With all the looming decisions and pressures of life, knowing, seeking, and understanding the will of God is paramount in the life of the believer. Here are three important keys to finding the will of God in your life.
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1. Desire to Know God’s Will
When it comes to the will of God, you must first desire to know the will of God. This means wanting to know what God has for you to do that no one else can do but you. It means searching for the reason you were left on planet Earth after you became a Christian. If you have a true hunger and desire to know that, then you will discover it. According to Scripture, if you seek out God and His Word in this matter, you will find out God’s will for you.
2. Determine to Do God’s Will
Then, you must determine to do the will of God before you find out what it is. Many Christians will only do what God says when it suits them and doesn’t conflict with something else they want to do. But that is not how it works. You must be willing to go and do whatever God calls you to do.
For some people this presents a big problem, but it shouldn’t. The God who created you and loves you (so much that He sent His Son into this world to die for you) has only the very best possible plan for you! A plan that is far better than anything you could ever dream up for yourself!
You have nothing to fear from the will of God—nothing. Don’t let refusal or unwillingness keep you from the exciting life that God has planned for you. Determine to be open to whatever and wherever God calls you.
3. Develop Skills to Know God’s Word
The very best place to learn about the will of God is in His precious Word. Whether you’ve been in the faith for a long time or have just come to know the Lord, it is good to be reminded again that God has something to say to us in His Word about His will for our lives.
The Lord God is the only one who knows your future—He’s the only one! The psychic line won’t help you, and the tarot cards can’t read it. Jeremiah 10:23 tells us, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” Though the plans we make seem right to us, they are usually oriented around our feelings, which can deceive and ruin us. We desperately need an objective opinion from our Creator.
Through the process of reading and studying God’s Word, you can understand what His will for your life is. Ephesians 5:17 says, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” The word “understand” in this verse literally means “to bring together.” It denotes reflective thinking that puts together all the facts and arrives at a sound conclusion. God tells us that we are to do this very thing regarding His will. We are not just to do what we feel like doing or what we want to do, but we’re to determine His will for us intelligently—not haphazardly or carelessly.
Here we must be careful—we live in a fast-food generation, and we want fast food from the Book of Life. We want to be able to open up the Word of God and get a chicken nugget out of it that will guide our life.
We play games like Bible roulette—flipping aimlessly through the pages, selecting a verse or passage at random, hoping it will be enough, so that we can walk away with our question answered, no need to keep digging or investing. But that is simply not the way that God works.
God will reveal Himself and His truths through the regular reading of Scripture that goes on in your life every day. The more that you intake of the pure Word of God, the more you will be nourished and in tune with what God would have you to do. Become a man or woman of the Book, and through your study and dedication, God’s will will be revealed.
God has the answers to the questions you—and your loved ones—are asking. In Ten Questions Christians Are Asking, Dr. Jeremiah reveals each biblical answer with clarity and assurance.