Romans-Related Topical Applications

Five Ways to Discern God's Will

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2010-08-02

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds Ephesians 5:17, emphasizing that believers are commanded to understand God's will. He provides a general principle that God's will is revealed in Scripture, then outlines five specific ways to discern God's will in any situation: by His promise, providence, principles, prayer, and peace. He warns against subjective guidance that contradicts Scripture and stresses that any decision violating one of these five ways is not God's will.

[John Weaver] We need men that understand the Word of God and will apply the Word of God. Do you understand that you can know all the doctrine in the world, but if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless to you. All you have is just a head knowledge without any application. It's like having a weapon in your home, but you don't know how to shoot it. What good is a rifle when someone's breaking into your home if you don't know how to shoot it? I'm just simply saying the Word of God needs to be applied to our lives on a daily basis.

[John Weaver] With that in mind, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of Ephesians, chapter 5. The message I'm going to bring to you tonight is nothing but pure application, really. There's so many things I want to share with you, and I'm not going to be able to share everything very obviously. But this is a message that I have recommended to the Nelson family several times. With their young folks. Recommended to other people. Because there's so many questions on knowing. The Lord's will look what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 17. The Word of God says, wherefore, be you not unwise.

[John Weaver] But understanding what the will of the Lord is. Isn't that amazing? Wherefore, be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Let me ask you a couple of questions by way of introduction. The first one is this. Do you know the will of God for your life? Now, let me ask that question another way. Do you know the will of God in everything that relates to your life. How in the world can you discern the will of God in every situation and in every circumstance?

[John Weaver] I want you to note this commandment in verse 17. God says, Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So if you'll notice verse 17, the very first thing you should see is there is a negative and there is a positive. So what God is doing is commanding us and telling us how not to act on the one hand and how to act on the other hand. So negatively, he tells us, we're not to be unwise concerning the will of the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, the word unwise is from a Greek word, athron, which literally means to be foolish, to be unwise, be one that is senseless, to be one that acts rashly and without reason. So God says, do not be senseless and do not act without reason when it comes to the will of God. But then positively, he tells you in verse 17, that we're to understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, let me just tell you what the little word understand means. The Greek word is sunēmi, and it literally means to understand, consider, be wise, but technically When you break the word down, it means to set or bring together or to join together in the mind. Thus, since you join something together in your mind, you perceive it, you understand it, you grab hold of it, you make it yours. So this is what God is saying. You have to understand, you have to perceive, you have to lay hold on the will of God to literally make it yours.

[John Weaver] Now, we are to be constantly and consistently not only knowing, but proving the will of God in our lives. Just by way of introduction, and I'm sure that you can quote this, but you remember the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, Which is your reasonable service, yes. But what did he say? Not only present your bodies, but you are to present them unto him, not being conformed to this world, but being transformed that you may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God.

[John Weaver] Now, the word conformed literally means to be pressed into a mold. My wife used to make butter. We have an old butter churn, in fact, several of them. And she had butter molds. And she would take that butter and press it into that mold and put it in the refrigerator. And when she dumped it out of that mold, guess what? That butter had been conformed to that mold. God says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. And the word transformed is where we get our English word metamorphosis from to go through changes like a butterfly does or a caterpillar.

[John Weaver] So he's saying that we're to be metamorphosized, we're to be changed by the renewing of our mind. So although we're to be constantly knowing and proving the will of God, it is not something to be done routinely and mechanically callously. No, because the Bible says in the book of Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 6, not with eye service as men pleasers, but doing the will of God from the heart. So our hearts are to be behind our service to God. We're to be eat up. with the will of God in our lives, so to speak. You remember it was a path for us in the book of Colossians chapter 4 verse 12, who prayed for his godly friends that they would stand perfect and complete in the will of God.

