One of my two kindred spirits in life is trying to figure out what is God's will for her concerning a job. Karen has a couple of options but how does she know which is God's will for her?? And how do we know what is His will for us?
Very hard to answer-especially when we might have multiple possibilities.
GOD's WORD.
That is my "go to" in trying to discern what it is He might will for me to do. I don't casually flip thru the Bible hoping to find a verse that will tell me what to do. Most often, the verse will come to me in where I happen to be reading in my quiet times. Other times, as I pray, I might hear the Holy Spirit's very quiet whisper of a book in the Bible.
I specifically remember trying to decide between 2 very good job offers. I was on a walk in my neighborhood, and I thought I heard, or maybe I thought of a particular book in the Bible. I went home, looked thru the book and found a verse that clearly was my answer.
Mind you, that doesn't always happen. In fact, it usually doesn't. BUT, I do believe that God's Word is available to us for answers to most anything we might be facing in life. So, when it comes time to discerning God's will, the Bible is my first priority.
OPEN DOORS.
When God gives us open doors, we are competely foolish if we do not walk thru them. We must explore all the possibilites that are available to us. Just because the door is open, doesn't necesssarily mean that this is God's plan for you. It is just something we must pursue in our quest to find out God's will for us.
Often times as we walk thru an open door, God will show us clearly if this is the right path for us to take. We need to be diligent in our pursuit of seeking God's will.
PRAYER.
We desperately need to spend time talking over this with the LORD. This isn't the one time prayer when we ask God to show us His will and expect an answer right away. These are the times when we need to really seek Him and take the time to listen for God to speak to us.
Surely one of the most difficult things for us to do is to take the time to really listen for God to speak. We are so used to our instantaneous world-where we want answers immediately. If you don't know it already, God doesn't usually work like that. We want the answers "NOW". And He uses the process to reveal more of Himself to us, while at the same time, showing us that waiting on His perfect timing, in His perfect way, is the BEST way to proceed. Discerning God's will about a particular matter takes time. We are on His time and not ours, so we might as well get used to talking to Him about it, until He chooses to reveal His will to us.
OTHERS.
Frequently the LORD will use the people in our lives in helping us discern His will. I am talking here about those that know us-really know us. Those people that we have let into the secret places of our lives; the ones we share our truest selves with. These people are the friends or family who know us best, know our hearts, know our gifts and will pray for us. These are the ones who aren't afraid to tell us things we might not want to hear. Or the people who give us insights we might not have considered. These dear ones can be invaluable to us in times like this.
I know for me, these four ingredients are necessary in trying to determine God's best for me, His will for whatever decision I need to make.
So YES, it is possible to discern God's will for whatever situation you are considering, but it takes TIME. Its not a quick process, but it is one that is so worthwhile.
May Our LORD lead you to His BEST for your life, at this time.
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