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Topical -- Knowing God’s Will

(My Notes on a video tape, by Minirth & Meier Home Counseling)      Dallas Christian Video – 74 minutes

You may print this out if you would like a copy for personal study

Knowing God’s Will

 12 steps to help you find God’s will in your life.

 1-   Be assured God will direct your path.

a.    Ps 37:23.

b.   Proverbs 3:5-6.

c.    Ps 32:8.

2-   God does reveal much of his will in scripture.

a.    1 Thess. 4:13; 5:18

b.   1 Peter 2:15

c.    Matt. 28:18-20

d.   1 Peter 1:15    

e.    God’s moral will is very specific in scripture. Some           exceptions can be cloudy.

f.     Volitional will (our daily choices) aren’t as easy to           know.

                i.     Who to marry?  Must be a Christian.

                ii.     What type of socks to wear?

g.    Matt. 22:33,34.

3-   Encourage yourself that Scripture Memory helps.

a.    Ps. 40:8

b.   Jeremiah 17: 9

4-   Realize the source of strength to do God’s will is God       himself. Get to know Him.

5-   Realize that if the course of action is inconsistence            with God’s Word then you know that it is not God’s         will.

a.    Matt 5:  It’s not God’s will for us to have lustful thoughts.

b.   Divorce is not God’s will except for 1 circumstance.

c.   Choice of job—pimp, drug dealer, and pornography          dealer—not God’s will.

d.   Sex outside of marriage is not God’s will.

e.   Marrying an unbeliever is not God’s will.

6-   Check out these questions:

a.    Will it help me to love God and others more?

b.   Will this help me to lead a more holy life?

c.    Will this course of action help me to increase my              personal knowledge of Jesus?

d.    Am I putting God’s desire ahead of my own?

e.    How does this action relate to my personal                       involvement in fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission?

f.     Will this enslave me?

      i.     I Corinthians 6:12.

g.    Is this the best, most logical, effective, Godly thing           to do?

h.    Will this Glorify God?

      i.     I Corinthians 10:31.

             i.      Will this harm me physically or mentally?

             i.     I Corinthians 6:19,20.

7-   Learn specifics that will help reveal God’s Will.

a.    Remember the importance of God’s Word

            i.     Ps 119:130; Ps 37:31

b.   The Daily quiet time.   Ps. 143:8.

c.   Prayer (ask for wisdom) James 1:5.

            i.     A.C.T.S.

1.    Adoration

2.    Confession

3.    Thanksgiving

4.    Supplication

d.    Renew your mind – the Transformed Mind                       Romans 12:2.

e.    Don’t forget the importance of the Holy Spirit.                  Hebrews. 16:13

            i.     He guides you into all truth.

f.     Let counselors help you.  Proverbs 11:14; Isaiah 1:

            i.     Listen to several

            ii.     You don’t necessarily have to do what they say.

g.    Listen to circumstances.  Philippians 1:12,13.

            i.     How did God turn them into victory for Himself?

            ii.    Things will go bad in your life, even when you                        are in God’s will.

h.    Wise thinking.   Eph. 5:15-17.

i.      Seek for inner-peace.  Jonah 3:10-4:1

            i.     Jonah didn’t have inner-peace.

8-   Learn to wait when appropriate. Ps. 27:14 Isaiah             30:18

a.    God might say “yes”, “no”, or “wait”

9-   Learn dangers to avoid.

a.    Leaning on your feelings can be bad.

b.   Use your logic, feelings, with God’s word, counselors, etc.

c.    Logic can be wrong.  Worldly logic isn’t necessarily         God’s way of thinking.

d.   Circumstances

e.    Don’t necessary expect the dramatic.

            i.     Elijah expected God to come in a great wind, or                     fire, etc. but He came in a small quiet voice.

10-    Learn from men of scriptures.

a.    Gideon   Judges 26:25-28

            i.     Had to go against his relatives.

b.   Moses   Hebrews 11:25,26

c.    Demas, on the negative side   II Timothy 4:10

11-    Understand 3 ways that God leads.

a.    Intervention.  He intervenes in your life.

            i.     Dramatic:  Israel at the Red Sea.

            ii.     Non-dramatic: at times, too.

b.   Interaction.  You work, He works.

            i.     Gideon

            ii.     Christ working thru you.

c.    Inneraction.

            i.     He changed me; I grew in Christ.

            ii.     Door is closed.

            iii.     God does allow suffering.

12-    Understand the dot theory verses the circle theory.

a.    The Dot theory says, “There is one specific will”.

            i.     With Abraham, God knew where Abraham                              would go.

            ii.     Isaac & Rebecca:  specific wife for him.

b.   The Circle theory says, “we can’t really know                   anything”.

            i.     II Corinthians 9:7

            ii.     I Corinthians 7:39   in regards in marriage

            iii.    I Corinthians 7:19   pertains to circumcision.

            iv.    Many everyday decisions, we just really don’t                       know.  We have to use the above guidelines to                      make a good Choice.

c.    They don’t necessarily negate each other.

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