Christian Living
People say all the time that God's will has to be discovered. I say it doesn't. Here's why.
God's general will for all believers is to go into all of the world and preach the Gospel. (Matthew 28:19-20) This means to do something in keeping with one's unique spiritual giftedness. I will talk more about this relationship a little later.
God's general will simply involves obeying His scriptural commands and seeking to develop godly character. This does not have to be discovered. The Bible tells us what God wants us to do and the kind of person He desires us to become. So, the will of God simply involves obedience to what His word teaches.
Now, getting back to the subject of spiritual giftedness, each believer has at least one spiritual gift. See my articles on this subject. What Christians need to identify is their individual gift to be used to further the general will of God.
Some times Christians get so caught up in who to marry, or what vocation to pursue that they don't give enough thought to what God REALLY wants them to do, being obedient to His general will, which is clearly spelled out in Scripture. Here are two, among many biblical passages, that clearly state God's will for all believers.
I Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will concerning you." The other reference is I Thessalonians 4:3, which says "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality."
These verses, and others like them, say nothing of the things that Christians often associate with God's will, like marriage, vocation, or where to go to college.
You will not find God's will for your life in these areas, in the Bible. Hence, that is one reason why there is much frustration in finding God's individual will. The Bible will not tell you who you should marry, or what vocation to pursue.
Here are two examples, based on the above verses. A person can be seeking God's will in marriage to the "right person" while having an ungrateful, complaining spirit. That person is OUT of God's will. On the other hand, an individual may not have a clue as to what to do for a vocation but he or she is abstaining from sexual impurity. That person is IN God's will. I do not even see any biblical support, anyway, for God having a specific will when it comes to who to marry or what to do for a living.
Too often Christians focus on doing God's will in areas that have not been defined in Scripture, while ignoring the areas of God's Word that have been specifically stated. It leaves a person frustrated and confused, wondering whether or not he or she is in or out of God's will.
Not so, when you simply know what the Bible teaches and obey it. Then, in those areas not specifically given, seek God's wisdom and make wise, well informed decisions. The truth of the matter is that God may be giving you wider parameters than you are giving yourself. Finding God's will is not like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Be obedient to the truth of Scripture and seek to use your spiritual uniqueness and giftedness for God "...that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God." (Colossians 4:12)
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