5 Ways to Know God’s Will For Your Life

One of the number one questions I hear from young people is, “How can I know what God’s will is for my life?” And I would agree that it’s a valid question to have. How can anyone know what God desires in their ministry, job, marriage, or any other sphere of life?

Knowing His will for any particular area of our life is important. I have asked myself these questions as well and I want to take the time to share with you what I’ve learned.

Hearing God’s Voice

Hearing God’s voice in the moments when I’ve needed it most has caused a deep faith to be birthed within me. That faith has then provoked action on my part. Over the course of the years, I have come to realize that knowing God’s will and doing His will bring about the biggest blessings. 

In order to do God’s will, we have to know it. In order to know it, we must spend time getting to know God.

5 Ways to Know

1. Believe that God has goodwill towards you.

I know it may seem simple but the truth is that many people do not believe that God has plans for good for them, much less that He sees them as precious. The Bible says,

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

Jeremiah also says,

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

God is not out to kill you or destroy you. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. You were never an accident; your life was planned and thought out by God. You carry His image and likeness and He has thoughts of good for you and towards you.

Now, you must believe that.

2. Submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

You have to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. Let me explain.

In Acts, Paul said,

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Acts 9:6

In this verse, we see that He didn’t just call him Friend, or Teacher, he called Him Lord. We see that Paul is directed by the Lord and obeys because His life is submitted to God. He was okay with not knowing the next steps because He trusted Him whom he was under.

Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’

Hebrews 10:7

There are times when God will not reveal His specific will because people have a negative disposition, meaning if they don’t like the answer, they probably won’t obey. They often don’t want God’s leading to infringe on their liberties, their happiness, or sometimes their schedule.

That’s not how our walk with the Lord works. We have to go to Him and say, “Lord, I will do whatever You ask of me.” I know that’s a scary thing to say when we truly mean it, but when we choose to die to ourselves and submit under His lordship, it’ll bring about the biggest blessing. Know that you will be tested, but on the other side of obedience is His will being done through you. And that brings about maturity and transformation within you as a person.

3. Renew your mind.

Another important aspect of discerning God’s will is to make sure that our minds are renewed.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

Another verse says,

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:17

As you feed yourself with God’s Word, listen to podcasts, and read books, your mind undergoes a slow process of renewal. Your thoughts change and your truth begins to be based on what the Scripture teaches. Oftentimes during this process, you may notice that you begin to get ideas about how to deal with your finances, your time, or even relationships. All of that is evidence of God’s Word shifting our mindset and aligning us to God’s will.

As you renew your mind, you open yourself up to be led by the Spirit of God.

4. Minister to the Lord.

As you minister to the Lord, you open yourself up to be led by Him.

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 13:2

As you wait in the presence of God and get filled with His presence, His ideas will come.

As you remain at His feet, wanting to spend time with Him, you will see that He will give you an understanding of different aspects of your life. It comes as a gift. His desire will become evident to you. That’s what happened in the verse above. Paul was ministering to the Lord and God had a specific work assigned to him, and He made sure that Paul was aware of it.

Trust in the Lord. Seek Him, and trust that He will direct your steps.

5. Do what you know you should be doing.

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Philippians 3:15-16

Paul is saying, you should do what you know you should be doing.

Sometimes the will of God is very obvious, we just don’t want to do it. Prophet Samuel tells King Saul,

 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

1 Samuel 10:7

Do what you know you should do. Don’t doubt yourself, don’t cower in fear, and just do what the occasion demands. I am not talking about, illegal, immoral, or anti-biblical decisions. I am talking about times when both decisions are spiritual and Scriptural, trust the Holy Spirit.

I pray that God will guide your life. The most amazing part of our walk with God is not just the gift of a new life, but the blessing it is to know God and be led by Him.