Friends, one of the questons I hear most ofen is, “How can I know Gods will for my life?” It is a good queston. It shows a heart that wants to please the Lord. But sometimes the search itself becomes so complicated that people grow discouraged, even to the point of despair or drifting away.

The good news is that God is not hiding His will from His children. He has already made the main things clear in His Word. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:17, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Understanding comes as we open the Book and stay there.

The primary place we discover the will of God is in the Word of God. When we take time to read the Scriptures and pray with the Bible open, the Holy Spirit begins to show us what the Lord has already said. He doesn’t usually give us a special feeling or a secret message outside of Scripture. He takes the words we have been reading and applies them to our lives. That is why it is so important to redeem the time by filling our minds with the instruction of the Word.

Here are some of the clear places where God shows us His will:

• “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
• “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
• “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:17-18).
• “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God… that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).
• “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15).
• “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life” (John 6:40).
• “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).
• “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and… love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).

Much of Gods will is already written down for every believer. As we obey these clear commands by His grace, the specific steps of daily life become clearer.

We can also read these kinds of guiding moments in the Psalms and Proverbs. David wrote, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8). “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Proverbs says the same thing simply: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established” (Proverbs 16:3).

These are not mystical experiences apart from the Word. They are the natural result of a heart that trusts Him, that stays in the Scriptures, and walks in obedience. There are those quiet “God moments” along the way, doors that open, paths that become clear, as we walk carefully, filled with the Spirit and rooted in the Word.

If your heart is simply ready to do whatever the Lord shows you, He will not leave you in the dark. He is a good Father. He loves to guide His children. Keep opening the Book, pray over it, and take the next step of obedience you already know. The rest will unfold as you walk with Him.

Peter