MAKING DECISIONS Part 3 – Knowing God’s Will

Doing the will of God is something that we want to do in life. In making decisions, we want to make sure that what we do is approved by God. So, we plan out and seek God through prayer and the bible; seeking God’s will and following the guidance of God. 

There are plenty of people today who want to know God’s will. There are people who want to find out about what the future is for them regarding their romance, jobs, business, and general decisions in life. They seek horoscopes to tell of their future. Even Christians today are challenged as to how to seek God’s will for them by using the horoscope. Consulting horoscopes and astrology are unbiblical. The Bible expressly forbids divination, sorcery, and hidden arts as written in Deuteronomy 18:10-15. God’s people are to seek and heed God only (Deuteronomy 18:15).

We force the specific will of God upon us by asking for signs in the clouds and other things. Some of us even do the Russian roulette thing with regard to the Bible. We take the Bible, flip the pages and we randomly point to a particular verse and say. “That is the verse for me.” Looking to the clouds and doing Bible roulette are not the main ways to seek God’s will.  You may be sitting there, waiting, waiting, and waiting. You may be very uncertain about your future and you may have anxiety that brews within you as well. Because right now in your life, you are about to make some major decisions. You are at the crossroads of life.

WORD

Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform 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.” (NIV)

THE WILL OF GOD

Romans 12:2 tells us that the will of God is GOOD, PLEASING, and PERFECT. What a very beautiful description of the will of God. It is good, pleasing and it is totally satisfying. But the world doesn’t want you to know the will of God. The world wants you to leave or run away from the will of God. It wants to deceive you. It wants to give you illusions because the world is under the control of the devil who is the father of all lies.

Dr. Richard Teo Keng Siang gave testimony before succumbing to cancer. He came from a poor family. He studied medicine and rose to the top in aesthetics medicine. He earned lots of money, This he realized:

“I thought true joy is about pursuing wealth but it’s not. On my deathbed, I found no joy whatsoever in whatever objects I had – my Ferrari, thinking of the land I was going to buy to build my bungalow, and having a successful business. It brought me zero comforts, zero joy, nothing at all. Do you think I can hold onto this piece of metal and it’s going to give true joy? Don’t let society tell you how to live. Don’t let the media tell you what you are supposed to do, because that’s what happened to me. And I led this life thinking all these things are going to bring me happiness. I think true joy comes from knowing God. Not knowing about God. You can read the Bible and know about God but knowing God personally. Getting a relationship with God, I think that’s the most important and that’s what I’ve learned.”

THE WILL OF GOD SATISFIES

The will of God is what truly satisfies. The world is creating a mirage, an illusion to deceive you. It promises so much but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.  1 John 2:17 says, “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (NIV)” You see, it’s the will of God that matters.

What is the key to knowing God’s will? The key to knowing God’s will is having the mind of Christ. Romans 12:2 says, – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (NIV).” Paul says the key to knowing the will of God is through the renewing of your mind. Conversely, if there is no renewing of the mind, there is no consistent way for you to discern the will of God for you.

Sure, we need to pray and look at what God is showing us. But the key is having the mind of Christ. A mind that is renewed, updated, and changed. Not just your old ways of thinking but the new ways of thinking. God is saying to us today: The main way by which you know God’s will is when your mind is shaped and influenced by the Word of God. When our mind is shaped by the Word of God, we can discern what God is saying to us and what God wants us to do for a particular situation. That’s what it means. And that’s how God leads you in your life.

THE MIND OF CHRIST

 God spoke to people in the past in many ways. In Hebrews chapter 1, He spoke to many people many times, in different ways: some by voices, some by signs, and some through the Bible. But the Bible does say, in the last days, He speaks to us through His son, Jesus. And Jesus is known through the Scriptures. I’m telling you today that God still speaks to us. He can choose to speak to you through voices or signs. But today, God speaks to us primarily through His Word.

And whatever you learned, whatever you decide will never be in contradiction with the Word of God. Because that’s how God speaks to you today. And so your minds must be renewed, shaped, and fashioned to think as Jesus would think. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:23 “…to be made new in the attitude of your minds” (NIV) It’s not just some verses that you memorized in your head, but the Word of God has shaped the way you think.

The key way to knowing the will of God is having a mind that is so renewed that it thinks as Jesus would think, as governed by the Scriptures. That’s the way God wants to lead you in your life. When you realize that the secret of knowing God’s will is having the mind of Christ, you change your prayer. Instead of saying, “God, tell me”,  you now say, “God, grow me.” Teach me. Change my mind. Reconstruct my thoughts. Shape my mind to be like Jesus. Instead of worrying and stressing and being anxious about the future that you cannot know. Desiring to know the will of God is trusting God’s sovereignty and believing He will do what’s best for us.

Instead of obsessing over the future that you do not know, focus on the present of who you know – YOURSELF. Focus on the present and on being the person God wants you to be. He doesn’t tell you who he or she is, but He does tell you who He wants you to be. And instead of sitting there anxiously waiting and fretting over it and even going to the extent of murmuring, complaining, “God why is it that you have not given me a spouse?” Focus on obeying God in what He has revealed to you today.

Deal with weaknesses in your life. Grow in Jesus. Fellowship with God’s people. Be active in ministries. Serve others. Go and fellowship. Go and evangelize. And that is what God wants you to focus on. Now as you do what God wants you to do, it may be in the process of obeying God, He will reveal to you the next step to His will. He may reveal to you the 2nd step, the 3rd step, and eventually reveal to you the person He wants you to be with.

I’m not saying this is what you should do, and God will surely give you a spouse. There is no promise like this from the Bible. But you see, it’s a change from focusing on the future which is not in our hands, to doing what God wants for us today. I think the best guarantee that God will lead you tomorrow is you obey Him today.

The best guarantee for guidance tomorrow is obedience today. Why? Because the Bible says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. You take that first step, He leads you to the next step. You obey Him in the next step, He leads you to further steps. Realize that God is not here to just give you information but He wants to effect transformation. Instead of sitting in passive waiting, take steps of active obedience. And realize that the secret in knowing God’s will is having the mind of Christ.

LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION:

1) Do you tend to jump out in faith and then ask if it’s God’s will or ask for God’s will and wait until you clearly have an answer? 

2) Why is waiting for God’s will worth the wait?

3) Have you ever wanted something so bad that you convinced yourself that the reason you wanted it so bad is because God wanted you to have it? Why is having a desire for something not a good indicator of God’s leading?