How do I know God’s will for my life? How do I make decisions? How do I have a relationship with God?
Author and pastor John Ortberg discusses how to make decisions and discern God’s will in your life.
“God’s primary will for your life isn’t the circumstances you inhabit; it’s the person you become.”
John compares God’s relationship to us with his relationship with his kids.
“My primary will for my kids is that they become really good people. I won’t always give them instructions; I will often wait for them to choose for themselves because in having to make a decision, they develop character, maturity in judgment, and discernment that they would never develop if I always just told them what to do.”
God treats us the same way; he teaches us how to live through His Word and allows us to make decisions based on what He has told us.
Unfortunately, many Christians don’t even know what God is trying to tell them.
“I kind of had this idea that on big decisions, God was supposed to tell me what to do, and if He didn’t tell me what to do, He must be doing something wrong or I must be doing something wrong.”
John came to the conclusion that even though God was completely capable of telling us what to do, He might choose not to, for good reason.
“If you decide, you’ll grow as a person more than you would grow if you got a postcard from heaven telling you what to do.”
What happens if we don’t feel led by God?
According to John, the best thing we can do before making a big decision is to seek wisdom.
“I often tell people the main thing to aim at is wisdom and trust that God will lead you in the process.”
Many people say they cannot communicate with God, but John sees it differently.
“Communication is just guiding somebody’s thoughts. We are finite and we have to use finite means to communicate like words or a printed page. God is infinite; He can guide our thoughts without any finite means.”
More often than not, God doesn’t speak to us; he simply guides thoughts into our heads that suggest to us what we should do.
Are you in tune to what God could be telling you? Today, ask God to help you receive the nudges he sends your way.
Take time to read your Bible knowing that God is waiting for you to listen to Him.
