Tweet
Scripturally speaking, we see many examples in the Old Testament of God having pinpoint plans for our lives. While in some of the Saint's life stories, it was not obvious at the time, but in hindsight, it was clear that God was working toward an end. Yes, we do have a choice to choose not to follow God's plan, if we are not listening to Him, and this being because we lack fellowship with him. However, those who are in fellowship, as a horse yielding to the bridle under the rider, move naturally in the prompted direction.
The broader concept is often referred as God’s decretive, sovereign, or hidden will. By this, theologians refer to the will of God by which He sovereignly ordains everything that comes to pass. Because God is sovereign and His will can never be frustrated, we can be sure that nothing happens over which He is not in control. He at least must “permit” whatever happens to happen. Yet even when God passively permits things to happen, He chooses to permit them in that He always has the power and right to intervene and prevent the actions and events of this world.
Though God’s sovereign will is often hidden from us until after it comes to pass, there is one aspect of His will that is plain to us—His preceptive will. Here God reveals His will through His holy Word. Finding God’s will comes when one lives his life daily for the Lord according to the truth.
God’s immediate will is summed up in Romans 12:1-2: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
1. Present your bodies a living sacrifice. (verse 1)
2. By not conformed to this world. (verse 2)
3. By transformed by the renewing of your mind. (verse 2)
God’s will is simply that we live today for Him, giving our lives sacrificially to Him, and He in turn moves us to where He wants us to be and uses us as it pleases Him. We are to pray seeking God’s will and making ourselves available. If we have the desire to teach or even be a pastor or missionary, we should seek to determine if we have the God given ability. Then we wait ready for God to open a door or means to use the gifting. If it is God’s will, the door will open and the means to use our God given gifts will present itself.
Many Christians become preoccupied or even obsessed with finding the “will” of God for their lives. We should not concern ourselves with seeking God’s will in the sense of trying to know the future, but rather determine to obey God moment by moment, and thereby be in His will. Ecclesiastes 12:13 states it well, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
We need to realize that God rarely lets us know the future and He has a reason for doing so. If we knew the future, it would be our natural reaction to work toward accomplishing it. But God does not want us to accomplish His will for us in the flesh and in our human power, but rather being dependent on Him, letting Him bring about HIS will in our lives. Then what is accomplished will honor the Lord and He will be able to use us at according to the potential given us by His Holy Spirit, to reach others for Christ.
To clarify, God's will for us mentally, emotionally and morally is taught us through the Word of God. His sovereign will universal and personally, is how we fit in His grand plan by means of our own life choices and use of our resources and gifting’s. God's universal will is clear and indisputable because it is spelled out in His Word. God's will secretively is in large most of what we don't know ahead of time, but requires the assurance that He is in control and intimately moving us into completion of His sovereign will.
The question would again come to bear, does God have a specific choice for our marriage, our occupation, our home, which city we live in? Most teachers in the faith answer "yes", God has a specific plan for each of us. Although some matters may be more multiple choice or by personal preference, there will be a leaning in even those matters, as the Spirit directs.. As mentioned above, when we walk closer to Him, the transparency of choice become less vague and more defined. Our purpose in life is not to choose our own plan but to discover His plan (Jeremiah 1:5). When we discover God’s will, we will simultaneously discover a supernatural empowerment to do what He has called us to do (1 John 2:27). This supernatural empowerment is called an anointing, or a divine enablement, from God that removes burdens and destroys yokes.
As we set our hearts to obey the fundamental truths and other facets of God's clearly revealed will in Scripture, we are aligned to discover God's specific will for our life. It doesn't matter which question we might be asking right now, from the great number of seemingly important and urgent decisions we may face. By committing ourselves to follow God's universal will, we open the door for God to reveal His specific will for our life.
Although some may have already discovered bits and pieces of His plan, we will not be truly satisfied until we know, with certainty, what He has called us to do. If we have already discovered God’s call for our life, we should not sit and wait for Him to do everything for is. As Paul understood his divine appointment, he actively pursued and operated within the anointing he had received.
The broader concept is often referred as God’s decretive, sovereign, or hidden will. By this, theologians refer to the will of God by which He sovereignly ordains everything that comes to pass. Because God is sovereign and His will can never be frustrated, we can be sure that nothing happens over which He is not in control. He at least must “permit” whatever happens to happen. Yet even when God passively permits things to happen, He chooses to permit them in that He always has the power and right to intervene and prevent the actions and events of this world.
Though God’s sovereign will is often hidden from us until after it comes to pass, there is one aspect of His will that is plain to us—His preceptive will. Here God reveals His will through His holy Word. Finding God’s will comes when one lives his life daily for the Lord according to the truth.
God’s immediate will is summed up in Romans 12:1-2: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
1. Present your bodies a living sacrifice. (verse 1)
2. By not conformed to this world. (verse 2)
3. By transformed by the renewing of your mind. (verse 2)
God’s will is simply that we live today for Him, giving our lives sacrificially to Him, and He in turn moves us to where He wants us to be and uses us as it pleases Him. We are to pray seeking God’s will and making ourselves available. If we have the desire to teach or even be a pastor or missionary, we should seek to determine if we have the God given ability. Then we wait ready for God to open a door or means to use the gifting. If it is God’s will, the door will open and the means to use our God given gifts will present itself.
Many Christians become preoccupied or even obsessed with finding the “will” of God for their lives. We should not concern ourselves with seeking God’s will in the sense of trying to know the future, but rather determine to obey God moment by moment, and thereby be in His will. Ecclesiastes 12:13 states it well, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
We need to realize that God rarely lets us know the future and He has a reason for doing so. If we knew the future, it would be our natural reaction to work toward accomplishing it. But God does not want us to accomplish His will for us in the flesh and in our human power, but rather being dependent on Him, letting Him bring about HIS will in our lives. Then what is accomplished will honor the Lord and He will be able to use us at according to the potential given us by His Holy Spirit, to reach others for Christ.
To clarify, God's will for us mentally, emotionally and morally is taught us through the Word of God. His sovereign will universal and personally, is how we fit in His grand plan by means of our own life choices and use of our resources and gifting’s. God's universal will is clear and indisputable because it is spelled out in His Word. God's will secretively is in large most of what we don't know ahead of time, but requires the assurance that He is in control and intimately moving us into completion of His sovereign will.
The question would again come to bear, does God have a specific choice for our marriage, our occupation, our home, which city we live in? Most teachers in the faith answer "yes", God has a specific plan for each of us. Although some matters may be more multiple choice or by personal preference, there will be a leaning in even those matters, as the Spirit directs.. As mentioned above, when we walk closer to Him, the transparency of choice become less vague and more defined. Our purpose in life is not to choose our own plan but to discover His plan (Jeremiah 1:5). When we discover God’s will, we will simultaneously discover a supernatural empowerment to do what He has called us to do (1 John 2:27). This supernatural empowerment is called an anointing, or a divine enablement, from God that removes burdens and destroys yokes.
As we set our hearts to obey the fundamental truths and other facets of God's clearly revealed will in Scripture, we are aligned to discover God's specific will for our life. It doesn't matter which question we might be asking right now, from the great number of seemingly important and urgent decisions we may face. By committing ourselves to follow God's universal will, we open the door for God to reveal His specific will for our life.
Although some may have already discovered bits and pieces of His plan, we will not be truly satisfied until we know, with certainty, what He has called us to do. If we have already discovered God’s call for our life, we should not sit and wait for Him to do everything for is. As Paul understood his divine appointment, he actively pursued and operated within the anointing he had received.