One of the most common questions I am asked as a pastor is some version of this question, “What is God’s will for my life? What does God want me to do?”  This question shows up in many ways.

  • “Hey, I’m praying about whether I should take this new job, but if I do, I have to move to another city. How do I know what God wants me to do?”
  • “I have been dating this person for a while, should I marry them or not? What does God want me to do?” or “I’ve been dating this person for a while, I don’t know if I should continue the relationship or breakup of with them. What does God want me to do?”
  • “Does God want me to go to college close by or to this other college?”
  • “Does God want me to join this church or that church?”
  • “What does God want me to do about my kids?”

How many of you just wish that when you are praying about making a decision, God would just make it clear? Like speaking audibly. Write it in the sky. Send a text message from heaven. Whatever the answer is, make it obvious, God.

I’m pretty confident that today, many of you have something going on in your life that you need to know what God would have you to do. If you are trying to make an important decision and you want to know God’s will on this, it can be confusing and frustrating at times. I get it. I have been there. Let me reassure you, God is not playing hide and seek with His will for your life. He wants you to know His will. He wants you to do what He wants you to do. He is not keeping His will for your life a secret.

In God’s will is the best place for you to be

Let me make a truth real clear at this point. The best place for you to be is in the center of God’s will. That is the most meaningful place, the safest place, and the most fulfilling place you can be. When you are in God’s will, you are maximizing your God-given potential.

So, over the next few weeks my goal is to help you understand God’s will and how to discover clearly what God wants you to do. I am going to show you how to discover God’s will for your life. God lays it all out for us in His Word and I’m going to show you what God says about His will.

The Four Aspects of God’s Will

When you look at what God says about His will, you discover there are four different aspects of God’s will. These four different aspects reveal His heart for you, His purpose for you, His will for you, His plan for you. So, let me introduce you to these four aspects and then we will start unpacking each one.

  • First, we are going to look at God’s sovereign will. This is His ultimate master plan. This is that part of God’s will that is going to happen and no one can alter it, change it, influence it, or stop it. It will happen no matter what.
  • Then there is God’s moral will. This is God’s will for every believer, without exception. This is how God wants every believer to live. This is God’s will for how He wants you and me to live out our life.
  • Then there is God’s permissive will. This is where God gives people the freedom to choose His will or not. He allows people to make poor choices that hurt themselves or others. This is where God’s permissive will and your free will collide. This is where God allows certain things whether we like it or not.
  • Finally, there is God’s personal will. This is God’s unique and specific plan for your life. This is the part that deals with where you go to school, who you marry or whether you stay single, what job you take, what house you buy, etc.

Once you understand these four aspects of God’s will, it takes the pressure off and it removes a lot of confusion about what is happening in your life and around your life and in the world you live in. So, what I want to do is break these four down, and talk about each one specifically.

God’s Sovereign Will

Let’s start with God’s sovereign will. What is His sovereign will? God’s unstoppable, unchangeable plan that directs all things toward His purpose. This is also known as God’s prevailing will. God’s sovereign will, will happen no matter what. Nothing or no one can stop God’s sovereign and prevailing will. Let me give you some examples.

  • Revelation 4:11 says, “You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created” (HCSB). Our awesome God decided to create the universe! He created the planets. He created the trees. He created the oceans. He created light. He created all the animals. He created men. He created women. When God decided to create everything, nothing was going to stop Him from doing it. That is God’s sovereign and prevailing will at work.
  • Isaiah 46:10 says, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish” (NLT). That is God’s sovereign will talking right there.
  • Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart [We make all kinds of plans. Plans to get rich. Plans to be happy. Plans to get married. Plans to lose weight. Plans to have children. Plans to do ministry. Plans to take trips. Many are the plans in a person’s heart. Why do we have all these plans? Because we are moody and we change our minds], but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (NIV). It is God’s prevailing and sovereign will that reigns and rules. God’s sovereign will always wins! Sometimes God will change our plans to match up with His purpose for our lives.

God’s Sovereign will throughout the Bible

What’s really cool about all this is that you can see God’s sovereign will all the way through Scripture from the beginning of the Bible to the end.

  • You see the sovereign will of God at work when God spoke and created the heavens and the earth.
  • You see His sovereign will when He formed Adam out of the dust and He breathed life into all mankind.
  • And then when creation rebelled against God and sinned, it was the sovereign will of God that sent the son of God, Jesus. And Jesus would live without sin and give His life as the perfect sacrifice on the cross.
  • And three days later, God by His sovereign will, would raise Jesus from the dead so that anyone who calls on His name would be saved and made new.
  • And it’s by the sovereign will of God that one day, the trumpet of God will sound, and the dead in Christ will rise.
  • And one day before Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, the Lordship of the Son of God, the living and risen Christ.

And that’s the sovereign will of God at work. It’s unstoppable and unchangeable. No matter how much you pray, no matter how good you are, or how bad you are, you or nobody else can stop the sovereign will of God. God’s overarching purpose will always prevail.

Parts of your life are under God’s sovereign will

There are some aspects of your life that are under the sovereign will of God. God’s sovereign will decided when you would be born, where you would be born, to who you would be born, and whether you would be male or female, and what skin color you would have. There was nothing you could do or can do to change that.

