Knowing God’s Will

There have been so many times in my life I have prayed for Gods will in certain circumstances….job, relationship, purchases, my dreams, etc. Then sometimes what I really wanted to say was, “Ok God here is what I want, this is the plan I have, now I need you to put your stamp of approval on it and make it alright.”  What I know now is that I will never live in Gods will and know Gods plan and purpose for my life if that is how I am doing things.  What we really have to say is….. “God, not my will but yours be done in every aspect of my life.” Then we have wait on Him to move, to speak and to show us and respond to whatever God shows us, even if His will for us is painful. Before God will begin to show us and reveal what His will is in our lives, we have to be dedicated and committed to do whatever He desires for us to do, in whatever manner that may be.

We pray and want to know what Gods will is for our lives but we seem to overlook that the majority of His will for our life is already carefully aligned and spelled out for us in His word.  There are biblical truths regarding most aspects of our lives, if we simply search His word and live by those standards in all that we do.  So plainly Gods word is a specific guide to know if you are following Gods will and plan for your life.  You can’t keep thinking the old way and doing the old things and then ask God to do new things in your life because if you are not going to obey what has clearly been said and laid out in His word then why would God reveal anything further to you.  We must be obedient and follow the word of God as the first step of knowing His will in our life in all that we do.  Don’t do as the world would have you do and be conformed to the world but instead, conform to the word of God and what He lays out for us in our daily lives.  Stay in the word of God so He can change your thinking and therefore reveal His very will and plan for whatever it is you are praying for or about.

Romans 12:2  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

I have found so many times in my life that God will clearly demonstrate what His will is for my life by simply lining up all of the circumstances.  You know the old phrase….where one door closes, another one opens.   For some of us, God has to SLAM a door to get our attention because we keep trying to walk through that same door over and over, banging our heads each time, being disapointed each time, being hurt over and over and getting rejected in order for us to realize God closed that door thus….not His will for our lives.  We can’t force that door to open that has been shut because once God shuts that door and we try to keep opening it, we will be walking a road that is completely out of His will and we will set ourselves up for continual disappointment and unhappiness.  If it is not God’s will, we have to know it is just not going to work regardless of how much we try to force it.

We have to also realize and discern which doors that are being opened are Gods will for us because every door that is opened, isn’t necessarily God’s will.  Many times those open doors can simply be direction for us.  The key is to know and to discern if that open door is really from God.  We don’t want to miss the open door because we are afraid to walk through it but we also don’t want to take every open door that comes our way, assuming it is from God.  A few things to ask yourself:

1:  Does it line up with Gods word or does it contradict His word?  
2:  Pray and listen for the Holy Spirit…let God speak into your heart and give you a peace.  If you do not have peace, you can surely know you are not in Gods will.
3:  Surrender your attitude, your desires and your wants to the Lord and truly seek His will and plan for your life. He WILL show you….be patient.
4:  Are you completely dependent on God in this situation?

God is not going to open a door to a job, relationship, purchase, our dreams or anything else that causes us to do anything that contradicts the word of God in these areas.  God wants us to be completely dependent on Him in every aspect of our lives.  You have to understand….just because God closed one door, doesn’t necessarily mean God won’t have some other way for us……God has ways to get us where He wants us to be.  He isn’t always closing a door….sometimes He is nudging us and saying…..”Not that door…..over here” because he wants to put us on another path of fulfilling our purpose and His will in our lives. We must humbly sumbit our lives to Gods control and accept that even the disappointments we endure don’t mean that God isn’t a good, loving and faithful God…sometimes it means God wants us right where we are; depending on Him, waiting on Him and submitting our lives to Him so that He can change our hearts and our circumstances.

We have to make choices for our lives everyday and those choices must line up with God’s word and under Gods authority or we can know, it is not Gods will for our lives. I know there are things in my life….I just want!  Sometimes we don’t want all of the choices we make to line up under Gods authority because that means we have to sacrifice some things but we can definitely know if they don’t….it is not God’s will for our lives.  There are times we just say….”Ok God, I am going to take the wheel from here and do this my way whether its your will or not and we will just fix this later.” When we do this, we have to know there will be consequences, heartache and disappointment because we know that if we are not in His will for our life it will not work regardless how much we try to force it.

One thing I know, God can take even our bad choices and bring glory to Him because He is a good God and He loves us.  If you did it your way and went astray from Gods will and plan for your life….its ok….Turn to Him today and ask Him to take that wheel again, ask Him to forgive you and He will turn those choices into your testimony and make something new out of your life but first you must let go of the wheel and submit to Gods word, His plan, His authority and His submission over your life.  We can’t be afraid to ask God to take our attitudes, our habits, our bad decisions and everything about those choices we have made and put them all under the submission of God to ensure we are living in His will, His goodness and let His word come alive in how we live our lives.

God is still doing the same things now as he did in the Bible….he is still delivering, he is still setting free, he is still restoring.  Go ahead, take his hand and put whatever it is under his authority and don’t be afraid of the outcome He has for you. It may not be what you want right now, but it will be what gets you to fulfilling your purpose and His plan for your life.  We must submerge our minds and hearts in His word and draw closer to Him as our mind is gaining more knowledge and being transformed by His word.  The Holy Spirit is guiding us and our deicisons will line up with the word of God for our lives. Every decision you make, let Gods word be your guide and the standard by which you make that decision.  Don’t conform to the world but submit yourself under the word of God because Gods word will renew you, strengthen you and refresh you day by day.  Let God detox those old ways and bring you into the new ways of God so you can live out His plan, His purpose and His will for your life.

We have been made new in Christ and we must be renewed day by day. One thing we have to do as we pray for Gods will to be revealed….is to listen.  I have been one that would pray and pray and pray but in that time I prayed, I never sat and waited on the Holy Spirit to speak to me.  God has taught me that in my prayer life, I have to take the time to listen and hear the heart of God as He speaks to me through the Holy Spirit.  When you pray today, remember to stop and just sit quietly to let God speak.  Many times as we sit and wait on God, the Holy Spirit will begin speaking into our heart and bring such clarity as to what His will is over our life. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27  


Prayer for being in Gods will:  Dear heavely Father I come to you today and I lay all of my desires, my hopes, my dreams at your feet.  I ask you to reveal to me your very will for my life so I can live out your plan and your purpose for my life.  I know you have good things in store for me and I want to walk in your goodness and mercy and be in your will for my life always.  God, please forgive me for being outside of your will but bring me back in line with your will so that I can fulfill your purpose.  Lord, please do not let my desires blind me to your will and give me peace with whatever your plan is for my life.  Amen

Bible Verses about Gods will:
Psalms 37:4-5  “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your ways to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”

Proverbs 3:5-6  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”‭

Psalm 37: 23-25 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.”

Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”