What is God's Will for My Life?
God’s will for your life is simple and straightforward. It is not a secret step-by-step plan or a mystery that we have to figure out.
Before we look at what Scripture says is God’s will, remember this: you are right with God and forgiven (Romans 5:1; Colossians 2:13). As I’ve talked with people about God’s will for their lives, they usually have a fear that if they don’t make the right decision, then God will be mad and they may lose their status with Him. They often think they have to perform or behave perfectly in order to stay in God’s will.
But our righteousness and forgiveness do not come from doing everything right. Our righteousness is given to us because Jesus did everything right on our behalf. And our forgiveness is solely based on Jesus and His shed blood. We’re righteous because of Jesus’s obedience, not ours. Romans 5:19 tells us this: “Through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” We’re forgiven because of Jesus’s finished work and sacrifice, not our constant work or sacrifices (Hebrews 10:17). So our status with God is based on what Jesus did, not on the decisions we make.
This means that God’s attitude toward us is not affected by how well we perform or do His will. His presence in us is always there. His love for us is never ending. And His grace will never run dry. God does not bless us based on how we live. Instead, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing the moment we trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
This also means that we can’t make a wrong decision and “miss out on God’s best” for us. God’s best for your life is not a certain circumstance. The best thing God can do for you is give you Himself, and He does that fully at the moment of salvation.
God’s will is His desire. When you think of the word will, don’t think of a detailed plan but of desire. This is what will means. The will of God is His desire for our life. And we can understand and know God’s will (see Ephesians 5:17). God’s will is not a step-by-step plan that we go in and out of; instead, it is His desire for us in every moment. And His will is clearly taught throughout the New Testament. God’s will is that we rejoice, pray, and give thanks:
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
We can rejoice in what God has done for us, in what God has done to us, and in what God is doing through us. Further, God wants us to talk to Him. The instruction “pray without ceasing” does not mean every second of every day. It means God desires for us to speak to Him because He loves to hear about everything we are going through and doing. And He desires that we give thanks in everything, not for everything. He is not asking that we give thanks for our bad circumstances or for the bad things that may happen to us. No, He is saying that we can give thanks in everything because in everything, we have all that we need in Him.
God’s will is that we do what is right and pleasing to Him:
“Equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 13:21
“For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” 1 Peter 2:15
God’s desire is that we live out of who He has made us. Why? Because the opposite of this would be to live in sin. God knows what is best for us and wants us to be fulfilled by walking after Him. Here’s the cool thing: we can please God by what we do. He delights in us every time we trust Him and express His Son. Not only does He delight in who we are, but He also delights in what we do in dependence on Him.
However, our sin and bad behavior never make us fall out of God’s will or plan for our life. God’s will isn’t some plan that hinges on our every decision; it is His desire for us in every moment. That’s why we can choose to do God’s will, no matter the circumstance.
We also see throughout the New Testament that God’s will is for all people to believe, be saved, be set apart, and come to repentance (see 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; John 6:40). I love God’s heart. He wants everyone to be saved. And He is pursuing everyone with His reckless love. He truly loves the world ( John 3:16). And He loves you. We can trust in the character of God because His character is love.
God’s desire for us is to look to His Son and believe in Him. He wants us to be sanctified in what we do. Sanctified means set apart. And the good news is, God has sanctified you as a person, once and for all (Hebrews 10:10, 14; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11). So God is calling us to align our behavior with our identity—to live sanctified because we are sanctified.
God’s desire for us is to not be overwhelmed by our sins or our circumstances. Instead, He wants us to gaze at His Son, the One who has taken away our sins. God’s will is that we look to Jesus in every moment, knowing that He is enough.
We are all faced with tough decisions in life. And we all ask the same question: “What is God’s will for me in this moment?” In these moments, God wants you to use wisdom, to talk to trusted friends, and to choose freely. Whatever decision you make, God is in you through it. He’s in you and with you no matter the decision you make. God gives us a lot of freedom to make decisions in our lives because no matter what we choose, He’s with us, and we can carry out His desire whether we take job A or job B.
That is the great thing about God’s will. You can do it anywhere. Essentially, God’s will can be summed up by being loved and loving others. As we learn to trust Jesus and receive His love in every moment, we will love others. We will talk to Him, we will give thanks, and we will live out who He’s made us.
