Do This And Never Miss Direction From God

I believe that so many of us can fall into the trap of not understanding and overcomplicating God’s will for our lives. The truth is God’s way is like a highway, and His will is the lane we travel on. So if you think of God’s will and God’s way in your life, what you must understand, as long as you are in God’s way, you will be in God’s will. So the focus isn’t, “How do I know God’s will and God’s direction?” But rather, how can we remain in obedience and trust that God will guide?

I want to start off by emphasizing what the Bible says in Psalm 1:3, stating that a righteous man will, “be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

Notice the word “whatever”? This is important because it means that as long as things are on God’s path, we are in God’s truth. And, ultimately this means that as we are doing what God called us to do (as revealed in the Scriptures), we will encounter God’s blessing.

Two Questions To Ask From Paul’s Life

But how can we discern which “lane of the highway” God wants you to be on? The example that I would like to use is the story of Paul. Paul was on the road to Damascus, meets Jesus and asks two essential questions:

1. “Who are You, Lord?”
2. “What do You want me to do?”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t give him the full plan even though he asks then. Instead, He tells Paul to go to the city and wait for further instructions.

From this, we learn three principles for discovering God’s direction in our lives.

How to Discover God’s Direction For Your Life

1. The Right Place

First off, notice that Jesus told Paul where to go before he told him what Paul is going to do with his life. I find that often God will position us in the right place before He reveals to us the next step.

Just like Ruth found the right field before she found Boaz, you must position yourself in obedience before God before He reveals to you the next step. In other words, make yourself available to serve at your local church. Be in the right place spiritually, emotionally, and relationally with people.

So if God is beginning to structure your life to be really anchored in a local church or in a small group, then He is setting you up for His direction.

I have also found that many people often want to be led by God, but they don’t want to be grounded by Him. Be careful of this and be obedient to His leading.

2. The Right People

Secondly, we see in the story that when Saul met Ananias, everything changed. Notice that while he is in the right place, he ends up meeting the right people (Acts 9:17).

It’s also important to understand that often the right people are those who will speak into your destiny. They don’t just tell you what you want to hear, but they tell you what you need to hear. These people will often minister to you and help you lay a foundation in your spiritual life. It was after meeting Ananias that Paul received his sight, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and received water baptism.

3. The Right Plan

Lastly, do what you know you must do right now. For example Paul immediately started to preach Christ in the synagogues.

Don’t try and overcomplicate it. When you’re in the right place, surrounded by the right people, take action. Follow the truth and commands written in God’s Word.

Many people complicate it, but I like to think of it this way: The Lord will reveal the fullness of His plan as you do already what you know you need to do. The Scripture says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, He delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23). Trust that God will guide you into specifics as you are busy doing what is already commanded in Scripture for all Believers.

You might not know should you move to this city or not? But you do know is that you are to live a life of prayer, and live a life in God’s Word and you are to trust in God. Do that and trust the Lord for the details regarding your specifics. Rest in His peace.

Final Thoughts

Be okay with not knowing everything. Remember that the hidden things belong to God, but revealed things belong to us (Deut 29:29). So if you do know what is already required, do that. Things that you don’t know, the Lord will reveal in time. And if he doesn’t reveal those, He will order my step into His perfect will.

I pray this gives you peace and may the Lord guide your steps.

Read: How to Live a Life Pleasing to God