What is God’s Will for My Life?

The Wrestle of Knowing For Sure

“I want to do and know the will of God in my life!” This is what most Christians with good intentions and a heart to follow God often say, but in reality, many believers struggle to truly understand what is the will of God for their lives.

This is especially paralyzing for newer believers or those who have been in the faith for a long time, who struggle to determine what they should do in their lives. What school should I go to? What career should I pursue? Who will I marry? Will I get married? What should I be doing every single day? These are questions internally that plague the minds of so many who want to know exactly what the plan of God is for their life. I know from personal experience that for the longest time, even to this day at times, I struggle to see exactly what God has for me or wants me to do in particular seasons. What is the solution to this?

Well, thankfully, we have the word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Church to help us find out what the will of God is over our life. 

But before we even get into what we can find out about the will of God according to scripture, let's define what the “Will of God” is.

The Will of God Defined

The will of God; what God desires or intends to happen, encompassing both his general plan for the universe and specific guidance for individuals, specifically His church. 

The Two Dimensions of God’s Will 

God’s General Will for All of His People

• Salvation found in Jesus Christ alone
• Holiness or living a life set apart for Him in obedience to His word and principles. 
• Loving God and loving others as we love ourselves in complete mind, soul, & strength. 

God’s Unique Plan for Your Life

• Calling - Prophet, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Apostle, etc.
• Vocation - Career to help with financial provision
• Timing - When to pursue certain people, seasons, ministries, vocations, etc. 

Common Misconceptions About God’s Will

• God’s will is not hidden to His people. God desires for us to seek Him and to pursue what He is so eager to give to us. It also is not a one-time decision. We serve a God of grace and mercy, He is willing and able to give us multiple chances to have His will revealed in our life. 
• God’s will is not about being perfect in every single decision we make. If that were true, Jesus would not need to come and give us access to God through the Holy Spirit who desires us to be led into all truth. We also are not sinless on this side of eternity; God can redeem us and the poor choices we make along the way to ensure that His will be done in and through His church. We do not have to fear “missing it”. God wants us to rest in Him and He promises to come near to us when we submit to Him and resist the enemy.

God’s Revealed Will According to Scripture

God’s Will For All

• Salvation (1 Timothy 2:3–4) - 'This is good and pleases God our Savior. God wants everyone to be saved and to fully understand the truth. '
• Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3) - 'God wants you to be holy. He wants you to stay away from sexual sins. '
• Gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) - 'Always be full of joy. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus. '
• Doing Good (1 Peter 2:15) - 'When you do good, you stop ignorant people from saying foolish things about you. This is what God wants. '

Living in Alignment with God’s Character

• Living with love, justice, humility, and faithfulness.
• 'Human, the Lord has told you what goodness is. This is what he wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God. ' - Micah 6:8
• Love is the central basis of our faith in God and His character as well.
• Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” ' - Matthew 22:37-40
• God treasures commitment and love over ritual and sacrifice done religiously. 
• 'This is because I want faithful love, not sacrifice. I want people to know God, not to bring burnt offerings. ' - Hosea 6:6
• God desires justice to the oppressed; mercy to those burdened; and for His people to truly take care of such people. 
• '“This is what the Lord All-Powerful said: ‘You must do what is right and fair. You must be kind and show mercy to each other. Don’t hurt widows and orphans, strangers, or poor people. Don’t even think of doing bad things to each other!’” ' - Zechariah 7:9-10
• Living in step with the Spirit, produces the fruit of the Spirit.
• 'But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. ' - Galatians 5:22-23
• True “religion” is shown in how we take care and speak of others.
• 'The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.' - James 1:27

Discovering God’s Unique Plan for Your Life

Develop Your Relationship with God

• Prayer - talking with God, drawing near to Him in worship ,dependence, and trust in who He is. 
• 'The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help. ' - Psalms 145:18
• Worship - honoring God with our entire being; in action, motive, and word with reverence and love. 
• 'Respect the Lord your God and serve only him. You must use only his name to make promises. ' - Deuteronomy 6:13
• Reading Scripture - engaging with the truth of God, to know Him in a deeper and truer way, and allowing Him to guide you. 
• 'Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take. ' - Psalms 119:105
• Listening to the Holy Spirit - being sensitive to the nudge felt in your heart, obeying the word the Holy Spirit tells you to do or not do, and to allow Him to comfort you.
• 'But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what will happen in the future. ' - John 16:13

Discovering & Using Your Spiritual Gifts, Talents, & Desires

• The Holy Spirit gives you spiritual gifts, after being born of the Spirit, that are not just for your personal growth but also to encourage, strengthen, and build up His church.
• Examples of Spiritual gifts include: Teaching, prophecy, tongues, giving, etc.
• 'God has shown you his grace in many different ways. So be good servants and use whatever gift he has given you in a way that will best serve each other. ' - 1 Peter 4:10
• Your natural talents and abilities that God gave you since being born can be used for His glory and tools to serve His kingdom, reflecting His excellence. 
• 'In all the work you are given, do the best you can. Work as though you are working for the Lord, not any earthly master. Remember that you will receive your reward from the Lord, who will give you what he promised his people. Yes, you are serving Christ. He is your real Master. ' - Colossians 3:23-24
• Examples of natural abilities include: Singing, writing, public speech, etc.
• God helps you, with the power of His Spirit, to align your desires with His desires. What excites or breaks your heart, may be a hint and sign to what your calling may be in your life. 
• 'Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him and he will do this: ' - Psalms 37:4-5
• Examples of passions aligned with God include: prayer for others; reaching the lost, peacemaking and reconciliation. 

Seek Wise Counsel

• Identify Godly, trustworthy people. Those who show the fruit of the Spirit consistently. This could pastors, leaders, or more spiritually mature Christians.
• Set up regular check-ins. Do not wait till life is crashing, if God gave you the nudge to ask for guidance, ask quickly and consistently.
• Test advice given with scripture. The truth is that your leaders and mentors are not perfect or all knowledgeable, make sure what they say does not contradict scripture.
• Pray before and after seeking wise counsel. Ensure that your heart is ready to receive what God may reveal or say through those you look to, but also that you allow the Holy Spirit to compel you to go to His word.
• Be honest and humble. Allow others to speak and challenge you, not to affirm every decision you may make. God wants to refine you in this process of seeking what He wants for your life.
• Seek a variety of perspectives. Have more than just one trusted voice in your life to give you insight on what you seek, Be careful though, too many voices, especially those not mature enough or aligned with God can cloud judgment. 
• Take notes and reflect on what you receive. Ask God to reveal what is beneficial and what is not. What is true to His word, and what is not. What gives you His peace, and what gives you a fake type of comfort and peace. 
• Do not go to yes-men. Truth be told, you need people in your life to tell you things you do not always want to hear. These are the people who challenge you to become who God calls you to be, and trust what He has for your life. 

Conclusion

So, what is God’s will for your life? It is more about becoming than doing. It is more about relationship with God and others, than just direction in specific areas of life. 

The good news is that you do not need to figure it all out in one day. Walk with God one day, one step at a time. Be faithful over the little things you KNOW God is calling you to now, and He will give you clarity over time. Let go of the fear you have, and trust in God’s sovereignty.

God cares far more of how you live and being more like Jesus than where you think you are supposed to be, who you are called to marry, and what you could be doing for ministry or work. This truly please the Father.