Ahhhhhh… the elusive “God’s will for your life!” How many times have I tried to answer that question from friends and family! “Coach J, how do I know what God’s will is for my life?” “Coach J, how can I tell if what I’m doing is in God’s will?” I’ve come to learn that living in God’s will is not as elusive as we might think! There are 2 things I want to share in order to fulfill God’s will for your life. They are:
1) You must come to terms with: what you think you should be. We spend a lot of time comparing ourselves to others… even when it comes to where we are in our walk with Christ. It’s important to know that comparison kills spiritual growth. The young man who reaches out to the homeless and is constantly sharing the Gospel with unchurched folks becomes depressed when he hears his friend talking about how much time he spends in prayer each day. The friend happens to be a person who enjoys solitude. Taking extra time to pray by himself each morning is not a chore— it comes easily to him. The first young man is gregarious and spontaneous. His willingness to serve and witness are his gifts. But, he’s guilty of spirituality by comparison. What he’s taking away from his spiritual walk is that he doesn’t measure up to his friend the prayer warrior.
“Should” is an important word word but… when it comes to our spiritual maturity, God doesn’t want you to obey Him just because you think you should. He designed us to want His plan for our lives.
2) You’ll have to deal with: what other people want you to be. Your spouse wants you to be more responsive to his/her needs. Your boss wants you to be more productive. Your trainer wants you to be more fit. Your credit card company wants you to go deeper in debt. At times it may seem like everyone has an agenda for you. You feel like if you spend your life trying to meet everyone else’s expectations you’ll never be free. This is important: Seeking to become the person that others want you to be is a shallow way to live your life!!!
Nobody can tell you exactly how to change. Only God can do that… cuz He made us! Even you can’t tell yourself how to change. Unlike people, God has no hidden agenda or unmet needs that He’s hoping you can help Him with. He knows what the best version of you looks like… and if you are “offering up your body as a living sacrifice to Him” on a daily basis (Roman 12:1), God’s Holy Spirit is working within you to bring that “best version” of you to fruition. You’ll only be free to rest in the reality that God is in control of your life when you make up your mind to be happy about the person God meant you to be— the one He’s working on each day of your life.