We do have an enemy. He is the devil, the father of lies. And Satan fights against God’s sovereign will, but he cannot stop it. In other words, the devil can mess with your plans but he can’t stop God’s sovereign purpose in your life.

God’s Moral Will

So, we start with the sovereign will of God. Then there’s what we call God’s moral will. This is also called God’s revealed will. God’s moral will is God’s timeless truths revealed in His Word for how all believers should live. I am going to give you two examples. These are two things that no matter who you are, where you live, or when you lived are God’s will for your life. They are both in 1 Thessalonians.

  • God’s word says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “God’s will is for you to be holy [then God gives us an example], so stay away from all sexual sin” (NLT). God’s will for you is to save sex for the person God would have you to marry. Protect that part of you at all cost. That is something sacred, holy, and pure. You may say, “I’ve already blown it and given myself away too many times.” This is where God’s redemptive grace comes in. Determine today to be in God’s will sexually until God’s person shows up in your life. Sexual purity honors you, honors God, and honors the person you will some day marry. God’s will is for you to be holy and one way to be holy is to be sexually pure. The best place for you to be is in the center of God’s will!
  • God’s word says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). Every believer needs to be sexually pure, and every believer needs to be thankful and grateful. God’s will for you is to be the most thankful person you can be. God doesn’t say be thankful for the circumstances, but be thankful “in all circumstances.”

Let me be clear here. God’s Word is God’s will. A lot of your answers to the question, “What does God want me to do?” is answered already in God’s Word.

  • How am I to treat those who are mean to me and hate me? God’s word answers that question.
  • What does God want me to do with my money? God’s word answers that question.
  • How does God want me to love my spouse? God’s word answers that question.
  • What kind of attitude does God want me to have throughout life? God’s word answers that question. God’s Word is God’s will.

But there is a problem.

  • For example, we want God’s financial blessings in life, but we don’t’ want to manage our money God’s way.
  • We want God to bless our marriage, but we don’t want to love our spouse the way God says to love them.
  • We want to influence people for God’s kingdom, but we don’t want to be a servant.

We could say it this way, we want the fruit without the faithfulness. We want the blessings without the obedience. We want the satisfaction without the sacrifice. Let me take a moment and give you some bonus material.

  • Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones” (NLT). That statement highlights that our faithfulness in small matters reflects our character and readiness for greater responsibilities.
  • The principle of being faithful in little things is echoed in Matthew 25:21 when it says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (NIV). This verse reinforces the idea that small acts of faithfulness can lead to greater opportunities and blessings.
  • This principle is repeated in Luke 19:26, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given” (NLT). Being diligent and trustworthy in everyday responsibilities – whether at work, in relationships, or in spiritual commitments – demonstrates our faithfulness to God.

But the problem is we want the fruit without the faithfulness! We want the blessing without the obedience. We want the satisfaction without the sacrifice. If you want the fruit, the blessings, and the satisfaction that only God can give you, you have to be in the middle of God’s will.

And the bottom line is this, like it or not, you can’t walk in God’s will if you are disobeying His word. Period. He has revealed His will in His Word. If you start obeying God’s will that’s already revealed in His Word, then what He wants you to do personally is much easier to see and to determine. God’s Word says things like this…

  • Listen to Colossians 3:12 which says, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you” (vs. 12-13, NLT). It is God’s will for you to be merciful to people, to be kind to others, to not be arrogant but humble, and to be gentle in words and actions toward others, and to be patient with people and to give them space to not be perfect and make mistakes and to forgive those who offend you. That’s God’s moral will for everyone of us. The best place for you to be is in God’s will, but you can’t walk in God’s will if you are disobeying His Word.

And let me add one more thing, if you are living what this Word teaches, it’s not going to be easy. It is never going to be easy, but it’s always going to be worth it. Being in God’s will is not always easy.

  • It’s not going to be easy to be sexually pure.
  • It’s not going to be easy to be thankful in all circumstances.
  • It’s not going to be easy to be tenderhearted toward those who are hard hearted.
  • It’s not going to be easy to be kind when others are being rude.
  • It’s not going to be easy to be gentle with others are being harsh.
  • It’s not going to be easy to be patient when others are lazy.
  • It’s not going to be easy to allow for others faults.
  • It’s not going to be easy to forgive those who have offended you.

But it will always be worth it. Why? Because the best place to be is in the center of God’s will!

Conclusion

Let’s sum up what we have so far.

  • We have God’s sovereign will. This is His ultimate master plan. This is that part of God’s will that is going to happen and no one can alter it, change it, influence it, or stop it. It will happen no matter what. And your life is within His sovereign will.
  • Then there is God’s moral will. This is God’s will for every believer, without exception. This is how God wants you to live. This is God’s will for how he wants you to live out your life. Be holy. Be thankful.

Let’s wrap up our time together with Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” (NLT). Seek His will in all you do.

  • God, I want to be more than just an employee, I want to be more than just someone who clocks in and clocks out. What is your will for me there?
  • God, I want to train up and love my children well. What do you want me do? How can I do it better?
  • God, I want to manage the money you have given me. What is your will regarding my finances?
  • God, I want to honor you with my body. What is your will for me and my health?
  • God, I want to love my spouse well. How do You want me to love them and build them up?
  • God, I want to be more than a student. What is your will for me while I go to school?
  • God, I’m retired. How do you want me to spend and invest my time?

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.