How Do You Know God's Will for Your Life

All scripture is from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible

By H. Janet Stephens Sacarello, M.A. 

    I don’t know about you, but often I have a problem determining God’s will in my life.  Sometimes it’s very clear and other times not so evident.  Well, problem solved thanks to the Late Dr. Charles Stanley’s sermon this morning (June 28, 2026).  (Originally preached on September 24, 2000)

      In case you missed it, I’d like to share his teachings with you to possibly help you discover God’s will for your life’s decisions. Dr. Stanley clarified six steps in determining God’s will in all our decisions:

• Clear the pathway;

• Exercise Patience;

• Be alert to pressure;

• Persist in prayer;

• Rest in God’s promises; and

• Wait for the peace.

      Now you’re probably saying, Whoa!! How do we do that!  Well, let me tell you what Dr. Stanley teaches.  (Sure wish I’d been exposed to Dr. Stanley when I was 14 years old.)

      The first step to God’s guidance, Clear the pathway, means to remove habitual sin and neutralize strong desires.  That’s a toughie, but durable if you’re truly seeking God’s will.

      The second step, Exercise patience, means to wait.  Remember “wait”?   Wait, wait, wait … God’s time, not ours.  Don’t make any decision until you hear “from God and are acting in His will.” (Psalm 62:5 – “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

      Dr. Stanley, with his third step “Be alert to pressure,” lists several pressure types:

• External pressure”

           Advice -- Such as others offering well-meaning counsel;

           Circumstances – “Refuse to let urgency force a decision; and

• “Internal pressure”

           Fears and Anxieties – Don’t let your “fear of loss, failure, rejection or disapproval drive decisions.”

    On to Step four, Persist in prayer.  I Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing,” according to Dr. Stanley, means stay in conversation with God. 

    Step five, we’re to “Rest in God’s Promises.” – Study the Bible, using it as a “reliable guide for understanding God’s will,” and meditate on “His Word” to recognize “direction and wisdom for decisions.”

    Finally, Step six, “Wait for peace.”  According to Dr. Stanley, this means:

• "Following God this way leads to His indescribable peace” (Philippians 4:6-7); and

• ”That peace is our confirmation we’re on the right track.”  (Colossians 3:15 – “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.”

Browse https//www.intouch.org/watch/sermons/finding-clear-guidance to print out Dr. Stanley’s entire sermon.