Do you ever wonder if you are following God’s will for your life?
Do you worry that you might be headed in the wrong direction?
Do you wish God would write His plans on your to-do list?
Yep, me too!
Since his ordination, Rev has received calls to serve at various ministries and I’ve had to decide whether I should go back to teaching full-time, part-time or if I should stay at home.
And work is just the beginning.
If you’re like me, you know what it’s like to have a long list of life questions.
How many children should we have? Where should our children go to school or should we homeschool? Where should we live? Is that the right house for us? The right church family? When should I retire?
What should I do?
The list never ends. As soon as you and I make one decision a new one comes along.
Rev and I have had times when it was easy to decide where God wanted us but other times were much harder.
The truth is…
Life decisions are stressful!
So the question every believer wants to know…
It’s not always clear, and sometimes we’ve had to move forward without a definitive answer, but there are some things you and I can do to test a situation as we ask for God’s guidance and seek His will.
How Can I Know If this is God’s Will?
5 Ways to Know God’s Will
1. Pray
Always begin with prayer. It’s easy to worry, plot, and strategize first. But when you and I want to know God’s will the best place to start is by asking God to make His specific will clear about this situation.
Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go. Jeremiah 42:3
2. Glorify God
Ask yourself – Does this decision glorify God?
Great questions to ask – “Does this bless my relationship with my family? Does it make it possible for me to serve others? What will my attitude be if I do this? Etc.”
Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Romans 6:13
3. Agree with Scripture
Does this decision agree with Scripture?
God’s Word reveals His will. The Bible is trustworthy and true.
You should never have to ask God if it’s His will for you to embezzle from your employer or dish the latest dirt on your neighbor. He will never lead you to sin.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16
4. Be Willing to Wait
Be patient. God’s will is worth the wait. You can trust His timing.
If something is God’s will, He will give you guide you in small ways while you wait for big answers. Don’t rush it – when the timing is right God will let you know.
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
5. Trust God to Accomplish His Plans for You
God will always faithfully accomplish His promises and will for you.
I’ll admit, I’ve gotten impatient at times. I want a clear answer and I want it now! But I’ve learned I can watch and wait . . . God will do what He says He will do, and He will accomplish His will.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
Now, I can tell you there may still be times when you need to make a decision and even after following the five steps listed above you’ll feel uncertain about God’s direction for you.
That’s okay.
You can trust that if God wants something specific in your life He will guide you to it.
If you’ve gone through the 5 step process and still have no clear answer . . . just keep moving. Make a choice and go forward in faith.
The good news is if you are trusting and glorifying God with your life you can move ahead with confidence.
Rev and I had times when the choice was clear . . . so clear in fact, we changed our plans midway.
Occasionally, we used a “fleece” to ask God for guidance in addition to the steps I’ve listed. You can read about Gideon and how he used a fleece to confirm God’s direction, here. We didn’t actually ask God to leave dew on lamb’s wool but we asked Him to clearly show us His will through events that would make it easier for us follow His plans for us.
There have been a few times when we prayed, asked questions, and waited but still felt uncertain about what we should do.
So, we just lived each day…
And you can too!
Trust God’s love . . . lean into His grace and mercy. You can be confident that God will make any specific plans He has for you clear. You don’t have to live in fear of His displeasure when you seek His will through these 5 steps.
Pray, glorify God, study the Scripture, be willing to wait, and trust God’s ability to work in your life.
Your Heavenly Father wants what is best for you and He is able to accomplish it!
Go for it! Live your life for His glory and honor.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11–13
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