. It is mandatory; and is the first vital factor in life. Along with the people of Israel we must all choose between God and Satan.
|
Joshua 24:15 |
"Choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as me and my house we will serve the Lord." |
|
1 Kings 18:21 |
"And Elijah came unto all the people and said: 'How long halt ye between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him! But if Baal, then follow him.'" |
No doubt some will say: 'We have chosen Yahweh. We have decided to put our faith in Him and to follow Him. Isn't that enought?' Perhaps it is: but to what degree of discipleship do we do this? How do we follow? With what intensity; how far and for how long and to what extent? One might say that this is the second vital factor in a believer's life. For it effects his/her spiritual growth. You may be sure that the manner in which you serve the Most High will in the end determine your success or failure as a Christian. Yes, it is that important.
|
Joshua 14:8-9 |
"... But I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, Surely the land on which your feet have walked shall be an inheritance to you and your children always, because you have wholly followed Yahweh your God." |
|
Deuteronomy 1:35 |
"Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD." |
|
Matthew 22:37 |
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind." |
When the word 'heart' is used in the Bible it usually means the will, the mind, that inner seat of affection and preference which directs the mind, the tongue and the body. The Most High is constantly examining and evaluating our hearts, our wills our preferences. His treatment of us is influenced by what He finds.
|
1 Samuel 16:7 |
"But Yahweh looketh on the heart." |
|
Luke 16:15 |
"But Yahweh knoweth your hearts." |
|
1 Thessalonians 2:4 |
"We speak not as pleasing men, but Yahweh which trieth the hearts." |
|
Revelation 2:23 |
"I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts." |
The highest form of Christian dedication is for a believer to yield his will and mind to the Most High. In effect this means handing over full control to the Almighty. I repeat, by doing so believers do not become machine-like robots. Instead, those who constantly yield their wills to the Most High learn the true values of life. They are, by yielding to Him, exchanging the sinful tendencies of their minds for His perfect will and guidance. What they yield to the Most High is repaid a million-fold with true blessing. This is human discipleship at its best. Note the Saviour's words:
|
Hebrews 10:7 |
"Then said I, 'Lo I come to do thy will.'" |
|
Luke 11:2 |
"Thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven." |
Enormous blessings follow those who yield their wills to the Most High. Here are just three of those many benefits:
|
Mark 3:35 |
"For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister and mother." |
|
John 7:17 |
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine." |
|
1 John 2:17 |
"He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." |
July 1999
MatanYah Learning Centre, Duiwelskloof, South Africa
/snotes/note0211.html