According to His will

Devotional

Day 1: Not My Will: The Cost of Aligning with God’s Purpose

When Jesus knelt in Gethsemane, He modeled raw honesty paired with radical surrender. His prayer didn’t demand comfort but embraced the Father’s plan, even when it meant suffering. True prayer isn’t about convincing God to adopt our agenda but submitting to His higher purpose. Like Jesus, we’re called to voice our desires yet anchor our “yes” to God’s eternal perspective. This alignment often costs us temporary ease but secures eternal fruit. Peace comes not from changed circumstances but from trusting the One who sees beyond the cup. [37:03]

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
(Luke 22:42, NIV)

Reflection: What “cup” are you wrestling to surrender to God’s will? How might His purpose in this situation be deeper than your desire for relief?

Day 2: Confidence at the Father’s La-Z-Boy: Access Without Appointment

Prayer isn’t a corporate boardroom meeting but a child climbing onto a parent’s lap. God invites raw, unscripted conversations—no formalities or waiting lists. His throne isn’t guarded by secretaries but open to His children’s cries. This confidence isn’t arrogance but assurance: the same Father who sent His Son to die hears every whispered need. Approach isn’t earned; it’s given through Christ’s sacrifice. When storms rage, His lap remains available. [51:08]

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:16, NIV)

Reflection: Do you approach God more like a CEO or a Dad? What honest words have you withheld from Him this week?

Day 3: According to His Will: The Filter for Every Request

Prayer isn’t a divine vending machine but a heart alignment process. Jesus’ “if you are willing” in Gethsemane reframes requests through God’s eternal lens. Like Paul’s unanswered plea for healing, God prioritizes character over comfort. His will often redirects our asks toward deeper transformation. Trusting His “no” or “not yet” requires believing His plan outshines our limited vision. Every prayer must pass through the filter of His Word and wisdom. [44:51]

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
(1 John 5:14, NIV)

Reflection: What recent prayer reveals a tension between your will and God’s? How might His “no” be protecting or preparing you?

Day 4: God-Breathed Words: Correcting Rebellion, Training Obedience

Scripture isn’t a self-help manual but a surgical tool exposing misplaced trust. Like Adam and Eve, we often prefer half-truths that justify our rebellion. God’s Word cuts through lies, trains us in surrender, and realigns our desires with His heart. Every command and story whispers, “My ways are higher.” Obedience isn’t restriction but rescue—the path to true freedom. [58:03]

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way.”
(2 Timothy 3:16, MSG)

Reflection: Where has Scripture recently exposed a rebellion you rationalized? What step of obedience is God asking you to take today?

Day 5: Groans Too Deep: When the Spirit Translates Our Weakness

We often pray for circumstantial fixes while God works on eternal foundations. The Spirit intercedes when our words fail, turning “fix this” into “form Christ in me.” Like Paul’s thorn, unanswered prayers sometimes guard us from pride or shallow faith. The Spirit’s groans dig wells of trust deeper than quick solutions. Our weakness becomes the canvas for His strength. [01:02:51]

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
(Romans 8:26, NIV)

Reflection: What situation leaves you speechless in prayer? How might the Spirit be reshaping your request into God’s perfect will?

Sermon Summary

God’s will stands as the aim of prayer, not the backdrop. Jesus teaches “when you pray,” not “if you pray,” because the Father intends conversation, and the request is “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” That request only makes sense because God’s will is not always done on earth. Eden proves it. Adam and Eve chose a half-truth over the truth, and free will cut against divine will. Prayer, then, is not arm-twisting; prayer is alignment.

Comfort usually fuels the request list, but God is more concerned about character than comfort. Peter’s “I’ll never deny you” turns to three denials because Peter cannot see his own flaw. Squeezed moments expose what sits in the heart and train trust. Jesus shows the pattern in Gethsemane. His human will asks, “take this cup,” yet he enters perfect submission, “not my will but yours,” embracing the Father’s purpose even when it hurts.

John anchors confidence in 1 John 5:14–15. Confidence rests on access through Christ, and “anything” lives under “according to his will.” Disappointment grows when “anything” gets severed from “according to his will.” Scripture itself refuses formula. Elisha’s bones raise a man, yet Elisha still dies. Paul’s handkerchiefs heal others, yet Paul keeps his thorn. Power serves purpose, and purpose is God’s, not the one praying.

Confidence in prayer means bold access, not arrogant demands. Through Jesus, believers approach the throne of grace and find mercy and timely help, even when the answer is yes, no, or not now, and even when timing stretches patience. The condition of prayer is clear: according to his will. God’s Word is God-breathed, shows the truth, exposes rebellion, corrects mistakes, and trains a life to live God’s way. The Spirit supplies wisdom and revelation to know God better, then helps in weakness, interceding when the mind does not know what to pray for. The certainty of prayer is this: God hears and God sees. His ears are attentive to the cry of the righteous, and his eyes are on their trouble. John moves from God hearing to believers having because faith holds what is asked according to his will, even in the wait. Prayer is not getting God to do it someone’s way. Prayer is God changing the one who prays so that the will on earth starts to look like heaven.

