The Bible reports that Jesus shed His first drops of blood in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). The anguish was so deep that His body reacted by sweating blood, even before any whipping, the crown of thorns or the nails. There, at the apex of affliction, He said to the Father:

“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)

I want to highlight these words: “not as I will”. Jesus did not say them only at that moment; His whole life reflected the will of the Father. He never sought His own will.

Our will often works against us

Jesus taught us that our will often harms us. That’s why we need to surrender our will and submit to God’s will. Here are some simple – and very common examples:

You want to eat something that the doctor has already told you to avoid. Even satiated, you ignore the alert, eat more than you should and then suffer the consequences: malaise, weight gain and damage to health.

Or, you fall in love with someone who is clearly not a good choice – married, unstable, full of addictions or dubious history. The heart insists that you give in, get involved and end up hurt. That is, your will worked against you.

Or, by suffering an injustice, you want revenge. So, acting out of emotion worsens the situation and destroys relationships, reputation and even freedom itself.

See, these examples show that, even in small decisions, we struggle to give up our will. We can’t control the mouth, the eyes, the reactions. That’s why Jesus, when coming into the world, adhered to this principle of life: ‘not as I will’.

Jesus lived like this until the end

Even in the worst moment of His earthly life – before the bitter cup of the cross – Jesus submitted His will to that of the Father. He gave us the greatest model of obedience, reinforced when he taught the disciples to pray:

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Luke 11:1-2)

Everyone knows this prayer, but few practice it. Most of the time, we try to impose our will on God, on people and even on ourselves. When what we want conflicts with what God wants, we almost always choose our side – and we reap suffering.

Obedience without limits

Jesus was obedient to the point of death, and death on the cross. Maybe you think: “But Jesus is Jesus. I’m human.” However, He lived here as a man, with the same limitations as we do. He proved that it is possible to live for God when we empty ourselves of our will.

Many hide behind the phrase “every human makes mistakes”. Did you betray? I’m human. Did you get something you shouldn’t have? I’m human. Did you lie? I’m human. But the question is: does this go through God’s sieve?

However, the Bible is clear: those who deliberately sin, knowing that they do what is wrong, assume a posture of contempt towards God. Act like someone who says:

“I’ll keep making mistakes. What you did doesn’t matter. Your example doesn’t work for me.”

Take on a new way of life

If you embrace the phrase “not as I will” as a principle of life, you will begin to realise when your will is working against you. You will weigh your desires better, confronting them with what God wants. And when there is conflict, you will choose to deny yourself.

If you do this at all, ask yourself: What do you think will happen?

Do you think God will let you be forgotten? His will is infinitely greater and better than yours. And when you align yourself with this will, the end result is blessing, protection and peace.

https://www.universal.org/renato-cardoso/post/sua-vontade-e-contra-voce/