Lord…

“What do you want me to do with my life?” 

“Where do you want me to go?”

“Am I supposed to take this job or not?”

“When it comes to a relationship, what is next?”

If you have asked any one of these questions for your own life, you are not alone. It is quite natural to ask and seek God for direction regarding the spheres of your life that you deem crucial, from understanding how to manage finances to fulfilling your personal calling to the Lord, the requests of understanding God’s specific will for your life are numerous. Yet this is not a bad thing, not at all! He is our Heavenly Father, and we are encouraged and instructed to ask Him! (See Matthew 7:7-12). Ultimately, asking God for discernment regarding what you should do, where you should go, and with whom you should do it reveals that you believe God has the ultimate plan laid out for you. With that said, how do you find out what God’s will is for your life? 

I wish I had the wisdom and the time to expound upon the many verses that reveal God’s will. Many books were written on the subject and many more have been frustrated by not understanding what God wants for them in a particular area of their life. If you are disheartened and not sure what God’s will is, it’s okay! There is hope, and do not give up. My purpose for this week’s writing is to look at a verse that helps establish the foundation for direction to heed and obey what God has for you next. 

Let’s look at a verse that mentions God’s will explicitly: 

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)

From the passage above, we see that God’s will for us is good, acceptable (well-pleasing), and perfect. Thank the Lord that it is! We never have to doubt that His plan is the best, even if we are not sure of the specifics yet. While we can rely on God to have the best plan for us, how do we get there? 

1. OBEY GOD’S GENERAL WILL 

The beginning of this verse mentions ‘to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.’ When Christ came, the Old Testament’s animal sacrifices to atone for sins were no longer necessary. Jesus sacrificed His body and shed His blood for us was sufficient to forgive our sins – past, present, and future. “And by that [God’s] will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10). 

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT). As a result, we are to walk in the newness of what Christ has done for us – obeying God’s will. His general will is following the basics of Christianity that all Christ-followers should follow. Jesus sums this up, which is the fulfillment of the ten commandments: Loving God and loving others.[1]  

Matthew 22:36-40- “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

For example, to honor God with our bodies keeps oneself pure, not giving into lusts. We see this aspect of holiness mentioned again as part of God’s general will for each believer to be sanctified and ‘avoid sexual immorality’ (1 Thessalonians 4:3). 

God’s general will is for every Christian to follow His commands and purposes laid out for us in the Scriptures. At this point, we have to be honest and do a heart check: Am I seeking specific aspects of God’s will in my life without fully adhering to His basic commands? The direction you are looking for (specific will of God) will never violate God’s general will. But if we learn to follow the general will first, then God will naturally reveal His specific will. 

2. DO NOT CONFIRM TO THE WORLD’S WAYS

The second part of the verse tells us ‘not to conform to this world.’ Why is this important to understanding God’s will? 

We all realize the power of influence. A teenager can start cussing because of the music she listens to. A man can begin giving into fear because of watching certain media outlets. Conforming to the world allows the ideas, beliefs, and values of our society to influence our thinking and actions. In return, we cannot hear and understand God’s will because our judgment has been skewed. 

The image that comes to mind is a filter. A filter is a device designed to remove impurities from passing through it. The filter remains effective if there is not a constant stream of filth pushing through it. Similarly, we have to protect our minds from what it captures and what influences it. We are called to remain pure in heart and mind. If the world’s influence sways us, it is as if the filter has become contaminated and does not filter out the impurities it is supposed to. Unfortunately, this world’s exposure and effects can stain our minds so we cannot know God’s specific will. The filter is not working! We have to remove ourselves from sinful habits, worldly patterns, and unspiritual thinking processes and submit to God’s standards instead. As a result, we can allow the Holy Spirit to transform our minds so that our ‘filter’ is pure once again. As the verse mentions, we can then prove that we know what His will is – we can take the necessary steps to walk out God’s specific will. 

It’s time to be vulnerable before the Lord. Check your words and actions to see if there is a habitual sin issue. There could also be attitudes and areas of disbelief that are blocking you from knowing God’s will. Additionally, the Holy Spirit could reveal the sin of omission – places in your life where the Lord desires obedience, but you have not followed through. These could be having a consistent prayer life, remaining steadfast in the Word, a commitment to fasting, honoring the Sabbath, confessing sins to one another (James 5:16), tithing, and many more. It’s just as important to know what to do for the Lord as what not to do.

While I did not mention aspects of God’s specific will in this post, it was imperative to discuss God’s general will since that comes first. If we are committed to fully obeying His general will (we must have grace for ourselves but are willing to work it out), we can be ready to receive His specific will for our lives… all we need to do is ask! Next time, we will discuss specific areas of seeking God’s will since we know He is a God who cares and desires to reveal that to us. 

Have a blessed week! 

 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.” – Psalm 143:10

[1] “If you love me, obey my commandments.”– John 14:15 (NLT). “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).