Ask a youth leader: Part two

Question: I'll be finished school this year and have a bunch of huge decisions to make about all kinds of stuff including like, my whole future. I've got options but I want to make sure I'm picking the right ones. How can I know for sure what God wants me to do? Everyone says God has a plan for my life. How can I know what it is?

Wow . . . How cool to actually be able to tap into the greatest mind in the cosmos and ask His advice on literally anything. And yet, the Bible makes it clear that we can do just that at any time, day or night. God is totally accessible to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. No wonder the disciples pleaded with Jesus to teach them to pray (see Luke 11:1-13).

In our last issue, we began to answer the question of how we can know what God’s plan for our life is by looking at two important tips:

Tip one: Ask Him! It’s amazing how often we overlook the obvious. Want to know what God wants for you? Well, you could stumble around wondering, talking to whoever, trying out lots of crazy, weird stuff, or you could just do what Jesus suggests—ask Him for advice. Simple really. God tells us plainly that if we seek wisdom, we should pray for it. He, being faithful, will answer our prayers and grant us the answers we so desperately seek.

Tip two: Listen to His answer. Here’s where we often come unstuck. We do the prayer bit, then we never slow down, or shut up, long enough to hear God’s answer. When I graduated from college and was wondering whether I really should go into ministry or not, I had a bit of a rant and a rave to my sister about it. I told her about all the prayers I’d offered and had a real whine about how God hadn’t made anything any clearer to me. Her advice was good. “Tony . . . If you just shut up for a minute, you might hear something.”

Sometimes we just need to be silent and listen, and allow God the space to speak. He’s too polite to interrupt us when we’re doing all the talking.

Tip Three: Follow the “Five Cs.” We alluded to these in our last edition. Here they are. Five solid suggestions for di s c e rning God’s plan for our lives.

> Common sense: God’s not going to tell you to do something that’s completely out of character with the rest of His Word or out of keeping with everything Christianity is about. He’s not going to tell you to become a drug pusher to raise funds for youth ministry or, to use a contemporary example, He’s not going to tell you to write a book about vampires and werewolves to preach a message of love and fidelity. Some things are simply not “common sense” for Christians and God won’t take you there. God gave us a brain—and He expects us to use it!

> Compulsion: When God wants you to do something, He has a way of making His wishes felt. Jeremiah described it as a fire in his bones (see Jeremiah 20:9). Paul declared “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Jonah tried to run but still ended up in Nineveh, Moses crossed the Red Sea, Elijah preached despite his fear. If God wants you to do something and you are genuinely seeking to know His will, He will make it known to you through an overwhelming sense of what you are to do.

This is how I felt when I made the decision to enter ministry. It started our as a gentle impression and grew to an overwhelming compulsion of what I should do. When I finally made the decision to follow His will, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that I was following his plan.

> Circumstances: God also has a way of opening some doors and closing others, so we are guided through circumstance along a particular course and on a converging path toward His will (see Psalm 16:11, Galatians 5:22-25). Paul describes this as “keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.” Mind you, God does have a habit of closing the doors behind us before He opens the ones in front. This is where faith comes in. God will often leave us on the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptians roaring up behind us for a time before He parts the waters. It was necessary for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to be thrown into the firey furnace before the “one resembling the Son of God” was seen among them. And Jesus had to die before He was raised up to atone for our sins. We are often left for a time, having to exercise trust in God before the way becomes clear. Don’t be surprised if this happens. Just have faith and the door before you will open.

> Counsel: Seek the counsel of Spirit-filled men and women. If you want to know God’s will, talk to people who are living their lives in harmony with it. It’s common sense (there it is again) that they will be in a better position to advise you than anyone else, especially those living godless lives, your secular friends or even the internet! I know it’s scary but Wikipedia doesn’t have all the answers.

> Contentment: Finally, having done all these things, when you do make the hard decision and choose to follow where God is leading, you will notice an overwhelming feeling of contentment or peace (one of the fruits of the Spirit). Expect it. If you’re not feeling this sense of “rightness,” go back through the steps—examine each one, pray and listen some more and keep at it till you get it right. It pays to be persistent (see Luke 18:1-8).

What then? Move forward with the confidence that comes from knowing your will and God’s will are in harmony (see Hebrews 4:16). I can’t wait to see what God has planned for your life!