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More on Discerning God’s Will
“My people inquire of a piece of wood,

And their walking staff gives them oracles …”

Hosea 4:12a

The above verse is both comic and tragic. The Lord is both mocking and condemning His people for their misguided and foolish ways. It refers to their praying for guidance to a wooden idol or seeking guidance from some other bizarre place. The world is still full of such things. Everyday people make major life decisions based on internet horoscope readings, paying a ‘psychic’ to tell them the future, the latest talk show host conspiracy theory, asking a completely unqualified friend for guidance, or (literally) praying to an idol made of wood.

As Christians, we have the joy and privilege to pray directly to the living God and read His word. Israel also had access to the living sovereign God, but they willfully turned away. This past Sunday, I preached to you from Ephesians chapter 5:1-21 about discerning God’s revealed and concealed will. If you missed that sermon, I hope you will go back and listen on our YouTube or Podcast channels.

Here are some other passages that speak to the revealed will of God that you should read and note:

– Romans 12:9-13:21

– Philippians 4

– Colossians 3-4

– 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, 5:12-28

– 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

– 1 Timothy 5-6

– The book of James is very practical for knowing God’s will!

I would like to continue with that theme here and share a few more practical methods of discerning God’s concealed will that have been helpful to me through the years. Both of these practical applications should come after understanding and walking through the theological realities I spoke to you about from Ephesians 5.

When we come to crossroad decisions in our lives we should proceed carefully. We should work hard to weigh the realities of the decisions before us, pray, and get good council. When I am facing a major decision, I always do a few things first to weigh it out. I do this by titling four pages in a notebook. The four pages are titled as follows:

1. The best things that could happen if I do this.

2. The worst things that could happen if I do this.

3. The best things that could happen if I don’t do this.

4. The worst things that could happen if I don’t do this.

These categories cause me to fully think through the situation. No matter the decision, at first, I tend to gravitate to one of the categories without fully considering all the details. You should give yourself significant time to fill out this chart. You should not fill this out over lunch! If you are married and making a major decision that will affect you and your spouse, you should BOTH fill this out separately, and only after considering alone, come back together and compare your notes. It will be very telling as to whether you have a unified heart. If your sheets are very different, you should most likely delay the decision, pray and keep working toward a genuine unified direction. This process may take months, or even years!

I also follow the pattern of Jesus when making major decisions. Jesus regularly went alone to the mountains and spent extended time in fasting and prayer before making major decisions in His life. This is a wise pattern that you can follow. I often pair the above listing / thinking exercise with a day away, by myself, fasting in the mountains. We are blessed to have the beautiful Shenandoah National Park right at our backdoor. If you’re stuck, or facing a major life decision, make time to get away to the mountains with only a water bottle, Bible, notebook, and pen – NO PHONE or digital device. Spend an extended time in prayer and clearly categorizing your thoughts. If you are married, I urge you to both enter this exercise alone and come together at the end to compare your notes. If the Lord is leading, He will lead you together.

Another major area of decision making relates to getting and changing jobs. There is basic wisdom to keep in mind here that also relates to our spiritual life. The basic categories that relate to job promotion are:

1. What you know.

2. Who you know.

3. Timing.

4. Willingness to move.

Much could be said on each of these points, but here are a few important thoughts. First, as Christians we should be constantly pursuing knowledge / new skills and growing as people. You must be qualified for a job before you can expect to get a job. If you don’t put in the time to learn what is necessary, you should not expect to be hired.

Second, once you can demonstrate to people in your life that you have a degree of job skill and competency those people can help you find employment, or better employment. The church is a wonderful place for this. If you have the knowledge / skills you need to accomplish a job, church friendships are a perfect place to also demonstrate character. Job skill and character are what good employers are looking for. The recommendation of a trusted friend is often essential for landing employment. If you don’t have the character to make and keep friendships, it says something about you as a person – something you need to fix.

Third, we must learn to patiently walk by faith. The Lord opens and closes doors of opportunity in our lives for His purposes. He is working toward spiritual sanctification in our lives. This is the most important form of life growth. He will open or withhold opportunities to teach us vital spiritual lessons. We must learn the balance of pressing forward to advance our lives, while also practicing contentment and thankfulness. As you seek, the door will be opened to you, but in the Lord’s time and way.

Fourth, the purposes of the Lord often take us to new places. Few biographies of great people relate to that person comfortably staying in their hometown. Don’t discount an opportunity just because it requires you to move. Sometimes moving location repositions our heart to trust more fully on the Lord as we go way outside our comfort zone. Often opportunity for personal advancement is not available without movement.

I hope this is helpful. May the Lord direct your path,

Pastor Vic