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October 2 - October 10, 2025
when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something.
I’d like us to consider that maybe we have difficulty discovering God’s wonderful plan for our lives because, if the truth be told, He doesn’t really intend to tell us what it is. And maybe we’re wrong to expect Him to.
what God wills, will happen, and what happens is according to God’s will. That’s what I mean by God’s will of decree.
Both sides of God’s will are in Scripture. God’s will of decree —what He has predetermined from eternity past—cannot be thwarted. God’s will of desire—the way He wants us to live—can be disregarded.
But while we are free to ask God for wisdom, He does not burden us with the task of divining His will of direction for our lives ahead of time.
God does have a specific plan for our lives, but it is not one that He expects us to figure out before we make a decision.
Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we’re going.
We’ve assumed that we’ll experience heaven on earth, and then we get disappointed when earth seems so unheavenly. We have little longing left for our reward in the next life because we’ve come to expect such rewarding experiences in this life.
I am advocating floundering less, making a difference for God sooner, and—above all—not spiritualizing, year after year, our inability to make decisions in the elusive quest to discover God’s will.
God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He has planned out and works out every detail of our lives—the joyous days and the difficult—all for our good (Ecclesiastes 7:14). Because we have confidence in God’s will of decree, we can radically commit ourselves to His will of desire, without fretting over a hidden will of direction.
In other words, God doesn’t take risks, so we can.
We obsess over the things God has not mentioned and may never mention, while, by contrast, we spend little time on all the things God has already revealed to us in the Bible.
Our fascination with the will of God often betrays our lack of trust in God’s promises and provision.
Passivity is a plague among Christians. It’s not just that we don’t do anything; it’s that we feel spiritual for not doing anything. We imagine that our inactivity is patience and sensitivity to God’s leading.
God’s way is not to show us what tomorrow looks like or even to tell us what decisions we should make tomorrow. That’s not His way because that’s not the way of faith. God’s way is to tell us that He knows tomorrow, He cares for us, and therefore, we should not worry.
First, God’s will is that we live holy, set-apart lives: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
He wants you to buy a house that will make you holy. If you marry, He wants you to get married so you can be holy. He wants you to have a job that will help you grow in holiness. Count on it: God’s will is always your sanctification. He has set you and me apart that we would grow to be more like Christ.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
Third, we are to know God’s will so we can bear fruit and know Him better. “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).
Fourth, the will of God is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. “Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
Simply put, God’s will is your growth in Christlikeness.
But as an overarching principle, the will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God.
The most important decision we face is the daily decision to live for Christ and die to self.
Remember, God’s will for your life is your sanctification, and God tends to use discomfort and trials more than comfort and ease to make us holy.
Don’t confuse impressions, hunches, and subjective feelings with certain words from the Lord. If a thought or impulse pops into your head, even if it happens while reading Scripture, don’t assume it is a voice from heaven.
don’t think you need that peaceful, easy feeling before you can make up your mind.