Ezra 8:21
"Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance."
In my teenage years, I had a great desire to know God's will for my life. At thirteen years of age, I surrendered to be a preacher of the Gospel, and for the next several years I wondered in what area He would have me preach. It wasn't until I was nineteen years of age that I knew God wanted me to be an evangelist. From thirteen years of age to nineteen years of age, I sought God's will daily because I truly wanted to be in the center of God's will for my entire life.
Since then, I have had several times when I needed to know God's will. Just like Israel in the verse above, I sought God's will to know the right way to go. As you can see from the verse above, there are times when you must take greater steps to know the will of God. I find in the Scriptures, there are three specific things you must do if you want to know the will of God.
First, live a righteous life. Psalm 5:8 says, " Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face." Living a righteous life is more than staying away from sin. Living a righteous life is performing right acts. In other words, you must stay away from sin and also serve God. Don't expect God to show you His will if you are not living your life according to the Scriptures. Sin will keep you from God's will.
Moreover, God will not show you His will if you are not busy serving Him. God doesn't show His will to those who sit and do nothing. You will find in the Scriptures that God revealed His will to individuals who were busy serving Him. If you truly want to know the will of God, then you would be wise to get involved in your local church. You will find as you serve Him that His will for your life will become very clear.
Second, seek God's way in everything you do. Proverbs 3:6 says, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." This is one of the clearest verses on finding the will of God. The word "acknowledge" means to recognize the importance of God's help in everything you do. God wants you to become completely dependent upon Him with everything you do. When you realize your incompetence and His ability to lead you in all you do, that is when your heart is tender enough for God to guide you. Notice, when you acknowledge God in everything that He will be sure you end up on the right pathway of life. When you spend your days in prayer seeking the face of God, He will be sure that you end up on the right pathway for your life.
Third, finding God's will depends upon how bad you want it. In the verse above, they wanted to know the will of God to the point that they were willing to fast for several days until they knew it. Let me ask you, how bad do you want to know the will of God? Do you want to know it bad enough that you are willing to fast? Friend, there will be times in your life when you will need to take the drastic measure of fasting to find God's will for your life.
Finding God's will for your life should be the greatest desire of your life. God's will is never discovered by running in the world, but it will only be found by staying close to God and serving Him. I have found that you can't miss the will of God when you are walking by His side.