James 4:13-17

I intend to talk about the big topic of how we can discern God’s will for our

lives. I am going to talk about the KEYS to listening to God in our

relationship with Him

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business

and make money.”

14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your

life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or

that.”

16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone,

then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

In Micah 6:14-15, we can also see a very interesting picture of what it is

like to be living a life of walking away from the path of God’s will.

14 You will eat but not be satisfied; your stomach will still be empty. You

will store up but save nothing, because what you save I will give to the sword. 15 You will plant but not

harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil on yourselves, you will

crush grapes but not drink the wine.

The Micah “You will, I will” monologue

God declares that “You (we) will do this or that in order to get a desired result but I (God) will cause a result

that is very different from our desired result.”

The human “will”– plan or blueprint - a mental faculty of making decisions

God’s will

His plan / blueprint – eg: He has a plan for our lives and for the world

His desires – eg: His will (desire) is for us to be saved

His working – eg: What he has willed he will work it out to fulfillment

But how do we walk in God’s will? How do we even know what is God’s

will?

Despite us being Christians, and being a child of God, it is so easy

to pursue after our OWN desires

and plans for our OWN lives.

1) Adopting an “i-Will” attitude

i-Will

2) Conform to God not to the world

2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be

transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2)

Therefore in order to know God’s will, is to move closer to God in our

relationship with Him, to conform more to God

3) Obeying His Word - God’s general will

We learn and obey God’s general will through the Word, through knowing what God desires for the world, what God desires of His children, what is God’s divine plan for salvation etc.

What about God’s specific will

We sometimes need to seek God for his specific will concerning things which may not be that obvious. What if both decisions are good and according to his general will?

The more we live our lives in obedience to his general will which is

plain for us to see according to His word, the easier it will be for him to

guide us according to his specific will. And the more time we spend with him

doing this practice of obeying, seeking and listening, the more easily we will understand God when he speaks and

directs.

Conclusion

- Adopt an “i-WILL” attitude

- Conform to God not to the world

- Deepen our relationship with God

- Begin the process of discerning His will by obeying his plain and obvious general will (bible)