Dear BPCWA worshipper, After having understood the importance of knowing God’s will, we must know how God reveals His will to us. From what He has revealed in His Word, theologians have attempted to help us understand God’s will in 7 ways. Predominant among these is His preceptive will, which are the clear instructions, commands, and rules found in the Bible. Since God’s will never contradicts His word, the Bible must always be our reference even if we think we have found His directive will. Practically, what are some things that we must take note of in finding God’s will?

Some common misconceptions. 1) Seeking God’s will is only for major decisions in life. This is not true. We need to follow God’s preceptive will even in daily common decisions. In fact, these little decisions can often influence and impact our daily spiritual walk. 2) Open/ closed doors & Providence. Many believe that when things are smooth and there are “open doors”, it is God telling us that something is His will and that we should always go through the door. Jonah who was clearly instructed to preach to Nineveh yet seemed to have a very “open door” since he was able to find a ship that could take him away, have the funds to pay for the fare, and was able to get on board the ship (Jon 1:1-3). But in reality, he was running away from God’s will. Conversely, Paul’s “bonds and afflictions” in Jerusalem (Act 20:23) was not a “closed door” despite all the problems that he would encounter there. The lesson is that we must always interpret providential situations in the light of God’s Word to discern His will and not rashly assume that these circumstances, no matter how amazing they may be, are confirmations of His will. 3) God’s timing. Simply because it may be God’s will does not mean that He will carry out His will immediately when we want it because God knows the best time for it to happen. God may also withhold the revelation of His will to us. As our Father, He may also hold back on something which we are not ready for until He has sanctified or prepared us for it.   

How to find God’s will. Knowing God’s will is not something that He’s going to flash on a billboard before our eyes. He commands us to “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom 12:2), which means that thinking and testing are expected. The Holy Spirit uses Scriptures to lead us through our devotions, sermons, counsel from godly people, and occasionally even conversations. When determining God’s preceptive will, we must apply the whole counsel of God’s Word, and not just pick a verse (e.g. only one aspect of the preceptive will) that best suits our fancies and lusts without considering the many other aspects of our life involved for each course of action. The principle of choosing “things that are excellent” (Php 1:10) comes in when deciding between close options. What if something happens after you prayed? Well, always remember that situations, even if spectacular and even when we think they are answers to our prayers, must never contradict His preceptive will across the whole counsel of God. Sadly, many who seek counsel only want to seek counsel from those who will tell them what they want to hear!

Hindrances to finding God’s will. While we can discuss various channels and means of knowing God’s Word, an essential starting point is an honest heart to sincerely want to know and do God’s will. Only when we have honest hearts will we be willing to admit that some things hinder us from knowing God’s will. 1) Unwillingness to apply the whole counsel of God’s Word. We can pick and choose what we want God to “say” to us. We do not want to do a thorough search and consider areas that may go against what we want. When we say we don’t know, it is often because we do not want to put in the effort to prove from God’s Word. 2) Self-will. God has said that “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn 7:17). A sincerity to want to obey God will cause one to accept any doctrine in God’s Word, even if it challenges our preconceived preferences. Many of us fail at this point – we want to live our lives our way. We don’t want suffering and difficulties, nor forgoing our dreams and aspirations if God’s will is otherwise. 3) Materialism. Unless you hold on to the health and wealth gospel, God’s will may put you on a path whereby you may have to give up what the world aspires to and thinks is the “norm” and “acceptable” choice. It may not be a luxurious life that we have our eyes on. It can even just be a house in a good suburb, regular holidays, the ability to purchase the conveniences of life at will, dining out at a whim . . . things that are not necessarily sinful and things that we may have gotten used to and are not willing to give up if God’s will affects them. 4) Cultural norms/ traditions. Again, these may not necessarily be sinful, but when our choices only consider this as a priority and leave out or leave in 2^nd place God’s will, then we make these above God’s will. 5) Lethargy. The saddest part of it is that some people can know God’s will, but they just don’t bother to change. They are just comfortable with their life, nothing seems to be going seriously wrong, change takes “too much effort”, and so they just don’t bother. In short, this is blatant disobedience and disregard, ignoring God’s voice and will in our lives.

Simply because we will go to heaven and simply because God’s sovereignty can cause even evil to turn out well does not mean that we don’t have to worry about finding and doing God’s will. We must come back to our starting point – that we are in covenant with God and are obligated to do His will. Breaking the covenant has consequences. Obedience brings the blessings that God graciously wants to bestow upon us so that we can do His will through these blessings. A little steering in the wrong direction can cause us to go way off course and result in great wrongs in our lives because they are difficult to undo later. Let us always be mindful of God’s will in all the choices that we make. God’s will is something that we must all be doing. As Christians, we are God’s servants, and doing His will is serving Him.

Mt 10:38-39  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor