FINDING THE LORD'S WILL

 

Finding The Lord’s Will

 

Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”(NLT)

 

”Is finding the will of God for one’s life difficult?”

 

The answer to this question may be difficult indeed. Discovering God's leading and direction seems to be outside the realm of human knowledge and unknowable. We believe only special people like prophets or apostles or the saintly are endowed with the unique ability to know God’s will. We may perhaps face situations where we have to make decisions and we want  to know God’s leading. But we are not sure about how to find it.

 

”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.” Romans 12:2, NIV

 

As Christians we want to know what God’s will is for us. We want to please Him and grow up to maturity in the image of Christ. Our desire is to do the right thing, according to God’s direction, but how can we determine what it is that God really wants us to do?

 

First, we have to realize that there is the general will of God and, Second, there is the specific will of God.

 

We tend to ignore the general will of God in our search for the specific will of God. Yet, if we are not finding the will of God in the general directions of Scripture, the specific will of God will seem dim and fuddled. We will be more likely to hear direction from voices other than God's voice. If we are ignorant of the general will of God, then we are on shaky ground indeed. There is no point in finding the specific will of God.

 

This is where God’s word the Bible is crucial in finding God’s will.

 

The general will of God has two aspects.

 

First, the Bible declares the will of God. We must approach Scripture with the attitude that the Holy Spirit will speak to us through the revealed Word of God. A Christian who does not read and meditate upon God’s Word, would hardly be able to discern God’s will in his life. It is by studying the Bible, that we know it is God’s will that we come to salvation, study His word, pray and develop our relationship with Him and others. This is how our mind is renewed so we can look at things from His perspective. God speaks to us through His Word. The Bible is no ordinary reading material like a newspaper or any piece of literary expression. It is God’s Word to us. So we don’t need to look for God’s direction elsewhere, or God Forbid approach any soothsayer to find God’s direction.

 

For instance We know, from Scripture, that it is the will of God that we give thanks in all things. We learn we need to be kind, look after our family, control our emotions, and everything else the Bible declares to be the general will of God. Learning and applying the general will of God is a process we have to go through from new birth to death. All of us could spend many lifetimes just working on finding the general will of God in Scripture without worrying about the specific will of God! In fact following the direction of God as prescribed by His Word would reveal to us the wisdom to act in a specific way.

Second, the general will of God is the way God declares how things normally work out in life, according to His purposes. The wisdom sayings in the Proverbs is a good example of this. Another example is the command to us to be obedient to God: Deuteronomy 11:26-28 sums it up like this: "Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed." In the New Testament, we learn through the example of Jesus Christ that believers are called to a life of obedience. There is power in obedience. Obedience includes the humble and sincere acceptance of the authority and will of God. It's not only conforming, but also demonstrating our devotion through our thoughts, words, and deeds. God has made incredible promises and has linked them to our obedience, it's the “if,” and “then,” promises of the Bible. If we obey what He says, then He promises that He'll save us, watch over us, take care of us, and give to us our needs.

 

Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”(NLT)

 

When we think of finding the will of God, we are most often thinking of the specific will of God for our lives. What does God want me to do? What job should I have? Who should I marry? What profession should I study? What business should I go into?   What church should I go to? What is MY purpose in life?

 

To discover the specific will of God in any situation we need first to understand and apply the general will of God. There is no point in seeking to know the specific will of God when we are not even attuned to God’s general direction for our lives. Knowing and following the general will of God naturally leads us into the specific purpose of God for our lives. This is important. We cannot find the will of God if we are walking disobedience or in rebellion to general will of God.

 

For example, there is no need to seek the specific will of God about marrying an unbeliever. The general will of God has already declared not to be “unequally yoked” with an unbeliever. Begging and pleading to be the "exception" only reveals our resistance to the voice of God spoken on the pages of Scripture. There is no need to seek the will of God about where He wants us if we are not already “doing everything our hand finds to do with all our might.” Most people probably need to worry less about the specific will of God and just do the general will - they might be very surprised where God will then lead them!

 

However, there are times when we are finding the will of God in the Bible to the best of our knowledge/ability and we need specific direction. What do we do? The more important the decision, the more careful we need to be. There are several steps we can take,

 

a] as much as possible set aside our own will and have a willing spirit to do whatever God may direct,

b] read the Bible and see what God’s Word is telling you  or the message  that stand out, in relation to your situation.

c] spend time in prayer and fasting,

d] seek Godly counsel,

e] get all the information you can, making a "pros and cons" list,

f] see if you have “peace” with one decision over another –

 

The peace of God can be a very good indicator that you are in line with His will. Make the best decision you can, trusting God to work it out. If you sincerely do the above, you will not go far wrong. And if God needs to correct as you move forward, He will. Trust Him.