Benefits of Doing the will of God #1

Introduction

Benefit is defined by Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary as an advantage that something gives you; a helpful and useful effect that something has.

Many a one because of what they have passed through as believers do not so think that there is any benefit left in doing the will of God neither serving God.

But the author of the book of Psalms in the eighty-first chapter shows us that though we may be passing through some hard things and perhaps had passed through some difficult times before, as believers, yet there are benefits in doing God’s will.

I will want us to see some of the stated benefits that those who do the will of God shall enjoy as presented in that chapter.

What the Will of God in This Chapter: The will of God as presented by the author resides in these two things he stated in the thirteenth verse of the chapter.

“Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!” (Psa 81:13)

(a) Hearkening unto God: hearken is defined by Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary as listen to somebody or something.

Hebrew word for hearken is “שׁמע”, when Romanticized it becomes shâma‛ (phonetic spelling is shaw-mah') which means to hear intelligently (often including, obedience), consent, consider, discern, understand.

Hearkening unto God means, hear him and understanding what he has said, or he is saying to you. Consider a child that his parents want to send a message, after talking to the child that he should get them a cup from kitchen they will ask him if he understands what they have said. If he says he has understood them, they will say he should do just that. They issued the command because he has stated that he has understood them.

That is an example of what hearkening unto God means. After reading the scriptures or being ministered to by preacher or reading christian articles it is expected that we understand what we have read of God from therein and would put that into practice.

(b) Walking in God’s Ways: It would interest you and I to know from this verse that God has a way of doing his things, we cannot just do the work of God anyhow neither any way that is pleasing unto us. To void misconstruing about God, he has to send his son, Jesus to the world to show us that not just anyway, route, leads to him, there is a way that leads to God which God expects all to follow to him.

The way that leads to God is Jesus Christ as the bible says that,

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Joh 14:6)

It is this way that he expects us to take to get to him if anyone takes anyway he cannot get to him. There are ways that seems right and good, loving and pleasing unto men, but those ways do not lead to God, the way that leads to God is Jesus Christ. Are you following the way that leads to Christ? God wants us to follow t5he way that leads to him, that is why he sent his son to the world so that there won’t be excuses from us that we do not know the way and that is why we have chosen what is pleasing unto us.

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Pro 16:25)

Having known that there is a way that leads to God which he expects us all to follow to him we also need to know that there are ways of God to doing something, therefore the writer of the book of Psalms says, “and Israel had walked in my ways”.

People though have coined ways for themselves of achieving their aims and objectives in the world, but those ways that are not in tandem with that of God he does not recognize, it is a wasted efforts before him. Though we may be achieving what we want on earth, and we become celebrated, and people call us a success, but to himn we are not successful because we have not followed the3 ways he has ordained for man to go about achieving things in the world.

When Cain failed to follow the laid down way, he thought he had achieved something and had eliminated his enemy when he killed his brother, and people before the judgment of God came on him may have been saying now that your brother is gone, dead, you will now enjoy God more, God would now have more time for you, for there would be no divided attention again, but that did not happen because he did not take the route that God has laid own for him to follow to get things done.(Gen 4)

People perhaps would have been admonishing David that he should kill King Saul so that he will get to the throne that God has promised him, they will be telling him that it is those that help themselves that God would help, but he turned down their advice, he knows their advise sounds good to the ears but spiritually it is not good, thence he did not follow the route and decided to stay with God, wait on God until he perfects everything. This was done and he was able to win for himself accolade in the presence of God.

Let us see some of the ways of God for achieving things.

A) God’s Way of Salvation: As stated before, there is God’s ordained way of salvation and if we do not follow the way there would be problems, the ordained way of salvation is Jesus Christ. Have you been saved? If you are yet to be saved, he is calling you to be saved today.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

B) God’s Way of Health: There is God’s ordained way of getting our frail or lost health restored, and the ways include the followings.

(i) Prayers: God desires that we talk to him about the infirmities on our bodies and he will get them removed for us.

“Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mar 11:24)

(ii) Through Other Believers (Elders): Another means of getting our health and frail bodies restored is thorough other believers when we are been prayed for.

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (Jam 5:14-15)

Therefore it is essential that we do not hide our sickness especially from those brethren who we know are sincere and real brethren.

(iii) Adding Fasting at Times: Sometimes we are required to add fasting to our prayers so that the associated demons would be banished from our body systems by God when we pray to him in faith.

“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” (Mat 17:21)

(iv) Using the Word of Faith: We are also advised to use the word of faith to talk to the infirmities in our bodies or someone else’s body to leave the place and it will happen.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” (Mat 21:21)

One of the strongest weapons that God has given believers is word of faith and we should learn to use this word of faith repeatedly on any situation that we do not like.

I shall continue with some of the other ways in the next article.