How Can I Discern God's Will?
What is God’s will, for your life and for the world? Is God’s will even something we should seek to know? If so, how can we be assured we’ve gotten it right? In this video, Prof. Wright takes a general view of “the will of God” for creation as a basis for uncovering what God desires specifically for each of our individual lives.
I love listening to him. I have grown in my walk with God as a result.
A question for all, How to discern God’s will? May those who listen find clarity in understanding.
how can i get your book dr
I am your new student, listening to your work and teaching which is full of counseling and positivity in faith. GBU
I totally agree with you. Sometimes, we just take one step at a time, and we end up finding we are in the place God wanted.
Thank you. My wife and I have been praying for divine guidance as we prepare to make a big decision.
You can read the Jewish Bible; that’s the only way.
What if God’s will for your life has been so difficult and unbearable, that, after 23 years, you simply don’t care anymore?
God is putting people right, so that by self-giving love, they can be putting the world right for the good of all creation and to the glory of the living, loving God. May it be so!!
Thank you Tom and Admirato.
You are my favourite theologian and such a role model .. thanks for your life N T Wright
I wish this was compelling but, from my experience, people decide what they want and then appropriate God’s authority by fooling themselves and others that it’s ‘His will’. Here’s a rule of thumb: if your choice serves you (self), it’s not consistent with Jesus’ example. If it serves others, it is. If there is no winner/loser, gain/loss outcome, it doesn’t matter, just make a decision.
This is the million dollar question! Thank you for this video, Dr. Wright!
What reassuring words Mr. Wright, especially about getting on and doing the next best thing in the meanwhile. This spoke to my present circumstances. Thank you.
Tom thank you for your service, please look after yourself, eat some pies and full fat irn bru
For years I felt a calling to some type of ministry, but felt unqualified or inadequate. In the mean time, I worked at a school. The amount of ministry I was able to do there within the confines of the rules of a US public school was amazing. All this prepared me for working in lay ministry in my church. I may have waited too long for ordination, but perhaps that wasn’t God’s plan at all. During all this, I would pray for my call. I can’t say I prayed every day, but eventually I knew the time had come and all the pieces fell together.
The will of the father is very clear believe in Christ and you will be saved Jesus was very clear
The end of this video resonates with me. As an older person, I’ve had the opportunity to look back and say, “Hmm. Maybe those things I was doing for others was in line with God’s will.”
Baptism by immersion as per Acts 2:38 is how a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit into their life and baptism by immersion as per Acts 2:38 is also how a person is born again.
And the Holy Spirit is another comforter who was sent to guide us into all truth as our body is the temple for the Holy Spirit.
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
which means when a person is born again by baptism by immersion sin is no longer your master because you have the Holy Spirit in your life who will help you overcome all sin in your life if that is your desire.
which means that you are no longer controlled only by the desires of the flesh. Unless you choose to give up the freedom and allow sin to become your master again by your actions.
For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. if depravity then depravity. if the desires of the flesh then the desires of the flesh. if greed then greed. If sin then sin.
and to that it is written in 2 Peter 2:20 If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit," and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
Jesus Christ is the only way by which mankind can be saved.
And it is written in
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may still be found. Now is the time to get the know our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ while probation is still going on.
Beloved: Salvation is a 2 step process.
The 1st step in the process of salvation is being justified by what Christ which happens when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their person savior.
And after being justified by what Christ did by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
The next step in salvation is sanctification.
And Sanctification is a moment by moment and a day by day process of obedience to the will of God out of love ALL of the days of your life after accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
And To Repent of sin, means to ask The Son of God who is Jesus Christ incarnate for forgiveness of sin and he wants us to be literal about the sin that we are asking Him to be forgiven of and part of asking for forgiveness also means that we will give up in our lives whatever sin it is that we are asking to be forgiven of.
Again Salvation is a 2 step process.
The 1st step in the process of salvation is being justified by what Christ which happens when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their person savior.
And after being justified by what Christ did by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
The next step in salvation is sanctification.
