So for some weeks now, we’ve been on this series in church: How to know God’s will, and it’s been a different kind of ride. An interesting one, because if we’re being real, most of us kinda grew up thinking God’s will is something mysterious that we can’t ‘just’ know.
That’s why we spoke to a mix of people from different backgrounds regarding this topic. If you’re wondering, we reached out to everyone on WhatsApp, and our conversations centered on 3 major questions:
What comes to your mind when you hear “Knowing God’s will?”
How do you know something is God’s will / how do you know God’s will on something?
Is it difficult to know God’s will in our day and age?
It was one of our respondents, Osham Ndubisi, who said knowing God’s will is key to walking worthy before God and fully pleasing Him.
I couldn’t agree more.
But in the midst of all the different posts on Instagram, Twitter, I mean X, and the many many mysteries surrounding God’s will today, how does the common man like you and I recognize the desires of a good God and differentiate it from the deceits of the devil?
Eunice Kuram – another respondent – made a very valid point.
She said, “There is the joy of knowing that God has a plan for me, but next is the fear of, what if I miss out on this great plan God has for me, or what if I never fully reach my God intended potentials?
I think you’ll find the conversations that ensued quite helpful.
What comes to your mind when you hear “Knowing God’s will?”
Bolu Olubodun: The first thing that comes to my mind is Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the thoughts I have towards you…’, and also the verse that says your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55: 8 – 9)
Joy Tochi-Joshua: Knowing God’s will for me is knowing what God would want me to do per time. Like how he would want me to handle or respond to a situation,.
Toluwalase Soneye: For me, I think knowing my purpose is a major thing that comes to mind. So maybe I know God’s will about some things that are plainly written in His Word but for some other things, I don’t know.
How do you know something is God’s will / how do you know God’s will on something?
Eunice Kuram: Many times I pray about it and then I try to check if that thing I’m about to do is consistent with God’s word and principles. Other times, I take my time and I allow God to convince me.
Osham Ndubisi: I know God’s will on something when I sense peace in my heart about it, the Jesus-kind of peace. Practically, I journal and have conversations with God to know what His will is. Worshipping God sort of sets my heart right to hear Him.
If I feel like, things are still a bit blurry, I will go fasting. Because I need to hear. Lol.
But I have discovered that just seeking God’s face daily and reading his word helps me to know God’s will faster. I have seen this happen in my life a lot.
Victor Anih: In my experience, one way to know whether something is God’s will is to actually seek his input by praying or studying His Word.
Bolu: So, there’s something that goes on with me when something is God’s will for me. I think about that thing for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I feel uneasy till I pay attention to the situation and act accordingly.
Joy: First, I’ll talk to him about it, to the tiniest detail.
Sometimes, I get a nudge in my heart to go in a particular direction, other times, I just have peace about a decision, or a bible verse gives me direction.
It’s not about any ONE particular thing. God speaks in any way that pleases him, it’s on us to consistently listen to him.
Watch: How to Make Great Decisions | How to Know God’s Will
How to Align Your life with God’s Will | How to Know God’s Will
Toluwalase: I look at what God’s word says about it. I also pray about it. Lastly, I check the “why” behind any decision I’m making. If the “why” doesn’t align with what God says or who God says I am, then I re-evaluate what I’m doing
Is it difficult to know God’s will in our day and age?
Eunice: Sometimes, yes. Especially because of social media, there’s been so much dilution around God, his word, and his people that it’s easy to be swayed into believing that something is God’s will for your life, even when it isn’t.
Osham: It’s not difficult at all. There’s already a framework for it and the framework works, regardless of whatever century we are in.
Paul the apostle gave us the framework in Romans 12:2.
If we are constantly submitting ourselves to the process of reading God’s word, honoring and living out God’s word, then knowing the perfect will of God is guaranteed.
Jesus always knew what to do and Jesus didn’t conform to the ways of the world He was living in at the time.
When we conform to the ways of the world, we are shutting ourselves out of knowing God’s will for us.
Bolu: It’s not difficult to know God’s will in this day and age. It all boils down to our relationship with God.
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As I listened to what everyone had to say about God’s will, I remembered an illustration Pastor Tolu Moody gave recently.
Imagine you’re a parent who always has to tell your child when to wake up, go to the bathroom, bathe, eat, sit, stand, dance, sleep, etc. Besides the fact that that is tiresome, it essentially means your child is a robot who can’t make a single right decision if you’re not there to tell them what to do.
Now imagine you’re the parent of a child who knows to bathe and get ready for school before you get to his/her room. That child is taking actions in the direction of what he knows to be right and pleasing to the parent.
To quote Toluwalase, taking steps in the direction of what pleases God “gets better as you know God more.”
Osham summed it up perfectly.
“If we are constantly submitting ourselves to the process of reading God’s word, honoring and living out God’s word, then knowing the perfect will of God is guaranteed. More and more, it’ll become our natural response”
Osham Ndubisi
God didn’t design life to be a confusing maze for us. If you’d like to know God better for yourself and learn to recognize his will in situations, you will find these 2 resources below very helpful.
How to Make Great Decisions | How to Know God’s Will
How to Align Your life with God’s Will | How to Know God’s Will
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Written by Iyanuoluwa Kizo
Iyanuoluwa volunteers with the Content Team at Sycamore Church.
(Blogposts are creative expressions generously provided for Sycamore Church. The ideas and thoughts do not necessarily represent the position of Sycamore Church)
