Someone once approached me concerning God’s will for her life. She said, “I want to know the EXACT thing God wants me to do.”
Her request was good, but I instantly noticed a few things that made me concerned.
One, was her lack of faith in what she was doing. You see, she was already occupied with a few things in her life. Those things were not evil in any way. But somehow, she assumed that what she was doing was not God’s will for her.
When she mentioned that she didn’t believe she was living in God’s will, I remembered what Romans 14:23 says,
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
Her lack of belief that what she was doing was God’s willmade it a sin altogether.
This realization led me to make the first recommendation to her. I told her to have faith in what she was doing, even if God didn’t outrightly command her to do it. I proved to her this point by asking her if God had ever commanded her to take a shower.
Of course, she said God had never commanded her to take a shower. So I asked her, why does she take a shower if God has never commanded her to do it?
She just chuckled.
I told her that there was a good reason why God gave human beings free will. There are many activities that God expects us to do using our free will. We typically call it common sense.
Common sense dictates that you clean your house when it is dirty. You don’t wait for God’s command for such a matter.
The other thing I noticed about her request that made me concerned was her assumption that God’s will is easy. God’s will is good, but that does not mean it is easy.
In fact, I was sure if God told her the exact thing He wanted her to do, she would be so scared to the point of quitting her faith.
We don’t have to go very far to prove that. Matthew 26:39 gives us the best proof.
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. ”
Jesus, of all the people, was asking if the cup of suffering could be taken away. Jesus knew that was God’s will, because He had spoken about it several times before. Yet still, the intensity of the situation pushed Him to ask if the cup could be taken away.
Most believers assume that God’s will is only enjoyable stuff. But the Bible proves to us that God’s will can be enjoyable and painful. In fact, it is always a perfect balance of joy and pain.
It was great joy for Jesus to have the power He had to heal people, cast out evil spirits, multiply fish and bread, etc., but when it was time to suffer, it was a bitter betrayal, utter humiliation, and a painful crucifixion.
All this was God’s will for Him, that’s why Isaiah prophesied what is written in Isaiah 53.
For the lady who was desiring to know exactly what God wanted her to do, she had no idea what she was asking for.
The last thing I noticed about her request that made me concerned was her immaturity in spiritual matters. Asking to know exactly what God wants you to do feels like something that mature believers do, but actually, it is immature believers who ask such questions.
Let me explain…
Maturity in Christ
God has already revealed His will through His word. Everything a human being needs to do is written in the Bible, and it is emphasized so many times.
A mature believer who has taken his time to read the Bible will have no problem figuring out what God requires of him.
I agree that some of the instructions written in the Bible are vague, but that is why God also commanded us to seek understanding.
When Jesus says “love your neighbor as yourself” and also says “Do to others what you would like done to you”, He is talking about the same thing.
Even if your common sense is little, you should understand that Jesus is telling you to do to other people what you would like others to do to you. And you can’t tell me that you don’t have things you wish people would do to you.
How many times have you heard people say, I never got a chance to enjoy my childhood, so I started this organization to help kids enjoy their childhood.
I mean, you don’t need God to tell you to start an organization that helps kids have a good childhood because that is what you wish you had. When you do such a thing, you would have already fulfilled two of the very basic commands that Jesus gave us, and in the process, God will make sure you succeed for having the heart to show love to others.
An immature believer will ask, “I want to know exactly what God wants me to do” but a mature believer will go ahead and do exactly what he knows is good and pleasing before God.
As much as I’ve made this look simple, I understand how tough it can be to know if what you want to do is aligned with the commands of God in the Bible.
God bless you!