Knowing gods will

[sampa]

Was looking at an old prayer journal dated January 28, 2002 and saw an outline for Gods will, but the source is not referenced, so no idea where it came from. If anyone recognizes it, let me know. Or any additional thoughts

Gods Will is Revealed in:
1. The authority of scripture
2. Providential circumstances
3. Conviction based upon reason
4. Impressions of the Holy Spirit upon our minds according to Phil 2:13
- Know the sources of leading before responding
- Usually confirmation that you are in Gods will is a quiet, peaceful assurance that you are doing what HE wants you to do with expectancey that He will use you to bear much fruit. Gal 5:22

These may be notes from a retreat...I'm not sure.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Haven't seen those before.

The list (to me) makes it sound complicated and I don't think God intended it to be so complicated or mysterious.

God wants us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength

and to love people.

If there is a situation that you are unsure which way to go I think we should pray about it and not make any moves until we have an inner peace.
Just because we face obstacles does not mean we are not in God's will either so we cannot go by our circumstances.

So for me, I just try to do the right thing everyday, and sometimes I don't make good choices and I fail, then I ask for forgiveness and try again. And I also pray that I would stay in God's will.

 

[blackribbon]

I have no idea of the reference. I think it is a good list...(but maybe in too fancy of terms.

1. If it goes against the Bible, it is not God's will.
2. If the situation where it can happen doesn't appear, it is not God's will. (No God helps those who help themselves.)
3. The things that you feel convicted to do fit within reality to the most part (God created this world and for most things we are limited by the natural laws God gave us), or else it is not God's will.
4. Our conscious is at peace with the idea, or it is not God's will.

 

[bocannes]

That is a good list. The Bible illustrates all of those. I think the desire to understand God's will is important. What else could be more important in your life than knowing what God wants for you?

Blackribbon did a good job of rephrasing it but you might be able to make it even more simple:

1. The Bible
2. The spirit
3. Circumstances

We need all three because each of these will help affirm the other. On their own, they can be misused.

 

[blackribbon]

The simplified way is easier to remember...but harder to apply when you are looking at a specific problem. Sometimes when you have a detailed situation, you need a detailed map.

 

[bocannes]

Agreed. It's just a starting point. For any given situation, you have to look at the details. For example, God can definitely guide is through circumstances (providence) but as memoriesbymichelle pointed out, circumstances can also be deceptive.

 

[dayhiker]

I'm using love, is this loving God and is this loving people as my guide. I've found its transformed my relationships in a healthy way. Its opened new relationships with non-believers so that I find myself sharing my faith in Christ way more.

Just this weekend I was at a personal growth workshop. I gave a lady a ride. Its was about 2.5 hours away. In the process of sharing our life story, I share about me faith in Jesus. For some reason I kept mention the Jewish input to my faith from the OT and that Jesus and all the apostles were Jewish. After a while she said she was Jewish and did I know she was. No. I didn't know.
By the ride home 2.5 days later, she says she envies how clearly I can express my relationship with God. That's the 1st time in my live I've heard a Jewish person say that. I'm of course thinking of what Paul said in Romans about us living so that the Jews will desire Christ. I'm like totally blown away!

Then she asks if we can get together and pray to see if she can get to a place where she feels an intimate connection with God. Now she isn't ready to consider following Jesus yet. But why can't she feel as close to God as David did? I don't know, but we are going to meet and see if this some how God will make Him self real to her.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

I have no idea of the reference. I think it is a good list...(but maybe in too fancy of terms.

1. If it goes against the Bible, it is not God's will.
2. If the situation where it can happen doesn't appear, it is not God's will. (No God helps those who help themselves.)
3. The things that you feel convicted to do fit within reality to the most part (God created this world and for most things we are limited by the natural laws God gave us), or else it is not God's will.
4. Our conscious is at peace with the idea, or it is not God's will.

I agree and disagree to a point. Just because something fits in or is easy does not automatically make it God's will. It was not God's will for the Israelites to eat meat in the desert but they wanted it so bad God said OK and along with it they got a wasting disease. So be careful what you ask for is the lesson IMO. And if you read about the apostles none of them had it easy. YES God DID make a way, but usually it wasn't the way the disciples thought and it usually wasn't easy. Going before Pharoah was not easy and then having to give him the message of what would happen if he did not let the people go, was not easy. And they probably didn't have much peace about it either, but they knew it was God's will.

I agree that you will have some sort of peace but not completely IMO. I remember when we moved from WA to AZ. I didn't want to go, but I knew it was God's will. I also knew that it would be difficult. I felt like my husband was sorting of acting like an israelite and wanting his way. I had peace but I also had an uncertainty but I knew we needed to move.

 

[miss-a]

A great teaching on the subject, very encouraging: Videos | Gateway Church

 

[bocannes]

memoriesbymichelle

As your examples show, it can be complicated. It can be a struggle and feelings can be deceptive. That is why I say that we need to consider all of the points.