Click here to read the Old Paths Journal.
Understanding God's Will
Ephesians 5:17
"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
The will of God is probably one of the most misunderstood subjects in the Scriptures. Too many Christians think that the will of God is a "where" when God's Words shows us that it's a "what." I will understand where God's will is for my life when I do God's will. I think it is important to know where God wants you to serve, but it is more important to do His will.
In the verse above, God tells us that He is about ready to show us what His will is for our lives in the following verses. God's will is not a spooky thing that you might stumble across, for God does not work that way. God's will is very evident, especially when you study the Scriptures.
First, God's will is for you not to be influenced by the world. You will notice the Scriptures say in verse 18, "And be not drunk with wine..." Yes, God's will is that you don't drink alcohol, but this statement is even more than that. God is teaching that His will is for you not to let the world influence you in any way. Christian, you must watch your influences. The world's influences will convince you not to serve God. If you want to do God's will, then don't allow the world to influence you.
Second, God's will is for you to be filled with the Spirit. Again, the Scriptures say in verse 18, "...be filled with the Spirit." Instead of being influenced by the world, God wants you to be influenced by His Spirit. Everyday of your life you should yield yourself to God's Holy Spirit and ask Him to influence everything that you do that day.
Third, God's will is for you to sing spiritual songs. In verse 19, God talks about singing songs. Now if God wants you to sing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,..." then that would mean He would not want you to sing the world's music. You are not going to listen to worldly music and not sing their songs. That means God's will is for you to be sure to listen to the right type of music, and also sing the right type of music.
Fourth, God's will is for you to be thankful. In verse 20, God commands us to always be thankful. I know, this is not what most people want to hear about God's will, but if you are not being thankful for everything, then you are not obeying God's will. It's not hard to thank people for the good that they do for you. This is God's will! Furthermore, it is God's will for you to be thankful for everything that happens to you in your life. Though that may be hard, it is God's will.
Fifth, God's will is for you to get along with people. God says in verse 21, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." This is not talking about compromising so you can get along, but this is talking about doing your best to get along with people. God says the way to do that is simply to submit yourself to what they want. In other words, God's will is for you to lay your desires aside so that you can fulfill the desires of others.
Last, God's will is for husbands and wives to get along. God spent the rest of the chapter dealing with the marital relationship. Getting along with your spouse is as much a part of God's will as being filled with the Spirit of God. If you don't get along with your spouse, then you are disobeying the will of God.
Are you doing God's will for your life? God's will is not very difficult. God's will is more what you do than where you do it. If you will do what He wants you to do every where you go, then you will find where He wants you to do it for the rest of your life.