How do you know if what you're doing is self will verses God's will?

Question

I want to live my life in God's will fully, and I don't want it to be all about me in life. I have goals in life but if they're not God's purpose for me. I'll gladly step down from what I'm pursuing in life. That's the type of commitment I want to have with Jesus. Maybe I need to just pray about what it is that he wants for me in life. I feel sometimes like I'm working so hard to get somewhere but going nowhere. That's another reason why I feel like my goals are self will instead of God's will. I'm a Methodist, I believe in God strongly, I believe that Jesus died on the Cross for my sins, and I believe that God has a purpose for all of us here on this Earth. I guess maybe I'm trying to hard or too soon to find out what my purpose is. Anybody ever feel the same way that I do? God's will verses Self will how do you know when you're doing God's will?

Answer 1

Results.

Prayer is the best way to find out God's will for your life. Note: He may not answer you right away or directly. It may be presented as a crossroad or a vision.

I have been dealing with similar issues recently.

Answer 2

The one thing I know for certain is, God will redirect your life as He needs. You have goals and desires about your future and so does God. Sometimes it's clear, He makes your desires the same as His. Sometimes it's not and He tests you to see how much you want this goal. The unbeaten path and all.
Pray and talk with Him, he'll listen. If you can't seem to go around the obstacles then look around for the clear path, "when God shuts a door He opens a window".
I assume your still quite young, if you were a 30 something discovering you want to be a neurosurgeon then I'd say you had some serious catching up to do. But give Him time to do His work and let Him show you where you need to go. He will.

Answer 3

God’s will for us is found in the Bible, specifically, in this day and age, in the New Testament. You must read it to find out how to be saved. You must study it to learn how to live your life the way God wants us to live. You must rightly divide it (e.g. separate the old from the new, figurative from literal, etc.).

You must obey it completely. You can’t take what you like and throw the rest away. That’s the reason we have so many denominations. Some people don’t like the idea of a hell, so there is a church that actually believes that there is no hell. And they’ll provide chapter and verse to “prove” their beliefs. There are those that believe that immersion in water is not necessary to be saved. This part is so clear in God’s word that it’s unbelievable that there are churches who believe this way. Yet, once again, these people will provide chapter and verse to prove that baptism is not essential for eternal life.

I could go on and on about how people add to or take away from God’s word. And the Bible warns about doing such. There is only one church ordained by God. It’s the church that Jesus died for. It’s the church that belongs to Christ. It’s the church that He is head over. The Catholic’s have the Pope as head of their church. Jesus is head over His church.

If you truly want to live your life in “God’s will fully,” then pick up that Bible and read, study and obey it.

Answer 4

That is a good question to ask when you believe in God. Living in tune with God's ways and especially with God 's will is not spoken of in the open. To be in tune with God you need to ask. It seems so honest to ask if this is right or that is right. Why would you believe you can tell God what to do. In tune means take time to be silent and meditate and ask. It is easier to hear the answer 'yes' rather than a complete explanation from God. Also you should never ask what you are unable to understand. Good prayers will make life more tolerable and later you will gain confidence.

Answer 5

The term "God's will" is created by religious groups when
cornered by questions and situations that seems have no
justification such as tragic accidents that claim innocent lives
or natural disasters etc.
Well, if God has a will and will do what he will anyway, this would make praying pretty useless don't you think?Point I'm trying to
make is self will is not only evident it is also managable.So let's
be the best we can.Let's love and respect.The world is what WE
make out of it.Not a mythical will.

Answer 6

If you spend too much time thinking about this you will get nowhere fast. Your religion would like you to become succesful and wealthy and then give them a large cut of your earnings. That is what every religion wants. You won't be made to feel bad about pursuing your goals. They put God on the money.

Answer 7

Every believer struggles with this question, we desire to do God's will and realize we to often are doing our own! Reading your bible and praying for wisdom about what you just read is the key. When your desires line up with Gods Word, there will be a peace and such joy. Seeking a relationship with God through His Holy Spirit is vital to a believer. In the book of Joshua , the Lord shared what we needed to do to please Him!

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

When you fully submit yourself to doing what you read in His word, God will reveal to you His will for your life, until than be faithful to do the little things.