Key Takeaways

1. Prayer aligns to God’s will Prayer is not leverage; it is formation. The “anything” that God hears is the anything that lines up with his will. Desire finds freedom when it yields to purpose, and purpose finds power when it carries heaven’s yes. The best answers are the ones God authors. [44:38]
2. God shapes character over comfort Requests often chase relief, but transformation usually arrives by pressure, not pillows. Peter’s denial shows how blind spots surface when stakes rise. God does not waste the hard; he uses it to build weight in the soul that comfort cannot give. [34:20]
3. Jesus models honest, obedient surrender Gethsemane is straight talk before the Father and straight obedience after it. Honest prayer names the dread, but faithful prayer bows to the will that may keep the cup in hand. Surrender is not passivity; it is courageous alignment that walks into pain for a larger good. [37:03]
4. Scripture and Spirit reveal his will The Word tells the truth, unmasks self-made stories, corrects course, and trains a life into God’s way. The Spirit then supplies wisdom, revelation, and intercession when language runs out. Together they move desire from “what I want” to “what you want.” [56:24]
5. Approach the throne with confidence Access is blood-bought, so prayer is not a cold appointment but a child climbing onto the Father’s chair. Confidence means God hears, sees, and helps at the right time, even when the calendar disagrees. Faith rests there and waits well. [48:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:41] - According to His Will: intro
[31:03] - Why pray if God’s will stands
[31:59] - “When you pray” and earth like heaven
[32:28] - Eden, deception, and free will
[33:58] - Comfort requests vs character work
[34:53] - Peter’s denial and unseen flaws
[36:40] - Gethsemane: not my will but yours
[38:15] - Confidence and 1 John 5:14–15
[41:19] - Elisha’s bones and a paradox
[42:49] - Paul’s thorn and sufficient grace
[43:51] - Access through Jesus’ name
[44:38] - Asking anything according to his will
[48:33] - Throne of grace and God’s timing
[50:20] - Not a CEO, a Father in a chair
[52:31] - Condition of prayer clarified
[53:38] - Honest prayer and costly obedience
[55:50] - God works good in all things
[56:24] - Word and truth sanctify
[61:03] - Spirit-led prayer in weakness
[64:04] - He hears and he sees
[66:41] - From hearing to having in faith
[67:20] - Closing prayer: thy will be done

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Observation Questions

What does 1 John 5:14 identify as the condition for confidence in prayer?
In Luke 22:42, how does Jesus model both honesty and surrender in his prayer? [37:03]
According to Romans 8:26, how does the Holy Spirit help believers when they pray?

Interpretation Questions

Why might the phrase “according to his will” in 1 John 5:14 be both comforting and challenging for believers?
How does Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42) demonstrate that surrender to God’s will is not passive but active? [37:56]
What does the example of Paul’s unanswered prayer for his thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7–9) reveal about God’s priorities versus human desires? [42:49]

Application Questions

What is one area of your life where you’ve been praying for comfort (e.g., relief from a situation) instead of asking God to shape your character through it? How could you reframe that prayer? [34:20]
When have you experienced a “no” or “not yet” answer to prayer? How might trusting God’s timing and purpose in that situation deepen your faith?
How could you intentionally use Scripture (e.g., reading Psalms or the Gospels) this week to align your desires with God’s will before praying? [56:24]
In moments of weakness or confusion, what practical step could you take to rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in prayer (Romans 8:26)?
Think of a current struggle. How might praying “not my will, but yours” change your perspective or actions in this situation? [37:33]

Sermon Clips

31s

#AlwaysWelcomeWithGod

“CEO of a company that has a secretary outside and all these things to get to him. No. He's like a father sitting on the La Z Boy at home. How many of you know when when dad's sitting at home on the La Z Boy, your your children, your grandchildren could all just run up and sit on your lap. They don't need to make an appointment. Right? He's all you're always welcome. The cup said, and that's what he's talking about there. That we're always welcome.”

49s

#GodSeesAndHears

“There's not one thing that happened in your life that god does is not aware of. His eyes are on the the the eyes of the lord are on the righteous and then it says, and his ears which he hears are attentive to their cry. So, he this verse reminds us, he sees what's going on in our life. The creator of the universe hears the cry of his children, not one prayer is ignored. He sees and he hears it all. So, I can have the certainty of prayer. It doesn't mean he's gonna answer it the way I want him to but I know he hears and he's gonna answer it the way he needs to according to his will.”

34s

#ConfidenceThroughChrist

“When I pray to god because of what Jesus Christ done on that cross, I am perfectly confident that he hears me even though I don't get the answer I want. He hears me. I have access to him. Jesus Christ paid that price for me. So, I could we could approach it with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find, now, notice this, grace to help in our time of need.”

31s

#ChooseGodsWill

“So he says, it exposes our rebellion and then he says, so what do you do? Here here's where it says, you you're gonna have to make a choice in life. Now it shows you the truth and exposes your rebellion. Now how are you gonna react? Are you gonna let it correct your mistake? Are you gonna choose to keep living the way you want? Are you gonna choose to live god's will or you gonna keep choosing to live your will?”

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Christian Fellowship Church🔹Pastor Scott Cheramie This sermon · AI assistant

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According to His will

Devotional

Day 1: Not My Will: The Cost of Aligning with God’s Purpose

Day 2: Confidence at the Father’s La-Z-Boy: Access Without Appointment

Day 3: According to His Will: The Filter for Every Request

Day 4: God-Breathed Words: Correcting Rebellion, Training Obedience

Day 5: Groans Too Deep: When the Spirit Translates Our Weakness

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

According to His will

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