Many Christians worry and wonder why they can't discern the Will of God and hear the Voice of God. One of the main reasons Christians can't discern the will of God is because they don't understand how God works-- they don't "get" His M.O., God's mode of operation. The next three parts of this series will focus on understanding the way that God works before seeking to understand God's will. The reason for thinking this way is that many Christians obsess about God's will without thinking about "how God works" in the first place. Growing in discernment of God's will requires learning more about God and how He works in our lives today.
So, what truths do you need to understand about God's Modus Operandi?
First, recognize that God has an ideal plan for your life. I don’t want to get into the "God's 'perfect, permissible, prohibited' will” kind of talk here, as if God technically has two or three choices for your life (Plan A, B or C), because something strikes me as somewhat unrealistic or at least confusing about that. But, however you slide it, God absolutely has a plan for you and your life.
Read Jer. 29:11-13. This passage tells us that God knows the plan, and that it’s a plan for good, not evil. Plans, that if we participate with them, are to give us a hope and a future. You won’t find His closest intimacy and Will unless you seek Him with your whole heart.
Secondly, God wants to do infinitely more in a person's life than that person will usually allow Him to do. Read Ephesians 3:20; The Apostle Paul makes it clear that God is able do immeasurably more than anything you could ever ask for, more than your wildest imaginations could dream up. It’s not that God doesn’t want to work mightily in your life, it’s that you won’t let Him… or that you’re not doing what is necessary for that to come to pass.
You don’t get put on the spiritual shelf unless you choose to be– I think that, for 15 months as a young Christian, I was "on the shelf." I wouldn’t go forward with Him– so He was finished with me until I gave Him more of me. It’s not that you ever get more of God.. It’s that He gets more of you.
Thirdly, God wants you to know and obey His will for your life. God doesn’t want His Will for you to be a secret. But, then again, He won’t cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). He knows if you’re ready to go to the next level, and He won’t tell you that next step unless you really are. If the answer in your heart is not a constant “yes” then I wouldn’t expect Him to show you His plan… If you aren’t going to obey His Will or want to look it over before doing it, then you’re not ready for prime time.
Keeping these first three keys in mind is vital in understanding God's will for Your own life. First, that God has a plan, an ideal plan, specifically for you. Second, that God can and desires to do more with you than you could dream of. If God's not working with you, examine your own attitudes toward Him; God can work mightily in Your life. And thirdly, God wants you to know His will. He's not trying to keep it a secret, but He does know if you're ready to take the next step and won't let you take it unless you are.
God can and wants to work in your life, in great ways. In our next blog, we'll discuss four more keys to understanding how God works.
