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PROGRAM D-8399
Are you having some difficulty discovering God’s will? Those of us who are born from above have a God-given desire to know and do God’s will. Unfortunately, a lot of unbiblical thinking has infiltrated our minds such that sometimes we have the wrong idea about what God’s will is.
For example, many people think God’s will is some specific life, circumstance, or choice that we must discover and, if we don’t do it right, we’ll blow it. In other words, there is one person for you to marry, one school you should attend, one career you should pursue, one place you should live, one ministry you should have, etc. You’ve got to find that one set of circumstances. If you miss it, you’ve blown it for life and missed God’s will.
I don’t find anything in Scripture which teaches that God’s will for my life is one path and only one, and I must make sure I make perfect and flawless decisions at every point so I don’t miss God’s will. Believing that would be a frightful way to live because I would fear at every point that I might read the road signs incorrectly or not hear God’s voice clearly.
God is far more interested in who we are than where we are or what job we choose. His will is for me to become more and more like Jesus through close communion and fellowship, through his Word, and through obedience and a growing faith. I believe there are other paths I could have taken and have it still been in God’s will.
He is using me now in this ministry, in writing books, in speaking to groups, as well as in my church involvement. I love what I’m doing, but God could and would use me if I lived in another part of the country, never saw a radio studio, or never wrote a book. I think I would still have the gifts I have, but they would be used in a different setting.
Furthermore, as I more and more am filled with his Spirit, the desires of my heart will be his desires. In a sense, God’s will becomes my own desires. I can do what I want to do because I can trust him to give me good desires, good ambitions, and good goals. It’s the life of Christ living in me.
But let me tell you this: You’ve got to get in motion if you want to know God’s will. I think many times we ask God to give us the road map from here to the end, but we don’t want to start until the path is clear. God almost never works that way. It’s one step at a time. I find that God gives me clear understanding of his will when I’m already involved and moving.
What are you doing today that is helping others to know Jesus? What are you involved in that is eternally significant? You won’t know God’s will for your life sitting on the sidelines. Get involved; God uses people who are already moving.