God's Will For Your Life

         The amazing life change that occurs in people when they choose to become followers of Jesus Christ is so significant that it should transform your life purpose. Before believing the Truth, their life goal may have been to be a doctor, a lawyer or to get rich but afterwards it should align up with God’s will. One may ask, “What does God want me to do with my life?” Well the answer is simply stated in Matthew 28:19-20:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God does not require anything less of us than everything we have to further His name. Whatever we are doing in life, whether that is working in an office, being a mom, or begging on a street corner, we are to be evangelizing and making disciples!

            God’s will for our life is simple in essence but figuring out how to live it out can be difficult. Afshin Ziafat gave us a simple list of what is in God’s will for our lives. First and foremost is for us to know Him intimately. 1^st Timothy 2:3-4 says, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”. If we do not know God ourselves, how are we supposed to lead other people to Him?

            Secondly, it is God’s will for us to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 urges us to “be filled with the Spirit” instead of with earthly things. When we are living for God, the fruit of the Spirit should be evident in our lives. We should be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These qualities acted out by a believer point nonbelievers towards Christ.

            Sexual purity is another attribute that God wills for our lives. The Holy Spirit dwells in our bodies so when we sin against our body, we sin against God. That is one reason God is so clear when He says that we “should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). By living a sexually pure life, we honor God and His temple. It is also an outward way to show that you have Godly morals to nonbelievers.

            Lastly, it is God’s will for us to suffer for Him. God never said that following Him would be easy. In fact, He told people that they had to die to themselves (Matthew 10:38) and hate their mother, father, and children (Luke 14:26) in order to follow Him. Paul urges young Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 to “join with [him] in suffering for the gospel” because God “is able to guard what [he had] entrusted to Him”. God does not have us suffer without reason. Our suffering is for the expansion of His kingdom throughout the world. Trials are used to not only spread the gospel but also to chisel us into the man or woman God designed us to be. While suffering during the present time may seem pointless, know that it is all part of God’s plan to create something pretty awesome!

            The Gospel can be shared in hundreds of different ways, but in the end there is one message. God sent Jesus down to the earth to die for our sins and raised Him from the grave. His sacrifice covered the sin of the whole world and all we have to do to receive this covering is to accept the gift! If you live your life according to God’s will by 1. Knowing Him intimately 2. Being filled with the Holy Spirit 3. Remaining sexually pure and 4. Suffering for Him then you will naturally be spreading the gospel through your actions. This is not to say that word are unnecessary, but it is amazing how much God can work just through your life being an example to others!