[John Weaver] Have you ever stopped to think about that? standing perfect and complete in the will of God. Wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful if every one of our young people, if every father, if every mother could truthfully and honestly say, I'm standing perfect and complete in the will of God right now. And you need to ask yourself this question. Are you standing perfect and complete in the will of God? Now, the question you have to ask yourself is this. Since God has commanded us that we are to understand what the will of the Lord is, we have to ask ourselves, how in the world do we know and how in the world do we find the will of God? Well, let me answer that question for you, because there are. Several specific answers, but there is one general answer as well. Let me give you the general answer first. Everyone understands this. First and foremost, we must understand that the will of God is revealed in the Word of God.

[John Weaver] We do not understand God's will through trances, dreams, fortune tellers, tarot cards or any other humanistic and wicked and blasphemous way. I never will forget when I was a boy. My dad told me about he and my mother And they were very young, and they went to a county fair. And they were holding hands as they walked past the fortune teller's tent. And the fortune teller said to my father, well, come on inside, and I'll tell you when you're going to get married.

[John Weaver] Daddy looked at her and said, if you knew anything at all, you'd know where we already were, and just kept on walking. Well, very obviously, You know, I get so exasperated. Sister Mary, psychic. And you walk in and the first thing she wants to do is ask you a whole bunch of questions. Well, if she's really a psychic, she ought to know why you came in and know the answer without asking anything.

[John Weaver] But no, you see, all of that is humanistic and wicked. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would. Let me show you something. Turn to Holy Ephesians 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter one. And I want you to see how important this is. I want you to understand. that we have the will of God in the Word of God. Notice Ephesians, not Ephesians, but Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1.

[John Weaver] Look what the Bible says, God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past in the fathers by the prophets. Now wait a minute, in the Old Testament God did use some trances. God did use some visions. And there were a few in the New Testament. I'll explain why in just a moment. But He says, God, who at different times and in different manners spake in time past in the fathers by the prophets, watch now, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds, who, being the brightness of

[John Weaver] his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Note, if you would please, the Bible said God used to speak in these ways in the old times. But He hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things. You have to remember, first of all, that Jesus Christ is the living Word. You remember the Bible says in John 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. You skip down to verse 14, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

[John Weaver] And then when you get to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. All Scripture is God-breathed.

[John Weaver] Now, just like Jesus Christ is the living Word, the Bible is the written Word of God. And any time, listen carefully, any time you seek to know the will of God apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word, it is an insult to the Father and a rejection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 6 and verse 38, our Lord was speaking. He said, I came down from heaven not to do mine will, but the will of my Father who had sent me. And our Lord, in John 5 and verse 23, tells us this, that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father. So when you try to bypass Jesus Christ, the living Word, or when you try to bypass the written Word of God, which Jesus Christ has spoken, you're not only insulting God and rejecting Christ, It's an act of blasphemy. You're saying that Jesus Christ is not the full and final revelation of God. You're trying to say that the Word of God is not complete in and of itself.

[John Weaver] So the general answer, how do we know the will of God? is that we know the will of God is revealed to us in His Word. If you would look in your Bibles to 2 Peter, 2 Peter, notice, if you would please, chapter 1 and verse 3. 2 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 3. I want you to look closely at this verse because the Bible tells us exactly what God has given us. 2 Peter 1, verse 3,"...according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." Now look,"...through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." Note what God has given us. According to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. But note, if you would please, it is through the knowledge of Him. So the more we know about God, and the more we know about His Word, the more knowledge we have concerning life and godliness. I want you to note Deuteronomy 29, verse 29.

[John Weaver] You say, but Brother Weaver, there's just so many things that I don't know. I've got news for you. There are a lot of things that I don't know. There are a lot of things that you never will know. But you know what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29, verse 29? The secret things belonging to the Lord are God. but the things that he hath revealed belong unto us and our children, that we may do them." Let me tell you, I am not concerned about the secret will of God until and unless it comes to pass in time and history. My concern is with the revealed Word of God.

[John Weaver] That's what I must guide my life by. And he's given me that Word, he said, that I can indeed guide my life by it. The problem is, folks, listen, We don't really apply the truth of God's word to our lives. You remember, I quoted the verse the other day, James 4, verse 17, where the Bible said, therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin.

[John Weaver] Years ago, Alice and I had some dear friends. We call them Mama and Papa Morris. We were not related. But we were just dear friends. They were older than Alice and I. In fact, they had children our age. In fact, one a little older than us. And Papa Marsh played the saxophone. He'd always come over to our house and Alice had to sit at the piano for hour after hour and just play hymns with him, you know. But he didn't have anybody to play with in his home. And he told me one day, he said, I'd rather be at your house. than at mine any day. I said, well, I'm thankful, Papa.

[John Weaver] But anytime, anytime they had a family reunion, they invited us. Well, Alice and I were coming from a meeting and they had a family reunion and we stopped in. And I'd been preaching for several weeks, had been driving for several hundred miles. And when I got there, his daughter-in-law began to pepper me with question after question after question. And I was trying to answer her questions.

[John Weaver] And finally, Papa looked at her and he said, Francis, why don't you shut up and leave him alone? Can't you see he's tired? She said, because, Papa, she said, I don't know the answer to these questions and it bothers me. I never will forget what he said, he said. It's not what I don't know that bothers me, it's what I do know. And if you know what's right and you don't do it, to you it is sin. If you know that you should apply the Word of God to your life and you don't, to you it is sin. Now, let me just tell you, there are a number of things that God spells out in the Bible that you and I should never have a question about. never ever should have a question about why.

[John Weaver] Because we are specifically told what God's will is in certain matters. For instance, look in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3. There should never ever be a question about the will of God in this area. Notice 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3. What does the Bible say? For this is the will of God Even your sanctification that you should abstain from fornication. I don't have to worry or wonder what God's will is when we talk about adultery or fornication or incest or anything immoral, unclean or impure. No, no, no. This is the will of God. Even your sanctification that you abstain from fornication.

[John Weaver] There can be no guessing about that. God said very specifically it is His will that you live a holy, godly, pure, undiluted life. Can't be any plainer than that. You don't have to wonder about that. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Look at verse 18. The Bible says, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. You don't have to wonder about God's will.

[John Weaver] And whatever happens to you. I realize sometimes it's difficult. How difficult is it to say? Thank you, Lord, I lost my job today. What what did he say in everything, give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you. You know what you could do? You could say, Lord, thank You that You let me have that job for 20 years and at least have some savings. I've had Christian friends who've lost husbands and lost wives. And it's a sad, sorrowful thing to lose someone that you love. I understand that. But you can at least thank God that He allowed you to have them for 30 or 40 years. Do you realize that's more, far more than many people ever have their mates in everything? Give thanks. This is the will of God concerning you. We don't have to worry about that, God tells us, he spells it out. Whatever comes our way in the providence of God, we have to understand that our heavenly father.

[John Weaver] Is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. And so we have to give thanks in everything. If you will turn in your Bibles to First Peter, Chapter 2 and look in verse 15, First Peter, Chapter 2, verse 15. Here's something else that you don't have to worry about. First Peter, Chapter 2, verse 15. The Bible says this. For so is the will of God that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Do you realize? When we are criticized and slandered and lied about and rumors are spread concerning us, God says the best thing that you and I can do is to live in such a way, so holy and so rightly and so biblically, that those who slander us will be found to be obvious liars. Some of you may have heard what the one guy said. He said, I'm upset. There's some vicious rumors going around about me, and some of them are true. Well, I guess that should upset you.

[John Weaver] You know, I have people come to me occasionally, and they will tell me this, Brother Weaver, you know what so-and-so said about you? And I have two stock answers. And it depends on who's telling me that. My first stock answer is this. Well, if they're talking about me, at least they're leaving some poor widow alone. And the second stock answer I have is this. Well, if they really knew me the way the Lord did, they'd probably say a whole lot worse than that. Well, that's what he said.

