How Can I Know God's Will For My Life? Series

OPEN: I once read the true story about a man who was a guest sailing aboard a submarine. Before they set sail, he asked the coxwain if there were any special regulations to be observed during exercises.

He said “I was puzzled when he replied by asking me how good my mental arithmetic was. He went on to explain the golden rule of submarine service: ‘One of the most important things to remember on board a Submarine is to count how many times we dive, add the number of times we surface and then divide by two. If there is one left over, don’t open the hatch.’”

APPLY: Seems simple doesn’t it? But for the crew of a submarine that simple rule can make all the difference.

I’ve noticed that there often comes a point in an eager Christian’s life when they want to know:

“What is God’s Will for my life?”

The idea that God had purpose for my life made a great impact on my life when I read Eph 2:10

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

That passage (Eph 2:10) told me that God has something He wants me to do. And it tells me that there is something that God wants YOU to do as well.

Because we are Christians God has a purpose for us… a destiny for us to fulfill.

So how do I know what that purpose is?

How will I know what God wants me to do?

Well, just like the “Golden Rule” on board the submarine, knowing God’s will for our lives isn’t that hard. In fact, it’s really quite simple.

1st – God has said very basic things about His will for your life

Ø He wants you to be saved

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Until we meet that purpose in our lives… nothing else matters. And if you don’t belong to Jesus Christ this morning you need to make that decision. (sooner rather than later)

Ø Once you belong to Him, He wants you to live a special kind of life.

“It is GOD’S WILL that you should be SANCTIFIED…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

That passage goes on to say that you live that special kind of life by…

· being sexually pure

· and by treating others with honesty and kindness

When you and I belong to God, He expects our lives to reflect that special relationship we have with Him.

Ø In fact, He wants you live your lives as a model for the world to see.

1 Peter 2:15 tells us “For it is GOD’S WILL that BY DOING GOOD you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men”

We should live such decent lives that even those who hate Christ won’t have anything to accuse us of.

Ø And He wants to live grateful lives focused on God’s blessings. We shouldn’t be known as complainers.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

There’s a lot more that the Bible tells us about God’s will for our lives but those passages explicitly said: THIS IS GOD’S WILL for a Christian’s life.

Now that’s just generic “Will of God” stuff that will be true for every Christian. BUT what I want to know is what is God’s will for ME in MY LIFE!

· Who does He want me to marry?

· Where does He want me to live?

· What does He want me to do for a living?

· What kind of ministry can I do that would please Him?

ILLUS: When I was younger, I had some friends who would try to discover God’s Will for their lives by using (what I called) the “Magic 8 Ball” technique.

You remember those big black 8 balls they used to sell? They were about 6 inches in diameter – way too big to used on a pool table – and they were filled with a dark filmy liquid. You were supposed to hold the ball in your hands, ask a question, shake the ball vigorously, and then turn it over. On the bottom of the ball was a “window” where an answer would “magically” appear.

It would answer your question with such replies as “yes”, “no”, or “you’ve got to be kidding!”

Well, obviously that wasn’t a very spiritual way to determine what God wanted a Christian to do, so what these guys would do was lay their Bible in their laps… ask a question … and then plop their Bible open at random and seek their answer on that page.