Knowing God’s will
Knowing God’s Will by lcl
1Ki 19:11 And He said, Go forth and stand on the mountain before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke the rocks in pieces before Jehovah. But Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind was an earthquake, but Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake was a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire was a still, small voice.
During Old Testament times God spoke through His prophets. However, today God seldom speaks loudly to tell us what to do. Instead, He first gets our attention , if necessary, with major shakings then speaks softly to draw us to His will. If He screamed, we would be terrified. So, He speaks softly, in love, to guide us in wisdom, that we might be under His guidance and protection. How then do we know that it is God speaking to us, through His Holy Spirit or other means?
The general will of God is given through the bible:
There are the Old Testament Don’ts with appropriate punishments: The old covenant has been replaced by the new testament covenant. However, since God does not change, the Old testament should be considered to know the general nature of God’s desires.Examples:
Lev 18:17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shall you undertake to uncover her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter. They are her near kinswomen; it is wickedness.
Lev 18:20 And you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her.
Lev 18:22 You shall not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is abomination to God.
Lev 18:29 For whoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
Lev 19:11 You shall not steal, nor lie, nor be deceitful to one another.
Lev 19:12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely; nor shall you profane the name of your God. I am Jehovah.
Lev 19:13 You shall not defraud your neighbor nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not stay with you until the morning.
Lev 19:17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall always rebuke your neighbor, and not allow sin on him.
Lev 19:18 You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Jehovah.
Lev 19:30 You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary. I am Jehovah. Lev 19:31 You shall not turn to mediums, and you shall not seek to spirit- knowers to be defiled by them. I am Jehovah your God.
Lev 19:32 You shall rise up before the gray head and honor the face of the old man, and fear your God. I am Jehovah.
Lev 19:35 You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures and weights, or in quantity.
Lev 19:36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.Lev 20:6 And the soul that turns to mediums, and to spirit-knowers, to go lusting after them, I will even set My face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
Deu 5:6 I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deu 5:7 You shall have no other gods besides Me.
Deu 5:8 You shall not make a graven image for you, any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters beneath the earth.
Deu 5:9 You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,
Deu 5:10 and doing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Deu 5:11 You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain, for Jehovah will not acquit the one who takes His name in vain.
Deu 5:12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as Jehovah your God has commanded you.
Deu 5:13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
Deu 5:14 But the seventh day shall be the sabbath of Jehovah your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger inside your gates, so that your manservant and your maidservant may rest like yourself.
Deu 5:15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and with a stretched- out arm. Therefore Jehovah your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. Deu 5:16 Honor your father and your mother, as Jehovah your God has commanded you, so that your days may be made longer, and that it may go well with you in the land which Jehovah your God gives you.
Deu 5:17 You shall not kill.
Deu 5:18 And you shall not commit adultery. Deu 5:19 And you shall not steal.
Deu 5:20 And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Deu 5:21 And you shall not lust after your neighbor’s wife, nor shall you covet your neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is your neighbor’s.
Deu 5:29 Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their sons forever!
Deu 16:8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread. And on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Jehovah your God. You shall do no work.
Deu 18:3 And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those that offer a sacrifice, whether ox or sheep. And they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks, and the stomach.
Deu 18:4 You shall give him the first-fruit of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep.
Deu 18:9 When you come to the land which Jehovah your God gives you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations.
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a fortune-teller, or a witch,
Deu 18:11 or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or one who calls to the dead.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things arean abomination to Jehovah. And because of these abominations Jehovah your God
Mic 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does Jehovah require of you but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, In what have we robbed You? In the tithe and the offering!
Mal 3:9 You are cursed with a curse; for you are robbing Me, the nation, all of it. Mal 3:10 Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. And test Me now with this, says Jehovah of Hosts, to see if I will not open the windows of Heaven for you, and pour out a blessing for you, until there is not enough room.
There are the New Testament Do’s done through love: Examples:
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.
Mat 6:1 Take heed that you do not do your merciful deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in Heaven.
Mat 6:2 Therefore when you do your merciful deeds, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:3 But when you do merciful deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does,
Mat 6:4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret Himself shall reward you openly.
Mat 5:22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whoever shall say, Fool! shall be liable tobe thrown into the fire of hell.
Mat 5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; that the opponent not deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
Mat 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Mat 5:37 But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no. For whatever is more than these comes from evil.
Mat 5:39 But I say to you, Do not resist evil. But whoever shall strike you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Mat 5:40 And to him desiring to sue you, and to take away your tunic, let him have your coat also.
Mat 5:41 And whoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two.
Mat 5:42 Give to him who asks of you, and you shall not turn away from him who would borrow from you.
Mat 5:43 You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
Mat 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,
Mat 5:45 so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven.
Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that you may not be judged.
Mat 7:2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:12 Therefore all things, whatever you desire that men should do to you, do even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Mat 10:7 And as you go, proclaim, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. You have received freely, freely give.
Mat 12:36 But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.
Mat 12:50 For whoever shall do the will of My Father in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister and mother.
Mat 23:11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12 And whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he who shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord;
Mar 12:30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Joh 15:9 As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in My love. Joh 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Joh 15:11 I have spoken these things to you so that My joy might remain in you and your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Col 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, Col 2:7 rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
The specific will of God for individuals is given by The Holy Spirit in various ways:
God will close or open doors of opportunity. Closed doors are not necessarily a bad thing when God has a better opportunity in a new direction. Praise God and wait for a better view of your circumstances.
God will give you peace in your spirit when you are on the right track. Pray and ask God for guidance then wait patiently. God reacts immediately, but we may not see the answer until the last minute. This is a test of faith. Do not despair just because choices are difficult or challenging. If you are in God’s will, He will see you through beyond all that you can imagine.
After all, you can, and should, ask God for help along the journey and give Him credit for His works.
Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Eph 3:21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever. Amen.
Since God’s will is always to give good gifts, our decisions should reflect His nature. That which we choose should always build up and encourage others. Our choices should always show the love and compassion of Christ in truth.
When in doubt, ask “What would Christ do?” Knowing Jesus is necessary to answer this question. Study New Testament scripture to see how Jesus reacted to the demands and pressures He faced while in the world as a man. Then, when you ask the question, consider seriously the first thought that comes to mind.
God sometimes speaks through dreams. Pay attention to your first thoughts and feelings when you wake.
Seek Christian counseling from a professional or caring and sensitive confidant of your same sex. Explain your question then listen and verify any advice by meditating on appropriate scripture.
Then there is a method that Dr. Mark Virkler explained on the Sid Roth show.
It was birthed out of Habakkuk.
Hab 2:1 I will stand on my watch and set myself on the tower, and will watch to see what He will say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
Hab 2:2 And Jehovah answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.
He speaks of a 4 step process that he guarantees works.
- Be quiet in an attitude of waiting on God in a quietsurrounding.
- Concentrate on a vision of Christ and what He might say. Ask Him to speak Hiswill.
- Allow spontaneous thoughts through the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s will to you.
- Write the thoughts down in a journal. See if more thoughts come as the thoughts are written. God only gives so much at a time in order that we might remember itclearly.
- Confirm your writings with two other knowledgeable trusted Christian friends as not being in conflict with scripture and being in agreement withthe nature ofJesus.
These steps sound right to me also. What I write comes in pieces as I follow steps 1 through 4 while meditating on scripture. The Holy Spirit brings parts of scripture to mind that answer topics under study.