Following God's Will For Your Life

Over the years I have wrestled with many faith issues as have you, most likely. In the course of these, I have learned some interesting lessons about following God's will:

Following is a choice.

Just as the disciples in Jesus' day had to choose to follow Him, we also must choose. If we truly want to follow God then we have to forsake other paths that beckon us as distractions. We have never been to the future before, so only God knows the way. We can choose to go our own path, but then we risk a lot by not following God's will. Look at what Jonah went through in the Bible because he went the opposite direction to what God wanted him to do. God takes into account our desires as it says in Psalm 37, but only He knows the pitfalls that lie ahead of us.

Others won't always agree with you.

When my first wife died, I was terribly devastated after 33 years of marriage. I later met someone online who lived in another state, and after ten weeks married her. You can imagine what I heard from my friends and family!! We have currently been married two years and very happy. We knew we were following God's will for our lives but we couldn't explain it to others. The more we tried, the less headway we made. You can't always explain things to people when you are following God. Another example from the Bible is in Genesis when God asked Abraham to follow His directions to a new Promised Land, but Abraham didn't know anymore than that. He had to launch out on faith.

When my new wife came to where I was to help me pack, my family and friends got to meet her briefly but still there was a note of reservation there. God knew we each needed a new start and He had a plan for us, but we had to go against the grain of people's opinions to realize that gift. It was terribly hard but it was worth it. I still keep in contact with my friends and family, but we don't live near them.

Ultimately, you have to decide.

When I got married suddenly, I had three people I consulted before I did it. Even then, I didn't have peace about following their advice, which was against the marriage. Two were for it, and one was not. I had asked for a unanimous ruling one way or the other. We were both so miserable, we prayed about it together, and went ahead the next day and married despite what was said. The point is, you have to follow the peace. You can ask people's opinions but you have to decide what God is wanting for your life. You are the one accountable for your choices, not anyone else. If you are truly trying to follow God's will, then you can look where the peace is and folliow the peace through each rough spot in the road.

These three items are just the beginning of what I have learned about following God's will for my life. Your walk with God may be different than mine. I would love to hear about your experiences and what you have learned from them, if you would like to comment on my blog. I appreciate that, and God bless you as you follow Him.