Discovering God’s Will

by Don Emmitte

Discovering God's Will

What does God want for your life? Sometimes it's clear, sometimes not. The better you know God, the better you can discover His will. Here are some principles to guide you as you seek God's will for both large and small decisions:

·        First, recognize that God cares about all your decisions and wants the best for you. In the Scripture, God has revealed His general will. His specific will for us, as individuals will never contradict the principles He mentions in Scripture. However, to discover God's specific will for our decisions, we need to consult Him with the understanding that God is willing to guide us. We're capable of receiving His guidance, however, we must desire to hear what God is saying. 

·        Second, recognize that God is more concerned about the kind of person we are becoming than He is about any particular decision we might make. So we ought to seek His presence rather than just His plan. The most important part of His plan for us is to have a close relationship with Him.

·        Third, when facing a decision, there are five ways to consider how God wants you to act: Bible reading, prayer, advice from mature Christians, and an assessment of your circumstances and a sense of inner peace. It's best to consider a decision in light of all these elements to be sure of God's leading. We should not act just on the basis of just one or a few of these elements unless we are in a crisis situation that must be handled quickly.

·        Fourth, seeking God's will is a process and we need to be patient through it. God will act in His way and in His time. Often, God will reveal only enough for us to take the next step He wants us to take rather than showing us a long-range plan. That's because He would rather be our guide walking beside us and asking us to trust Him during our journey rather than simply hand us a map for us to use alone.

·        Fifth, we should not be dependent on supernatural signs from God to show us His will. “Gideon’s fleece” has too often been misused in decision making. Remember that most of the time, God works through the natural world that He has created. He uses ordinary means to speak to us. Sometimes He will use "signs and wonders," but only when He deems them necessary.

·        Sixth, carefully think through every aspect of the decision. We should ask questions such as whether they will likely honor God and help us grow spiritually. It's normal to have doubts, so we shouldn’t feel guilty about having them. Instead, use them to help investigate each facet of the decisions.

·        Seventh, we should invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us about each decision.  Ask for the renewal of the Holy Spirit, so that you begin to think more like Christ.

Once we've discovered God's will for a particular decision, we ought to be courageous. Act on it quickly, and don't second-guess afterward. Know that if an honest mistake has been made, God can always transform your situation to accomplish His purposes.