Here are seven sure guidelines to assist one in finding and doing God’s will:
- Is it definitely in agreement with God’s will expressed and written in His Word? If so, fine. If not, don’t do it.
- Have you faced a similar situation before? If so, what did God show you as His will then? If you made a mistake, don’t repeat it.
- If the decision is difficult and far beyond you, seek the wise and prayerful counsel of mature and godly persons who have the mind of Christ and know how to ascertain God’s will.
- Make the matter one of quiet but earnest prayer. Ask God your Father, by His Spirit, to impress upon you distinctly by a deep inner conviction what the proper course of action is.
- Our Father has endowed us with a fund of wholesome and practical knowledge which He expects us to use. We ignore it with risk.
- Expect and wait to see events and circumstances surrounding this situation alter in such a manner as to influence your mind and will in determining God’s will. Time takes care of many decisions. We are prone to be too impatient and hasty. God is seldom in a great rush about things.
- Anticipate that as time goes on, the way will either open or the way will close for you to proceed along any given course. This should be accompanied by a sense of acceptance, gladness that you are being made aware of God’s will, happiness in doing it, and peace about it.
(Phillip Keller, “A Layman looks at the Lord’s Prayer”)