So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:17

Understanding the will of the Lord is essential if we are going to live wise, effective, and God-honoring lives. So, do you know what the will of God is? For some, this concept seems to be very confusing, wrought with more questions than answers. But the Bible is very clear that, not only can we know the will of God, we can find it in scripture. In other words, it tells us exactly what is the will of God. Consider this:

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:3-4

If we will accept, at face value, exactly what the Word of God says to us, we will avoid much of the confusion, argument, and general misunderstanding that seems to permeate through some Christian arenas. God wants you and I to come to know Him…intimately and relationally. God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). He has given us His Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). And He wants us to, not just know about Him, but rather know Him experientially (Ephesians 3:19). This far exceeds religious tradition or intellectual doctrine. This is a relationship and it’s one that God desires for you and I. 

In Ephesians, Paul reminds us that it would be foolish to go through this life and not understand the will of God. “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” But this will not happen apart from a born again, saving faith, in which we surrender our lives to Christ. We must have the presence of God’s Spirit living within us, along with daily time in His Word for us to truly be able to know and understand His will (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). Consider the following:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

    Romans 12:1-2

Presenting ourselves to God, desiring to be holy in all of our behavior, and longing for God to be pleased with our lives…this is true conversion of heart, soul, and mind. Contrast that with the, “Let me live the way I want and then let me go through some religious motion to make me right with God again so I can return to living on my own terms.” The former is godliness, the latter is not. So how do we come to understand the will of God? 

First, we are not conformed to this world (James 4:4). A rejection of everything that sets itself up against the Word of God is essential if we want to see spiritual victory in our lives. We cannot partake in everything that the world says we should and in that which it offers and expect to be spiritually healthy at the same time. It just doesn’t work that way. Yes, salvation is a free gift by God’s grace through faith in what Jesus has done for us on the cross yet, a truly changed, transformed life will seek godly things and reject the philosophies and ways of the world.

Secondly, we should be transformed by the “renewing of our minds.” Yes, this only happens as we spend quality time in the Word of God. We need to understand what it says, the practical importance it has for all of us, and then apply it to our lives. When we do this, we find that we are changed. Other people may remain the same and the world may continue to go down the paths of destruction, but we will be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” 

Thirdly, if we have done the first two things, Paul reminds us that we can now prove (know) what the will of the Lord is and discover that it really is good, acceptable, and perfect. This is our legacy and heritage as born again believers in Jesus Christ. 

But in addition to these things, consider the following: 

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

  1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

To rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in everything, points to continual actions that should be present in the Christian life. “This is God’s will for us who are in Christ Jesus.” We should not quench the Spirit of God rather enjoy the power and strength that comes from God’s presence living within us. We should not despise prophetic utterances. We should look for solid, biblical preaching and teaching, powered by the Holy Spirit, in order to gain greater understanding of God’s will and grow in our walk with Him. And by doing so, we will be able to do three things. (1) We will be able to examine everything carefully. (2) We will be able to hold fast to that which is good. (3) And we will be able to abstain from every form of evil. 

God desires so much for us but it requires us to have a heart for Him and to have a desire to please Him in all respects!

Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers.For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb.Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate (His) faithfulness.Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

      Psalm 37:1-11