Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us this Sunday! In-Person 9:00am & 10:45am, Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Join us at the next Sunday worship service:
In-Person
9:00am & 10:45am,
Online 9:00am, 10:45am & 5:00pm

Week 1 Sermon Questions For Groups

You Asked For It – Knowing The Will Of God

Introduction:
It sounds cliche, but if I had a five-dollar bill for every time I’ve been asked, “How can I determine God’s will for my life,” I would be a wealthy man. The frequency of this question provides insight into just how important it is to many people. There is a genuine interest among believers in understanding God’s plans, getting God’s guidance, and gaining some insight into their past, present and their future. Many times, we as Christians agonize over the question of God’s will, wondering how we can know what God wants us to be and do. I believe we can answer that question of what is God’s will for our lives. Our job is to simply do what He clearly asks us to do. Doing our part is what we should focus on. If we do our part, God will do His part to guide us.

Something To Talk About:
While we can know God’s will for our lives, it is not always transparent or easily recognizable. But, if we follow His principles, you will experience His guidance:

  1. First, be obedient to God’s Word: If you focus on living by God’s Word you will not miss God’s plan for your life. Psalm 119:105 (NLT) says, “Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
  2. Second, trust and acknowledge God in all you do: Trust is surrendering ourselves fully and completely to God, sincerely believing that He loves us and knows what is best for us. When we trust God we stop struggling with our circumstances. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5, 6 (NIV)
  3. Third, be faithful where you are: As the old adage teaches, “Bloom where you are planted!” If we are unfaithful in our current responsibilities and assignments, we cannot expect God to expand them and promote us. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” — 1 Corinthians 4:2
  4. Fourth, do the little things well: To discover God’s will, we must pay close attention to the little assignments, the small opportunities and responsibilities God gives us to do. How we handle the small things is a true measure of our character. Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much …”
  5. Fifth, endure the trials God sends your way: God’s plan for us is maturity. Reaching that maturity requires some testing in our lives. If we run from or fight God’s training process, we will never experience the fullness of His will. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” — James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Questions:

  1. What do I really want in life? Am I truly seeking God’s Kingdom first?
  2. Psalm 32:8 says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” What does God promise you concerning His will for your life?
  3. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:18 and 1 Peter 2:15: What does God reveal about His will for you in those verses?
  4. Have I gotten wise counsel? Proverbs 11:14 tells us “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Do we seek a wide array of counsel from Godly people who have been there, done that and can provide us clarity on our options?
  5. Do you tend to jump to conclusions? When we are impatient, or we don’t have a definitive answer, we can decide we know God’s will and we don’t. How can we know we have the answer?
  6. Pray and ask God to give you the wisdom to know and to follow His will in your life.

Take One Thing Home with You
While God has specific plans for our future, He does not expect us to find out the details of His plan before we get there. It makes sense, because if we knew every step and detail of our lives, there would be no reason for us to have faith in God. He wants us to trust Him. Ephesians 5:17 says, “Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is?” What Paul is describing here is a different definition of God’s will than we normally think about. Instead of praying to find God’s will, let’s start praying to find faith in God’s guidance.

God wants us to go to Him to be transformed in our heart and mind. God’s past, present, and future plans for your life have one constant: His glory. And if God has our hearts, our decisions will be made with His glory in mind. God invites us to take risks for Him.

We can make decisions in confidence if those decisions line up with His plan. If we desire what He desires, our decisions are going to line up with His plan.