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How Do You Find God’s Will?
By Rick Warren

“God … invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, even Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9 TLB)

God’s not playing games with you. He wants you to understand his will, his purpose, and his plan for your life.

You may say, “I want God to guide me, but I still get confused. I don’t know what to do.” Often the problem is we’re looking for the wrong thing. You need to know what you’re looking for before you can find it.

So, what is God’s will?

1. God’s will is not a feeling.

Some of you are looking for a feeling or a supernatural sign. You want God to pull your heartstring so you’ll know exactly what to do.

The problem is that feelings are unreliable; they will often guide you the wrong way. Feelings can come from fatigue, hormones, or an event you’ve just experienced. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful” (NIV). Even your heart plays tricks on you. Even the devil can create a feeling. If I had listened to my feelings, I would never have married my wife, Kay. The day before the wedding, my feelings said, “Run!” But that wasn’t God’s will. It was fear!

Don’t wait for a feeling when you’re trying to figure out God’s plan for your life.

2. God’s will is not a formula.

In our culture, we want everything to be easy. We want things to follow a simple formula so it will instantly change our lives. We want a step-by-step guide.

But there’s a problem with this approach: There’s no room for mistakes. If God’s will is a recipe, what happens if you leave out one ingredient? If you leave baking soda out of a recipe, you’ve got the difference between a birthday cake and a pancake. What if you have “52 Steps to Knowing God’s Will,” and you leave out number 37?

God’s will is not a closed system. It is dynamic! It is not always an issue of choosing A or B. In fact, many times you can choose from A to Z, and any of them will be OK. It’s your choice. Why would God give you a brain and not expect you to use it? He lets you make choices, and he gives you second chances.

If God’s will is not a feeling or a formula, then what is it?

3. It is a relationship.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God … invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, even Christ our Lord” (TLB).

There is very little in the Bible about the technique of knowing God’s will. But there are thousands and thousands of verses that talk about developing a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Why? Because God’s will is a relationship.

The better you get to know him, the less confusion you’re going to have about what his will is. Get to know God, and everything else becomes secondary.

Talk It Over

What does God want you to do if you get a feeling that you believe is telling you something about God’s will?

Why do you think God allows us to make choices and even mistakes when we are searching for his will?

How can you get to know God better?