Understanding the will of God for your life Part 1

Knowing and understanding the will of God for our lives is the one thing that many Christians struggle with. Discerning the will of God is fundamental, yet very complex because most Christians do not understand the first step in discerning the will of God for their lives. To illustrate that, the first thing that comes to mind was when Jesus spoke of the Father’s will in Gethsemane when He was praying in Matthew 26:39-“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”This is a perfect example of what God’s will is.So the “will of God” was for Jesus to die. This was His plan, His decree. There was no changing it, all Jesus did, He bowed and said, “Not my will but thine will be done”. In layman’s terms, “Here’s what I want, but you do what is best to do.” That’s the sovereign will of God.

God’s will can be categorized into God’s sovereign or decretive will which is also called His “hidden” will. God’s will is “sovereign” in that it shows God to be the Sovereign ruler of the universe who ordains all that happens. The will of God is God’s sovereign governance, His sovereign control of all that comes to pass. There are many passages in the Bible that teach us that God’s providence over the universe extends to the smallest details of nature and human decisions. For example, Matthew 10:29 states -Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from our Father in heaven. Proverbs 16:33, said, The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord”. In addition, Proverbs 16:1-The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord”. Proverbs 21:1-The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will”. God’s sovereign will or his “will of decree” cannot be broken. It always comes to pass. Moreover, Daniel 4:35 said, -He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’. Lastly, Revelation 3:7 states What God opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. All these verses speak of God’s sovereign power and control He has over the affairs of this world, particularly when it concerns His children.

God’s revealed or preceptive will is not hidden from us. God’s will of command is revealed with final, decisive authority and is found in the Bible. This facet of God’s will includes that which God has chosen to reveal to us. His precepts are plainly stated, everything you need to know about your life is revealed in God’s word, the bible. Knowing and understanding the will of God for your life is key. It is fundamental because it is found in God’s words. As Christians we make the mistakes of running away from God, running ahead of God or choosing to seize the control of our lives from God and telling Him what we will or will not do or that we seem to know what’s best for our lives. We want to do what we think God wants us to do, when in reality the will of God is crystal clear, clear as coconut water. God is not on our wavelength and often feels the need to go ahead of God because God is not on our agenda.

Christians who have been transformed have a longing desire to do the will of our father. We want to know God’s will for our lives. Knowing and understanding the will of God for our lives is basic. It is fundamental to every Christian believer.  Understanding the will of God is reading the bible and following the principles God laid out for you to follow. For example, in Jeremiah 29:11 said,- For I know the plan that I have for you declares the Lord. Plans for your welfare and not for your harm. Plans to give you a future and a hope. When we read this text, we know that God has great plans for our lives. Just like a parent who wants to see his/her children succeed, God wants the same for us. In Deuteronomy chapter 28:1-14 are the list of blessings that follow obedience, however in verses 15-68 are the list of curses. The chapters that followed continued with the covenant and chapter 30:19 God said, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

Application-

In the context of these texts, God’s will is to give us a great future. When you analyze the text, you see  an element of choice. While God is telling us that He has all these great plans for our lives, yet he’s asking us to choose the right path. In Deuteronomy 28 the author listed all the blessings and curses, yet he kept reiterating to choose life. This reveals God as the Father who has great plans for His children. As God’s children we often missed the mark and fell short of the glory of God. We walk away from the path God laid out for our lives. We often make choices that are contrary to the great plans God has for us. Similarly as parents, children make decisions contrary to their parents’ initial plan for their lives. As God’s children, we need to learn to surrender our will to our heavenly father and to know that God has our interests at heart and desire to give us His best. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us-Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. To be able to do that, we need a renewed mind to understand and embrace what God commands us in the Scriptures. Without the renewed mind, we will have a distorted view of the Scriptures. We will select the feel good scriptures and avoid scriptures’ radical commands for self-denial, love, purity, and the source of supreme satisfaction that is found in Christ alone. On one hand, you need a renewed heart, a renewed mind that can discern how to apply God’s word. On the other hand, we need to ask God to give us a new revelation of what to do. God desires to give us a new mind, a new way of thinking and judging, not just new information. God wants us to be transformed, sanctified, freed by the truth of his revealed word taken from John 8:32 & 17:17. Once you have been transformed, the next step is applying God’s will of command, which is the discerning application of the Scriptures to new life situations through the renewed mind.