S
SHW
Guest
How can a person know that they are truly walking according to God’s will?
Blessings,
SHW
How can a person know that they are truly walking according to God's will?
- Status
Blessings,
SHW
C
cheeto1
Guest
I do not know.
But how about this? "Beloved, if our consciences have nothing to charge us with, we can be sure that God is with us 1John3:21
Of course plenty seem to “have no conscience”.
Jesus gave 3 commandments:
do it.
But how about this? "Beloved, if our consciences have nothing to charge us with, we can be sure that God is with us 1John3:21
Of course plenty seem to “have no conscience”.
Jesus gave 3 commandments:
- Love God
- Love others
- Love one another as I have loved you
do it.
N
NonCatholic
Guest
**If God has a will, and He does, if He wants you to know it, and He does, and He holds you responsible for it, and He does, then you can be sure He didn’t hide it. He would place it in the most obvious place. And the most obvious place would be His word. You can know the will of God for your life from scripture. And it’s unmistakable, absolutely unmistakable.
Number one, God’s will is that you be saved; delivered from sin and death and judgment and hell. That’s what the word saved means - that you are rescued from eternal damnation, eternal punishment.
1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 3, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God’s will is that you be saved. Listen to 2 Peter 3:9. “The Lord is not slow about his promises. as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” God is willing that you be saved. God wills that you repent. It is God’s will that you be saved from eternal destruction.
So much is it the will of God that he planned the plan of redemption. So much is it the will of God that He sent His Son to become the sacrifice for our sins, to make that salvation possible. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost because the salvation of the lost is the will of the Father.
We will add more later. This is just a start.**
N
ncgolf
Guest
No doubt … but when we say person … each one wants to know … not as a group but as an individual … I guess that for each God has designed a mission … something He wants accomplished and only each of us can do … You cant do mine and I cant do yours …
… I don’t agree with all of your list … He does want us to do it … He does hold us accountable … but God is mysterious … I think He is found in places where we may not ordinarily look. He doesn’t hide but isn’t easy to figure out either … the difficult part of the Christian life is the discernment of what is asked for by God … is being unsure in the Christian life mean we walk in no faith … absolutely not … but all of us, IMO, struggle with this. Sometimes we walk in confidence … and sometimes not … it is in quitting we show our true colors. That is faith … searching when “feeling” abandoned, when we know through faith He never leaves us.
P
PJM
Guest
Remember we are but saints in the making
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I know and fully practice my faith?
Do I obey ALL Church teachings?
Do I make frequent use of the Sacraments available to me?
Am I chaitable?
Do I obey all of God’s Commandments?
Do I pray mutiple times daily?
Am I willing to share my faith?
The more of these that you can answer too, the closer is your walk with our Lord
God bless and keep working at it,
N
NonCatholic
Guest
oopps made a mistake
N
NonCatholic
Guest
There is more to follow, so wait and see. I see where you are going, which is outside of Scripture and into the Church…but be patient and I will show you at least 6 “will’s” and they are not hidden. But one must be diligent in studying the word of God to get any form of understanding. I’m not saying you are not doing that; just a fact of what Scripture teaches.
L
LilyM
Guest
St Joan of Arc when on trial for her life was asked if she believed herself to be in a state of grace (ie that her life was being lived in accordance with God’s will).
Now if she’d said ‘yes’, of course she would have seemed presumptuous, since God alone knows the truth about our state of soul. If she’d said ‘no’, she would have looked both weak and guilty.
Her answer? “If I am not in the state of grace, may God bring me to it, if I am, may God keep me in it!”
That’s really the only answer any of us can give to such questions, and it should be the constant prayer of all of us!
Having said that, I believe firstly that where God has a particular will for us, and we do our best not to obstruct it, it will make itself known.
Secondly, I don’t believe God necessarily has one set path for us to take in all things.
Remember the servants with the talents? One was given five and made five more, one was given two and made two more. Would the master have punished the servant who had five for making only two more, as long as he wisely used what he was given and made a profit for his master? I seriously doubt it, although he may have rewarded the servant less.
Would he have punished the one who was given only two for making five more - as if he would ONLY be satisfied if the servant made two more and not a penny more or less? Not a bit, though he might have rewarded him more.
Now if she’d said ‘yes’, of course she would have seemed presumptuous, since God alone knows the truth about our state of soul. If she’d said ‘no’, she would have looked both weak and guilty.
Her answer? “If I am not in the state of grace, may God bring me to it, if I am, may God keep me in it!”
That’s really the only answer any of us can give to such questions, and it should be the constant prayer of all of us!
Having said that, I believe firstly that where God has a particular will for us, and we do our best not to obstruct it, it will make itself known.
Secondly, I don’t believe God necessarily has one set path for us to take in all things.
Remember the servants with the talents? One was given five and made five more, one was given two and made two more. Would the master have punished the servant who had five for making only two more, as long as he wisely used what he was given and made a profit for his master? I seriously doubt it, although he may have rewarded the servant less.
