Knowing God's will

I knew God wanted me to move to Taiwan.  It wasn't something I planned for, but God definitely let me know that's the direction I needed to go. Now that I am here, many doors are opening.  But just because there is an open door doesn't mean that we are supposed to go in.  I am struggling a bit.  I don't want to confuse other people's will as God's will for me.  Some people have very strong opinions as to what I should do or need to do.  But it is still only their opinion.  Sometimes there is great need for ministry, but I also cannot go wherever there is a need.  What does God want for me and how will I know?

Sometime God's will is very clear.  Well, I assume all Christians know this already, that God's personal will for us will never violate His written will (Word of God). For example, it's never His will for us to do anything dishonest or commit adultery.  His laws and His characters clearly told us that.  But sometimes His will isn't very clear, and it takes time to find out.  For example:  who to marry, what college to choose, where to move to....etc.   What most of us struggle with is His personal will for us.   God doesn't make His will only known to a select few favored ones.  He makes His will known to all of His children who seek Him.  If one of my children came to me and ask me what I think he/she should do, I would be so thrilled that he/she asks and of course, I will tell him/her clearly what I think the direction should be.  God wants to reveal to us His personal will, it's just most of us are not listening, or are too set on doing our will.

Recently, our rental lease is up and we wanted to move somewhere closer to the two churches that we serve, BCC and Iancheng church.  Ted and I volunteer a lot in those two churches and currently we live too far from Iancheng church which Ted goes daily to.  But the choices are vast and what is God's will for us?  First, we decided on our budget monthly, and some criteria for each of us.  Then we prayed and communicated our needs.  I wanted a better kitchen with decent storage and close to MRT (city subway) because it's the most reliable transportation within the city.  Ted likes the high-rise newer buildings with a security guard, and in a quieter neighborhood.  With those basic criteria, we set out to find our dream apartment.   We searched online and saw many nice ones, but there is always something either one of us didn't quite like.  Finally, when we saw this one apartment, we both knew it was the one.  It met all of our preferences with perfect layout and location.  We felt it was God's will for us because it matched with our desires.  Plus the Landlord really likes us; she turned down other perfectly good offers and chose us.

What specific steps do I go through to determine His will?

1. Surrender -- do I want God’s will for my life more than my will for my life?  God often does not speak until we are ready to die to what we want and surrender.  “Present yourselves as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” Rm 12:1

2. Seek Scripture confirmation – Pay attention to the scripture that just “jump out” and speak to me in my personal situation. Spend lots of time in God’s word, I fast on the junk of the world so I can hear God properly. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” Ps 119:105 God speaks through His Word most of the times because his written word is very assessable, at least in most of the world.  If scripture is not available, then God may use dreams/visions.  But mostly He speaks through His word.

3. More Christ-like –It’s always God’s will to make us more Christ-like. It’s God’s purpose for each of us. If it doesn’t make me more like Jesus, then it’s not God’s will for me.  If there are two choices A and B, I ask myself, which one will make me more Christ-like?

4. Seek mature Christian counsel – Ask for godly advice from mature Christians who are wise in discerning God’s will and who has a vibrant relationship with God. “Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Pv 11:14 Sometimes I am really confused, and I need to ask for another's perspective, then I often ask our pastor or someone who can give me spiritual directions.  If I feel like don’t want to tell others about it, that may be a red flag. 

5. Trust my heart – As long as my desire is to glorify God (and not a violation of scripture), just go with my heart’s desire and trust God to close doors if I am going in the wrong direction. God created me and He puts certain desires and gut feelings in me.  I ask, "Is this consistent with how God shaped and designed me?"   “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps 37:4

6. Do my part - Notice in the example above, I didn't just pray and sit at home waiting for God's answer.  There is a part that I needed to do.  I discussed with Ted clearly what we wanted.  We search the internet and contacted certain ones.  We went to see the potential places.  There is usually something that we can do.  In looking for a job, we type up and revise our resume.  We find out what jobs we like and look for ads or ask friends.  We dress up, prepare and go to the interviews.  In most cases, we do our part and God will show us the way one step at a time.

7. Overwhelming peace – I should feel a sense of peace and rightness about the decision I am going to make. “The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Ph 4:7 “the work of righteousness will be peace and the effect of righteousness--quietness and assurance forever. “ Is 32: 17  However this should be one of the last confirmations, not the first because our feelings can sometimes deceive us.  This is kind of like the side effect of obeying God, we feel at peace.

8. Confirming circumstances – Watch for God opening/closing doors concerning doing His will. Opportunities and difficulties can also be confirmation that you are in or out of God’s will. However, this needs to also be the last thing after God’s confirming words, because there can be coincidences and also that just because a door is open doesn't always mean you need to go in. “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.” Is 22:22 Peter saw the vision and then heard the knock on the door.

On my big decisions, I often journal all of those confirmations down on a special journal.  I document clearly how God helped me reach that decision and that it wasn't just a random decision.  There were plenty of times when I felt very discouraged in homeschooling and had to look back on my journal to see that YES, it was God's will for me to homeschool in the beginning.  Then much like Moses, I often ask or whine to God that He gives me the strength to do HIS will.  And He is faithful to help us always if we are in His will.

Well, now that we know what His will is, we then have a choice to make.  God in His goodness gave us the gift of choice.  We can choose to reject Him and His will even though we know.  I'm so grateful that I have learned early on that the best place to be is in the center of His will, there is nowhere better than that.  That's where you are safest and most blessed.  I hope you and I will be wise to choose to embrace God's will for us.

See Aligning our will with God's | Success God's Way (mysuccessgodsway.com)

But sometimes I take comfort in knowing that if I do my best in decerning the will of God and I make a wrong choice, God always makes a way for us to come back to Him.  It isn't like you miss an exit on the freeway and then you will never get to the destination.  You can take the next exit or take another route to get there.  Paul the apostle did all that he firmly believed in his heart was the right thing to do, but he was going down the wrong path, and God met him on the road to Damascus.  If you seek Him, you will find Him.