Acquire guidance. God gives us His individualized will through His Word, His wisdom, His people, and His peace. We ask God to reveal His will to us ... and He answers those prayers through the four means described below.

1. His Word... Knowing God's individualized will is often a product of routine Bible study. Or it can be from a study relating to a specific situation. God's individualized will for each believer becomes clear as we gain wisdom and understanding from God's Word. He will never lead us to do something contrary to His Word.

2. His Wisdom... God's wisdom comes from an obedient spiritual life, 1 Corinthians 2:14 - 3:3. The more obediently we walk with Him, the more we can understand His Word and His will. Paul wrote, "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 12:2. Ask God for His wisdom. "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God ... and it will be given to him." James 1:5.

3. His People... God's people are a resource for understanding His individualized will. Those who teach His Word through speaking or writing can help, Colossians 1:28. It is good to get counsel from mature believers. More than one counselor is a good idea ... "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed." Proverbs 15:22. Remember that advice is only advice. The majority vote of a number of counselors may be right ... or may be wrong. Ten of the twelve spies sent into Canaan in Numbers 13 and 14 were wrong. Mature believers can give us meaningful insight to help us understand God's will.

4. His Peace... God's peace in our hearts can be the final confirmation of His individualized will. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Colossians 3:15. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7. This peace is a God-given deep sense of rightness about a decision. It is not rooted in emotionalism or human desire. It does not stand alone. His peace is the confirmation that follows prayer, study of the Bible, spiritual wisdom, and insights from a number of spiritually mature counselors. We must seek and wait for His peace.

Act. It is time to act when we know His will. The answer may be no as it was for Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. It may be wait ... then we must continue to seek His will. His answer of wait can result in great blessing, Isaiah 40:31. When His answer is yes, we must do His will even if it is difficult, uncomfortable, unpopular, or costly. We should delight to do His will ... and do it from our hearts, Psalm 40:8 and Ephesians 6:5-6.

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Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.