How to know God's will?

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NFD33

Guest
#1
#1
So, I have a question and I will try to ask it as simply as possible. The question is essentially how do you know what God's will (or plan) for you is?

I ask this because we always hear of God's plan, but I don't always know when it's God or when it's me, if that makes sense. There are things that happen that are clearly the work of God. But many times, is hard for me to tell. There is something that has been on my heart for awhile. I truthfully don't know if it is on my heart because I want it to be or if God wants it to be. I want to do what God wants me to do. If it's what I want to do too, that's a bonus. But I don't want to go against God's will for my life.

I hope I haven't been too confusing. Would just like to hear from others who struggle or have struggled with this.

Thanks!
 
dcontroversal

dcontroversal

Banned
#2
Dec 12, 2013
46,515
20,396
113
#2
Romans 12:1-2 Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (study of the word) so as to put to the test what is God's good and perfect will for you in your life!
 
wattie

wattie

Senior Member
#3
Feb 24, 2009
3,130
1,070
113
New Zealand
#3
There are basic practices that are God's Will:

* Read your bible daily
* Pray as often you can
* Follow God's commandments (Not Old Testament.. New Testament, although the 10 commandment are still in action)
* Be prepared to share your faith with others
* Being committed to one of God's churches

When someone practices in these.. by relying on Jesus.. He then responds by starting to guide you in to particular areas. The Comforter will guide and direct you.

This is when you get personal direction.
 
S

StevieJ

Banned
#4
Jul 30, 2015
116
1
0
#4
Do what Jesus done raise the dead heal the sick cast out demons. Feed the hungry give to the needy. preach the good news. Not the bad news that so many love to share. Its Good news Jesus died. Its good news he raised again. its good news we get to lay hands on the sick and see them healed if we believe Him. Thats Gos plan for everyones life. Thats the plan for every Christian on the planet.
 
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atwhatcost

Guest
#5
#5
NFD33 said:
So, I have a question and I will try to ask it as simply as possible. The question is essentially how do you know what God's will (or plan) for you is?

I ask this because we always hear of God's plan, but I don't always know when it's God or when it's me, if that makes sense. There are things that happen that are clearly the work of God. But many times, is hard for me to tell. There is something that has been on my heart for awhile. I truthfully don't know if it is on my heart because I want it to be or if God wants it to be. I want to do what God wants me to do. If it's what I want to do too, that's a bonus. But I don't want to go against God's will for my life.

I hope I haven't been too confusing. Would just like to hear from others who struggle or have struggled with this.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I always figured it out by doing it. It doesn't take long if it's the wrong choice, and sure beats doing nothing.
 
E

elf3

Guest
#6
#6
God's Will for all our lives is to live for Him. If we are not living for God we are out of His Will. The best answer I can give for "what God has for you" to do as far as a "job" is pray. And then pray some more. Pray to the Holy Spirit for direction and He will lead you in the correct path for you. But no matter what you do...live for God. I didn't end up "where I necessarily wanted" but I will do it for God.
 
Budman

Budman

Senior Member
#7
Mar 9, 2014
4,153
1,999
113
#7
It's simple. God's will is found in the Bible.


Read it.
 
V

VioletReigns

Guest
#9
#9
NFD33 said:
So, I have a question and I will try to ask it as simply as possible. The question is essentially how do you know what God's will (or plan) for you is?

I ask this because we always hear of God's plan, but I don't always know when it's God or when it's me, if that makes sense. There are things that happen that are clearly the work of God. But many times, is hard for me to tell. There is something that has been on my heart for awhile. I truthfully don't know if it is on my heart because I want it to be or if God wants it to be. I want to do what God wants me to do. If it's what I want to do too, that's a bonus. But I don't want to go against God's will for my life.

I hope I haven't been too confusing. Would just like to hear from others who struggle or have struggled with this.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Oswald Chambers' quote from the book, "My Utmost for His Highest" may help you understand better:

The Compelling Purpose of God
Today's Devotional for August 3, 2015

[He…said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…" —Luke 18:31]

Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Seeking to do “the will of the Father” was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord’s life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. “…He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem…” (Luke 9:51).

The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16).

We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God’s purpose— we are taken into God’s purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God’s goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God’s aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming.

At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God’s purpose is. We say, “God means for me to go over there,” and, “God has called me to do this special work.” We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. “He took the twelve aside…” (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.
 
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Gr8grace

Guest
#10
#10
Grow in grace and knowledge........study,study and study. Get to know His mind.

We all have a tendency to think," Are we in the right spot geographically? Are we doing His will? did I make the right decision? How do I deal with work? Am I at the right job? And so on and so on!"

