Dear Victorious Living,
Please help me understand how I can
know that I am in God’s will and doing
what He put me here on earth to do. How
can I discover my purpose?
Joey Aloe
Dear Joey,
Knowing God’s will is easier than you think. The
primary way God leads a person to know His will
is through His Word. The Bible gives direction for
every issue of life. His Word teaches us how to
interact with people, how to think, how to give,
and how to act and react. It shows us how to be
a good stewards of our finances and how to have
healthy relationships. It also teaches us about
God’s nature and character—and that helps us
recognize what is not of God.
Recognizing God’s will starts with obeying
what we know to be true. In the Bible, we find
that God’s will is for us to love and forgive one
another. We are to give generously to others and
defend the weak. We are to share the Good News
of Jesus Christ and use our gifts to bring Him glory
and honor. We are to lay aside fear and trust Him.
We are to worship and praise Him. These are just
a few of the simple but profound things that bring
us into the center of God’s will.
God’s will becomes clearer the more we study
the Word and the more we walk in obedience to
it. Talking with the Lord, praying to Him, and being
God-conscious throughout our day also positions
us to notice when and where God is leading
us. As we stay in tune with Him, we will actually
feel internal nudges of the Holy Spirit leading us
to do this or that. We will also begin to notice
opportunities opening before us.
In life, we will often face decisions not specifically
addressed in the Bible. For instance, should we
take this job or that one? Should we move, adopt,
go to college, have more kids, or marry this
person? Every day we face decisions like these,
and sometimes they can seem overwhelming.
I know I have often allowed my fear of messing
up God’s will keep me from making decisions. I
have sat, paralyzed with fear, crying out, “Help me,
Lord. I don’t want to mess up your will!” One day,
as I entered this familiar mental wrestling match
about not messing up, I felt the Holy Spirit leading
me to James 1:5–8:
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God,
and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke
you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure
that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver,
for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled
as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed
by the wind. Such people should not expect to
receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is
divided between God and the world, and they
are unstable in everything they do.
This passage hit me right between the eyeballs
as I realized that, although I was asking God for
wisdom and desiring His will for my life, I wasn’t
trusting His ability to lead me. I wasn’t trusting
His promise to give me wisdom to make the
right decision. As a result, I was living in a world
of doubt and instability that either sidelined or
caused me to run around in circles when I should
have been moving forward in confidence that God
is not going to let me go astray.
Joey, as you seek God, He will always be
at work behind the scenes, directing
your footsteps and orchestrating
your life according to His will. God
knows your heart. As long as
your heart desires Him, God will gently move you
forward, and if you need correction, He’ll gently
bring that, too. Whenever I have acknowledged
my need for His wisdom and desired His will
above my own, He has never failed to direct my
footsteps. And He will not fail you, either.
As far as knowing your purpose in life…take
an inventory of your life. Write down your past
experiences (good and bad), as they have given
you special knowledge to help others. Look at
your strengths and ask yourself, what am I gifted
to do? Ask yourself what brings you joy. God put
gifts and talents in you so you can use them to
touch the world. It’s simple. The things you enjoy
doing and are gifted at doing are the very things
God will use to connect you with people so that
you can encourage them and lead them to the
love of God.
God will often use your weaknesses to impact
others. The thing you don’t think you can do, the
thing you want to hide and forget—those might
be the very things God will use. He called Moses,
who was a stutterer, to be a mouthpiece for Israel!
These are my favorite moments. There’s nothing
like looking over the works of your hands and
knowing the truth that you didn’t do it…God did.
One last thing…Don’t think you can travel too
far away from God’s will to ever fulfill it. God is
always ready to help you get back on track. Simply
repent (which means turn around) and run to
Him. It’s not about where you’ve been or what
you’ve done; it’s about where you are going and
what you will do in the future that matters. If you
acknowledge the Lord, turn and tune your heart to
His, and trust that He will lead your path, He will.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND
Am I in
G od’s wil l?
12 kojministries.org Issue 1 2018
Am I doing
what He wants
me t o do?
What is
my pur pose?
How wil l
I know?
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