This transcript was generated by whisper.ai. Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. We're looking at verses 15 to 18 today of 1st Thessalonians chapter 5, our fourth day of our look at this last chapter in this book. Yesterday we looked at what you could do, the discernment you can have for three different types of needs in people's lives. And we left off the very last thing in that verse. The last thing is something you can do for everyone, and that is, that verse ends by saying be patient with everyone. So before we talk about God's will for you in just a moment, which verses 15 to 18 talk about, let's focus on that idea of patience. Who of us needs God's patience? Everyone. Everyone. And who needs our patience? Everyone. Because the truth is, it's not if we fail, it's when we fail. All of us are going to stumble, all of us are going to say the wrong things sometimes, all of us are going to make mistakes and fall, all of us are going to struggle with sin. We all need help. We're all in need of being picked up, understood, encouraged, assisted to the finish line. Patience. In fact, the Bible is so strong on patience, it says to even have patience with those who argue with you. Verse 15 says make sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Why be patient? Why is it so important? Well, it's important for the other person, it invites them to change. You know in your own life, you're never pushed into a change, you're always invited into one and that comes with patience, but it's also important for your own heart. When I become impatient with others, that makes me a person who is not very fun to live with. And it also makes me a person who's hurried about life and what God's doing in my life in this world. Why be patient? The number one reason I've always found in my mind is because God is so patient with me. He's so patient with you. Second Peter 3, 9 says the Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return as some people think. No. He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he's giving more time for everyone to repent. So when it comes to this discernment and how we treat other people, the Bible tells us we need to be patient with everyone. Then Paul sort of changes gears here and he begins to talk in verse 16 about God's will for you. He talks extremely clearly about God's will for your life. God has a plan for your life. God has a desire for your life. The reason I can live an abundant life, the reason you can live an abundant life is because God has a plan, an abundance, a will for your life. And the question many of us have is, okay, then what is it? What is God's will for my life today? And many of us are concerned about the particular will of God. What is God's will for this decision that I'm facing right now? What is God's will for my career move that I'm anticipating right now? What is God's will for this relationship that I'm struggling with right now or wondering about beginning right now? And those are all valid questions. If you're a person of faith, you want God's will in those important life moments. The problem is, have you noted this? Oftentimes, when we ask God, what is your will for these important life moments, it feels like we don't get an answer immediately. I found that when I'm concerned about something I don't know, an unknown, I always have to go to a known. So if I think, God, why is it that oftentimes when I say, what city should I live in, you don't send me a postcard the next day with that city's picture on it? What person should I marry? You don't write their name in the sky in skywriting. Why is it that God doesn't do it that way? When there's an unknown about that, I always look to what's known and what is known in the Bible is that God has made about 80, 90 percent of his will extremely clear. In fact, these verses talk about God's will for you. This is God's will for you. Clear as a bell. What's God's will for you? Verses 16 to 18. Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Now, you might be thinking as I'm saying this, oh, that's cheating. That's stuff everybody knows. I want to know God's will on the difficult stuff, the things that I can't figure out. Here's the secret. Don't miss this. When you do God's will in the areas that he has clearly shown to us, then he reveals his will in the areas that are less clear. And he gives us the patience to wait until his timing. He's not always going to show you in the moment that you want about what move needs to be made next, but he's going to show you in the moment you need to know. If he showed you before you were supposed to move, you'd go ahead and rush ahead and move before you were supposed to move. So obviously, God's going to wait. But when it comes to understanding God's will, the most important personal secret, personal learning I've had about it in my Christian life is when I'm wondering what God's will is in a circumstance, instead of trying to figure out what I can't figure out, push God to show me before he's ready to show me, because when he's ready, I'll know. Instead of doing that, I need to start thinking a different way and start doing what I do know to do. What do I know to do? Three things here. Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances. You do that, and you're going to know God's will for all the littler things. Let's just walk through those. Number one, be joyful always. God's will in every circumstance in which he puts you enables you to have joy in every circumstance. Now, you look at that and think, how can you do that? How can you have joy in every circumstance? Well, you cannot always be joyful about the circumstance. I will agree with that. But you can always be joyful that the Lord is there in that circumstance, that he will not let you down. Joyful does not mean that you agree with everything that's happening in this world. There are some evil things happening in this world. Joyful does not mean that you pretend there are not some difficult things happening in your life. Joyful means you recognize God's presence in any and every circumstance. Joyful does not mean that you paint some fake smile on your face. This is Christian joy. No. The word joy, it's interesting in the Greek language, the word joy and the word security have some strong ties to each other. To be joyful is to be secure. To be secure is to be joyful. When I'm secure in my relationship with God, no matter what, then I become joyful. So be joyful, no matter what you're going through right now. Have this sense of God's presence in every circumstance. That will cause your life to start to overflow with a different kind of joy. Not a fake joy, but the real joy that only God can give into our lives. Be joyful always. Pray continually. Two words, but they're pretty challenging. Not just pray, but pray continually. What does that mean? Does that mean you pray every moment of the day? Does that mean if you're really living at this command you shouldn't be listening to what I'm saying right now because you should be praying instead? Does that mean you've got to quit your job so you can pray continually? No. No, the idea of praying continually means it's a conversation, a running conversation all throughout the day. Prayer is not a once a day check in with God. Prayer is a running conversation with God throughout the day. I've got to admit, I'm not quite there yet. There are many times when I forget about the conversation for hours upon hours when I'm doing something else, involved in something else, but I love the days when I remember. As I'm walking through the day, 20 minutes after I last prayed, I remind myself again, "Oh God, thank you that you're in this circumstance. God thank you that you're in this meeting. Please give me wisdom in the words I'm going to say in just a moment. " Those days are filled with a different kind of joy. That's doing God's will, praying continually. If you're not there yet, ask God to help you to get there moment by moment. Be joyful always. You decide to pray continually and then you give thanks in all circumstances. Not for all circumstances, as we said with joy, but in all circumstances. Why? Because I know that God can use any and all circumstances to make me into what he wants me to be. Just think for a moment about a time when God used a bad circumstance to do a good thing in your life. Maybe to head you in a right direction. Maybe to do a right thing in your heart. Maybe to warn you not to go in a wrong direction. That doesn't make the bad circumstance good. That just reminds us that God is good. That God can take even the worst that Satan tries to throw at you and he can use it for good in your life. He can use it for good in your growth. God is greater. God is greater than this world and the circumstances in this world. God is greater than life and death and the circumstances of life and death. God is greater than any pain that can come into your life. He has a plan that is above and beyond all of those things. That's why you can give thanks in all circumstances. I want you to notice the all-inclusive way that God's will is explained to us here just in these three phrases. Be joyful always. Not most of the time, always. Pray continually. Not even regularly, but continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, not most. You look at that at first glance and you think, "Wow, is God never satisfied? Is he like the parent when you get an A saying, 'Hey, where's the A plus? I want something even better. '" No, that's not what this is saying at all here. This is telling us that God's will is a will that weaves its way through every moment of your life. It's not a Sunday or Saturday will when you go to worship God. Now I experience his will when I'm here in worship. No, it weaves its way through every moment of your life as we pray today. Let's pray these three things back to God and do these three things as we pray. Be joyful always. Right now. Take your security in him. Your circumstances might not be secure right now. Your job might not be secure. You may have a relationship where there's not security right now. But God has said that once we come to know him and his Savior, his Son, Jesus Christ, that he will never, never fail us or forsake us. Right now, lean into that security and let joy flow out of that. Genuine joy. The joy that comes from knowing that he will never let you down. Pray continually. So that means pray right now. God help me with this day. Help me with what I'm doing right now. Help me to understand your word in a way that applies to my life and help me remember today just throughout the day from time to time to say a two word, a three word, a five word prayer to you. Be joyful always. Pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances. Just say to God right now. God, thank you. Thank you for all the circumstances of my life. Because I know that you can use all of those circumstances to make me more like your son, Jesus Christ. God, you're my father. I wouldn't be a child if I didn't say to you, please help me to get out of a difficult circumstance as quickly as possible. You know my heart in that. But also as your child, I pray that you'd help me to understand that even as I go through difficulties in this world, that number one, you're growing me and number two, you're heading me toward heaven where there will be no more difficult circumstances. So I look forward to that day. And while I'm waiting, I give you thanks in all circumstances. In Jesus name, amen. Tomorrow, we're going to end our look together at First Thessalonians chapter five as we look at verses 19 to 28.