Seeking God's Will

Perhaps their is no question I am asked more as a pastor than how do I seek God's will on something? Issues and decisions arise in our lives that as a Christian we are unclear in regards to how to proceed. As a Christian, our hearts desire should be to be in the will of God in all aspects of our lives, but how do we find that place when we are unsure. In order to seek and to find God's will about something, we must learn how to listen to God. Here are some ways we can be more confident we are seeking His will and listening to what God has to say. Charles Stanley wrote a wonderful book many years ago entitled "How to Listen to God." Here are a few of his insights on seeking and finding God's will:


God's Word: The simplest and most direct way to seek and find God's will is in His word. If in anyway one side of a decision or issue contradicts God's word, we can be sure it is not God's will. God's word should always be the place where we begin, but what if the issue we are struggling with is not clearly spelled out in the bible? How should we discern God's voice and His will?

What does the world say? If the world says it's permissible, it's probably not OK with God. The world and the flesh are at odds with the ways of God. Even if it's not clearly spelled out in the bible, if the world says go, chances are, we should stop.

Compromising our faith: If in any way we would be compromising what we believe, we should understand it's probably not the will of God. We can compromise on many things in life, but our faith is not one of them. The bible exhorts us to "earnestly contend" for the faith, not find ways to undermine it. Compromising our faith is never the will of God.

Courage: God's way is rarely the easy way. In most instances the choice to follow God will require courage. If the decision is seemingly the easy way, we need to ask is this really God's will?

How will my decision impact others? God's way is to always put anothers needs over our own. If the decision is best for us but may have adverse effects on others in our life, is it really God's will?

Patience: God often requires us to wait for His will to be revealed. He does this to grow us and increase our trust in Him. Tough decisions normally come with much prayer and even fasting. Do we have peace when we pray? Have we taken the time to examine the decision from God's point of view? God often makes us wait on Him.

Seek Godly Counsel: It is always appropriate to seek the counsel of mature Christians in regards to difficult circumstances. God often communicates His wisdom to us through others.

Our circumstances: What do the circumstances in your life say? It could be financial, personal, a family concern; do we believe we see God's hand in something. God speaks through our circumstances.

Our peace: After much meditation in the word and prayer. After carefully seeking to find God's will, do we have peace. If we do not, we can be pretty sure, it is not God's will.

When we believe we have found God's will, their is only one question left: will we obey? Many times God's will conflicts with ours. For the Christian their is only one place we can be and be an effective servant for Him, in His will. will we take the step of faith that is often necessary to be where He intends us to be?