Before we look at what Scripture says is God’s will, remember this: you are right with God and forgiven (Romans 5:1; Colossians 2:13). As I’ve talked with people about God’s will for their lives, they usually have a fear that if they don’t make the right decision, then God will be mad and they may lose their status with Him. They often think they have to perform or behave perfectly in order to stay in God’s will.
But our righteousness and forgiveness do not come from doing everything right. Our righteousness is given to us because Jesus did everything right on our behalf. And our forgiveness is solely based on Jesus and His shed blood. We’re righteous because of Jesus’s obedience, not ours. Romans 5:19 tells us this: “Through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” We’re forgiven because of Jesus’s finished work and sacrifice, not our constant work or sacrifices (Hebrews 10:17). So our status with God is based on what Jesus did, not on the decisions we make.
This means that God’s attitude toward us is not affected by how well we perform or do His will. His presence in us is always there. His love for us is never ending. And His grace will never run dry. God does not bless us based on how we live. Instead, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing the moment we trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
This also means that we can’t make a wrong decision and “miss out on God’s best” for us. God’s best for your life is not a certain circumstance. The best thing God can do for you is give you Himself, and He does that fully at the moment of salvation.
God’s will is His desire. When you think of the word will, don’t think of a detailed plan but of desire. This is what will means. The will of God is His desire for our life. And we can understand and know God’s will (see Ephesians 5:17). God’s will is not a step-by-step plan that we go in and out of; instead, it is His desire for us in every moment. And His will is clearly taught throughout the New Testament. God’s will is that we rejoice, pray, and give thanks:
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
We can rejoice in what God has done for us, in what God has done to us, and in what God is doing through us. Further, God wants us to talk to Him. The instruction “pray without ceasing” does not mean every second of every day. It means God desires for us to speak to Him because He loves to hear about everything we are going through and doing. And He desires that we give thanks in everything, not for everything. He is not asking that we give thanks for our bad circumstances or for the bad things that may happen to us. No, He is saying that we can give thanks in everything because in everything, we have all that we need in Him.
God’s will is that we do what is right and pleasing to Him:
“Equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ.” Hebrews 13:21
“For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” 1 Peter 2:15
God’s desire is that we live out of who He has made us. Why? Because the opposite of this would be to live in sin. God knows what is best for us and wants us to be fulfilled by walking after Him. Here’s the cool thing: we can please God by what we do. He delights in us every time we trust Him and express His Son. Not only does He delight in who we are, but He also delights in what we do in dependence on Him.
However, our sin and bad behavior never make us fall out of God’s will or plan for our life. God’s will isn’t some plan that hinges on our every decision; it is His desire for us in every moment. That’s why we can choose to do God’s will, no matter the circumstance.
We also see throughout the New Testament that God’s will is for all people to believe, be saved, be set apart, and come to repentance (see 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; John 6:40). I love God’s heart. He wants everyone to be saved. And He is pursuing everyone with His reckless love. He truly loves the world ( John 3:16). And He loves you. We can trust in the character of God because His character is love.
God’s desire for us is to look to His Son and believe in Him. He wants us to be sanctified in what we do. Sanctified means set apart. And the good news is, God has sanctified you as a person, once and for all (Hebrews 10:10, 14; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11). So God is calling us to align our behavior with our identity—to live sanctified because we are sanctified.
God’s desire for us is to not be overwhelmed by our sins or our circumstances. Instead, He wants us to gaze at His Son, the One who has taken away our sins. God’s will is that we look to Jesus in every moment, knowing that He is enough.
We are all faced with tough decisions in life. And we all ask the same question: “What is God’s will for me in this moment?” In these moments, God wants you to use wisdom, to talk to trusted friends, and to choose freely. Whatever decision you make, God is in you through it. He’s in you and with you no matter the decision you make. God gives us a lot of freedom to make decisions in our lives because no matter what we choose, He’s with us, and we can carry out His desire whether we take job A or job B.
That is the great thing about God’s will. You can do it anywhere. Essentially, God’s will can be summed up by being loved and loving others. As we learn to trust Jesus and receive His love in every moment, we will love others. We will talk to Him, we will give thanks, and we will live out who He’s made us.
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