Struggling to know what God's will is for you?
Short answer:
Don't let anyone other than Him tell you how to find it or what it is.
I would not even hazard an attempt. However there are things that we can know to approach it.
First, to please all the die-hard theologians, we have an infallible written record of stuff about His will, specifics and some illustrations.
There is also a huge (bigger than i can think of) freedom we have in Christ; so free that there is no cut-and-dried formula or pleading that connects us with His will. He sets before us choices of life and death; but urges us to choose life.
This paradox is not resolvable without relationship. Those that love Him know and do His will. That implies time we spend with Him. He transforms our hearts out of that.
We also have enough common sense and instruction to know that the ends don't justify the means where instruction is clear, We can also ask for wisdom or get it as the 'Booby Prize' for experiencing un-wise decisions.
We can consider a few of these things; we also have His mind. Jesus, by His own admission, didn't speak or do anything that the Father wasn't.
We can also be nudged in directions that please Him.
Summarizing Paul; He can change our plans if He wills but plan anyways. The Spirit does move to divert, hold or enable our progress.
I think He woos (sometimes suckers :) us into a relationship where dialog and devotion transform our hearts and move us to make His choices our own.
He invites us to enter into a relationship with Him and to follow. Everything seems to flow out from Him.
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever
has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show
myself to him.”
-- He and the Father are one; they dwell within and call us to abide and ask whatever ;)
Short answer:
Don't let anyone other than Him tell you how to find it or what it is.
I would not even hazard an attempt. However there are things that we can know to approach it.
First, to please all the die-hard theologians, we have an infallible written record of stuff about His will, specifics and some illustrations.
There is also a huge (bigger than i can think of) freedom we have in Christ; so free that there is no cut-and-dried formula or pleading that connects us with His will. He sets before us choices of life and death; but urges us to choose life.
This paradox is not resolvable without relationship. Those that love Him know and do His will. That implies time we spend with Him. He transforms our hearts out of that.
We also have enough common sense and instruction to know that the ends don't justify the means where instruction is clear, We can also ask for wisdom or get it as the 'Booby Prize' for experiencing un-wise decisions.
We can consider a few of these things; we also have His mind. Jesus, by His own admission, didn't speak or do anything that the Father wasn't.
We can also be nudged in directions that please Him.
Summarizing Paul; He can change our plans if He wills but plan anyways. The Spirit does move to divert, hold or enable our progress.
I think He woos (sometimes suckers :) us into a relationship where dialog and devotion transform our hearts and move us to make His choices our own.
He invites us to enter into a relationship with Him and to follow. Everything seems to flow out from Him.
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the
Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees
him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever
has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show
myself to him.”
-- He and the Father are one; they dwell within and call us to abide and ask whatever ;)
