Discerning God’s will for your life shouldn’t be something that God would keep hidden from us, but yet for many, the Bible seems silent on such issues as who should I marry or what career should I pursue. Sometimes the Bible is very clear on God’s will for your life. For example, in (I Thessalonians 5:16-18) we read: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The Bible is very clear here that as a Christian God’s will is for us to rejoice always, pray continually and in everything give thanks. But in many cases in life God’s specific will for us is not as clear cut. So, the big question is how can we find out what God wants us to do when it comes to those questions that can’t be specifically found in the pages of Scripture.
May I submit to you that when it comes to discerning God’s will and direction for your life one of the most useful tools, I have found is the five “S” strategy.
- We first must be saved. If we aren’t, God is under no obligation to answer our prayers or share His guidance with us.
- We must be sanctified. We must be living a morally pure life if we expect our prayers for direction to be heard.
- We must be Spirit-filled. If the Holy Spirit is directing our lives his “tap on the shoulder” will be always evident as we seek Him for new direction.
- We must be in submission to His Word. Obedience to Him is critical to hearing His voice.
- We must be suffering. If we want to follow the Lord there will be some suffering for the sake of advancing the Gospel.
Therefore, if we are saved, sanctified, Spirit-filled, in submission, and suffering for Christ then what is God’s will for our lives – Do whatever you want! So, if we are following the five “S” strategy then who is controlling our desires but the Lord. For we read in (Psalm 37:4): “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” In other words, your desires will be His desires and His desires will be yours.