Are You Asking The Wrong Questions?

"What Is God's will for my Life?!"

Let me just start by saying that I believe someone can be doing something that is biblically a good and right thing to do, and yet they can be totally out of God's will.  I think it happens all the time.  In fact, many examples from the Bible come to mind.  The first person I thought of was Martha.  Working and serving the way she did seems very commendable, and in most cases it would have been (the Bible tells us to work hard and to serve others), but in this case, it was apparently God's will for her to slow down and spend some time with Jesus.    

Many times in my life I have been so afraid that what I was doing, even my service to Him in His church, might be out of His will that I struggled and agonized over it.  I pleaded, "Lord, please show me you will!" (nothing wrong with that prayer, it is a good prayer to pray). Sometimes He did, and sometimes He didn't (at least not according to the timing or manner I had expected).

In the last several years, however, I have considered the examples given in the Bible of men who were Spirit led.  Paul the apostle is probably one of the best examples I can use here.  It is clear that Paul prayed often that God would make His will known in Paul's life.  In fact, I'm pretty sure he went against God's will on at least a few occasions we have recorded in scripture.  Thankfully God sorted it all out, and in the end, He accomplished His will anyway.

But here is what I have noticed (and have come to adopt this way of thinking concerning God's will), God does not keep His will hidden from us.  Read all the places in the Bible where He tells us exactly what to do: work to provide for your family, assemble with other believers, separate from worldliness, share the gospel, give financially to the work of the ministry... give thanks for all things ("In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you--1Thessalonians 5:18"). 

So maybe you are stressing over what steps you are going to take next in your life.  Don't get me wrong!  We do need to count the cost of our decisions!  And we do want God to clearly direct our next step, if He will!  But please take this advice, and I hope it will help.  Continue to faithfully do the things you know are His will, according to the Bible, and here is something I have found.  According to His own timing, He will open the right doors, and He will shut the right doors, and He will give you peace and understanding concerning your place in His will.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is this.  We are asking the wrong questions!  When we ask, "What is God's will in my life," I'm afraid we are being too self-centered.  God's will is huge!  It is way bigger than us!  And in the end, it will be accomplished (with one exception: We know it is His will that all be saved, 2 Peter 3:9, but many will refuse Him and will be doomed to suffer the consequences of their own choice, against His will).

Here are 3 questions I believe are much better questions to ask:

1.  "What does God say is His will?"  
2.  "Does what I am doing go against His will?"
3   "How can I better align myself with God's will?" 

I'm pretty certain that if we will focus on answering these three questions, we will find ourselves to be more and more Spirit led. 

Lord bless your ministry as you continue to addict yourself to it (1 Corinthians 16:15). 

RR