Month: April 2008

When I recently searched, again, on the “will of God”, I came across the site http://nicoleleeartistry.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/concentrate-on-this/ on which is posted,

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.

I commented on Nicole’s blog and asked how she would know if something is indeed the will of God versus something that would just otherwise happen? Nicole graciously responded in an email and has provided some interesting thoughts that I have condensed for time and space consideration.

• Have faith like a child that is unwavering and know that what I feel and believe is true.
• Trust my conscience and the basics of right and wrong.
• There is a will of God but we also have a free will of our own.
• If you have faith in what you do not know and do not understand, trust that God will never leave you when you need Him. If you humbly ask God to make His will known to you, He will.
• God always presents a path for us to follow, but it is up to us to choose if we want to follow that path or not.
• If I am doing what I can to seek God’s Grace in the way I live, then I need not worry.
• When you are not close to God, you are open to Satan’s influence.
• God is stronger than Satan is. Being weak himself, Satan preys on people who have weak spirits.
• Everything happens for a reason.
• God has a plan for each one of us.
• We serve a purpose while we are on this earth.
• All contributions, big, small, positive or negative affect our lives and the lives of others.
• Discerning the will of God versus that which would otherwise happen requires a relationship with God.
• A conversation with God is required to decide what His will is.
• There is nothing wrong with deviating from that path, because God will be there to guide you and protect you if you have faith.
• If you choose to go your own way and do not seek God’s guidance, then that road you are following will be much more difficult than if you had sought God’s will.
• Things become confusing when people are not close to God.
• People profess skepticism and doubt when they do not have a relationship with God.
• Do not forget the importance of being thankful to God for all that He does for you!

Nicole sums up her email this way:

If you seek to do the will of God, and you ask for His guidance and blessings and influence in your life, and you open your mind and senses to hear Him speak to you when you need it most, then you will know God’s will because He will make His will known. It is up to us to listen!If you choose not to ask, and you choose not to listen, it is a choice you make. However, if you choose to ask and choose to listen – ask God for what it is you need and He will provide – seek and you will find.

There are some of Nicole’s thoughts that I agree with and some of which I have significant disagreement with. I’ll close here and post more on this later.Please feel free to add your own $0.02 worth. As I’ve stated before, the matter of God’s will in the life of the believer has been something that I’ve struggled with and have tried to understand for some time. Many thanks to Nicole for her time and effort in answering my question regarding differentiating between God’s will and something that would just otherwise happen.