How to know God's will

Wouldn’t it be nice if we just knew what to do next?

I’m not looking for someone to boss me around all day, but sometimes it would be nice to know which of the paths in front of me is the best one for me.  Does that sound familiar to you?

When we’re stuck at a major life-altering, no-take-backs, cross-roads decision, we often look for “God’s will”.  Admittedly, what we mean by “God’s will” is that we’re looking for the path where God blesses us with the most comfort and prosperity…or for Him to guide us down which ever path leads to the least amount of trouble and heartache.  We don’t necessarily say it out loud like that, though.  But at least we ask Him…right?

So, what are the situations we typically find ourselves in when we are asking for “God’s will”?

When we want a new job – which company or career does He want me to take?
When we make a major purchase – which car or house or investment should I buy?
When we want a romantic relationship – whom should I date, or even marry?
When we want blessings for family – can our kids stay safe and our parents disease-free?

Hrm…well…that’s a lot of self-focused situations.  Perhaps our perception of “God’s will” is a little too me-centric.

Here’s the good news: we can, in fact, know what God’s will is for us.

We can know what He desires for our lives, even how we should handle both the easy and difficult times.  But before I show you how you can know His will, let’s look at what the Bible defines as “God’s will”.

I’ve counted 57 times that the will of God is brought up in the New Testament.  All but 4 of them are the noun or verb form of a Greek word (thelema/thelo) which means “to will, decide, want, or desire.”  Here is one example of thelema:

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18
See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.  Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

So, as Paul writes to the believers in Thessalonica, God’s will is what God desires for us to be doing.  God’s will for us is to avoid repaying evil for evil, to pursue the good of others, to rejoice always, to pray constantly, and to give thanks in everything.  I don’t see much about what car to purchase or job I should apply for…

Let’s try another verse with thelema:

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

As Paul writes to the believers in Rome, God’s will – His good, pleasing, and perfect will – can be discovered.  That’s great news!  We have the opportunity to learn what God wants for us as we live in this age.  But did you see what we must do to find it?  First, we must renew our mind and then allow what we learn with our God-focused mind to transform our life.  Renewing our mind with God’s truth is the only way to get there.

Avoiding evil behavior, pursuing the good of others, rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, renewing our minds…none of them are self-focused. According to Paul in these two verses, finding God’s will involves being focused on how we treat others (avoiding evil, pursuing their good) and our relationship with God (rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, renewing our minds with His truth). But, if I’m honest…that also seems like a lot of effort.  At least more effort than simply throwing up a self-focused prayer asking God for the Spark Notes version of His advice for our lives.

And yeah, it is more effort, but God has always told His followers to seek Him - with the promise that when we do, He will be found (e.g. – Jeremiah 29:13). 

So, how about giving God’s clear instructions a try?  I mean, He’s practically spelled out for us how to find His desire for our lives!

I think knowing what to do in those major life decisions will be easier if we do.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite - A progressive relationship

There are a lot of moving parts in my life at the moment. Sometimes, life moves at an easy pace. Sometimes, it feels like you’re at the bottom of the dogpile. When things feel more like the latter, I’ve found it’s best reconnect with God through through two things - going to the Psalms and grounding myself in truth God has already taught me.

With the parts of life I’m working through right now and as I’m sorting through the next post series, I need to go back to these truths I learned all the way back in 2015. I hope this reminder is as helpful to you as it is for me.

A progressive relationship
originally posted on May 20, 2015

The Creator of the Universe is a God who values order.  There was order and progression when creation took place – light first, then ground, next plants, followed by animals, and lastly humans.  We refer to the predictable steps of any process as its “lifecycle”.  We understand that every activity we encounter will have a beginning and then subsequent phases that are passed through, one after another.  Similarly, there is a natural progression in our relationship with God.

Read though this section of Psalm 119 and look for the active verbs used to describe how the psalmist interacts with God:

Psalm 119:9-16
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word.
I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands.
I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.
Lord, may You be praised; teach me Your statues.
With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from Your mouth.
I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways.
I will delight in Your statues; I will not forget Your word.

