What is God’s Will for My Life?

He leads me …

As Christians there are times in our lives when we wonder what the Lord’s general will is for our lives. We often want to know God’s will for the big things like what will happen to us in the future, but can be walking contrary to His revealed will in general living. To help us align with His wiil, a check list of references has been compiled below to help us understand the Lord’s perspective on what is important in a Christian’s life.

Let us look at some of the things that God requires His followers to do –

Regarding God

·      To look to Jesus - Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. (Hebrews 12:2 NLV)

·      Bring a sacrifice of praise to Him continually - Our constant sacrifice to God should be the praise of lips that give thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15 PHILLIPS)

·      Take the Lord’s Supper – ‘For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are [symbolically] proclaiming [the fact of] the Lord’s death until He comes [again] (1 Corinthians 11:24-26 AMP)

·      Walk with the Holy Spirit - If our lives are centred in the Spirit, let us be guided by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25 PHILLIPS)

·      Do not grieve the Holy Spirit - And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30 NLT)

·      Let all our requests be made known to God - Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6 TLV)

·      Cast all our cares on Him - You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern. (1 Peter 5:7 PHILLIPS)

·      Have confidence in Him - Don’t throw away your trust now—it carries with it a rich reward in the world to come. (Hebrews 10:35 PHILLIPS)

·      Come boldly to the throne of grace - Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need. (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-23 PHILLIPS)

·      Do everything for His glory - Because, whatever you do, eating or drinking or anything else, everything should be done to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31 PHILLIPS)

Regarding Others

·      Be open about our faith with others - “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; (Matthew 5:14 AMP)

·      Be patient towards others - And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV)

·      Be an example to others - Be their ideal; let them follow the way you teach and live; be a pattern for them in your love, your faith, and your clean thoughts. (1 Timothy 4:12b TLB)

·      Be ready to give an account of the hope that is in you - Always be ready to tell everyone who asks you why you believe as you do. Be gentle as you speak and show respect. (1 Peter 3:15 NLV)

·      Do not be afraid of others - “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of these who want to murder you. They can only kill the body; they have no power over your souls.” (Luke 12:4 TLB)

·      Do not cause others to stumble - So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. (Romans 14:13 NLT)

·      Treat others as we would like to be treated - So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12 NIV)

·      Fight strongly for the faith  - I feel compelled to make my letter to you an earnest appeal to put up a real fight for the faith which has been once and for all committed to those who belong to Christ (Jude 3 NIV)

·      Give freely - Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop (2 Corinthians 9:6,7 NLT)

·      Pray for those that persecute us - bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:28 NIV)

·      Share with the needy - John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” (Luke 3:11 NIV)

Regarding Ourselves

·      Resist the devil - Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NKJV); Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.1 Peter 5:9 NIV)

·      Do not be conformed to the ways of the world - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2a NLT)

·      Abstain from lusts of the flesh - Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. (1 Peter 2:11 NLT)

·      Give thanks in all things - Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

·      Do all things without grumbling or disputing - Do everything without complaining and arguing (Philippians 2:14 NLT)

·      Be content with what we have - Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT)

·      Do not be anxious about tomorrow - “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34 NLT)

·      Be patient in tribulation - Be happy in your hope. Do not give up when trouble comes. Do not let anything stop you from praying. (Romans 12:12 NLV)

·      Lay-up treasures in Heaven - Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:20 NLT)

·      Do not be weary in well-doing - And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up. (Galatians 6:9 TLB)

·      Be a good example to other believers - Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12 NKJV)

·      Do not be slothful - We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12 NIV)

·      Have a good conscience - keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:16 NIV)

·      Obey civil laws - Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. (Romans 13:1 NLT)[1]

As we review our lives occasionally by comparing how we live with this list, let us rejoice with the things that we have got right, and then look to the Lord to help us with the rest.

Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John

[1] All three lists are taken from The Complete Book of Bible Lists by H.L.Willmington, published by Tyndale House Publishers, 1987