“You Can Know God’s Will!”
The Big Idea:
Mother Superior the religious leader in “The Sound of Music”, asked her young Nun – Maria von Trapp, “What is the most important lesson you have learned here?” Maria von Trapp answered, “To find the will of God and to do it!”
Like Maria, every Christian needs to earnestly seek and pursue the will of God early in their Christian walk with Jesus their Savior.
Brother Lawrence once said: – “I have no will, but that of God.” Most Christians wish that they could say and live those words. But in order to do that there are two pitfalls to avoid:
1. Firstly, the pitfall of our own willfulness that tends to oppose God’s will
2. Secondly, the pitfall of knowing God’s will.
The latter produces the question that, as a Pastor, I was asked more than any other question that’s possible to be imagined: “How can I know God’s will?” I am convinced that you have been faced with this question as I have been. The Bible is a fountain of abundant direction in knowing God’s will for your life.
ROMANS 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Main Points:
Knowing God’s will for your life is a process, it won’t just happen over night. But, How do I find the will of God for my life, you may ask?
I. There Must Be A Preparation First
Here are several things that must take place before you can hope to accurately discern God’s will for your life.
· You must realize that you can know God’s will
· It’s important to seek the will of God for your life
· You must first be convinced that God wants you to know His will
· God will make His will known to you.
JAMES 4:15 – “Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that."”
II. Obedience To The Lordship Of Jesus Christ Is Important
Is Jesus really your Lord? Or do you want Him primarily as a Savior, with no responsibilities attached?
To know the will of God is dependent upon how you will answer this question: “Are you determined to do what God says no matter what? If so, then Romans 12:1-2 must become a reality in your life.
Until you are completely yielded and obedient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you will most likely fear God’s will for your life. But when you do make Jesus Lord and Savior of your life, you will find that what you have feared before is now ‘Good and Acceptable.’
Jesus said: “…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” – LUKE 9:23
If you don’t follow Jesus wholeheartedly, you’ll be too far away to know what God wants you to do. It is very important to realize too that God, will always measures the sincerity of your heart.
PROVERBS 21:2 – “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
III. Through It All Trust In God
As a Christian, it’s in your best interest to trust and commit yourself fully to God.
PSALM 37:5 “Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”
Going your own way will lead to trouble. Frank Sinatra: “Did it his way!”
PSALM 37:5 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
When you know the will of God and at time it may look difficult, go to God in prayer and ask for the strength you need to follow through. Don’t wait. Don’t doubt Him.
Pray as did the father of the demon-possessed son: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:24
IV. Pray Specifically For Any Direction Needed
PHILIPPIANS 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
But firstly and more importantly: “Pray without ceasing.” – (1 Thessalonians 5:17) before any given situation. When you make prayer a way of your life, it will be easier for you to discern God’s voice than if you only pray when you need to know His will.
You’ll most quickly recognize the voices of those with whom you spend the most time. Making prayer a way of life will help you make the voice of God recognizable.
MATTHEW 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
With your heart adequately prepared, through prayer you can look for God’s direction.
V. The Bible Is God Speaking To All Those That Read It
HEBREW 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
The Word of God has general principals that apply to every believer’s life. We don’t need to seek direction from God on an issue that is clearly addressed in the Scripture. If the Bible says it, our responsibility is to obey.
Jesus said: “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples.” – JOHN 8:31
Most Christians have had the experience of a passage of Scripture “jumping out at them.” Now when this happens, is the Holy Spirit shining God’s light on it, saying, “This is for you!” Not for your brother or sister or even a friend, but for you!
PSALM 119:105 & 130 – “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” “…The entrance of Your Words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Begin to read the Bible by praying that God’s Holy Spirit would illuminate your mind and speak to you from it. It is this dynamic relationship with the author of the Bible that brings home the reality of what God’s Word is: “…Living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.”
The Bible must be allowed to speak its living words into our lives: “…The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. ” – 2 CORINTHIANS 3:6
VI. The Holy Spirit Will Speak In Your Innermost Being
JOHN 16:13 – promises that: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”
One of the most common ways God speaks to His children is through a “…Still small voice.” – (1 Kings 19:12)
Most Christians want God’s will to be revealed in no uncertain terms. They wish God would speak dramatically, with bells, trumpets etc., or as He spoke to Moses out of a burning bush. But the fact is that God hardly ever shouts.
The problem is we tend to fill our lives with other voices. Therefore, many homes find it impossible and even difficult to turn the television off, even when no one is watching. Other noises crowd our days, making it nearly impossible to hear that “delicate, whispering, still small voice of God’s Holy Spirit.”
One only needs to be quiet – and to find a quiet place. You can’t hear that kind of a still small voice when it is only one among many. Finding a place and time to listen every day is very important in knowing God’s will for your life.
When you have laid all the groundwork and are ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16), when you hear a voice of direction, you won’t ask: “Is it God, me or Satan?” You’ll recognize God’s voice.
