How to Discover God’s Will
In the book of Judges, we find a story about Gideon testing God with a wool fleece. Will it be dew-drenched in the morning? Will it not be?
Have you ever laid out a fleece to determine what God wants you to do or whether he REALLY wants you to pursue a specfic path? Doing so sets us up for doubt rather than confident decision-making by the Book.
Below is a decision-making process that is based on what the Bible teaches.
| Step | Verse |
|---|---|
| 1. The Holy Spirit | John 16:13 |
| 2. Word of God (Bible) | Psalm 119:105 |
| 3. Peace of God | Colossians 3:15 |
| 4. Desire to Obey the Lord | Psalm 34:3-4 |
The Holy Spirit
Are you being led by the Holy Spirit? John 16:13 says that "...when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth...".
Word of God (Bible)
How do you know if it’s the Holy Spirit guiding you? Compare it to what you find in the Bible. This means spending time in the Word of God and being familiar with it so that it can serve as a "lamp" to your feet and "light" to your path.
Peace of God
If you feel peace and you’re not doing something that lines up with the Bible’s teaching, then you don’t have the peace of God. For example, someone may say he’s going to leave his wife for another woman and he feels peace about it. Because that’s not in line with scripture, that isn’t the peace of God.
Moreover, fellow Christians will provide a mirror for you to view your actions through. You don’t have to go it alone. Seek counsel from Christians, but make sure that what they say aligns with Biblical teachings, too.
Desire to Obey the Lord
Finally, as you go through this process, you will have a desire to obey the Lord.
It’s not always an easy process or one that aligns with what we personally want. But this is how we make good decisions without putting God to the test. Instead, God has provided us with resources through which we can test our decisions without putting out a fleece and hoping that the answer is from God.
The above is based on a sermon on Judges 6:33-40 preached by Pastor Ken Sommerfeldt on November 6, 2016.