On the eve of a new calendar year seems like a good time to be reminded of God’s will for our lives. Maybe you’re facing some big decisions this next month or in this coming year. Maybe you’re asking, “Is it God’s will that I stay in this job or look for another one?” “Does God want me to stay in this city or relocate to that one?” “Is it God’s will that I go to this college or that one?” “Does God want me to marry her now or wait?” “What is God’s will for me in this specific situation?”

I hope you are not paralyzed in seeking God’s specific will for your particular circumstance. I tell people all the time that God’s not nearly as interested in which job you take or what town you live in or who you marry; he’s much more interested in your faithfulness, in your character.

I know you want to follow God’s will, so when you’re facing a difficult choice or deciding on a new direction, you take discernment very seriously. You lay out some kind of fleece for divine confirmation. You fast and pray in hopes of increased clarity. You engage solitude hoping to hear God’s voice. You look for confirmation from a friend or your spouse. You squint at the sky, hoping for some holy handwriting in the clouds. What does God want me to do here?

If you’re not careful, while you’re seeking God’s will for your circumstance, you may overlook his will for your character. In your desire for certainty, you may become fixated on doing and become forgetful of being.

God does have a will for your life that is beyond all doubt. It is clearly stated. Crystal clear. His will is that you be sanctified, made holy, and conformed into the image of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:3, Ephesians 5:1).

You don’t have to lay out a fleece to know for certain that it is God’s will that you live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life (Titus 2:12).

You don’t have to fast to be one hundred percent certain that it is God’s will that you be free of selfish ambition and vain conceit (Philippians 2:3).

You don’t have to look for handwriting on the wall to know beyond a doubt that it is God’s will that you set aside impurity and greed (Ephesians 5:3).

You don’t have to wait for confirmation from a friend or spouse that it is God’s will that you be slow to anger (James 1:19).

You don’t have to listen for a small, still voice to know without reservation that it is God’s will that you practice thankfulness (Ephesians 5:4).

You don’t have to search the sky for a message in the clouds to know without doubt that it is God’s will that you be holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4).

God has spoken to you with clarity through his Word. You are called to be changed. You are called by God, saved by Christ Jesus, and transformed by the Holy Spirit to seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, trusting your circumstances to his sovereign care and submitting your character to his gracious will.

Peace,
Allan