Have you ever wondered...

what is god's will

for my life?

What is God’s will for my ____?

Marriage? Career? Kids? College life?

How many times have you been faced with a difficult decision or circumstance and wondered “what is God’s will for me in this”?

Sometimes, God’s will is very clear, like when He says to not murder, avoid adultery, or give to the poor.

But when we ask questions like: “What job should I take?” “Should we have kids” or “should I marry this person?”, we don’t often get straightforward answers.

For most of us, our questions are met with silence and God’s will feels like a treasure hunt with no map.

Here are 4 strategies for beginning to discern God's will in your life.

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Strategy 1: Ask God about it

For many of us, our lives are simply too busy, chaotic, and loud to hear God.

One reason to pray is to simply get enough space to think deeply and reflect on our lives and about God.

Spending time in prayer, asking God for clarity and being with Him makes us get familiar with His voice.

Here are some helpful questions to consider while praying.

How do I think Jesus would handle this decision?
What grabs my heart?
What do I find myself continually coming back to think about?
What in my life has contributed to bringing me to this place?

Even if we don’t have clear answers, God uses our prayers to align our desires, hopes, dreams, and convictions with His own priorities. God uses prayer to make us the kind of people who trust Him, even when answers are unclear.

Strategy 2: Get familiar with The Bible

How does your decision or choice line up with what God has made clear in the Bible?

Our emotions can run all over the place. Stack what you feel with what God has clearly communicated, looking for either alignment or contradiction.

God may not answer you when you ask what job you should take, but He does communicate a lot of His will for how His people should live through the teachings in the Bible.

Is your desire or decision in line with the priorities God has set up?

The more time we spend getting familiar with God’s voice, the more we are able to “hear” God speak to us through the Bible, other people, our circumstances, and our thoughts.

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What is God doing around you?

Strategy 3: Get advice from wise people

What do the people I trust say?

As you seek God’s voice, pay attention to the feedback of the people around you. They can see what God is doing in our lives in a unique way.

It’s healthy for us to have close relationships with mature and wise people who can help us. When you are faced with big decisions, wise counsel from other believers can help you hear God’s will. They can give input, ask good questions, and help see our blind spots.

Proverbs 12:15 says “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”

Strategy 4: Tune into your opportunities

What doors have opened up in my life?
What opportunities are coming my way?  What topic has come up a few too many times to feel like a coincidence?

Sometimes God leads us to His will by placing us in just the right place at the right time. Are the opportunities around you nudging you in a certain direction?

Are you uniquely suited to take on a certain job? Or have you been presented with an opportunity to help a family in need? These situations may be God opening a door in your life.

Not every opportunity is an open door from God, but when the work that God is doing in our hearts aligns with the doors that are opening around us, we should pay attention!