How to Know God's Will and Follow ItSample

Two Steps Toward Knowing God’s Will

“If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him.” James 1:5 (TLB)

If you want to know God’s will, start with these two steps:

1. Admit you need guidance. Psalm 25:9 says, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (NIV). If you’ve never felt God guiding you, maybe it’s because you’ve never admitted needing His guidance. You go to work assuming you already know what to do without ever praying first. You make financial decisions, vacation plans, or career decisions before stopping to pray about them. If you’re single, you might even ask someone out on a date without first asking for God’s guidance.

Stopping to admit you need God’s guidance is the first step in knowing God’s will for your life.

2. Ask God in faith for directions. The Bible says in James 1:5-6, “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (TLB).

Notice there are two keys to knowing God’s wisdom. First, you’ve got to ask the right person: God. You don’t ask your hairdresser, your mechanic, or a social media influencer. You need to ask the right person!

Then, you ask with the right attitude: expecting God to answer. Have you ever asked God to lead you, but you didn’t really expect Him to? You must ask, expecting God to answer. God is faithful. What He promises to do, He will do.

God honors faith, and He promises to give you wisdom for the next step of your life.

This devotional © 2024 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.