When in reality, it is do unto the Lord right where your at and in the the things you do.

Jesus Christ is our example and showed us how to live the Christian way of Life.

In Kenosis, Jesus Christ voluntarily gave up some of His divine attributes and operated through the power of the Spirit in every instance in His humanity.................But He did not have a sin nature. This is where Paul comes in.

Jesus Christ was filled and walked in the Spirit and never broke fellowship with the Spirit. We can grieve or quench the Spirit And be out of fellowship.

What is the will of the Father for each and every one of us.............to be filled and to walk in the Spirit. If we do this, each of us will have a personal sense of destiny no matter where we are, what we are doing or what decisions we make. We will do Gods will for our lives if we are filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. It doesn't matter if we are a single electrician in Chicago or a married house wife living of the grid in Alaska with 10 kids.
 
Magenta

Magenta

Senior Member
#11
Jul 3, 2015
57,032
26,760
113
#11
atwhatcost said:
Simple? Then what is it?
Click to expand...
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.”
 
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atwhatcost

Guest
#12
#12
Magenta said:
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.”
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Actually, I was thinking his purpose is to have himself a people who will love him and worship him eternally.

Or, to bring those the Father has chosen to redemption to serve him.

Or, to have himself a people willing and able to help.

Or...

LOL

Kind of why I asked. It seems to be one vast purpose that's hard to pinpoint if you're but one of his kids. And gets even more vague when it comes to "How can I serve you today, Lord? How can I serve you in this life, Lord?" So, simply saying "read the Bible" doesn't make it simple. :)
 
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atwhatcost

Guest
#13
#13
NFD33 said:
So, I have a question and I will try to ask it as simply as possible. The question is essentially how do you know what God's will (or plan) for you is?

I ask this because we always hear of God's plan, but I don't always know when it's God or when it's me, if that makes sense. There are things that happen that are clearly the work of God. But many times, is hard for me to tell. There is something that has been on my heart for awhile. I truthfully don't know if it is on my heart because I want it to be or if God wants it to be. I want to do what God wants me to do. If it's what I want to do too, that's a bonus. But I don't want to go against God's will for my life.

I hope I haven't been too confusing. Would just like to hear from others who struggle or have struggled with this.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Since this seems more important than most things on Page 1 here, AND I'm incredibly nosy, got to ask, did you get the answer you needed from anyone? It doesn't matter who so much, as I'd like to make sure you got an answer that helped. (This sounds like a question many wonder on here.) And, if you didn't, can you add more to see if we can get on the right track better?
 
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NFD33

Guest
#14
#14
Well....kinda. For me, I have had things happen in life where it is abundantly clear that God was at work. For example, I am currently going through a divorce. It was something that needed to happen because we just weren't meant to be together. However, I refused the thought of divorce due to my vows. Well...go to last year where I caught my wife having an affair (found the hard evidence is more appropriate--I had suspected for awhile). An affair was my one deal breaker where I would ask for a divorce. Do I think God made my wife have an affair just so we could get divorced? Absolutely not. Do I think He put me in the right place at the right time to literally stumble on the evidence I needed? You bet. I mention that because it is a bad situation. But, I needed to find out about it. I found out at literally the last moment I would have had the opportunity to find what I did. It also happened when I was changing jobs. This was the Friday before I started a new job on Monday. A job that took be from 24 hr shifts (firefighter) to an 8-5 job. This career change was something she once wanted, but then didn't want (presumably because it would interfere with the affair). But, being in a new job in a new place was a blessing on many levels.

I say all of that because even through a bad situation, I saw God at work. As I move forward, I struggle daily with "what's next?" As I go through each day reflecting on the past and looking towards the future, so many opportunities are put in front of me. I want to do what God wants me to do. I could easily make all sorts of decisions and just "see what happens," but I don't believe that is God's will. I pray a lot about different things and just hope I'm not praying against God's will. I hope I'm making sense. Essentially, God's will will be done, I just don't want to intentionally complicate things.

Thanks for the input.
 
J

jb

Senior Member
#15
Feb 27, 2010
4,940
591
113
#15
NFD33 said:
So, I have a question and I will try to ask it as simply as possible. The question is essentially how do you know what God's will (or plan) for you is?

I ask this because we always hear of God's plan, but I don't always know when it's God or when it's me, if that makes sense. There are things that happen that are clearly the work of God. But many times, is hard for me to tell. There is something that has been on my heart for awhile. I truthfully don't know if it is on my heart because I want it to be or if God wants it to be. I want to do what God wants me to do. If it's what I want to do too, that's a bonus. But I don't want to go against God's will for my life.

