Hindrances to Knowing God’s Will

May 26, 2016

Hindrances to Knowing God’s Will

Romans 12:1-2

The Bible tells us that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect in every way (Rom. 12:2). To live life at its spiritual best, we need to discover His plans and desires for us, and then we must walk in them every day. And yet certain hindrances can prevent our discerning His intentions for us.

Self-will. We are our own biggest obstacle. We’re born into this world with a fallen nature that likes to have its own way and be its own master. To follow God’s plan, we need to surrender our rights to Him and embrace His ways. We must choose every day to let Him rule over our thought life, emotions, families, work, and decisions. Surrendering to God means victory; clinging to our own ideas brings defeat. (See 1 Cor. 15:57.)

Ignorance of God’s principles. We are easily tripped up when we do not know what is important to the Lord and what we should avoid. Our minds can be changed from worldly to godly only with a steady application of Scripture. Without the light of biblical guidance, we will wander away from God’s plan (Ps. 119:105).

Influence of others. People have lots of opinions about what we ought to do and how God would want us to behave. Unless we are extremely careful, we will act to satisfy them. In fact, we might find ourselves out of God’s will because we put others ahead of the Lord.

If we abandon ourselves to God’s care, then “self” will be subdued, a hunger for His Word will grow, and we will live to please Him, not others. Have you given the “throne of your life” to Him?

Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1-3