Understanding God’s Will

Knowing The Will of God and Doing It

Moving in the Direction of Positive Change People often spend a lot of time looking for the will of God in their lives. A lot of time and money is spent seeking guidance to help find the right thing to do. However, in Romans 12:2 is outlined a way to know the will of God in every situation and in the process become a transformed person. The Scripture declares in Prov. 3:5-6 that a person should trust completely the ways of God and not rely on their own perception of situations. Also in all they do they should seek to do what honours the perception they have of Him. When these things are done God Himself will direct their way in life; He shall make sure that as they move into the future the paths they take end up fulfilling His vision for their life. In Ro. 12:2 the writer sets out how to achieve what the writer of Proverbs desired in such a way as to not only fulfill your destiny in an ultimate sense but to see and understand what God wants and why He wants it.

The apostle Paul in Ro. 12:1 gives the same exhortation as the writer of Proverbs; trust completely in God and surrender yourself totally to Him. He then issues a command; “…do not be conformed to this world (the word used is world as ‘era’ rather than physical entity)…” However, the force of the command is realized by consideration of the structure of the text. The verb translated conformed is a Present Imperative and so as a prohibition it would have the force and sense of ‘stop being conformed (or shaped) by the age (or era) in which you live.’ As the writer of Proverbs stated don’t rely on your own perception and don’t develop your values under the pressure of the society in which you live.

The apostle Paul then states “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” This also again involves a Present Imperative and as such is a positive alternative action to the one you should stop doing. What will take place is an inward transformation or change that will result in the person becoming a revolutionized person, not just an outwardly different one. This will be achieved by the ‘renewing’ of the mind. That is by changing you mindset, or perception of the world, which is achieved by looking at the world through God’s eyes. This is involves not leaning on your own understanding but rather developing your understanding through the application of Scripture to your life and values. This will lead to an internal revolution that places you in the position of having sound judgment.

Paul states that as a result of this “…you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The word translated ‘prove’ is as word that means to discern, interpret or discover. Consequently, by adopting the exhorted approach to life a person will come to a place being able to perceive and understand the will of God for their lives. Hence, they will be able to choose pathways consistent with the ultimate vision for their life. They will become truly successful in the best and fullest senses of the word.