"Another Article on Finding the Will of God" - The Christian Online Magazine

Another Article on Finding the Will of God (but this one actually helps!)

When it comes to the issue of trying to discern the “will of God” we Christians certainly have lots of resources on this topic. We have books claiming 7 steps to finding it, tapes with 3 keys to discovering it, and Internet articles touting 2 principles to guarantee it. Yet after all of this good-intentioned advice most of us don’t feel confident that we can discern God’s will for our life.

The Bible has literally thousands of verses telling us what the heart of God beats for. I think Mark Twain said it best when he observed, “It’s not the things in the Bible that I don’t understand that bother me. It’s the things I do understand that bother me!” “Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (Jas. 4:17). Ouch.

When Christians want an answer about something we go to Scripture. And where do we find the greatest statement in the New Testament about finding the will of God? It’s in Romans 12:2, “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....” As we separate from this world and are renewed by the Holy Spirit we put ourselves in a position to understand God’s unique will for our lives. After Paul reveals this powerful truth in Romans 12:2 he moves into a further discussion about God’s will in verses 3-8. He speaks of spiritual gifts. In Paul’s thinking these two concepts are related. Here’s the real key we’ve all been waiting for. An important key to discovering the will of God for your life is to discover how you have been uniquely gifted!

I’m not much for formulas but here is one you can literally bank on:

The Will of God = Obeying God’s General + Obeying God’s Specific Will

Will for All Christians For You as an Individual

(James 4:17) (Romans 12:6-8)

It is God’s will that we abstain from fornication (I Thess. 4:3). It is God’s will that we tell others about Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20). We could go on and on. But what about God’s specific will for our lives? It’s found by discovering our gifts. And in this regard the activities we commit ourselves to will vary greatly from Christian to Christian.

God doesn’t expect the same from me as He does from you. I have intercessor friends who spend hours each night praying for the salvation of Albania. I don’t spend long hours each night praying for Albania (don’t get spiritual on me, neither do you!). God has not gifted me with intercession therefore I don’t think like an intercessor nor am I driven by the same impulses that intercessors are. However, when I’m with my intercessor friends I always throw up a few prayers for the Albanians on behalf of the Carraway’s!

My primary spiritual gift is teaching. I love to minister to a new Christian teaching them the foundations of the faith. I enjoy spending hours researching a topic and then crafting an article that I think will bless someone and teach them a spiritual truth. My intercessor friends would rather die than sit at a desk for hours writing dull articles. I have a feeling God will judge them on their intercession and judge me on my teaching.

Once I discovered this biblical truth it freed me from guilt, confusion, and second guessing myself. I now know where I am to spend my limited time and ministry energies – in the areas of my spiritual gifts. Discovering your gifts will unleash a fresh passion for ministry within you and will help you better understand God’s will for your life. And, depending on your gift, it may just help a lot of Albanians in the process!

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Bryan Carraway ministers in churches throughout the body of Christ. More on this topic can be gleaned in his book, Spiritual Gifts: Their Purpose & Power. The book covers in detail 30 spiritual gifts as found in both the Old and New Testaments.