Christians: How to know God's will?

Question

How do you know if God is leading you or..... something else is leading you? Please, honest answers much appreciated.

Answer 1

First of all, if it's God who's doing the leading, it will correspond with God's Word. Secondly, if you are unsure of anything, don't do it until you DO know for sure. God knows this about us, if it's truly God, He will tell us again, and again if necessary to confirm it, for us to have faith & be certain, He'll bring the opportunity up again. Otherwise, If it's wasn't of God, it will disappear. as He doesn't want us to do anything apart from faith. "Anything apart from faith is sin".

It's always wiser to be safe rather than sorry later. Paul says to test the spirits whether they are of God.

What I do, is if I'm not 100% certain it is God's Will for me do to, if I have any doubts at all, i don't do it and pray about it and ask Him to let me know some way, tell Him you're not sure, Ask Him for a specific way to confirm it, like if this happens or that happens then I'll know, I ask Him to close every door except the one I'm supposed to go through, then for sure I KNOW

Also, ask Him to teach you how to know His Will and know His voice, He will. Just "seek His Wisdom like silver & gold", above all other things, if you believe He will answer you when you ask, He will, and if you seek Him with all your heart, all your mind and with all your strength and all your soul, He'll teach you anything you want to know.†

Answer 2

It's easy for some to say that they are doing God's will, when they are doing what they want. I believe sometimes God doesn't give us a direct answer, but shows us through his Word (the Bible) where to go. Pray about your decision and read the Bible and the answer may become very clear to you. You just need to remember to surrender your will, because our selfish ambitions often cloud God's voice. Also - don't set a timetable, God sometimes works things out for you in time. - 1 Corinthians 8:5 - "And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will"

Answer 3

All you have to do is ask God and He will tell you the truth. When you have an on going relationship with God, you begin to recognize when He is speaking to your heart and guiding you. You can feel Him on the inside of you. Daily prayer keeps you connected to Him and draws you closer to Him with each passing day. Praise Him daily for the gifts He showers you with, even the hard times that may teach you better ways to go about your day. All things are to be done for the Glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Answer 4

If you are coming from the perspective of the Bible, then you should not be expecting specific guidance for every decision, as though God has a specific plan for your job, your choice of car, your favorite ice cream. If there is something specific God wants you to do, I'm sure God is more than capable of letting you know - the Bible gives plenty of instances of light glaring from the sky, and next to nothing about people sitting wondering about God's will for their lives. If you have no specific flashes of light or inspiration, then just do the general but really important stuff: love your neighbor, work for justice, show compassion, and so on.

Answer 5

You are not, nor could ever be, separate from God.
so when you are considering an action, how does it make you feel? Stop, and breathe a few times. As a part of God, God wants you to be happy, and fulfilled. God created the body that is your vehicle in this life. How does the body feel? How does your heart feel?
In God's eyes, you can never make a mistake.

Answer 6

Test the 'something else". God's Will never leads you into wrong doing, never goes against Bibically teaching. Honestly examine the "Leading" with an open heart & prayer. God speaks to us when we will listen.

Answer 7

There are two ways to know for sure. First, and most important, is the word of God. Read your bible. I believe almost every single thing is answered there. God will NOT tell you in the bible to do one thing, and then tell you in prayer to do another. That is simply not going to happen. So read his word.

Then, of course, comes prayer. Prayer is for when you need to make a decision and there is no clear cut answer in the bible. For instance, you want to know whether or not to take this new job. God gave us discernment and wisdom, of course. We can look at whether it is more money, will help us to provide better for our families, be with our children more, serve the Lord more. Or we can look at the job and know that it will draw us into the world, surrounded by desires of the flesh that we will be unable to flee. Use discernment. But use prayer too - He will let His answer be known to you.

God bless you!

Answer 8

You check everything:

- It has to line up with the central principles of the Bible. ie, Love God and love your neighbor. ie, God may lead you to make meals for the elderly people on your street, but he will NOT lead you to vandalize their property!

- You get confirmation. ie, if God is leading you to a specific job, apply and see if you get called. Or if you think he is leading you to go to a specific college, go and check out their programs, courses, financial setup, location... to see if that makes sense. In my experience, when God leads, and I go and check on it, things start to "fall into place" in a way that is not normal!

- Ask people you are accountable, especially mature Christians, parents (if they are wise, not all parents are), pastors, etc. It helps to get an outside perspective! This is probably one of the most important checks against deception!

Answer 9

If you are living in total obedience to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you then there is a very good chance that you are within God's will.

But, there is an element of discernment involved in the Christian life too.

Answer 10

We have much to see in the bible as to how God thinks, what he does in certain situations, and what he values in the Bible. We can get so much from the Bible and do better at it when we spend time reading the Bible. The other part of this is the prayer life that we can have. If we can remain as constant in the connection of faith with God ( prayer, for example, is an act of faith) we can be better at staying in step with him. As Paul said, the 'race' is one of endurance ( Hebrews 12) and we are not be weary in well doing.

Doing these things help us to know what God's will is. Yet we have so many distractions contesting for our thoughts and our time that it may be difficult to remain in touch with God becuase of the time we spend with our 'stuff' instead of with him.

Another thing is that many Christians have no part of God's word picked out to make their own promise from God. Such things as " I am the Lord that healeth thee" or " The Lord is my Strength", or "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not have wants". Instead, it's a prayer and then on to the cares of the day. Existing like this day after day is bound to make us out of step with God. Instead we follow Christ from afar off, as Peter was when the Lord was taken at Gethsemane.