VII. Godly Counsel
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” – Proverbs 12:15
Much of the best counsel comes from the public ministry of men and women of God. Other counsel is personal. When you seek counsel, it is important to seek out those who walk close to God. But remember that no counselor is perfect. A counselor is not a decision-maker but a light-shedder. Ministries that specialize in “personal words” that with authority direct people’s lives should be highly suspect.
PROVERBS 15:22 – “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
This doesn’t mean you accept everything that the counselors say. In fact, two godly counselors may disagree; but it may be important for you to hear two sides.
That’s why as the Bible says: “In a multitude of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 24:6 Anything a counselor says, no matter how godly the individual, must be weighed before God. For God must make the final decision.
VIII. Our Gifts, Talents And Abilities Are From God
Recognizing that: “Our sufficiency is from God.” – 2 Corinthians 3:5. Every gift, talent and ability comes from God. We should realize that those talents God has given us should be used to give Him all the glory and honor, due unto Him.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:31 – “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
We cannot say that because we lack the ability needed for a particular work or ministry, God does not want us to be involved in it.
Perhaps the gift may be dormant, or perhaps God wants to take you beyond your dreams, visions and strengths. God specializes in using weak members.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:27 – “…God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
IX. Look At The Circumstances Around You
Circumstances are the most used and the least important means for determining God’s will. Jesus had harsh words for those seeking a sign (MATTHEW 12:39). Although He performed signs and wonders, He never did them on command.
Putting a “fleece” before the Lord is based on Biblical episode found in (JUDGES 6:36-40) and is not taught as a regular way to determine God’s will.
One of the greatest pitfalls to knowing God’s will is what I call “Christian fatalism.” Lazy Christians typically say things like, “If God wants it to happen, it will happen,” shunning their responsibility. In the words of the old song, “Que será será. What will be will be.” If there are problems, they say, “The door is shut.”
But many times, the door it’s not shut; it just appears that way. Paul said, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” – 1 CORINTHIANS 16:9. Many would have said, “The door is closed in Ephesus.” But Paul saw an open door with “many who would oppose him”.
Christians too often stop short of God’s perfect will because a situation looks difficult. The door is closed, they think, when in reality it is wide open and Satan has jammed the doorway with adversaries to keep the Christian out. God’s way is hardly ever the easiest way. The devil invests a lot of energy throwing obstacles in the way of the doors that God has opened. Satan wants to convince you that they are closed.
When in reality Jesus is “He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” Jesus said in Revelation 3:7-8: “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.” It is tragic when a believer turns away from an open door simply because he has been opposed by Satan.
ROMANS 8:28 assures us that all circumstances “…Work together for good to those who love God.” Speaking of his imprisonment, Paul said, “What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” – PHILIPPIANS 1:12.
Sometimes the reverse is true. What seems to be an open door is, in reality, one that God does not want you to walk through. The door is shut.
Earl Beaconsfield said, “Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing is to know when to forego an advantage.”
God can and does arrange circumstances, and they should be weighed. But circumstances, good or bad, must never stand alone in determining God’s will.
X. God Speaks Through Silence
But what if you need to make a decision and have not heard from God?
You are told to “Love the Lord your God…with all your mind.” – Matthew 22:37
God also says: “Come now and let us reason together.” – Isaiah 1:18 Use the mind, the logic that God has given you. Reason through the pros and cons of each decision, then make the best-informed decision possible.
Before you will implement your decision, talk to God about it. Tell Him, “God I have sought Your will but I have not heard clearly from You. This is what seems best to do. If this is wrong, please let Your Holy Spirit check me.” I’ve never known God to let anyone make any mistakes who sincerely and honestly prayed this type of prayer.
XI. There Will Be An After Tests
When you have found God’s will for your, and you are actually implementing it, there should be peace in your heart.
God’s peace “surpasses all understanding.” – (Philippians 4:7) regardless of what God has asked you to do.
PHILIPPIANS 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Conclusion:
How Did I Find The Will Of God For My Life?
I use the following three witnesses to guid me in finding and knowing God’s will for my life, and these are taken from:
PROVERBS 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
1. First, is the witness of God’s Word
God never contradicts His Word; He will always speak and work within the framework of His Word. So if you go to the Scriptures, God’s Word will serve you, as a guide in knowing and finding His will for your life.
2. Second, is the witness of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit will prompt you in regard to the will of God for your life. As Spirit-filled people, we can count on the God’s Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct our paths.
3. Third, is the witness of our circumstances
When you sense a witness in your spirit or a prompting, then you need to look out for circumstances around you that will support that this is the will of God for your life. I picture this like a piece of jigsaw puzzle. When the piece it’s right, the piece will drops in. If you will try to make the wrong piece fit you make a mistake.
Timing becomes very critical in finding God’s will for your life. If you will be sensitive to the green light or the caution light in determining the will of God, you can expect God to lead and guide you through your circumstances.
These three witnesses will always work in harmony with each other. The Bible says: “What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.” – REVELATION 3:7 As you pray for God’s will and direction in your life, God has promised to lead you.
Hebrews 13:5b – “…I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
AMEN!!!
By: Pastor Ruben Rivis