And Sanctification is a moment by moment and a day by day process of obedience to the will of God by doing the will of God out of love ALL of the days of your life after accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.
And Our mission is to study the word of God so that we can share the word of God with those who are receptive to it and to be transformed into the character of Jesus Christ by our choices and by our actions.
Mat 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The character we form in this world by our choices and actions will determine our destiny for eternity. Our future is determined by the way in which we now allow ourselves to be transformed into the image and character of Jesus Christ.
which is why every person who says they follow Christ is to be transformed into the image and character of Jesus Christ by their choices and by their actions on a moment by moment and on a day by day basis with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Accepting, the gift of grace, forgiveness, mercy, salvation and eternal life is dependent on what we do, today, tomorrow and the rest of our life, action wise, till we die that determines if a person has accepted, God’s grace, the gift of eternal life, salvation, and God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And life tomorrow is promised to NO one.
Those who choose not to become like Jesus Christ in character; Must know that their profession to follow Jesus Christ is a fraud. Obedience to the will of God out of Love is a requirement of those who would be saved.
God knows our wants, needs and our desires, and He can read our heart, mind, and soul, and He knows our intentions and our desires by our actions.
Jesus estimates the purity of motive, thoughts and actions and the character that we posse. which is used along with the things written in the books which determines if we have accepted the gifts described above.
He looks to see how much of His Spirit and character is in us by our actions
How much of His likeness of character is in our life which is revealed in us by our actions.
To be great in God’s kingdom is to be as a little child in humility, in simplicity of faith, and in purity of love.
And what you have done for those whom you think to be the least worthy of your help you have done unto the Lord.
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4, KJV
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters: Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God, the world and money.
No one is justified by keep the 10 commandments ALONE since we are saved by grace. But keeping the 10 commandments is still a requirement to salvation since we are judged by works.
That is because sin is the breaking of any of the 10 commandments and the wages for unforgiven sin is death and the soul that sinneth shall surely die.
Just now getting round to seeing this video. Thank you so much, Tom. I’ve been in ministry for 35 years, the last 15 mostly among the homeless and poor. Yet due to church circumstances, family circumstances (having to care for a child and grandchildren), and our financial situation, I’m having to look to other options to support our family. This has been challenging as there are numerous possibilities, though I don’t know what is the best path to pursue and not all doors may be open. But these words were very helpful. Again, thank you.
I can’t thank you enough for all the knowledge you share with us. God has blessed us indeed!
I guess this man has never heard of Lloyd Geering who wrote the book "Christianity without God". A very interesting book, all about the wisdom teachers. By the way Lloyd Geering is turning 107 next Wednesday!
Thank you, God bless you
If you know you should but don’t want to do it.
My aspiration is to love God’s Word in the very least, like NT Wright. I’ve been studying and praying over the letter to Romans for many, many months. Different versions. The Greek. I consume it. I want my God to know that there are no words more cherished by me than His Words. No heart that I adore more than the one from which those words came. My note to myself is as follows:
"You are to read the Bible as though it were a letter from home, while you are still in a strange, foreign field waging war with fellow soldiers. You carry these words with you at all times, as though the loved one’s letter were tucked away, folded, in the shirt pocket over your heart. These cherished words mean the world to you. You never forget them. In your fight in this place, far from home, you can not forget the great love that awaits you at home. And though you are far away, your heart is stedfastly fixed towards home."
Pray for us in America, we are in a dark, heavy time & in need of seeking discernment…
What Tom is talking about is arguably the most important part of the "Good News", namely each human being is not only loved by God, but _called_ by God to fulfill his/her role in building God’s kingdom on earth. God needs each of us to make the world a place "fit for the children of God". We have a purpose, a telos. We are saved from the inevitable nihilism that must accompany non-belief.
Gods
In the echo of ancient tales, we find our plight,
A tale woven in shadow and light,
From Eden’s garden, where knowledge was sin,
Whispers of innocence lost, let confusion begin.
