If God has a wonderful plan for my life, how do I find out what it is? How do I know who I’m suppose to marry, where I’m suppose to live, what kind of career I should pursue, what church I should join, or how many kids I should have? 

Do you find yourself paralyzed by these questions? After all, who wants to make the wrong decision and derail God’s perfect plan for your life? Truth be told, many of us treat these decisions a lot like a ‘choose your own adventure’ novel. Do I chase down the bad guy? If yes, turn to page 32 where I defeat him and marry the beautiful princess. If not, turn to page 46 where he burns down the city and everyone dies!

Who wants to make the wrong decision in all of this, especially if it’s going to lead to catastrophic results? No one, of course. Which is why there’s no shortage of books on discovering God’s will for your life. Unfortunately, though, most of them give bad advice.

Allow me to explain.

HOW NOT TO FIND GOD’S WILL

Most of the ‘discover God’s will for your life’ books refer to finding out the secret future plans God has for you. One tactic they suggest is to cast fleeces.

In fact, I’ve heard several Christians use the fleece analogy for determining God’s future will for them. The problem with this is that we probably shouldn’t model anything we do after characters in the book of Judges since this was the time everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Jdg. 21:25). Also, bear in mind that Gideon performed his fleece experiment because he lacked faith in God. If he would have simply obeyed God’s command, the fleeces would have been unnecessary. 

In addition to fleeces, books on God’s will tell us to treat the Bible like a magic 8-ball. Perhaps you’ve heard the joke about the man who opened up his Bible to a random verse looking for direction from God. First, he opened up to Matthew 27:5 where it says that Judas “went and hung himself.” Not happy with that word from the Lord he quickly turned turned a few pages to Luke 10:37 which reads, “And Jesus said to him, You go and do likewise.” Gulp.

Or sometimes the books tell us to wait for an inner peace. But what exactly does that mean? I’m not sure I want to make a major life decision based on something as subjective as “peace.” 

So how should we go about finding God’s will for our lives? I believe there’s a better way, and it includes knowing what the Bible says about God’s will.

THE TWO WILLS OF GOD

Truth be told, the Bible speaks of God’s will in two different ways. Look closely at Deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Notice the distinction that Moses makes between the secret things and the revealed things. 

THE SECRET WILL OF GOD

Sometimes known as God’s will of decree, this aspect of God’s will refers to what he decreed to come to pass before the world began. In other words, God ordained for me to write this blog post and for you to read it. If he didn’t decree or will this before the world began, neither of these things would have happened. 

Let me give you a few texts to support this claim:

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, in your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. — Psalm 139:16

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. — Ephesians 1:11

I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.‘ — Isaiah 46:9-10

For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. — Acts 4:27-28

Based on these texts, God wills everything to come to pass (Eph. 1:11), including the evil that happens (Acts 4:27-28), how many days I will live (Ps. 139:16), as well as when everything begins and ends (Isa. 46:9-10). In sum, everything that happens and will happen is part of his secret will. And because it’s a secret, God doesn’t intend to reveal these future details to us.

THE REVEALED WILL OF GOD

Now, God doesn’t leave us in the dark about everything. He’s chosen to show us what he wants for our lives — often known as God’s revealed will.

Let me give you a few examples:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification. — 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions — is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. — 1 John 2:15-17

So what is God’s will for your life? It’s that you’ll be sanctified (1 Thess. 4:3), rejoice always, continuously pray, give thanks in everything (1 Thess. 5:16-18), and live differently from the rest of the world (1 Jn. 2:15-17). You don’t need random fleeces to know this. God has revealed it to you.

Remember back to Deuteronomy 29:29. Moses said that the secret things belong to God, but the things that are revealed belong to us forever so that we may do all the words of the law. What Moses emphatically says is that we should be preoccupied with the revealed will of God. He says the revealed things “belong to us.” Sadly, when people ask if they can know God’s future will for their life, they’re placing too much emphasis on God’s secret will.

MAKING DECISIONS

At this point, you might feel let down. You read the article hoping for some insight into what God has in store for you. Sorry to disappoint you. God’s kept that part of his will a secret. But he has revealed another aspect of his will that he wants us to follow. So how do we go about making decisions that are in God’s will?

TRUST GOD

Because we know that God is sovereign, good, and wise, we can trust him with his secret will. We don’t need to fret over whether our lives will crash and burn if we make one wrong decision.

Let’s remember his promise that he’s working out all things for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28). And by all things, he really means all things, including the pain and suffering you endure (Gen. 50:20; Acts 4:27-28). 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

When it comes to making decisions about spouses, jobs, children, living locations, etc. the Bible doesn’t speak directly to those situations. Instead, the Bible gives us principles by which we should follow. 

For example, if you’re thinking about getting married, you should ask yourself, “Is she a Christian? Will she help me grow in my relationship with God?” Those are important questions to ask because it’s God’s will that you not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever (2 Cor. 6:14), and that you grow in your sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3).

If you’re thinking about a job or a move, ask yourself, is there a good local church nearby (Heb. 10:25)? Will this new environment provide good discipleship and accountability (Prov. 27:17)? That is, God’s not as concerned that you make six figures or live in a cool city. He’s more concerned about your spiritual growth (1 Thess. 4:3).

PRAY FOR WISDOM

Next, pray and ask God for wisdom (Js. 1:5). You should never make a big decision without seeking God first. With that being said, don’t seek a special sign from God. After all, if he was going to give you a sign, he wouldn’t tell you to pray for wisdom. 

SEEK GODLY COUNSEL

Proverbs 15:22 says, “without counsel plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed.” In other words, you should never make a decision on your own. After you’ve sought out Scripture, and prayed for wisdom, make sure you seek the advice of godly people you respect so that you can make the best possible decision.

MAKE A DECISION

If you can say with a good conscience that you are trusting God, honestly searching his word, earnestly praying for wisdom, and seeking out godly counsel, the next step is pretty straight forward. Do what seems best to you. Don’t over-spiritualize the decision by waiting on peace or some kind of sign. Just go do what you want, considering you’ve followed the first four steps. As St. Augustine famously said, “Love God, and then do what you will.”

GOD’S WILL

Much more could be added. As I’ve said, there’s no shortage of books on this topic. I do hope, though, that as you think about God’s will for your life, you’ll be more concerned with his revealed will rather than his secret will.