Focusing on The Process – Seeking God’s Will – Purity 1865
Purity 1865 01/19/2026 Purity 1865 Audio Podcast
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Good morning,
Today’s photo view of a blue and stratocumulus cloud-filled sky over the Cape Martin Lighthouse and the shoreline near Beachport, South Australia comes to us from an unknown FB friend who shared this epic scene on social media back on February 19th, 2021.
Well, it’s Monday, and while it may be summer in Australia, right now, I’m recovering from a weekend of shoveling away light snow in the Upstate NY, and just now discovered that I have another inch or so waiting to be cleared from my driveway here, “down by the River!”
Although we had a recent above-freezing warm spell that caused most of the prior snowfalls to melt, I reminded myself that getting through the winter season in the northeast is a process that demands discipline and patience.
Over the weekend, I watched some life coaching videos that reminded me that when you are processing changes or seeking to achieve goals, it is best to adopt a journey mindset and to focus on the process rather than the results. Of course, that message came to the forefront of my mind this morning because my wonky scale is reporting a gain of 0.8 pounds over the weekend even though I was obedient in following my low carb, low calorie food plan since last Tuesday. Granted, even with this disappointing result, I am still down 3.2 pounds since last Wednesday’s weigh in, but I was hoping to see even more progress after I managed to stay on my food plan over the weekend at my wife’s place, which is where I have regularly fallen into food temptation and food plan failure.
Last week, I was inspired and motivated to go back to basics with my food addiction “recovery” and to ramp up my commitment to walking in the Spirit. I have grabbed the reins of Holy Spirit-empowered self-control again, and I hoped that my renewed efforts of discipline would be rewarded with another positive weight loss report since Friday, this morning. I didn’t get what I hoped for yet, but I will keep doing what I know will work and wait on the Lord to bring me to where I want to be both physically and spiritually.
I’m well aware of the practices and habits I need to implement and maintain in these areas of concern to see progress. I just have to follow the steps and be patient. To have peace in this journey, I have to focus on the process, not on the results.
Speaking of “the process” of seeking the Lord’s will for our lives, yesterday, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion spoke on that topic, so I am sharing it on the blog today to share the good doctor’s advice on how to hear from the Lord. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“Seeking God’s Will
With perfect timing, God will reveal His direction to those who are committed to following Him.
1 John 5:14-15
As Christians, we are blessed to have an omniscient and mighty heavenly Father who makes many things known to us. In every situation, the best course of action is clear to Him, and He promises, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).
Let’s explore how to discern God’s will whenever we reach a crossroads in life. The first step is to make sure that we have repented of all known sin. After confessing and repenting, we can ask for direction. Next, we should read Scripture regularly with an open heart, one that is eager to learn from God. The last step involves the Holy Spirit—the wonderful gift our Father has given each of His children (Luke 11:13). The Spirit provides truth and guidance as we read the Word and pray. We should listen patiently for His leading, which is often communicated quietly to our spirit as we spend time with the Father.
When asking the Lord to reveal His will, we shouldn’t expect instant answers. The discipline of waiting builds character, and besides, rushing the process may lead to a path that misses God’s best. Take the time to seek the Lord’s plan for your life, remembering He’ll provide all you need in order to follow Him. – Charles Stanley
Amen. One thing to remember when we seek to do the Lord’s will for our lives is to remember that, if we put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are ALREADY accepted, secure, and significant in Christ.
That means that nothing can separate us from God’s love and that our acceptance is not contingent on our performance and perfectly finding and obeying God’s will for our lives.
Don’t get me wrong. I want to encourage you to seek the Lord and the life He has for you with all your heart, mind, and strength. However, I don’t want you to think that God will be mad or disappointed with you if you don’t do everything perfectly, immediately (our ever for that matter). Our relationship with the Lord is sealed by the Holy Spirit, so we don’t have to worry about being rejected. God loves us and invites us to follow Him because He has a purpose for us and wants us to experience the growth of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
So, He directs us to turn from our sin, to know Him and His wisdom through the study of His word, and to communicate with Him through prayer and letting His Spirit guide us. The Holy Spirit lives in us and operates by revealing truth -(in God’s Word and in our situations) and prompts us to action (to repent, to study, and to good works). When we follow the Spirit’s leading, the fruit of the Spirit (peace, love, joy, etc.) grows in our lives even if the circumstances of our lives aren’t necessarily good.
Our faith is a journey. Growing in wisdom, righteousness, and love will take time. But the good news is that God is eternal, He will never leave us, and He keeps on helping us every step of the way as we follow Him, to grow, and to find & fulfill our purpose.
So follow Stanley’s “3 steps to seeking God’s will” and the Lord will be faithful to help you find it.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Progressive Sanctification – Growing in Faith & Godliness.
Colossians 3:16 (NASB) Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Today’s verse is the second of five passages of scripture that fall under the third point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Progressive Sanctification – Growing in Faith & Godliness.
3. God works in us through His Word to bring us to spiritual maturity, to sanctify us.
Today’s Bible verse encourages us to meditate on God’s word and to let it teach us until we start singing songs of thanksgiving to the Lord.
When we earnestly seek the Lord through the study of the word, the Holy Spirit will illuminate the scriptures and reveal things that we never knew. The Holy Spirit delivered insights that will fill our minds with new knowledge and fill our hearts with conviction and joy.
So let God’s word dwell in you richly and do the work He has in store for you.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 364
The Spirit’s fruit is … meekness. – Galatians 5:23
This piece of fruit is as rare as it is exotic in taste. It is difficult to describe. Perhaps it can be best understood by describing what it is not. It isn’t weakness. Moses, the meekest of men, was no weakling. It is not the attitude of one who hangs his head expecting others to deprecate him. Meekness is the opposite of brazenness. It does not say to one who has fallen into sin, “Well, you’ve done it again, I see. I told you so, but you wouldn’t listen.” Rather, it is exhibited in the brother who says, “I’m not any better than you, Joe. For all I know, I may need you to help me next week. But today, you’re in trouble, and I’m here to help you.” It is also the opposite of brash, thoughtless pride and boastfulness. It is neither conceited nor obtrusive. It combines humility with help; tenderness with strength. It abhors all ostentation, yet steps sure-footed into the battle for the truth. How do you stack up in terms of this analysis?[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 372.
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