I have sought…I have treasured…I proclaim…I rejoice…I will meditate…I will delight

When we look for it, the natural process of a relationship with God clearly stands out.  The verbs are flowing through past, present, and future steps as the author describes his interaction with God.

Where do you find yourself in this progression?

I have heard many well-intentioned speakers tell me that I need to be rejoicing in the Lord and that I should always delight in Him.  While I agree that those actions are great things to do and I would love to be able to whole-heartedly rejoice and delight in God always…the progression we see in the psalm reveals why I’ve likely struggled with doing them or felt guilty about not feeling completely genuine when I try to do them.

Before the psalmist rejoiced, or even got to delight, can you see where he started?  He sought God with all of his heart.  Next he purposely treasured God’s word in his heart, in order to avoid sin and the damage that sin would cause to the relationship.

It wasn’t until after he had pursued God and valued God that the psalmist was ready to proclaim all the judgments from God’s mouth.  He wasn’t able to communicate God’s decisions until after he knew God intimately.  Historically, the American church has pushed its people to make sure they are “spreading the gospel” and “sharing their story” instead, the church’s focus should have been making sure we’re actively seeking God and valuing His word.  Telling others about Jesus will be easy if we already have the relationship in place, but it’s nearly impossible to explain the decisions and motivations of a person you have no relationship with. 

From there the psalmist found joy in the way revealed by God’s decrees, even to the point that he now looks forward to meditating and thinking about God’s ways.  The delight that he takes from God’s word then isn’t something he’s drummed up from within himself, rather it is the culmination of a deep-seeded relationship with his Creator.

If you’re not where you’d like to be in this relationship timeline, take a step back and ensure you’re developing your intimacy with God by seeking Him and purposely treasuring His word.  The rest will naturally progress from that investment.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A progressive relationship

The Creator of the Universe is a God who values order.  There was order and progression when creation took place – light first, then ground, next plants, followed by animals, and lastly humans.  We refer to the predictable steps of any process as its “lifecycle”.  We understand that every activity we encounter will have a beginning and then subsequent phases that are passed through, one after another.  Similarly, there is a natural progression in our relationship with God.

Read though this section of Psalm 119 and look for the active verbs used to describe how the psalmist interacts with God:

Psalm 119:9-16
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word.
I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands.
I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.
Lord, may You be praised; teach me Your statues.
With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from Your mouth.
I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways.
I will delight in Your statues; I will not forget Your word.

I have sought…I have treasured…I proclaim…I rejoice…I will meditate…I will delight

When we look for it, the natural process of a relationship with God clearly stands out.  The verbs are flowing through past, present, and future steps as the author describes his interaction with God.

Where do you find yourself in this progression?

I have heard many well-intentioned speakers tell me that I need to be rejoicing in the Lord and that I should always delight in Him.  While I agree that those actions are great things to do and I would love to be able to whole-heartedly rejoice and delight in God always…the progression we see in the psalm reveals why I’ve likely struggled with doing them or felt guilty about not feeling completely genuine when I try to do them.

Before the psalmist rejoiced, or even got to delight, can you see where he started?  He sought God with all of his heart.  Next he purposely treasured God’s word in his heart, in order to avoid sin and the damage that sin would cause to the relationship.

It wasn’t until after he had pursued God and valued God that the psalmist was ready to proclaim all the judgments from God’s mouth.  He wasn’t able to communicate God’s decisions until after he knew God intimately.  Historically, the American church has pushed its people to make sure they are “spreading the gospel” and “sharing their story” instead, the church’s focus should have been making sure we’re actively seeking God and valuing His word.  Telling others about Jesus will be easy if we already have the relationship in place, but it’s nearly impossible to explain the decisions and motivations of a person you have no relationship with. 

From there the psalmist found joy in the way revealed by God’s decrees, even to the point that he now looks forward to meditating and thinking about God’s ways.  The delight that he takes from God’s word then isn’t something he’s drummed up from within himself, rather it is the culmination of a deep-seeded relationship with his Creator.

If you’re not where you’d like to be in this relationship timeline, take a step back and ensure you’re developing your intimacy with God by seeking Him and purposely treasuring His word.  The rest will naturally progress from that investment.

Keep Pressing,
Ken