DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD

DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD (Part one)

It is crucial for a Christian to discern and practice God’s will. It is, in fact, the one factor by which God determines those who will eventually enter into his kingdom. Matthew 7:21-23. Hence Christ instructed His disciples through the model prayer he taught them Matthew 6:10 to pray daily that God’s will might be done in their lives.

Since His will is so crucial, we can logically conclude that God will not play any “hide and seek” game with those who sincerely seek His will on any subject. We may well expect that He too is eager to reveal His will to all honest enquirers.

Whatever subject we seek God’s mind about, let us bear in mind that His will must be consistent with his character. He is holy, loving, Almighty and unchanging, to mention a few of His attributes. If we embark on any line of action that contradicts any of these attributes of God, we can be sure that we are out of His will.

For example, it cannot be God’s will for a young couple to engage in pre-marital sex for any reason. That clearly contradicts His holiness. Neither can we claim God’s leading when we destroy the person or character of another person that we may attain a certain position. That contradicts His attribute of love, which demands that we treat others in the way we will be happy to have them treat us. And we cannot say, “Lord, show me your will first, then I will decide whether to do it or not.” Such a prayer attempts to dethrone God as the Almighty who must be obeyed unconditionally.