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A Publication of
Baptist International
Missions, Inc.

The 100+ Nations
Ministry The International
Bible Ministry
Volume 14,
Number 1
2 For credit card orders, go to
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EDITORIAL
JAMES RAY, Editor
When God Speaks…
Can We Know
the Will of God?
T hat ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).

It is certain from Romans 12:2 that God has a perfect will for every
believer. But how can we know what that will is? That same verse
declares that we can “prove or know” the will of God.

God has a place—not every place—not just any place . . . but
a place for us to be and to serve. It has been said, “There is
not any place like this place, anywhere near this place, so this
must be—the place.”
1. The Opportunity is not the call. There is plenty of
opportunity and many open doors.

2. The Ability is not the call.

3. The Invitation is not the call.

4. The Need of the world is not the call. The whole
world cries out for light.

5. The Desire is not the call.

All of the above are factors and some or all of these things
combine together to bring us to the point of decision.

These factors weigh heavily on our hearts and the
burden grows until one day we come to a decision—a
conclusion—that God is leading us to do a work in a place.

Francis Dixon, my English friend and fellow minister,
defined the call and will of God in these words: “The call of
God is that deep inward conviction accompanied by peace in
the heart and confirmed by the Word of God that God would
have us do a certain work in a certain place.”
I saiah put it this way: “And thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye
turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah
30:21). It was in 1840 that David Livingstone heard missionary
Robert Moffat say: “In the vast plain to the north I have
sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand
villages where no missionary has ever been.”
That seemed to have been the deciding moment when David
Livingstone set his heart on Africa. On the other hand,
perhaps that moment might have served as the platform on
which the opportunity, the ability, the invitation, the need,
the desire would bring conclusion to the call.

Sometimes the call is clear, crisp, and sudden. Usually,
however, God uses building blocks to bring us to that
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