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Subchapter 3.7
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What Does John 7:17 Mean? Willingness Precedes Understanding

Day 23


"16 So Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself"

John 7:16-17



My Prayer

Yahweh, my Heavenly Father, thank You for this scripture.Y I praise You for the power that is in it and thank You for what You will do through it (Isaiah 55:11). Please reveal its meaning to our minds (Psalm 119:18)...


My Heavenly Father, Jesus said, 

"If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself." 


Neither Your Son or the Holy Spirit spoke anything except what You commanded (John 12:49, 16:13). They did not speak from themselves!


I praise You, for You have granted spiritual discernment to those who are willing to do Your will! This is not a mere mental, human, intellectual accomplishment. No. But it is a supernatural grace on Your part, to impart a distinguishing of Spirits to willing hearts. 


You reveal to our minds the authorship of a doctrine, whether the doctrine is Yours or not. In this gift, You have chosen and ordained, that by knowing whether You are the author of a teaching or not... we know the truthfulness of the teaching. So, the distinguishing of Spirits granted by Your grace, based on the condition of willingness to do Your will... results in knowledge of truth 


You have ordained, that willingness to do Your will precedes knowledge of truth


But my Father, some are not willing to obey You. When they hear Your words in scripture, they don't know who the author is. They do not know that Your words are Your words, because they are not willing to do Your will.


I praise You Father, for You have not left Your willing child in the dark. You have given us the Bible. And I know that the Bible is Yours. In this way, I know that it's doctrines are true. Jesus said "the sheep know the voice of the shepherd (John 10:2-5). Jesus also said "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me' (John 10:27). All of the words of Jesus were Your words (John 12:49). Those who are willing to do Your will, know that the Bible is Your word. This knowledge is Your gracious gift to the willing. 


Father, You know my friend Leigh. You drew him to Yourself. Leigh didn't believe in You. But he read the Bible from beginning to end because his wife had become Yours. He was willing to follow You but expected the Bible to be nonsense. He expected to prove it to be nonsense by reading it. As Leigh read, he realized... that the Bible was Your word! Leigh was converted and a retired member of the United States Marine Corps entered the Kingdom of God! He was willing to do Your will. So, by Your supernatural power, You revealed within Leigh... that the words of scripture were Yours. Praise to Your name!


You have ordained that, willingness to do Your will precedes knowledge of truth


And you have also ordained that, understanding of that truth comes by prayer.4.2d


So, willingness to do Your will is one condition which You have ordained... one of many conditions for understanding scripture. You have revealed from scripture that understanding of the Bible is a gift from You to converts with soft hearts and a willingness to obey, who receive understanding by zealously seeking it through prayerful meditation on scripture.1.5  


All these things are conditions revealed to me through Your word. These are Your conditions for understanding Your word.


In this verse, John 7:17 You have revealed that we must be willing to do Your will in order to know the source of a doctrine. And how my Lord, can believers who are unwilling become willing? Praise to Your name, for Your reveal this too in Your word. Disobedience comes from weak faith. 


In Romans 14:23 You have told us "whatever is not of faith is sin". If something is not of faith, it comes from unbelief. So, whatever comes from unbelief is sin. 


You give us a stronger faith as we pray the Endorsed Prayer of Faith.4.3a  As we ask for greater faith, our fears melt away. The enticement of sin declines as our enlarged faith reveals the depression of sin and the joy of walking with You. 


As our faith grows, our willingness to do Your will grows as well. When our faith is strong, we can walk by the Spirit.


Praise to Your name!


In this passage, John 7:17, You revealed just one of the conditions for understanding the Bible... willingness to do Your will! Thank you for revealing this in Your word! For, how can we walk by the Spirit, if we don't know how to understand scripture?


Heavenly Father, teach us how to understand scripture. By Your Spirit, lead Your children to click this link: "Conditions for Understanding the Word"


You deserve all praise!


Amen.



Additional Information

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About this Devotional

You are reading the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional Series, which is subchapter 3.7 of the free, online book Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path.  In the Walk by the Spirit Daily Devotional, readers learn how to how to walk by the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit is one way the New Testament describes fellowship with God, the subject of this online book. 


Fellowship with God in the New Covenant is defined as, "a two way conversation in the spiritual realm, as we follow Christ, bearing His yoke in the world". The area below the white section on this page will reveal every word and phrase in that definition, from the scriptures.


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Fellowship with God is a two way conversation in the spiritual realm, as we follow Christ, bearing His yoke in the world. We "walk by the Spirit."


FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

(1 John 1:3, 2 Corinthians 13:14)

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IS A TWO WAY CONVERSATION

(John 10:27, Ephesians 6:18)

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IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM,

(Ephesians 6:12)

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(Matthew 4:19, John 10:27)

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John 10:10, Matthew 28:19)

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