What is God's Will For My Life

One of the most often asked questions about life is this, “What is God’s will for my life?” As we grow and traverse through this life, as a follower of Christ, we want to make good and Godly decisions. Maybe it’s a choice of a college to attend, what career to pursue, where to live, and who to be in a relationship with. In some way or another, most of us have wondered what God’s will is for us personally.

It’s good to seek God’s will in all our life decisions. But the Bible, and by extension, God, has not written a personal, detailed list of steps we are to take as we live life. You cannot simply open your Bible and find a passage that says, “Go to the University of Kansas’, or “Marry Bob.”

Yet, God did not leave us to wander this earth without direction. No, He intentionally provided a book, a book written by men, yet inspired by His Holy Spirit, in which we can know His will. He has provided a way to make good, Godly decisions. He even sent His Holy Spirit to guide us unto all truth and to teach us what the scriptures mean. We can not only read His Word and understand it; we can learn how to apply it to every situation life presents.

The question, “What is God’s specific will for my life”, can only be truly answered by a different question first. That question is simple. “What is God’s will?” To rephrase, what is the general will of God for all of us? Why must that question be answered first? Because the answer to our personal questions as to what God wants us to do, is found in following the general will of God in our lives. There are Biblical principles that if we follow in their complete, yet simple callings, will guide us to be good decision makers.

Did you know that the Bible lists four specific “wills” of God? Certainly, there are treasures to be mined from all scripture. God’s general will can be seen in His commandments, but God has given us four foundational building blocks that if we start with, give us the foundation we need to stand firm as we build.

Here are the four wills God directly gives us all from His Word.

John 6:40
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:13-15
 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6
 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;  that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,  not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;  and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.

I’m just going to leave this here. Here are four passages of scripture upon which we can build upon. There are four passages of scripture that no one who lays claim to being a Christians can deny are God’s will. There can be no argument amongst ourselves or with God, for He is explicit in these four passages.

No matter who we are or where we are, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us commit ourselves to these four wills of God. We must study these principles and we must apply them in our lives. Every decision we make must be in line with at least, these four wills. They are clear and if we desire to do God’s will and yet do not submit to these, we are fooling ourselves if we think we want to know and do His will.

I’ve got work to do. How about you?

For more info read your Bible, The 4 Wills of God by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs, and Found: God's Will by John MacArthur