Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

One of the most constant questions I get as a pastor is:

“How do I know the difference between God’s will and my will?”

The answer to this question is not what we expect. We learn God’s will not by focusing on the decision, but instead by “Delighting ourselves in the Lord.” 

In other words, we learn God’s will by taking pleasure in Him and his revealed will (Scripture).

His revealed will is the way to learn his secret will. His revealed will is in Scripture, his secret will is in the story of our lives. He opens and shuts doors as we delight in him. 

So how do I delight myself in the Lord?

1.) Make a decision to let the Scripture be your authority.

Don’t just submit to the Word through gritted teeth, instead submit out of trust in the God who saved you. His ways are a delight!

2.) Make the local church a priority. 

The church is there to shape you into God’s will and ways. Don’t just attend, instead engage in worship and the life of the church.

3.) Pray. 

Bring your praises, requests, sorrows, and joys to God. Relate with him, enjoy him, open up your heart to let him love you. (Try praying the Lord’s Prayer)

4. Believe the Gospel daily.

Believe that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and that Christ will come again. Trust you are saved by what Jesus did and know you are forgiven and given the Holy Spirit.

5.) Anytime you hear a command of God seek to obey it.

When you fall short, repent (change your mind) and turn to Jesus.

6.) Enjoy his beauty in creation

When you delight in God,

God gives you the desires

he wants you to have. 

And then he fulfills those desires. In other words, you are formed (cruciform) by enjoying him. 

Once you are delighting in God you can do what you want.

When you are delighting in God you don’t need to worry about making the right decisions because you know if it is what God wants for you, you will receive it. He will shut doors he does not want and open the ones he wants for you.

The great African theologian Augustine once said: 

“Love God and do whatever you please: for the soul trained in love to God will do nothing to offend the one who is beloved.” 

In another place he says: 

“Love God and do what you will.”

Your responsibility in decision making is to love God, delight in God and worship God. When you do this, God aligns your desires with his. Your decisions reflect his will.

And by the way, don’t worry about making the wrong decision, instead ask God to open doors that are of him and close doors that are not.

Finally, we all tend to make decisions that do not come from delight in God. But do not worry, he is a God of forgiveness and a God that can make your bad, ungodly decisions work for your good. 

We stand by Grace!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Harvey