God wants us to know His will for us, oftentimes more than we want to know it. It is doubtful, however, that God will reveal His will to us for a particular situation if our attitude is `God show me your will so I can decide whether or not to do it.' Instead, our motive should be, `God, show me your will so I can do it, regardless of what it is.' The Lord delights in guiding a Christian with an attitude like that.

Scripture says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Rom. 12:2).

Knowing the following three principles will be invaluable for determining the will of God for you:

First, is what you have in mind to do contrary to the written Word of God? If so, you can stop right there. You can be sure that God will not lead you to do something that is contrary to the Scriptures. 

Second, the circumstances need to line up. Although this is probably the least important of the three principles in determining God's will, He does use open and closed doors of circumstances to help guide us. Related to the example given in the first principle above, God uses finances, the provision and withholding, to guide us. Ask Him to close all doors except the one that He wants you to go through. We should never force doors to open, or pull strings to make things work out.

If all the circumstances are not working out to do what you think is God's will, then you need to seek the Lord for further guidance. God always provides where He leads, and that includes finances without borrowing and everything else. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 37:23).

One thing that might help you to analyze the situation concerning your plans is to list on a sheet of paper all the pros on one side and all the cons on the other. This may help you to consider some points that you may forget or have a tendency to disregard.

Also, it is good to remember that God is the God of the last second. At least, it seems that way, sometimes. Actually the Lord is always on time. A good example in the Scriptures is the parting of the Red Sea with the Egyptian soldiers closing in on God's people. Many times the Lord works in what appears to be the last second in order to test our faith. He is sovereign and in absolute control of the minutest details of our lives.

Third, in discerning God's will for a particular thing that you have in mind to do (or not do), you must have that innermost peace in your spirit. "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Col. 3:15). If you do not have complete peace in your spirit even if the first two principles line up, then you can be sure that what you have in mind to do is not of God---or, at least, the timing is not right. If what you want to do is of Him, but it is not yet the right time, then you will not have peace to go forward. Wait on the Lord. The peace of God will be in your heart if and when it is His time to carry out your plans.

All three of the above principles must line up or you can be sure it is not God's will, or the timing is not right. A zealous Christian is prone to get ahead of God's plan, and a complacent Christian tends to lag behind. And it is important that you have no known unconfessed sin in your life. If so, you must repent and confess to God before you can expect Him to guide you (1 John 1:9). Of course, praying is indispensable, and sometimes fasting is necessary to be more discerning.

Many of the choices that Christians have to make are not between that which is good and that which is evil, but rather between the good and the best. And only God's perfect will is best. "Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is" (Eph. 5:17).

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