HOW DO I FIND GOD' S WILL FOR MY LIFE? By Rev. Rick Philips

Tonight’s question asks, “How do I find God’s will for my life?” This is a question that burdens many believers, both because they fear to be out of God’s will and because they want to make decisions that God will bless.
Many Christians seek to know God’s through supernatural revelation. the example of Gideon is often cited: the hero of the Book of Judges laid out his fleece and by covering it with dew or not God revealed his will (Jud. 6:36-40). They fail to realize, however, that the Bible does not commend this practice and that as a Messianic forerunner Gideon had privileges most of us do not. In general, the Bible gives us no encouragement to supernatural directions as to whether or not we should marry Suzy, take the job in Cleveland, or even go off to the missions field.
One danger for those seeking some voice or vision to guide them is that their emotions are able to manufacture such experiences, especially when there is a great deal of intensity involved with a decision. Over the years, I have run across a number of ruinous examples of this. A woman told another, “God told me he wants you to marry a man who plays piano.” After the recipient spent two years waiting for her own Elton John, she learned that her prophetess was merely acting out of her own psychotic need to play god. Another danger is that those seeking divine guidance may be led by Satan just as easily as by the Lord. This is why John warned us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1). If you think God has revealed something specific about your life, you should test it against the teachings of the Bible – since God cannot contradict himself – and seek the counsel of trusted believers. In general, we should be skeptical of such supposed revelations, especially when we are under stress. Even the apostle Paul seems to have held this view. When he had the dream asking him to go to Macedonia, Luke says that, together with his associates, Paul “concluded” that they should in fact go (Acts 16:10). The Greek word for “concluded” indicates that Paul got together with his colleagues to exercise their godly discernment about the dream before following it.
So how should we seek God’s will? In his helpful little book, Discovering God’s Will, Sinclair Ferguson spells out 3 principles. First, he points us to God’s commands and prohibitions in Scripture. The Ten Commandments alone will clear up many decisions, but all through the Bible we are instructed by God’s moral dictates. All our decisions should be filtered through them if we want to serve God’s revealed will. Second, various principles are worked out in Scripture. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” Jesus taught (Mt. 6:33). 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” Comparing potential decisions with these and other principles will help us to make godly choices. Third, we might compare our situation with the examples and illustrations in Scripture. What did David do in a similar trial? Where did Saul go wrong? Did Jesus ever face this situation? These are fruitful lines of questioning. In summary, Ferguson argues that instead of seeking some supernatural word that will relieve us of responsibility for making godly decisions, we are to cultivate biblical decision-making through familiarity with the Word God has already revealed. Ferguson cites counsel given by the pastor and hymn-writer John Newton. When asked how the Lord guides us, Newton replied, “In general, he guides and directs his people, by affording them in answer to prayer, the light of his Holy Spirit, which enables them to understand and to love the Scriptures. The word of God… is to furnish us with just principles, right apprehensions to regulate our judgments and affections, and thereby influence and direct our conduct.”
Often, when people say they want to know God’s will for their lives, they mean that they want to be assured that everything will go as they plan, without difficulty or trial. One thing we can be sure about God’s will is that this is not his plan. Instead of seeking relief from the prospect of difficulty or worldly failure, Christians should instead seek to honor God with decisions that are obedient to his Word, trusting him to make all our seemingly twisted paths straight in his loving care of our lives.