Luke 19:17
And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’

Answer 8

I have found out tat prayer and studying the Bible is the only way to know for sure.God will never lead you to do anything that is contrary to his Word. Like for instance you feel that God has placed miss perfect in your life but she is
not saved and lives a worldly lifestyle.What does the Bible say about it?2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
99 per cent of the time the one that is not Born-Again will lead the saved one away from Gods fellowship.You can never be lost after God saves you but you can loose all the blessings you have and have to stand before God in humiliation at the Bema seat Judgment.
According to the Word you should not marry
someone that is not saved you will be asking for trouble.
The way I know Gods will for me is (1)Pray
ask God if it is.If the doors open for me to go that way it is of God. (2)Read the Bible to see
if what I want to do agrees with Gods word.
God will never lead you where you cant do what he has called you to do.
In Christ in Love,
TJ57

Answer 9

Jesus said learn of me my yoke is easy and my burden is light.Yes, I felt like that and I found out one great important truth,if God has something for me to do then He does let me know that I have it to do,I'll be troubled in the Spirit,if not and hear this I go about my day and know that I have God's blessings as long as I am following the teaching of my Lord and Savior Jesus.Many Preachers make us feel like if we aren't doing some great work for the Lord then we are failing,and as a man thinketh in his heart,so is he!Jesus also said ...Let your light so shine before man that they may see your good works and glorify the Father which is Heaven.I hope this helps you,and God Bless You.

Answer 10

I have felt like that before, and I think you should just pray a lot, and see what happens. Let me explain, God has His plans for us, but he gave us freedom of will as a gift, which means it's up to you to decide. If your heart and soul are full of God's light, it shouldn't be difficult which path to choose. What do you think He wants you to do? Don't you think that being able to live a happy and productive life is what He likes? Try, as hard as you can, to live by the rules He left us, don't be deceitful, and try to be happy with what you do and have, and the rest will come by itself.

Answer 11

How do you know if what you're doing is self will verses God's will?

This is the question of every mature Christian. we know that "unless the Lord build the house the builder labors in vain"

knowing Gods will for your life begins knowing the Word of God.
the more we know what God has said the more we know God's will concerning a matter.

we also know that Jesus said that to Love God..... & Love your Neighbor as your self are critical in knowing God's will. In fact Jesus said that ALL the law & Prophets hang on these two things.

I say this to establish that like a soldier, we must first understand and execute the general will of God, as a soldier knows & executes the General orders. If we are not doing the General will how can we exspect God to put more on us. does the word not also say that "God will never allow us to be burdened with more than we can bare".

I have learned first hand as I walk in love with my wife, family, friends, church, co-workers, so-on & so-on. then it puts me in place to handle more from God. Now we also understand that no one is perfect as Jesus was but God calls those with the right heart and motivation perfect (see Abraham,Noah,Job for starters)

once we are walking in that level of general understanding & execution of God's general will then we can ask for more.
Giving, fasting and prayer together will help break through & help you know more of God's will in your life. this 3 cord rope is a powerful tool in the hands of a commited Beleiver.

also the Word tells us that God confirms His instructions and does nothing less He first reveal them 1st. use this simple guide to test to see if it lines up.

3 WITNESSES TO GOD'S WILL

1. THE WORD; is it in the word. ie...its not God's will for us to fornicate or commit sexual sin.
2. WITNESS: THE HOLY SPIRIT SHOULD BEAR WITNESS & USUALLY TWO OTHERS; you should have that spirit witness a peace, a knowing. also you will get confirmation indirectly or directly and usually with out the confirmer's knowledge that they are your confirmation.
3. CIRCUMSTANCES; if you feel God want's you to be a missionary for example, situations will open up to give you opportunity to equip & finance your mission. if your blocked over & over again , fast & pray it may be God Telling you NO. as the spirit stopped Paul from ministering in certain areas.

all 3 of these will line up when it is God's will and Timing.

We as christians so often forget that because God has told us a matter and we have details , we get so excited that we jump ahead of God instead of resting in the Lord and allowing God to bring forth the ripened fruit we pick it early, thus eating bitter fruit.

I hope this has helped in some way if you would like more info i would be glad to converse with you in more depth.

Blessings & Boldness upon you in Jesus name!