KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD

Scriptures: Romans 12: 2, Ephesians 5:16-17, Colossians 1:9

Key Insights

Does God have a Plan for me?

• The Bible teaches us that we have limited free will, which means we can sin and oppose God’s will.
  
  Example: He wills for us to live holy,  but He allows you to choose to not follow His will. One can obey or disobey -one resulting in rewards , the other in discipline. [Romans 12: 2, Ephesians 5:16-17, Colossians 1:9]

What is my attitude toward God’s will? 

• The right attitude is to desire to know God’s will and do it with submission and obedience. 

How do you distinguish between God’s Purpose and God’s will?

• [Ephesians 1:9, 3:11, Romans 8:28, 9:11, 12:2; 2 Timothy 1:9]
• When the Bible talks about God’s purposes, these are things God has determined to happen, which means they must happen ( Isaiah 14:26-27, 19:12 , Jeremiah 4:28; Lamentation 2:8). For example, God determined your biological parents, and your gender. 

Illustrations 

• Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:-28)  
• God’s purpose was the older to serve the younger and that was fulfilled ’(Romans 9:12). However, God’s will did not include Jacob’s lying to his father for which Jacob reaped painful results. 
• Jonah: God’s purpose was for the people of Nineveh to repent. Jonah’s disobedience was against God’s will and he had to reap the results by spending three days in the belly of the  fish. When Jonah Obeyed , God’s will and preached to the people of Nineveh, he was an instrument used by God to fulfill his purpose. 

GOD’S PURPOSE GOD’S WILL 

God is the source God is the source 

Man is not a factor Depends on man’s obedience 

Cannot be changed, it will be fulfilled Can be disregarded 

Associated with spiritual issues Associated with all details of life

Conditions for Knowing the God’s Will 

1. Complete surrender 
2. Do not be conformed to the World

Questions for Reflection

1. Have you been able to decipher God’s will for your life? How did it change your life?
2. What do you need to do personally to align with God’s will for your life?

Prayer Points

1. Grace to be obedient and submissive in aligning with the will of God for your life.
2. Grace for the church to prioritise God’s will over man’s applause.