Many people think that whatever happens is the will of God. While God is sovereign, not everything that happens is the will of God. People have choices in life, and many times, the things that are happening in their life are not according to the will of God. Sometimes, the things they are experiencing are a result of poor choices that they have made. It is not that this is God’s will, but rather their poor choices.
How do we find God’s will? First, we are to pray for God’s will on earth to be done, not our will but His will. Like Jesus, we have to pray for the Father’s will to be done. We should pray with our minds and pray with our spirits. The Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God, so praying in the Spirit is an important way to pray.
Second, we must present our lives to God as living sacrifices. When we die to self, and do not lean on our own understanding, He makes straight our paths. We have to learn to do God’s will, not our own will. One of the requirements for pastors is that they are not self-willed. Pastors are examples, so they are to model for the church this principle so that everyone lives according to God’s will, not their own.
Third, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We renew our minds by reading, meditating, and applying the Word of God in our lives. We find the will of God contained in the Scriptures. When our minds are renewed by the Scriptures, we can prove the will of God in our lives. When we look intently at the word, as if looking in a mirror, God uses it to transform us.
God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. When things are not good, acceptable, and perfect, let’s not say this was the will of God. Let’s go back and examine our ways, renew our minds with the Scriptures, and begin to prove God’s will in our lives.