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PROGRAM D-8397
One of the frequent questions I receive is how can a Christian know God’s will for their lives. I have pointed out that God’s will is not a great mystery or a treasure hunt. He will make it more than clear to us when we meet the prerequisites.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
If you want to know God’s will in your life—in any situation—you must make certain that you are continually being transformed by a renewing of your mind. What does this mean in everyday life? It means you must replace your own thinking with biblical thinking. How do you do that? You have to know the Bible; you have to stay in it daily; it must be your highest priority.
We know from 1 Corinthians 2:16 that as children of God, we have the mind of Christ within us because his Spirit lives in us. Therefore, the more you turn your mind over to the Spirit of God within you, the more you think biblically, the way Jesus thinks. Then, as Romans 12:2 says, you will be able to test and approve God’s will for you in any situation. No mystery or confusion when you meet God’s terms.
Another prerequisite, as found in Proverbs 3:5-6, is that we must not lean to our own understanding. You have to be totally open to God’s plan, rather than ask God to bless your plans. Maybe you’ve been trying to figure it all out and then give God the game plan. Doesn’t work that way; we can’t lean to our own understanding.
First Thessalonians 4:3-7 tells us, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God, and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. . .For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”
This makes God’s will pretty clear, doesn’t it? You must abstain from sexual sins, control your body, subdue your passions, and treat others fairly. That’s God’s will for each of us, and that will keep most of us busy for awhile.
Do you want to know God’s will for your life? Start working on these prerequisites. I promise you, by the authority of God’s Word, that when you are willing to live a pure life and you daily seek to have your mind transformed by the Word of God, allowing him to set the agenda, knowing what God wants you to do will not be a puzzle or a mystery. You’ll know the will of God for you.