discovering
GOD'S WILL
FOR YOUR LIFE
By Dennis Cochrane
Have you ever wished for
a fool-proof formula for
knowing God's will?
Maybe computer
software to analyze
all variables and print
out step-by-step details
of God's will for you.
WHERE ARE THE FORMULAS?
We have all heard the sermons: "Three steps to
knowing God's will," or "Five steps..." But sooner or
later we discover formulas are not adequate. Too
often they leave us puzzled as we try to follow God's
leading.
WHY ARE THERE NO ADEQUATE FORMULAS?
Could it be that God does not
want us attached to formulas
but to Himself? Someone
said, "The secret of guidance
is the Guide Himself." That's
it! Intimacy with Christ is the
single most important
prerequisite for knowing
God's will.
SO HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN INTIMACY WITH CHRIST?
- By refusing to allow sin to remain in your life unconfessed.
- By actively seeking the Lord through prayer and meditation on his Word.
- By finding ways to share Christ with non-believers.
YES, BUT ...
What if you are intimate with Christ and you still are
not sure of the direction God wants you to go?
HERE ARE SOME OTHER KEY PRINCIPLES:
Pre-Commit Yourself To Do Whatever He Says.
God generally does not show His will to people who
are just curious. He loves to guide those who are
committed to doing His will.
Evaluate Relevant Facts.
God expects us to use our minds to gather and
weigh significant information. He says, "I will instruct
you and teach you in the way you should go. I will
guide you with my eye on you. Do not be as the
horse and the mule which have no understanding,
whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle..."
(Pslam 32:8-9)
God will guide us but we have got to use our heads!
He does not want us to remain intellectually passive,
until He is finally forced to use the "bit and bridle" to
direct us.
Pray For Wisdom.
Prayer shows our
dependence on God.
Prayerlessness shows
we think we are
smart enough to
figure things out on
our own. Proverbs
3:5 is an important
caution: "Do not lean
on your own under-
standing." God
expects us to use
our minds, but He
knows human brain-
power can lead us astray. If we gather and
evaluate facts prayerfully, God will help us
evaluate those facts prayfully, God will help us
interpret those facts correctly and make good
decisions.
Welcome Evaluations By Others.
God always makes a good
fit between person and
task. He does not put
square pegs in round
holes. (Eph 2:10) Did
you ever try to squeeze
into a role for which you
were not designed -
simply because you did
not know the true shape
in which God has made you?
Frustration! To avoid this,
welcome honest evaluations
of yourself by spiritually
discerning Christrian friends
and leaders.
But Watch Out For These Potential Glitches:
- Do not confuse shape with size. The task God
has for you will always be the right shape but it
will often be the wrong size - too big! God may
intentionally design it to be larger than you can
comfortably handle. Why? To save you from a
cocky self-confidence and to teach you to say
"[my] competence comes from God." (2
Corinthians 3:5)
- Do not confuse shape with preference. God
gives us jobs that fit, but He does not assure ease
or self-gratification. Much of what needs to be
done in the world is just palin tough:
uncomfortable climates, hostile people,
disagreeable food, body odour, isolation from the
familiar... God is looking for people whose
passion is to do His will, cost whatever it may. The
founder of Navigators said, "Why do what others
can and will do, when there is so much that needs
to be done that others cannot or will not do?"
Personal satisfaction and self-fulfillment are by-
products of doing God's will. They must not in
themselves be the objects of our pursuit. Jesus
said, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for me and for the
gospel will save it."(Mark 8:35)
Make A Decision and Move Ahead.
We tend to freeze when faced with major, life-
impacting decisions. We fear committing ourselves to a course of action. Underlying this
fear is lack of confidence in God's love and
faithfulness. "If I move in the wrong direction, will
God just let me go? Will I ruin His plan for my
life?"
No! God is not like that. He is uttlerly faithful about
closing wrong doors and opening right doors. "What
He opens no one can shut and what He shuts no one can open!" (Revelation 3:7)
As we live in fellowship with God, desiring to do His
will, there will come a time in decision-making
process when it is completely safe to step out in a
direction that seems to be God's will. He can be
counted on to intervene and get us turned around if we
go the wrong way.
Our ultimate confidnece is in God and His faithfullness.
Therefore, it is safe to pray like this:
Lord Jesus, I am only a child. I am not sure which of
these options is right for me. Several seem good. But I
know you do not want me to freeze in fear, so I am
going to begin prayerfully moving in the direction I
think you may want me to go. I am going to trust you to
confirm my path as I go, or else graciously to intervene
and set me on a correct course. I thank you for how
you will guide me skillfully in paths you have chosen
for me where my life can bear maximum fruit for you."
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