People always ask then, how do we know what is God's will for us? Whether it be for the present, or for the far away future?
In the same way that we cannot understand a scientific theory until we have a firm grasp of the basic concepts it involves, I believe we will probably not be able to discern God's will until we are seeking Him first with all our heart. Until our relationship with Him is deep, it would be difficult for us to see His will. I mean by a deep relationship what I have written earlier- reading His Word fervently, meditating on His Word day and night, putting His Word into action, and praying for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I would not presume to say that this is the only way to discern God's will. God reveals His will in many ways; this approach has worked for me, and perhaps it may help you too.
Why is it so important to read His Word fervently? His Word is our guide to how to live; it would not be surprising at all if we find that God's will for us can be found in that great store of treasure. Often I have read His Word, come upon a verse and immediately known with great conviction in my heart, by the Spirit, that this is part of the will of God.
But God does reveal His will to us in ways other than the Bible, which I will share about later. But the Bible is always relevant- I have found that God's will for my life always finds corresponding passages and verses in the Bible- simply because God's Word is indeed the guide to helping us find His will for us. And God's will for us would never contradict what He has said in His Word- this is a great way of checking if what you believe to be God's will for you is from God, or from you, or worse still a deception from the devil. God's will, revealed to us, will always be strengthened and built up by His Word.
God does reveal His will to us in many other ways too. Through speakers and pastors who deliver messages that strike a chord deep within our souls, through powerful books and testimonies, through friends and people around us whose actions or testimonies impact us, through simple things that happen that somehow have great meaning. The list goes on. But the point is not how God reveals His will- He has innunmerable ways. The point is how we receive His will. There is so much that God wants to say to us in our lives; the sooner we learn all the time with attentive ears, the better.
That is why the next step, meditating day and night on His Word, is also so important. I believe meditating on His Word should not be a one-off thing, restricted to the 15 minutes of quiet time or prayer each day, or to during Sunday services. It must be done all the time, as often as possible. If our thoughts can constantly be bent on Him every moment of the day, that would be wonderful. The more we meditate and reflect on His Word, the greater we can understand His character, His nature, what our lives need in relation to Him, and hence it naturally becomes easier for us to discern His will when He speaks. Keeping our thoughts on Him also makes us more attentive to what He could be saying in our lives. A student who is paying full attention to a teacher and constantly seeking to understand concepts in his mind will most likely be able to catch new crucial concepts or facts that the teacher reveals and puts forth, while others who are paying less attention are likely to miss them. We must keep our focus on Him as much as possible if we are to catch as much of what He is saying to us as possible. It is amazing, I will testify, how God can reveal His will day to day even through the smallest, most mundane things, when our hearts are open to listen.
Putting His Word and will into action is also very important because God's will for us is never segregated into many different tasks or compartments. His will for us is a cohesive whole, a master plan; hence naturally one thing would lead to another. When we are engaged in practising something for the Lord He often will use that to reveal the next step, or shed light on another area. Some time last year God moved me to buy a Christian book for my non-Christian friend's birthday; I ended up buying that book for myself, and it strengthened me greatly in my Christian walk. I think the greatest example thus far for me would be this- when I was struggling to give up my previous relationship, in accordance with His will, God revealed to me like never before the depth of His love, and called me a life of greater devotion and commitment to Him.
And lastly, prayer as always is indispensable. Like Jesus, we must constantly pray with all our hearts, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." We must earnestly desire to know God's will for our life, and pray as such. And we must also pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us, for without the Spirit within us, we would have no hope of knowing anything about God, save His will.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come." John 16:13.
In the same way that we cannot understand a scientific theory until we have a firm grasp of the basic concepts it involves, I believe we will probably not be able to discern God's will until we are seeking Him first with all our heart. Until our relationship with Him is deep, it would be difficult for us to see His will. I mean by a deep relationship what I have written earlier- reading His Word fervently, meditating on His Word day and night, putting His Word into action, and praying for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I would not presume to say that this is the only way to discern God's will. God reveals His will in many ways; this approach has worked for me, and perhaps it may help you too.
Why is it so important to read His Word fervently? His Word is our guide to how to live; it would not be surprising at all if we find that God's will for us can be found in that great store of treasure. Often I have read His Word, come upon a verse and immediately known with great conviction in my heart, by the Spirit, that this is part of the will of God.
But God does reveal His will to us in ways other than the Bible, which I will share about later. But the Bible is always relevant- I have found that God's will for my life always finds corresponding passages and verses in the Bible- simply because God's Word is indeed the guide to helping us find His will for us. And God's will for us would never contradict what He has said in His Word- this is a great way of checking if what you believe to be God's will for you is from God, or from you, or worse still a deception from the devil. God's will, revealed to us, will always be strengthened and built up by His Word.
God does reveal His will to us in many other ways too. Through speakers and pastors who deliver messages that strike a chord deep within our souls, through powerful books and testimonies, through friends and people around us whose actions or testimonies impact us, through simple things that happen that somehow have great meaning. The list goes on. But the point is not how God reveals His will- He has innunmerable ways. The point is how we receive His will. There is so much that God wants to say to us in our lives; the sooner we learn all the time with attentive ears, the better.
That is why the next step, meditating day and night on His Word, is also so important. I believe meditating on His Word should not be a one-off thing, restricted to the 15 minutes of quiet time or prayer each day, or to during Sunday services. It must be done all the time, as often as possible. If our thoughts can constantly be bent on Him every moment of the day, that would be wonderful. The more we meditate and reflect on His Word, the greater we can understand His character, His nature, what our lives need in relation to Him, and hence it naturally becomes easier for us to discern His will when He speaks. Keeping our thoughts on Him also makes us more attentive to what He could be saying in our lives. A student who is paying full attention to a teacher and constantly seeking to understand concepts in his mind will most likely be able to catch new crucial concepts or facts that the teacher reveals and puts forth, while others who are paying less attention are likely to miss them. We must keep our focus on Him as much as possible if we are to catch as much of what He is saying to us as possible. It is amazing, I will testify, how God can reveal His will day to day even through the smallest, most mundane things, when our hearts are open to listen.
Putting His Word and will into action is also very important because God's will for us is never segregated into many different tasks or compartments. His will for us is a cohesive whole, a master plan; hence naturally one thing would lead to another. When we are engaged in practising something for the Lord He often will use that to reveal the next step, or shed light on another area. Some time last year God moved me to buy a Christian book for my non-Christian friend's birthday; I ended up buying that book for myself, and it strengthened me greatly in my Christian walk. I think the greatest example thus far for me would be this- when I was struggling to give up my previous relationship, in accordance with His will, God revealed to me like never before the depth of His love, and called me a life of greater devotion and commitment to Him.
And lastly, prayer as always is indispensable. Like Jesus, we must constantly pray with all our hearts, "nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." We must earnestly desire to know God's will for our life, and pray as such. And we must also pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us, for without the Spirit within us, we would have no hope of knowing anything about God, save His will.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come." John 16:13.
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