Does the grace of God empower any activity or endeavor that is not His will?

Does His will ever lack the grace to accomplish what He intends?

As leaders in the Marketplace, it is important to determine, resolve and reckon what you believe about these two questions. Access to His grace for your next endeavor depends on it.  It is a matter of success or failure – even glorious victory or eternal destruction.

Let’s start with the first. If a person is self determined in what He does – including what He does “for God” – then that person’s answer is “yes, God does empower activity outside His will.” More likely, that person is not concerned with God empowering the work they have set out to accomplish. This sounds quite foolish, particularly when we consider the potential outcome.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23

Only those that do the Father’s will shall enter the kingdom of heaven! Wow!! We can do any number of wonderful things in Jesus’ name and still be labeled, by Him, as practitioners of lawlessness. What a tragic surprise awaits those that pursue supernatural work outside of the Father’s will!!

This begs another question: Where did these lawless ones get the power to prophesy, cast out demons and do many wonders?

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work… The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2Thessalonians 2:7, 9-10

Whoa! Even though the lawless one has not been revealed, “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work”. There is a grave warning here: It possible to do supernatural work outside of the Father’s will because there is another (i.e., Satan) willing to give us power; for the work in His power will lead to the destruction of many.

Let me ask you again: Is this possible for those that call Jesus, “Lord, Lord”? Could we be so deceived?

Grace for His Will

Now, on to the second question: Does the will of God ever lack the grace to accomplish what He intends? Put another way: Is there anything God cannot do; and would He ever determine to do something that He did not determine to do (i.e., be untrue to Himself)?

As obvious as the answers are to these questions, let me strongly suggest that we would do ourselves a great favor to reckon the deepest truths that are to be found here. To do otherwise is to live in unbelief – even blocked from the grace He offers. Perhaps a few passages will help.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:9-10

… for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday. Psalm 37:4

The grace of God to do the will of God will never fail. Ultimately, it will accomplish all that we read about at the end of His story. In the process, those that surrender to His will, and nothing else, will be greatly blessed.

And this leaves us with one last question: How do we ensure we are doing the Father’s will?

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. 1John 5:14-15

It is the will of the Father for each of His children to know His will. Therefore, all we must do is ask for it; by faith, and in surrender to do whatever He intends. Yes, there is an investment of time necessary to pray through to the confident hearing. If you are asking, “is it worth the investment”, let me suggest you go back to the beginning and read this article again.

Humbly yours and forever His,

P.S. For more on the subject of hearing from God, check out Paying the Price of Prayer.