Knowing the Will of God

​Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2)
​

Many Christians struggle with knowing God’s will for their lives.  I have heard many Christians say they are praying for God to make clear to them what they should do.  Do I move here or move there?  Do I take this job or that job?  Do I marry this person or not marry this person?  And the list goes on and on and is endless.  How can we know God’s will for our lives?  In once sense, it’s not that difficult.  But in another sense, it is that difficult.  The key is understanding the words of Paul in Romans 12:1-2.  “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  In these two verses Paul tells us what we should do in v.2, but tells us why we should do it in v.1.  In v.1 he essentially says that in light of God’s mercies, the mercies he just outlined in chapter 1-11 regarding God’s amazing and sovereign grace in our lives, in light of all that, in light of all that God has done for us, we should “present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  But how do we do that and why?  By not being ‘conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewal of our minds.’  It all starts with renewing our minds by immersing it in God’s word and engaging in corporate worship.  But here’s the result—"that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.”  Thus, the more we are transformed in the renewal of our minds, the more we learn to think like Christ, the more we will be able to discern God’s will for our lives.