Seeking God's Will II - Spiritual Growth for New Believers

Chapter 2: How to Know God’s Will

The current question is, how can we know God’s will? Often, we think that as earthly people, it is difficult for us to understand God's will. But we have a comfort, which is that not only do we need to follow God’s will, but God also wants us to follow it; not only do we desire to understand His will, but God also requires us to understand it. If God asks us to follow His will, He must make it possible for us to understand it. Therefore, revealing His will to us is God's responsibility. No child of God should worry, "I have no way of knowing God’s will, how can I follow it?" This concern is unnecessary. God will always find a way to help us understand His will (Hebrews 13:21). We must trust that God will, in His time, reveal His will to us in an appropriate manner. It is God’s responsibility to show His will to us. If our attitude is one of obedience, and our intention is to obey, we will surely know His will. Brothers and sisters must learn to believe that God will reveal His will to us.

How do we know God's will? A Christian must pay attention to three things. If these three things align, we can be reasonably certain of what God's will is. What are these three things? 1. The arrangement of our circumstances; 2. The inner sense or the guidance of the Holy Spirit; 3. The teachings of the Bible. The order in which these three things are mentioned here is not according to importance or steps, but just to indicate that there are three things. When the witness of these three things aligns, we can be sure that it is God’s will. If one of them is out of harmony with the others, we need to wait. It is only when all three align that we should act.

1. The Arrangement of Circumstances

Luke 12:6 says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?" Matthew 10:29 says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?" Two sparrows are sold for one penny, and four sparrows for two pennies. But Jesus says, two pennies buy five sparrows. This shows that sparrows are inexpensive, yet even such cheap creatures will not fall to the ground without God’s permission. This illustrates that everything happens only by God's permission. If God does not allow it, even one sparrow cannot fall to the ground.

The number of hairs on a person's head is hard to count. Yet Jesus says, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30). This shows that God is so detailed and attentive! If God watches over even the sparrows and the hairs on our heads, how much more will He care for us, His children?

When we become Christians, we must learn to see God's will in the arrangements of our circumstances. Nothing happens by chance. Every aspect of our lives—the work we do, our relationships, our family—has been arranged by God. Therefore, we must learn to recognize God's will in the circumstances of life. New believers may not yet be able to understand the Holy Spirit’s guidance or know much of the Bible’s teachings, but they can begin to see God's hand in their circumstances. This is the first lesson for a believer.

Psalm 32:9 says, "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle, or they will not come to you." Often, we are like the stubborn mule, needing God to use external forces to guide us. Have you ever seen someone herding ducks? The person uses a stick to guide them. Likewise, we can give ourselves to God and say, "Lord, I may be like an ignorant mule, but I don’t want to go astray. I want to know Your will. Please use Your bridle to guide me." This external guidance is a sign of God’s mercy. God uses circumstances to stop us and force us to follow Him.

2. The Guidance of the Holy Spirit

God’s hand is evident in our circumstances, but He does not want us to remain like ignorant animals; He desires to guide us from within. Romans 8:14 says, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." As children of God, we have God's life, and therefore, God does not only guide us through circumstances but also speaks to us through His Spirit inside us. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and His will can be revealed to us from the deepest parts of our being.

Ezekiel 11:19 says, "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them." This "new spirit" is the spirit we receive when we are born again, and it makes a home for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. If our spirit had not been renewed, God could not give us His Spirit. Only after being born again do we have the capacity to receive God's Spirit, who then dwells in us.

For new believers, once they are born again, God's Spirit resides in them. The Holy Spirit naturally reveals God's will to them, and they begin to sense it internally. Not only can they observe God’s arrangement in their circumstances, but they can also recognize His guidance within.

The guidance of the Holy Spirit can be of two kinds: 1. Internal prompting, such as in Acts 8:29, when the Spirit told Philip, "Go up and join this chariot," or Acts 10:19-20, when the Spirit told Peter, "Go down and go with them." 2. Internal restraint, such as in Acts 16:6-7, where "the Holy Spirit forbid" them from preaching in certain places. This internal restraint is also what we call the "internal governor" that prevents us from doing the wrong things.

New believers should learn to sense the Holy Spirit's leading. The Holy Spirit speaks to us from the innermost part of our being. His guidance is not shallow but deep, and we sense it at a profound level. It's not just a voice; it’s a feeling that comes from deep within. If we follow this inner life, we will feel peace and joy. If we go against it, we will feel uneasy and lose our peace.

However, we should avoid overanalyzing these feelings. If we keep analyzing whether a feeling is spiritual or not, we might end up confused. The guiding light will become clear when we are genuinely seeking to obey God. When we are filled with the Spirit, His leading will be unmistakable.

3. The Teachings of the Bible

Not only is God’s will revealed in our circumstances and through the Holy Spirit, but it is also made known through the Bible. The Bible contains principles and examples that demonstrate God's will. To understand God's will, we must read the Bible carefully. The Bible is not a simple book but a rich and profound one, and God’s will is revealed in it.

God’s will is eternal and unchanging. What God has revealed in the past, He continues to reveal in the present. His will is consistent. God will never lead us to do something that contradicts what He has already revealed in the Bible.

The Bible says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). To understand God’s will, we must study the Bible carefully and thoroughly.

God speaks to us through the Bible in two ways: one is through the principles of Scripture, and the other is through the promises of Scripture. We understand the principles through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, while the promises are given to us through His guidance. For example, Matthew 28:19-20 shows that Christians should preach the gospel. This is a biblical principle. But if we wonder whether we should go to a certain place to preach, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance to answer that.

Some believers seek God’s will by "casting lots" or opening the Bible randomly and pointing to a verse. This method is not appropriate. While God may sometimes accommodate their ignorance, this is not a reliable way to seek God's will.

Now, let's combine these three aspects. The order is not fixed. Sometimes God arranges circumstances first, followed by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of the Bible. Other times, we might receive the Holy Spirit's guidance and the teachings of the Bible, and then wait for the circumstances to align.

If we want to know whether an inner sense is truly the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we need to ask two questions: 1. Does it align with the Bible’s teachings? 2. Are the circumstances in harmony with it? If the inner sense doesn’t align with Scripture, it’s not God’s will; if the circumstances aren’t yet in place, we need to wait.

In seeking God’s will, we must learn to be careful and avoid being subjective. We can ask God to close doors that are not His will. When you are unsure, look at the teachings of the Bible, listen to your inner sense, and observe your circumstances. If everything aligns, you can be confident that it is God’s will.