The Will of God

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God, Romans 12:2.

The biggest problem most Christians have in finding the will of God is that they are either too conformed to this world, or they are not allowing the word of God to transform their minds, or they are slack in what they do with their bodies.

There is no substitute for a person having a daily walk with the Lord that includes time with the word of God and a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship with Jesus Christ is built upon his word. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him, John 14:23. A person living such a life is sensitive to God's will in his or her life.

From time to time, a person serious about staying in the will of God is confronted with difficult choices. I myself have had times in my life when there was an urgency to knowing what God wanted me to do. There were decisions that I needed to make wherein my family or church needed me to sort through many available options and to find out which one was from God and how he wanted me to handle it.

I have found a way to get in touch with the Lord and to find absolute assurance about truly important decisions. I don't do this often, only when truly life impacting decisions needed to be made, but each time it was absolutely essential that I get it right. I have shared this with a few people who themselves found peace in their decision making.

The first thing that I do is to find a place where I can be alone and talk out loud to God. I like to pace at such times. I then find a psalm of anywhere from 6 to 10 verses. I get alone, go into my spot and I do two things, I read the psalm to the Lord, and then I explain to him how I see the problem and the choices before me.

I begin to beseech him to show me which of the many options that I have is the right one, and once I know which one is right, please show me how and when to implement it. I go to great lengths going over each of my options and what the strengths and drawbacks are for each one.

Because I am a human being, eventually I get tired of praying like that. I then begin to memorize the psalm that I have chosen. This needs to be a precise memorization in which I quote it out loud as I memorize each verse.

If you are anything like me, you will memorize the first verse fairly quickly and then go on to the second. As you get the second verse memorized, you will then realize that you have forgotten exactly how the first verse was worded. Go back and get it right.

Because we are human, you will weary of memorizing. Go back and begin to reframe the question that you have for the Lord. Plead with him to show you mercy as you sort through your options. Spell out the pitfalls you perceive in each choice and the good you see in each choice. Be as specific as possible.

Eventually, you will grow very weary of that prayer. Go back to your psalm. Make sure that you are memorizing it exactly. I have spent hours alone going back and forth memorizing the psalm and begging the Lord. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, James 1:6.

Trust that the Lord wants you to follow his will. Realize that he will not speak to you audibly. It is the eyes of your understanding that the Lord seeks to open.

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

That same great God who wants to give you understanding of his purpose through the ages can surely make known his will for you. It may take more than one time. You may have to stop and go back. It is best if you can schedule a time when you can go on for a very long time. When he does make his will known, it will be a still small voice.

At some point, the Lord has been gracious enough to make me see the entire problem through the eyes of faith. Each time that I have set myself in that secret place and placed myself at the mercy of God desperate to know his will in a life impacting decision, he has graciously given me understanding. It suddenly appeared absolutely plain what I should do.

The same God who showed Daniel the vision can make his will known to you. In each and every time that I have so set myself to understand God's will, he has graciously given me a moment wherein I could see the entire situation clearly and it just appeared obvious what I should do.

When that moment comes, seize it. Hold fast to what the Lord in his graciousness so clearly showed you. You now have the will of God. With both wisdom and boldness, make it happen.