As a teen in church, I and my friends knew the easiest way to make a teacher squirm. All we had to do was to ask about the will of God.
For some reason we all squirm when we discuss knowing the will of God.
Please let me give you another to way to look at it. Knowing and doing the will of God is much easier when we get closer to God. By drawing near to Him we get an understanding of who He is and what He wants for our lives. The best effort we can make to discern the will of God is to seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13) and to draw near to Him (James 4:8).
With that in mind, here are three specific ways to know the will of God.
First, spend time in God’s word. Many of our decisions in life are very black and white. Only a few fit in the gray area. God’s word gives us many specific instructions for how to live. For example, would you, a follower of Christ, ever wonder whether or not God wants you to steal or embezzle? Because you have spent time in the Scripture on the basics (the Ten Commandments and other specific passages), you know it is not God’s will for you to take from someone else. Spending time in Scripture helps open the mind of God to us. By knowing and following Scripture, we reduce the number of gray areas in our lives.
Second, spend time in prayer both talking and listening. Most of us don’t have any problem with talking to God; our difficulty comes when it is time to listen.
My personal experience is that God will guide me when I sincerely seek Him and ask Him what He wants for my life. Of course, my willingness to obey is essential. As you pray, pledge your obedience to God, ask Him for His plan and wait silently for His direction.
Third, let God renew your mind (Romans 12:1-2). The renewal of our minds puts us in the best place possible to discern the good and perfect will of God. Please visit waylonbailey.com again tomorrow for a full explanation of this pivotal passage of Scripture. You can subscribe at the top of the page and we will send you an email reminder with a convenient link to the post.
4 Responses
Pastor, this is probably one of the biggest areas I struggle and stress over because I so want to get it right. Thank God and you for guidance.
I think it is a struggle for exactly the reason you stated. But we should trust God to guide us and to make His way plain. Remember His word is a light to our path (Psalm 119).
Interestingly enough, I have recently listened to two different “Christian” individuals from two very different parts of this country who have been through difficult (unjust and sad) legal battles this month. Both have stated how they have learned that there is a tremendous difference between morality and the law as well as how differently ethics are viewed from a legal perspective. Both have been prayed for, yet, both have been socially engineered into financial ruin by legal bills. Neither had their community of “Believers” stand with them in court. As was pointed out this morning, talk is cheep, Love is in the Action. The Will of God: Romans 12:5 to follow Romans 12: 1&2&3&4.
Blessings
Pastor, I have been, “that guy”. I settled on one major thing. We, are to make disciples, all else stands on the call to make disciples. Business is business and disciple making is disciple making. Great article, I believe His will is clear. We must act on it.