How to Know God’s Will, Part 2: THE BIBLE
"What is God's will for my life?" is one of the most often asked questions that comes up when a person considers whether to be a GOER to the nations for the sake of the Gospel. This blog series will help you identify how God wants you to invest in the nations - whether that be as a GOER, SENDER, or a MOBILIZER.
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The Bible is the first and last element to consider when you are trying to grasp the specific will of God for you. The Bible has absolute authority over all the other elements to consider (your own perspective, circumstances, the counsel of others).
Because the Bible is the only written text that we can be absolutely sure is the revealed Word of God, the only way that you will know for sure that you are hearing God and obeying God’s desires for you is through the intake and faithful application of God’s Word.
The way that sheep learn to recognize the voice of the Shepherd is through sustained meditation on His Word. In the Kingdom of God the cliché holds true that “practice makes perfect”. Consistent practice listening to God’s voice through His revealed Word fine tunes a person, over time, into greater and greater ability to hear God. This is the message of Romans 12:2:
“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.”
In this passage we are commanded to be transformed as Christians by the renewing of our mind. This is one of the awesome benefits of having the Scripture in our language – we can study it as a written text! And it is in this consistent, often laborious, meditation on the text of God’s word that we learn to hear God’s desires for our lives. We “discern what is the will of God” through the renewing of our mind in the meditation on the written word of God.
Notice, though, that learning to discern the will of God takes many attempts. “That by testing” implies that we must over and over bring our questions, issues, and life decisions to God. This repetitive returning to God’s Word through study helps us to fine tune our ability to discern God’s will.
Therefore, when you are faced with a practical or weighty decision in life, the first and most productive use of your time will be the study and faithful application of God’s Word. If the Bible specifically speaks to your situation, then study those texts. Learn what they mean and what they do not mean.
If the Bible does not speak specifically to your situation, then try to discover Biblical principles and wisdom that may speak to your situation. Interpret your ambiguous situation or questions as much as you can through what is clearly stated in the Bible. The Bible sets general paradigms that help us work out the specific questions that face us every day. As an illustration, perhaps you are faced with the question whether to start dating so and so. Let’s say that this person you are considering dating is not a Christian. The Bible never clearly and specifically gives advice on dating. But, the Bible does give clear counsel on marriage: “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14). Since dating is a formal initiation into a process leading directly to marriage, the counsel of Scripture is that you should not date a non-Christian.
ASK YOURSELF: Am I investing the time and energy in studying the Bible so that “by testing” I might learn how to discern God’s will?
Does the Bible speak clearly to my situation or decision?
If the Bible does not speak specifically to your situation or decision, what is the general counsel of the Bible that might guide your decision making?