Principles for Knowing God's Will for your Life
the Series
Good evening,
I hope you all had a chance to read my last devotional on “Paying attention to how God made you”. If you remember, I was discussing different principles to help guide you in hearing God's Will for your life. Let’s review:
- We first must be walking with God
- You must surrender your will to God
- You need to obey what you already know to be God's Will
- Seeking Godly input
- Pay attention to how God made you
- Listening to God's Spirit
I would like to discuss the sixth Principle in being able to hear God's Will for your life, and that is by “Listening to God's Spirit". How often when we pray do we continually talk, but do not spend too much time listening? You may be thinking, isn't that how God hears our request, is by our verbal communication? Well, that is one way, but praying in silence is another. As I was reading about other Godly men who talked about this very thing, I came across something interesting from Billy Graham’s Ministries.
God hears our prayers on all occasions, whether we are praying out loud or praying silently in our hearts and minds. After all, He knows all about us and knows what is going on inside us; both good and bad. The bible says in Hebrews 4:12 that "God judges the thoughts and attitude of the heart”. The bible also says in Proverbs 15:26, “the Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him”.
God hears our prayers when we cannot even put them into words at times, for example, when our hearts are too burdened or confused to even speak. The bible says in Romans 8:26, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”.
I love how God also says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be honored throughout the world".
I believe by being still and quiet when we pray we will begin to start hearing God's Will for our lives. God is in control of every detail of our life so we can trust He will reveal His plan to us. Try praying tonight quietly God's Will. If He reveals something back take note of it, and if you do not hear anything while you pray then wait for a response, then be patient until God reveals it to you. If you have read the other devotionals prior to this one, you will know He will answer if you are “Walking with Him”.
God bless,
E.