Would he have punished the one who was given only two for making five more - as if he would ONLY be satisfied if the servant made two more and not a penny more or less? Not a bit, though he might have rewarded him more.
N
ncgolf
Guest
As you are well aware … this is not an issue for me
N
NonCatholic
Guest
Number 2 of at least 6 is coming later today, so check back.
S
sodak
Guest
That’s an excellent list! I think if we make frequent us of the Sacraments for Grace, work hard at what we think God wants us to do, and listen prayerfully often for correction, we’ll be on the right track.Remember we are but saints in the making
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I know and fully practice my faith?
Do I obey ALL Church teachings?
Do I make frequent use of the Sacraments available to me?
Am I chaitable?
Do I obey all of God’s Commandments?
Do I pray mutiple times daily?
Am I willing to share my faith?
The more of these that you can answer too, the closer is your walk with our Lord
God bless and keep working at it,
Of course, that will be hotly contested by some, since these are Catholic replies, but this is a Catholic forum, after all…
N
NonCatholic
Guest
I would change the title of the thread to " Knowing Gods Will"
Number one was, God’s will is for us to be saved. Number two, God’s will is that we be "Spirit Filled". Ephesians 5:17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Do not be foolish, Aphron, (senseless, foolish, or stupid), which is to think, ah, the alpha privative to be unthinking, to be ignorant, to be destitute of knowledge, to be simple minded. Don’t be ignorant, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, if you don’t understand the will of the Lord, what are you? Foolish, ignorant, might even say stupid. Why? It is because the will of God is not lost. It is not obscure. It is not hidden. If you do not understand what the will of the Lord is then you are just simple-minded, you’re just ignorant ; that’s what Paul is saying.
Verse 18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Summarizing; His will, secondly, is that you not operate in ignorance and foolishness, but that you understand that God’s will is that you be filled with the Holy Spirit, rather than being drunk with wine and conducting yourself in a dissipated way. Why is that comparison there? Because the issue here is control. Filled is “Pleroo” in the Greek and it has the idea of filling in a controlling sense, not filling in a static sense, like wind filling the sails of a ship moving it along. A way to translate this would be allow yourselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Illustrations of how this word is used, that carries that meaning. In John 16:6 “Sorrow has filled your heart. Sorrow has filled your heart.” What that means is sorrow has taken over control. If you say someone is a little bit sad, that’s one thing. If you say they are filled with sorrow, you simply mean that they have lost the ability to balance out their sorrow with positive thoughts or good thoughts or hopeful thoughts. And they have literally succumbed to the dominating power of sorrow. In Luke 6:11, it talks about being filled with madness. Being filled means totally controlled by and dominated by madness. You’ve lost all ability to balance off the experience and emotional response with some sense of reason and you’re filled with madness. Or in Luke 4:28 talks about being filled with wrath. You no longer can control your anger and act it out in hostility.
He compares it to being drunk. Alcohol is a controlling substance. They have lost the ability to control their behavior, their speech, their emotion, their mind. They have come under the control of that drug.
In the ancient world, this is one of the ways that they worshiped the false gods, through drunkenness, gluttony and sexual orgies. They thought that as they lost themselves, they transcended the temporal world and ascended into communion with the deities, the more debauched and the more drunken, the more transcendent and the more likely to contact the divine.
Number one was, God’s will is for us to be saved. Number two, God’s will is that we be "Spirit Filled". Ephesians 5:17 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Do not be foolish, Aphron, (senseless, foolish, or stupid), which is to think, ah, the alpha privative to be unthinking, to be ignorant, to be destitute of knowledge, to be simple minded. Don’t be ignorant, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, if you don’t understand the will of the Lord, what are you? Foolish, ignorant, might even say stupid. Why? It is because the will of God is not lost. It is not obscure. It is not hidden. If you do not understand what the will of the Lord is then you are just simple-minded, you’re just ignorant ; that’s what Paul is saying.
Verse 18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Summarizing; His will, secondly, is that you not operate in ignorance and foolishness, but that you understand that God’s will is that you be filled with the Holy Spirit, rather than being drunk with wine and conducting yourself in a dissipated way. Why is that comparison there? Because the issue here is control. Filled is “Pleroo” in the Greek and it has the idea of filling in a controlling sense, not filling in a static sense, like wind filling the sails of a ship moving it along. A way to translate this would be allow yourselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Illustrations of how this word is used, that carries that meaning. In John 16:6 “Sorrow has filled your heart. Sorrow has filled your heart.” What that means is sorrow has taken over control. If you say someone is a little bit sad, that’s one thing. If you say they are filled with sorrow, you simply mean that they have lost the ability to balance out their sorrow with positive thoughts or good thoughts or hopeful thoughts. And they have literally succumbed to the dominating power of sorrow. In Luke 6:11, it talks about being filled with madness. Being filled means totally controlled by and dominated by madness. You’ve lost all ability to balance off the experience and emotional response with some sense of reason and you’re filled with madness. Or in Luke 4:28 talks about being filled with wrath. You no longer can control your anger and act it out in hostility.
