Wake Up to God's Will for Your LifeSample

The Standard & Specific Will of God

I was approached recently by a man who wanted my advice in a very difficult situation. The man, who was a husband and father, had decided to leave his wife for another woman. He felt this other woman was his “soul mate,” and he believed God had spoken to him and told him to divorce his wife to marry the other woman. When he asked me for counsel in this matter, I immediately knew God’s will for the situation. I told him in no uncertain terms that it was absolutely not God’s will for him to leave his wife for another woman, and that God had not told him to do so.

Now you may ask, “How did you know this? Did you hear an audible voice from heaven? Did you receive a prophetic word?” No, I didn’t even need to pray about it. I knew it was not God’s will for this man to leave his wife and commit adultery (Matt. 5:28), simply because of what God has already revealed to us in His Word.

As we begin the journey of discovering God’s will for our lives, it may seem like the variety of tasks God may be calling us to are endless, and this can feel overwhelming. The good news is that God has already gone to great lengths to reveal to us in His Word what His will is for everyone—I call this the “standard will of God.” But in addition to His standard will, God has something tailor-made for each of our lives. I call this the “specific will of God.”

It is important, however, to understand that the specific will of God for your life will never go against His standard will—what He has already revealed to us in His Word. This understanding will help us to quickly sort through the plethora of options, and instantly eliminate confusion. For instance, if you hear a voice telling you to open a Christian strip club, or to start a Christian drug cartel, you can be sure that the voice you are hearing is not from God.

These may be extreme examples, but they are not as farfetched as you might think. It never ceases to amaze me the things that have been done throughout history by people who thought they were doing God’s will when they were actually working in direct opposition to God’s revealed Word. People claiming to be Christians doing God’s will carried out the Crusades in the Middle Ages; the atrocities committed during that time could not have been more contrary to the teachings of Jesus. The Ku Klux Klan also uses the Bible to justify its detestable activities. According to Jesus, these hateful hypocrites are murderers at heart. There are, in fact, many people who have done appalling things in the name of God. Many of them sincerely believed they were doing God’s will. But there is no need for this confusion because God has clearly revealed His standard will for everyone in His Word. If we would only make it our compass and our guide!

There is something that is unique to you as an individual, and something that you must discover for yourself. But our quest to discover God’s will for our lives must begin with the Word of God. By following principles from the Scriptures, we will be able to navigate the ocean of options and opportunities without a shipwreck.  

Remember, God will never call you to do anything that is contrary to what is in His Word. If we learn to line our lives up with God’s Word, we will be amazed at what starts to fall into place. Make God’s Word your compass and guide today!