From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more

John 6:66
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

Yshua's teachings are pretty high and hard to follow. If the Old Testament teachings seem hard, Yshua's teachings are even harder and goes against our natural inclinations. Where the Old Testament says "an eye for an eye", the New Testament says "when someone slaps you on one cheek, turn and give him the other cheek to slap". Many who have heard His teachings turned away, despite the miracles they witnessed. Truly this needs supernatural help, from the Holy Spirit, to keep us on track. A commentator advised that when God's instructions clashes with our own will or desires, don't spend time debating or contemplating at all. Doing so will make us think of our rights and our interests, eventually leading us down a path opposite and away from God.

unless you are converted...., you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

Matthew 18:3
and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

When we are first converted, most of us come to the Throne of God as little children, in submission of our will, even in if that is just temporary. We must keep being converted in the sense of working out our salvation. Everyday may bring new and different battles. There will always be temptations trying to draw us into acting opposite to God's will. So we continue to submit our self will and be led by the Spirit of God.

“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord

Jeremiah 4:1
“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved.


We either choose to do God's will or to rebel against Him. This battle of the will is not between us and God. It is a battle fought by our own will, against our own will. There is no postponing. Every battle lost is a danger to  us. Every battle won, puts us a little closer to God.

To those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

This is an often rememebered verse, used mostly when bad things happen and beyond our control. This helps believers take solace that God is in full control and that no matter how bad the situation is, God will make things better for us. It is useful to also read the last part of the verse which is "to those who are called according to His purpose". So this applies even more so to those who are involved in doing God's will, following God's command to do something. It is not a verse that covers things we do for ourselves, or circumstances that affect us due to the evils around us. Yes, God does heal and mend sometimes, but perhaps this verse should be used as an encouragement to do God's will and to live "according to His purpose". For when doing so, then we are operating in God's sovereign will and God's will always work out for His good.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification ....

It is clear what the will of God is for us. Salvation does not require us to gain favour or merit. Sanctification however, requires us to be careful of our living once we are saved. It is easy to fall down, living in a world that is increasingly against God. But God's will has not changed and we must strive to walk in His ways and focus on Him.

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do

John 17:4
I have finished the work which You have given Me to do

Jesus has surrendered His will to His Father. We are called to do the same thing to God. Surrendering our wills involve a willful surrender on our own. It is not sometime that God will force onto us. When we come to that time when we happily surrender our wills, then we can be fully made use of by God. It is then that we become united with Jesus.

My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full

John 15:11
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

Most of us associate joy with happiness, so it may be surprising to learn that this is not necessarily the case, nor is there even a strong correlation sometimes. The joy of Yshua is to do His Father's will. This did not always result in pleasant outcomes, especially towards the end when He was crucified. Yet He counted this as joy. So our joy need to be similar and the source of our joy is Yshua. Circumstances may cause trouble for us, but our walk and oneness with God shall produce a joy in us that non-believers would not understand.

In that day you will ask in my name

John 16:26
In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.

Believers in Yshua have been given great confidence that their prayers would be answered, by our Lord Yshua Himself. His name is above all names, and He teaches us to use it when we pray. Although there is a role for intercessors, we can now speak directly to God in the name of Yshua. This does not mean that all our prayers will result in us getting what we want - that is our definition of answered prayer. Whereas God does answer prayers but those answers may not be what our carnal mind wants. Prayer and asking God is an exercise to be at one with God, to be aligned with His will and to abandon ours.

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine

John 7:17
If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

It is all about obeying the will of God, and this is also the key to understanding the secrets and doctrine of the Kingdom. We can read and understand the words of Scripture, but we cannot truly understand its meaning unless we are obedient to God and He opens our eyes. This is the way to live and walk with Yshua and also to discern things which are from God or not.

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve

Joshua 24:15
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.

The choice is ours. This is true in many things in life. Only we are our own masters, no matter if we live under the authority of others or not. God has given us freedom and that freedom is not to be taken lightly. It affects all aspects of our life. The ultimate freedom is the freedom to choose if we are on God's side or the other side. And choosing God's side is not mere lip service. There are evidence of whether we are walking with God or not, and these evidence are actually for us to assess ourselves before it is too late.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you

Philippians 2:12-13
 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

This passage brings two teachings together, one is to "work out our own salvation" and the other is to align our will with God's will. We more commonly hear about having to learn to align our will with God's will. This also include submission of our own will if they are oppose to God's will. Our Lord Yshua is a good example of one whose will is perfectly in tuned with God's will.

The part about "working out our own salvation" is not about acquiring or gaining salvation. Salvation has already been given by God and received by His followers. Yet they still have to work it out so that in their own lives, in this still sinful world, they would live according to God's ways. That means they would have to constantly check that their desires are not opposed to God's will. As they continue to walk with God, the Holy Spirit is already working to shape their will to align with God's own will.

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him

Psalm 25:14
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.

A famous phrase is that "God works in mysterious ways". Hopefully a true disciple of Yshua will never mutter these words. Those are the words of people who don't know God. Many instances in both the Old and Testament showed God telling His people about His plans. The more intimate the relationship, the more He reveals. Examples include Abraham, Moses and the prophets. Yshua also reveals many secrets to His disciples then and now.

For us, if we don't feel that God has revealed anything to us, then that is a good test that perhaps we need to spend more time with God. We are supposed to know Him so well that we just walk in His will via the Holy Spirit. We will not need to pray or ask for His will most of the time if we continue to walk ever more closely with Him.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering

2 Timothy 4:6 
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

Following from the previous post about willingness of being a drink offering, this is about after being a drink and the trials that come because of it. How to we respond to such trials that come as a result our service to God? The thing to do is to steadfastly go through it without complaining or self-pity.

There may be various different suggestions to go through this such as hardening our wills, determined to follow through what we set out on doing and set our will to align with God's will. Also we should bring this back up to God who hears us. There are different ways to deal with this and there is no reason not to include God - the Holy Spirit as our supreme Councillor.

But when it pleased God

Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace.

The phrase to look at here is "But when it pleased God". Often we do things to please ourselves. Even when serving God, there is an element of pleasing ourselves first. Another aspect might be that we are working so that God may be pleased or to please Him. There is nothing wrong with these. However we should remember that sometimes it is not about what we can do. Sometimes it pleases God to make something happen. That is God 's grace and it is something that we should embrace and direct or will towards God's will.