God's Will? How can we be sure?
Determining which way to turn does not have to be a mystery for the believer. By asking systematic questions, we can align our decisions with God’s plan and purpose for our life. In other words, no matter what we are involved in, whether it concerns family, finances, relationships, health or faith, our continual thought should be: Jesus, what would You have me do? What is the wise course of action?
People ask for God’s will not only for the overall direction of their life and also regarding the small daily decisions they face.
Jesus will has two aspects:
First His determined will, includes all things that are unchangeable.
Second: Everything Jesus wants for us, with our limited free will.
Now let’s look at those systematic questions when we are making large or small decisions for our life.
- Is it consistent with the Bible?
- Is this a wise decision?
- Can I honestly ask God to enable me to achieve this?
- Do I have a genuine peace about this?
- Does this fit who I am as a follower of Jesus?
- Does this fit God’s overall plan for my life?
- Will this decision honor God?
Six practical keys to determining God’s will every day of our life.
1. Know the Word of God. The Bible is God's instruction book for life, filled with guidance every area of your life. If .you are feeling led to do something that is in direct contradiction to God's Word, don't do it! It is not, and could never be, God's will.
2. Pay attention to circumstances. God is with you every moment of your life - not just during times of emergency. He is actively guiding the day-to-day circumstances of your life, and He will often use those seemingly random events - coincidences, new developments, open doors - to direct you. For a believer, there is no such thing as luck!
3. Seek wise counsel. Proverbs 11: 14 declares that "Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory." It's good to seek counsel, but be careful! Not every counselor is wise or godly. That's why it's so important to examine the lives of your counselors carefully, to see if they, themselves, are living in God's will.
4. Listen to your conscience. God has given you a conscience to act as a filter for your decisions, and while it can't make you do the right thing, it can certainly make you feel the pain of violating it! Repeated sin can damage and dull your conscience - so make sure that it is reliable by carefully grounding yourself in God's Word.
5. Use common sense. There is nothing wrong with using human reasoning to weigh decisions and discern God's will- as long as it is balanced by Scripture~ circumstance, wise counsel, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Of course, sometimes God challenges us to do things that seem contrary to common sense. Take the recently completed World Training Center at In Touch, for example. When God led us to begin that building, we didn't have the money to do it - but we knew it was God's will. And when God wills something, He provides for it.
Today, that building is funded and completed. More important, it is where the translation takes place for the broadcasts that beam the Gospel in 75 languages to hundreds of millions of people around the world!
So while common sense is important, be sure to leave room for God to act in spite of it - so that He can demonstrate His awesome power and generous provision for our lives.
6. Finally. be sure you feel at peace. When you are in God's will, your heart is at peace. I like to say that peace is God's umpire. If you don't have peace about a decision, don't do it! God may be sending you a signal, and either the action is wrong or the time is not right.
