We often think deeply about God’s will for our lives. One of the enemy’s strategies pulls us away from that will. For the purpose of this teaching, I take as understood that the enemy wants us doing terrible, wasteful, evil, or sinful things. If you are truly born again, you carry a desire to walk with Jesus, to please Him, and to live the life He wants for you. You may fail at times, as we all do, yet that desire remains in you. If it is not there, you may need to examine whether you are born again.
I believe where most Christians struggle in this area is not falling into obvious sin. It is more about time wasting. It is about getting dragged into good things, useful things, or important things that God never called you to do. One of the most dangerous traps, even for a minister, is doing good things that God never called you to.
One of the keys to knowing what God has called you to do is knowing who God has called you to be. Knowing what He has not called you to be and not called you to do is equally empowering. Satan will fill our schedules with good but time-wasting activities. As a pastor, I fight to keep the main thing the main thing. I fight for the things God actually calls me to, not every opportunity to please people or get involved in meetings.
**As it is written in Acts 6:2**, “Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.’”
The apostles Jesus chose began to leave the ministry of prayer and the preaching of the Word to handle food distribution for widows and orphans. They were managing collections where people had all things in common. Suddenly the twelve became like food bank directors. Nothing is wrong with serving in that way if God has called you to it. But He had not called them to neglect the Word and prayer. The right response was to appoint others, including Stephen and Philip, to those tasks. They returned to their core calling. Knowing what you are called to do releases power.
**As it is written in Jeremiah 10:23**, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
Many believers spend much of their lives seeking the will of God. You cannot fulfill God’s will if you do not know it. You cannot step into it until it becomes clear. I say this lovingly: I do not want to spend my life searching for the will of God. I want to spend my life doing the will of God.
**As it is written in Romans 12:2**, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Paul wrote to a young church in Rome. He used words that in English contain “form”: conformed and transformed. You will be formed one way or the other. Do not allow the world around you—even the Christian world, family, media, government, or education—to conform you to its image. Be transformed instead.
In Romans 8:28-29 we read, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Paul says do not be conformed to the world. Be transformed into the image of Jesus. The glorious news is that in your spirit you have already been transformed. Your spirit looks like Jesus. You carry His nature and righteousness there. No problems exist at that level. What God has done in your spirit, He wants to bring into your soul. Then He desires that transformation in your soul to shape everything around you.
Either the world will conform you, or you will conform the world to the image of God. I want the world around me to look like heaven. I want it to look like Jesus. We are here to change, shape, and mold our surroundings into His image.
So often we think of God’s will in terms of location, occupation, or relationships. We imagine God wants you in Africa or China, or working as a pastor, mechanic, or in tech. Or that He wants you to marry a certain person. None of those things are God’s will in the core sense. God’s will is not that I would be a pastor, though I function in that role now. I am a child of God. I am the bride of Christ. I am a branch in the Vine, united with Him. That is the core.
God’s call for your life is not primarily about going somewhere, doing something specific, or associating with certain people. God’s will is in Christ Jesus. It is to be transformed into the image of His Son by the renewing of your mind. When that happens, you will prove, demonstrate, and live out the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. “Prove” here carries the sense of a courtroom proof or working out a scientific theory or recipe. You take the truth and live it out fully so it becomes visible testimony.
How do we move from the good will of God to the acceptable, and from the acceptable to the perfect? You determine that by the measure to which you renew your mind. Renew it completely, and you walk in the perfect will. Renew it partially, and you experience the acceptable or good. God has already chosen and invited. Our response determines how fully we enter it. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying how often He wanted to gather them, but they were not willing. God has expressed His will for us in Christ. The question is, are we willing?
**As it is written in Romans 12:2 again**, the path is clear. Do not be conformed. Be transformed. Renew your mind. Prove His will in your daily life.
This introductory teaching only scratches the surface, yet I believe it sets a vital foundation. God’s will centers on your identity in Christ and your transformation into His image. When that becomes the focus, specific steps, places, and roles flow naturally from a renewed mind. You move from searching to doing. You step into the glorious life He has prepared.
Selah.
**Scriptures for Study:** Romans 12:2, Jeremiah 10:23, Romans 8:28-30, Acts 6:1-7, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:9-10, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:23, Ephesians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Micah 6:8, Romans 12:1, 2 Timothy 1:9, Ephesians 1:11, Psalm 32:8, Isaiah 30:21, John 10:27, Proverbs 16:9, James 1:5, Galatians 5:25, Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 10:36, 1 Peter 4:2, Romans 6:13, 2 Corinthians 3:18.
**10 Questions for Reflection:**
1. What areas of my schedule currently fill my time with good things that God may not have called me to?
2. How well do I know who God has called me to be in Christ?
3. In what ways am I allowing the world to conform my thinking instead of being transformed?
4. How consistently do I renew my mind with God’s Word each day?
5. What would my life look like if I focused more on doing God’s will than searching for it?
6. Where have I seen the difference between positional transformation in my spirit and its outworking in my soul?
7. Am I willing to release activities that please people but distract from my core calling?
8. How does my daily life currently prove or demonstrate God’s will?
9. What practical steps can I take this week to prioritize prayer and the Word like the apostles?
10. In what specific situations do I need to choose God’s will over my own direction?
