In this piece of writing, Im going to talk about a much discussed but often-misunderstood topic.  I am going to talk about the will of God.

Now, as children, our parents and even older siblings, if we have some, oftentimes make our decisions for us.  We are often told what to wear, when to play, and so forth and so on.  As younger children, we did not have much liberty in our decision-making, but at that age (whichever it may be), we were not prepared mentally for making many decisions.  However, as children grow up and become adolescents, then teenagers, then young adults, and so on, the children are given more and more freedom gradually throughout their lives to make decisions themselves.  Now, even as grown-ups, we may still ask for wise counsel in a particular area of our lives, but we still ultimately make the decision ourselves.  It is up to us to make that decision according to other peoples wisdom, or to go against it.

Now, as Christians, I dont believe that decision-making is really any different.  Many Christians are currently seeking the will of God for their lives.  One big problem in that is that the focus is in the wrong placeus, not God.  Second, one never reads in Scripture ANYWHERE where anyone asks that.  Oftentimes, Christians in general put the extrabiblical revelation of the will of God for their lives above Scripture itself.  In light of truth and eternity, it is a dangerous place to be.  The LDS church has been known to do so.  Now, Scripture does show direct intervention from God, but those occurrences are indeed rare, and it meant that God was going to perform something monumental.  For example, Paul and Barnabas were called to be the first missionaries.  Why did God do that?  It was going to be pivotal in the spread of the Gospel of Christ.  Another example is Abraham.  He was told to leave his country, his town, and his people to do what God instructed him to do.  Why?  God was going to make who was then Abram into Abraham, a father of many nations.  Needless to say, Gods greatest intervention was in the person of Jesus Christ, whose entire life would determine our eternity.  Now, there are several occurrences beyond those examples, but those will suffice for the space allotted.

So, what is a Christian to do about decision-making?  My answer would be to pray for the wisdom to make right choices, as per the book of James.  One might think, Does that not eliminate God from our decision-making?  Well, not really.  A new Christian obviously would need to be taught Scripture to find out what is acceptable within the will of God as revealed in Scripture.  Obviously, wise, godly counsel is to be sought, no matter how mature the Christian, if the counsel is needed.  But, as the Christian grows in knowledge of Scripture, more wise decisions can be made.  God has shown us His will in specific circumstances, like what kind of job to have, whom to marry, etc.  Now, I do not believe that God should make every decision for us.  He gave us a mind and He made it for us to use.  True, we are compared to sheep in Scripture.  Compared to God in His infinite wisdom, we would do good to get up to the intelligence of sheep.  Sheep are barely smart enough to eat.  Now while we may be compared to sheep, we are not sheep.  We are MUCH smarter than sheep.  We are also children of God, as well.  However, that does not excuse us from acting like children in the Christian walk, ESPECIALLY in making decisions.  Children do grow up and start making decisions for themselves on their own.

I am sure that every true Christian would believe that Scripture contains absolutely everything we need to live and walk in the Christian life.  So why does the average Christian NOT believe that in decision-making?  The belief that God has an individual will for every person's life has been pounded into our heads for so long.  The fact of the matter is that if a myth is proclaimed loud enough, long enough, and often enough, the myth will be accepted as fact, no matter how farfetched the myth is from being accepted as truth.

Fellow Christians, I know that what Ive said has either set you free in your daily decision making or made you VERY angry, but Scripture clearly teaches that the individual will of God for your life does not exist.  The guidelines are lined out in Scripture.  If you cannot find it in Scripture, you cannot find it.  As long as the decisions are in line with Scripture, you are not in sin.  So, Christians, it is time to grow up, know the Word, and base it on the objective truth found in the Word of God.  For more detailed information on this topic, I suggest Decision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen and J. Robin Maxson.

But, as always, the decision is yours.

In love from God above,

Rodney