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“For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 T...
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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.
Second, we are to always rejoice, pray, and give thanks.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessa-lonians 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” (Colos...
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so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:10–12).
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).
God’s will is your growth in Christlikeness.
“God guides us in decision making.” I did not say, “God expects us to discover His plan for our lives.” The difference between the two sentences is huge.
Statement 1: God guides us by His invisible providence at all times.
Ephesians 1:11: “[God] works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Statement 2: God can speak to His people in many different ways, guiding them with their conscious cooperation.
God has shown Himself capable of guiding His people and communicating with them in various
ways. Statement 3: In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son.
“is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).
Statement 4: God continues to speak to us by His Son through His Spirit in the Scriptures.
Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us.
Statement 5: Apart from the Spirit working through Scripture, God does not promise to use any other means to guide us, nor should we expect him to.
examples in Acts
The extraordinary means of guidance were not sought.
Humble goals and loosely held plans are good. Expecting God to do tricks for us is bad.
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Wisdom, in Proverbs, is always moral. The fool, the opposite of the wise person, is not a moron or an oaf. The fool is the person who does not live life God’s way.
Our text mentions three ways. The first way to get wisdom is to store up God’s commands (1). The second way is turn your ear to wisdom (2). And the third way is to call out for insight (3).
God doesn’t want us to merely give external obedience to His commands.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, topresent your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
God wants us to develop a taste for godliness.
We become what we behold.
If we want to make wise decisions, we must seek advice and counsel from others.
Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance. (1:5) The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (12:15) Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. (15:22) Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (19:20)
teachability.
If no one has ever heard you change your mind about something, then you are either a god or you have mistaken yourself for one.
first of all we pray for illumination.
Second, pray for wisdom.
Third, pray for things that you already know are God’s will.
And then after you’ve prayed and studied and sought advice, make a decision and don’t hyper-spiritualize it.
Step One: Search the Scriptures.
A good Bible-preaching, caring church nearby should be a top factor in your decision.
Step Two: Get wise counsel.
Step Three: Pray.
Step Four: Make a decision.
godliness with contentment.
And while I’m jumping on toes, let me explode the myth of “the one.”
but don’t think that there is only one person on the whole planet to whom you could be happily married.
If you are going to be anxious about one thing, be anxious to keep His commandments. If we must fear something—and we all do—fear God, not the future.
“When we have ruled out what God has expressly forbidden, and when we have searched the Bible and prayed for wisdom, we are free to choose.