He compares it to being drunk. Alcohol is a controlling substance. They have lost the ability to control their behavior, their speech, their emotion, their mind. They have come under the control of that drug.
In the ancient world, this is one of the ways that they worshiped the false gods, through drunkenness, gluttony and sexual orgies. They thought that as they lost themselves, they transcended the temporal world and ascended into communion with the deities, the more debauched and the more drunken, the more transcendent and the more likely to contact the divine.
F
firstmode
Guest
Wow! No one posted Paul’s famous verse about knowing God’s will?
Romans 12:2 (New International Version)
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 (New International Version)
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
N
NonCatholic
Guest
Great addition! Feel free to keep it coming. I can’t quote all there is because I have at least six “wills” to list. So far we have two, God’s will is for us be saved and spirit-filled. More coming later this evening or early tomorrow. Stay tuned!
B
beckycmarie
Guest
C
Ceil-1
Guest
There is a book by St. Francis de Sales called Finding God’s Will For YOu
In it, he advises the following:
God’s Will must not contradict the commandments. God’s Will also will never go contrary to charity.
Serve God in the circumstances in which He places you. ie: If your parent needs your help in order to live, it is not time to become a monk in a monastery.
Take heed to God’s counsels, which are written in the Scriptures. Counsels are not the same as commandments. It can come with the advice of a spiritual director, but be sure he or she is spiritually mature.
Be open to God’s inspirations. Follow onlyinspirations that are holy and bring your soul peace. St. Paulinus sold himself in order to ransom a poor widow’s son. Also, always obey the authority of the Chruch. He relates that St. Simon Sylites, the guy on the pillar, was willing to come down if told, and was tested in this. As he was coming down, his superiors told him to stay after all. This, he took, as a sign that his undertaking was a thing of God. If God wants it, he will see to it, it happens.
Cultivate a holy indifference to all but God’s good pleasure. I think the key is in this. Also, leave your success in God’s hands.
Learn to distinguish between love of God and self-love.
Love God’s Will above all else.
My own personal rule of thumb has been that, if I have no control over it, it is probably God’s Will. Especially when it is something obviously good and I don’t particularly feel like it.
In it, he advises the following:
God’s Will must not contradict the commandments. God’s Will also will never go contrary to charity.
Serve God in the circumstances in which He places you. ie: If your parent needs your help in order to live, it is not time to become a monk in a monastery.
Take heed to God’s counsels, which are written in the Scriptures. Counsels are not the same as commandments. It can come with the advice of a spiritual director, but be sure he or she is spiritually mature.
Be open to God’s inspirations. Follow onlyinspirations that are holy and bring your soul peace. St. Paulinus sold himself in order to ransom a poor widow’s son. Also, always obey the authority of the Chruch. He relates that St. Simon Sylites, the guy on the pillar, was willing to come down if told, and was tested in this. As he was coming down, his superiors told him to stay after all. This, he took, as a sign that his undertaking was a thing of God. If God wants it, he will see to it, it happens.
Cultivate a holy indifference to all but God’s good pleasure. I think the key is in this. Also, leave your success in God’s hands.
Learn to distinguish between love of God and self-love.
Love God’s Will above all else.
My own personal rule of thumb has been that, if I have no control over it, it is probably God’s Will. Especially when it is something obviously good and I don’t particularly feel like it.
- Pray for God’s Will.
- Seek counsel through Scripture, holy writings. and a spiritual director.
- Be receptive to God’s signified Will.****
B
benedictus2
Guest
On the 3rd one.
- First is Mathew 25:31-46 (What ever you do to the least of His Brethen you do it to Him)
- At the last Supper, He washed His disciples feet and asked us to do the same.
- The Good Samaritan
- The compassioin He showed to the Adulterous woman
- And don’t forget Mary (as in Martha and Mary). There should always be the time that we spend with God alone. He comes first. And if we do this, then the above four will follow. We are able to love others, when we realize that God loved us first.
B
benedictus2
Guest
TRUE. But you can interpret His Word incorrectly so come up with the wrong kind of God’s Will
And this has happened. Take for example divorce. Jesus is very clear about this and yet protestant churches allow divorce.
How could they have gotten it so wrong when they are reading the same Word of God. Or mayb not
**Number one, God’s will is that you be saved; delivered from sin and death and judgment and hell. That’s what the word saved means - that you are rescued from eternal damnation, eternal punishment. **
**1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 3, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God’s will is that you be saved. Listen to 2 Peter 3:9. “The Lord is not slow about his promises. as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” God is willing that you be saved. God wills that you repent. It is God’s will that you be saved from eternal destruction. **
Yes, Yes, yes, Yes, Yes. and Amen!
**
**So much is it the will of God that he planned the plan of redemption. So much is it the will of God that He sent His Son to become the sacrifice for our sins, to make that salvation possible. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost because the salvation of the lost is the will of the Father. **
We will add more later. This is just a start.**
Okay, I add another 3 yeses to the above yeses and 5 Amens as well
**- Status