Many Christians are consumed with a desire to find God’s will for their lives. They spend their time reading books, taking assessment tests, and attending seminars that all promise to reveal these secrets to them. It seems everyone wants clear guidance on what God’s will is for their lives, yet so many are frustrated because they can never quite seem to find it. Jim Rohn used to say that anything we pursue will eludes us. Finding God’s will is not something we pursue; it is something we become as we surrender our lives to Him.
Steven Furtick has a great quote regarding God’s will for your life. He says, “Walking with Jesus is about receiving His love so you can achieve His will, not achieving His will so you can acquire His love.” We cannot experience God’s will for our lives until we humbly accept His love. We must surrender everything we are to His purposes and Lordship. Our old self is dead, and with it all our personal dreams and ambitions. If you want to discover God’s will for your life, you must first set aside your own will.
It’s important to recognize that God did not sit down at the dawn of time and determine whether you would be a plumber, a doctor, or a homemaker. But He did ordain you with a unique combination of gifts and passions. It’s not important what you do for a living. All that matters is that you are using the gifts He gave you to further His mission in our world. Put another way, God’s will for your life is that you apply the gifts He has given you in the areas of passion He has placed inside of you. We accomplish this by obeying His commands and refusing to live for anyone or anything other than Jesus.
Finding God’s will is all about growing into the person He created you to be. This isn’t a pursuit, but rather a “becoming”. As you lay down your own desires and ask Him to fill you with His own, you will begin to recognize the things He has placed you on earth to do. You will find the work you were created to accomplish (Ephesians 2:10). God’s will isn’t some magical formula, but rather a conscious surrender in every area of your life. We will never be fully in His will unless we are first fully surrendered to His will.
If you wish to discover God’s will for your life, the first step is to stop trying to find it. God’s will is that you surrender your life to Him by obeying all He has said, and then using your gifts for His glory. It’s as simple as that. We complicate the matter by thinking His will is something we must endeavor to find when in reality it is plainly laid out in Scripture. God’s will for all of our lives is the same. The only difference is how it plays out for each of us based on our gifts and passions. Enough pursuing His will; it’s time to surrender and become who you were created to be.