I hope I haven't been too confusing. Would just like to hear from others who struggle or have struggled with this.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You can find a short study Here on seeking and receiving guidance from God...

Yahweh Shalom
 
B

blondieindahouse

Banned
#16
Jun 23, 2015
1,990
37
0
#16
atwhatcost said:
I always figured it out by doing it. It doesn't take long if it's the wrong choice, and sure beats doing nothing.
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Thats exactly what the enemy would have you do so he can put a snare in your life. Some decisions may be less devastating than others but nonetheless a wrong turn and a wrong path. Gods will for our lives will come with fasting,much prayer and focusing on others rather than me me me and I I I
 
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blondieindahouse

Banned
#17
Jun 23, 2015
1,990
37
0
#17
atwhatcost said:
Actually, I was thinking his purpose is to have himself a people who will love him and worship him eternally.

Or, to bring those the Father has chosen to redemption to serve him.

Or, to have himself a people willing and able to help.

Or...

LOL

Kind of why I asked. It seems to be one vast purpose that's hard to pinpoint if you're but one of his kids. And gets even more vague when it comes to "How can I serve you today, Lord? How can I serve you in this life, Lord?" So, simply saying "read the Bible" doesn't make it simple. :)
Click to expand...
I actually think thats pretty obvious I mean as to how to serve the Lord that is. He gave us all gifts. Some are blessed with more than others but we serve in the capacity that God enabled us; with our giftedness.
 
Nautilus

Nautilus

Senior Member
#18
Jun 29, 2012
6,488
53
48
#18
I check on here. If there are more than 3 threads on the topic consisting of 20 pages of arguing, then I assume its not God's will.
 
B

blondieindahouse

Banned
#19
Jun 23, 2015
1,990
37
0
#19
NFD33 when we are seeking > its a good idea to fast and commit to much prayer during the fast. Its shows obedience and surrender to Gods leading. God answers the prayers of the righteous and the one who slays his flesh. God honors a fast. Set the perimeters of your fast with Gods leading and go to it! You will have clarity on things when you come out of it.


The first aspect of God's sanctifying work through fasting is humility. Humility is essential for holiness. Without it, we cannot live up to the life that God has called us to live (iPe 1:15-16). Fasting is one of the chief means of the Bible to humble ourselves. "I humbled my soul with fasting," Ps 35:13.


I pray the Lord blesses you through your fast and you have some miraculous things happen in your life. Amen
 
G

Gr8grace

Guest
#20
#20
NFD33 said:
Well....kinda. For me, I have had things happen in life where it is abundantly clear that God was at work. For example, I am currently going through a divorce. It was something that needed to happen because we just weren't meant to be together. However, I refused the thought of divorce due to my vows. Well...go to last year where I caught my wife having an affair (found the hard evidence is more appropriate--I had suspected for awhile). An affair was my one deal breaker where I would ask for a divorce. Do I think God made my wife have an affair just so we could get divorced? Absolutely not. Do I think He put me in the right place at the right time to literally stumble on the evidence I needed? You bet. I mention that because it is a bad situation. But, I needed to find out about it. I found out at literally the last moment I would have had the opportunity to find what I did. It also happened when I was changing jobs. This was the Friday before I started a new job on Monday. A job that took be from 24 hr shifts (firefighter) to an 8-5 job. This career change was something she once wanted, but then didn't want (presumably because it would interfere with the affair). But, being in a new job in a new place was a blessing on many levels.

I say all of that because even through a bad situation, I saw God at work. As I move forward, I struggle daily with "what's next?" As I go through each day reflecting on the past and looking towards the future, so many opportunities are put in front of me. I want to do what God wants me to do. I could easily make all sorts of decisions and just "see what happens," but I don't believe that is God's will. I pray a lot about different things and just hope I'm not praying against God's will. I hope I'm making sense. Essentially, God's will will be done, I just don't want to intentionally complicate things.

Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...
IMO, We have a tendency to think that there are right and wrong decisions....period.

I don't believe this. For the positive believer, you sure seem to be one, there are wrong, good,better and best decisions . As we grow in Christ, the wrong decisions are pretty easy to recognize. But for the positive believer God places decisions and opportunities before us that are good,better and best. And as we mature the best decisions become easier to recognize.

For example......your Job opportunity. You know it is not wrong to take a different job. You don't need to worry if it was the wrong decision. Was it the best decision? Only you know that. So I don't believe we need to worry what is "Next"

We all, with relative ease, can see the wrong choice. But there is nothing wrong with making a good choice, a better choice or a best choice. The good choice may be made, because we don't have the capacity to make the best choice at the time.

Make sense?
 
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