1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Praying in faith or confidence is not easy because we often lack the assurance that our prayer will be answered, but when God’s will is known, we can pray in faith and confidence. Therefore, it is our responsibility to seek out God’s will and plan for our lives. Nonetheless, walking in God’s will doesn’t mean smooth sailing all the way, but the Lord promises us that He hears us and will give us our petition especially when we are walking out His will in our lives. What gives substance to our faith is when we know and are confident that we are walking in what He has called us to do and He has endorsed the work that He has for us.
How do we know whether something is God’s will? Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer that the Heavenly Father’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. There is a heavenly plan for each and every one of our lives. He is the master craftsman who created each of us uniquely with different talents and gifts for a purpose.
The prayer of consecration will help us to know whether it is God’s will. In Matthew 26:36-45, Jesus modelled for us how to pray to be in God’s will and have His leading in our decisions. Jesus did not pray to receive anything from the Father but about becoming the sin sacrifice for the world. Jesus was praying about the will of God for His life when He said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane with two wills but came out with only one—the will of the Father.
A prayer of consecration seeks God’s will for our lives. We are effectively praying “if it is your will” because we don’t know God’s will. However, it can be a struggle for many Christians because it deals with the Lordship of Christ in our lives. It is challenging for our flesh to live a consecrated life because we need to submit our flesh to the Spirit. Other hindrances are pride, lack of faith in God, fear of the unknown, loss of control of our lives, and uncertainty about God’s character or goodness.
Nonetheless, we need to choose to be yoked with God and allow Him to be the stronger partner in the calling of our lives. We will come to a situation where we don’t get to do what we like but what is right in God’s eyes and plan. Although righteousness is imputed to us, sanctification and consecration is a lifelong process. This is something that all Christians should be doing or living out, and we are enabled to do so through the Spirit of God living in us.
Sermon Series: Consecration
选择活出奉献的生命
约翰壹书 5:14-15 我们对祂有这样的信心：我们若照祂的旨意求什么，祂就听我们。我们若知道祂听我们，无论我们求什么，就知道我们所求于祂的，无不得着。
满怀信心地祈祷并不容易，因为我们常常缺乏祷告蒙回应的笃定，但当上帝的旨意是已知的，我们就可以满怀信心地祈祷。因此，我们有责任寻求上帝对我们生命的旨意和计划。尽管如此，遵从上帝的旨意并不意味着诸事都一帆风顺，但主向我们承诺，祂会听我们，并将为我们代求，尤其是当我们在生活中践行祂的旨意时。给我们的信心以实底的是：我们知道并确信自己正在做祂呼召我们去做的事，并且祂认可了祂为我们安排的工作。
我们如何知道某件事是否是上帝的旨意？耶稣在主祷文中教导我们，天父的旨意将会行在地上，如同行在天上。我们每个人的生命都有一个属天的计划。祂是一位大师级的工匠，祂创造了我们每个人，为了一个目的而赋予我们不同的天赋和才能。
奉献的祷告将帮助我们知道这是否是上帝的旨意。在马太福音 26:36-45 中，耶稣为我们作了示范，告诉我们如何祈祷才能符合上帝的旨意，并让祂引导我们做出决定。耶稣的祈祷不是为了从天父那里得到任何东西，而是为了成为世人的赎罪祭。当耶稣说“然而不要照我的意思，只要照你的意思”（马太福音 26:39）时，祂是在为上帝对祂生命的旨意祈祷。耶稣怀着两个意念进入客西马尼园，出来时却只有一个——天父的旨意。
奉献的祷告寻求的是上帝对我们生活的旨意。我们实际上是在祈祷“如果这是你的旨意”，因为我们不知道上帝的旨意。然而，这对许多基督徒来说可能是一番挣扎，因为它涉及到基督在我们生命中的主权。对我们的肉体来说，过奉献的生活是具有挑战性的，因为我们需要使肉体服从于圣灵。其他阻碍包括骄傲、对上帝缺乏信心、对未知事物的恐惧、失去对生活的掌控，以及对上帝的品格或美善的不确定性。
尽管如此，我们仍需要选择与上帝同负一轭，让祂成为我们生命呼召中那位更强大的伙伴。我们将面对这样一种状况：我们无法做自己喜欢的事，只能做上帝眼中正确的事和计划。虽然义是归算在我们身上的，但成圣和奉献是一个终生的过程。这是所有基督徒都应该正在行或正在活出的，藉着住在我们里面上帝的灵，我们能够做到。
讲章系列：分别为圣
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