A serpent, a fruit, the dawn of despair,
Knowledge, it seemed, was too much to bear,
Original sin, they etched on our hearts,
An inherited stain where the purity departs.
But tell me, oh sages, what wisdom was wrong,
In seeking the truth where our souls still belong?
Through ages of darkness, through plagues of the mind,
To bear such a burden, how cruel and unkind.
A child born in innocence, gifts of the sky,
Yet shackled with guilt for the sins of the sly,
Is love, then, a virtue that crumbles with doubt,
If the source of creation could banish us out?
An all-knowing God, who wields life and breath,
Gives His life to cleanse us, in turn mocks our death,
If mercy be boundless, if grace be so grand,
Why damning the innocent at Pharaoh’s command?
Remember the night when the angels did glide,
With death in their wings, the firstborn they chide,
What wisdom is gained from such loss and despair,
To punish the children, what virtue is there?
A God of compassion, yet famine unleashed,
Disease and destruction, the plagues never ceased,
On Egypt, the suffering, the cries filled the night,
All for a vision, a grand, ancient right.
Forty years wandering in deserts of dust,
A chosen one’s burden, more sorrow, mistrust,
In concentration camps of divine decree,
To wander in circles, but never be free.
And when the flood waters rose to the sky,
A cleansing of sins, they claimed, oh so high,
Yet the cries of the innocent echoed unswayed,
Drowned beneath anger, their innocence frayed.
What is this church that claims moral command,
Built on ancient texts, with a heavy hand?
A patriarch’s vision penned down through the ages
While doctrines of bigotry, and guilt, covered their pages.
To silence the questioning, to shun the profound,
The echoes of wisdom in shadows are drowned,
A tale spun by scribes who once walked the earth,
Now justifying power while twisting their worth.
So here we stand, in this age where we seek,
The truth of existence, where spirits can speak,
In the absurdity woven, we question the thread,
Of the stories that linger, the ancient tales read.
Can a God, who is love, bring forth such decay?
With every child cursed on the breath of the day?
Or is it the fear, the control and the greed
That sows the real sin, in the hearts of the freed?
Let us rise from the ashes, rise true from the pain,
Seek knowledge together, let wisdom remain,
In the forge of existence, in the light of our days,
May we challenge the stories and blaze our own ways.
Rupert Lupin
Thank you for sharing!
read about the biblical nation of Israel after entering into The land of God’s Promises having crossed Jordan (baptism). We are each a "little israel" in life’s journey.
I certainly needed to hear this. It was full of gems of wisdom that I pray will help me in discerning God’s will for the future of myself and my ailing husband.
I like the idea that we end up doing what God intended for us while pursuing something else, just like Paul writing Romans when he was really focused on going to Spain. It’s as though God gives us a target to aim at in order to lead us on to where He really wants us to be. Maybe it is only in hindsight that we truly get to discern God’s will; when we can say "Of course, that was always where He wanted me to be. Now I see."
A rough guideline is, "as it is in heaven." Pretty simple really.
Thank you again, prof. Wright. Your talks are always so encouraging and Scriptural. My husband and I are in the phase of helping our children with their children. At the moment caring for our twoyearold grandson in the USA for 2 months. Then, God willing, back to South Africa to help our daughter there. So wonderful to hear your thoughts on this- that our work here is also valuable.
Amen! Glory to God. I remember in the Book of Acts Paul wanted to go back to Jerusalem. He was told by the Church members there not to but he went ahead anyway and we read what great things he suffered for the sake of the Gospel.
Thank you Mr Wright. I have always felt that The first and paramount way God speaks to me is through His Word and praying. Reading and listening and being encouraged by His Word everyday is so important to me. It is like the Holy Spirit working in conjunction with the Word says subconsciously this is what or where you ought to do or go. So even the plans I execute and are worried that I’m not fallowing God’s direction, God plans always takes precedence.
How Can I Discern God’s Will?
Can any of us here watching this video deny that is was God’s will for us to do so?
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
How I determine God’s will:
1. There is no God.
2. Refer to step 1.