[John Weaver] You make sure that you live your life when you're criticized, that those who are doing the criticizing will be proven to be liars and spreaders of rumors and gossip. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Peter 3 and verse 15. Here it is. 1 Peter 3, verse 17 it is, I'm sorry. 1 Peter 3 and verse 17. He says this, For it is better if the will of God be so, that you suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. So God says this, if you're going to suffer, here's my will. I'd rather you suffer for doing what's right.

[John Weaver] And that's something, you know, I've always said. I don't want to go to prison, I've never been in prison. I have no desire to go, but that doesn't mean I won't end up there one day. But if I do end up there, I want to be there for doing the will of God and not doing something stupid, contrary to the will of God. I want to suffer for righteousness sake. I don't want to suffer because of my own stupidity. So he says very plainly, 1 Peter 3 and verse 17, it is better if the will of God be so that you suffer for well doing than for evil doing. Then if you look at 1 Peter 4 and verse 19, he says, wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful creator. So it's the Lord's will then that whenever we suffer, even for right doing, that we commit our souls unto Him and say, Lord, we understand You're in control.

[John Weaver] You're going to work it out. I'm not going to fret. I'm not going to get upset. I'm not going to jump ship. I'm just committing everything to You like You've told me.

[John Weaver] Now, you and I should have no problem in these particular areas because it is spelled out for us in black and white. So the question has to be asked, Well, what about all those areas? In which it is not spelled out in black and white, how do we discern the will of God in those areas? How do we know the will of God in those areas, for instance?

[John Weaver] There is nothing in the Bible that says Jeremiah go to this college. There's nothing in the Bible that says Luke marry this girl. There's nothing in the Bible that says. Ernie sell this house and buy this house. There's nothing in the Bible that says Ben change jobs now. Nothing in the Bible that says. Well. Go to this church over here. Now. You say, boy, would it be nice if everything was spelled out for us? Yeah, it'd be nice. The only problem is you couldn't carry your Bible around. It'd be so heavy and so thick. You couldn't.

[John Weaver] But let me tell you what God does. God gives us principles in his word. So that we may be able to discern the will of God in every area of our lives, you know, the Bible says in Proverbs 25 and verse two. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. So we're responsible to search out God's will in every area of our life.

[John Weaver] Now what I want to do tonight is this, and I want you to listen very carefully. I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in every situation. I told you this whole message is just application. Because Scripture says, be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So here's an application of this one verse. I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in any situation, in any circumstance, the very first way is this, we may know the will of God by His promise. John 7 verse 17, if you're taking notes, here it is. Our Lord said, if any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. Now, it is true that in the context, our Lord here is speaking of doctrine, but the principle is still the same. He said, if any man will to do my will, he shall know. In other words, if we genuinely, truly want God's will, he said we shall know God's will.

[John Weaver] I want you to think about something. This thought may have never crossed your mind. But did you realize that God is far more interested in you doing his will that you are in doing his will? God is far more interested in you knowing his will then you're probably interested in knowing it. And God has promised that if you really, genuinely want to know the will of God, he's going to give it to you. Now, I want you to notice something. If you come to God with this attitude, if you say, dear Lord, I want your will, I could care less about the situations. I could care less about the circumstances. Lord, what I want is your will, period. I can assure you, based upon the Word of God, you're going to know His will. But if you come to the Lord with this attitude, Lord, You show me what Your will is, and if I like it, I'll do it.

[John Weaver] And if I don't, I won't. I can assure you, God will never show you His will. No. But if you come and say, Lord, I want it, regardless of anything else, I want your will. You can mark it down that God is going to show you as well. You've got his promise. You know what he said in Isaiah 30 and verse 21? Listen to this. And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way, walk you in it when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. God said, I'll lead you, I'll guide you. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. I love this passage.

[John Weaver] In fact, I have about an hour's worth of preaching just on this one, this one passage, but it is so it is so simple to grasp. But look what God said in Psalm 32. And notice, if you would please, in verse eight, God said, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go." Now that's a promise. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go. I will guide thee as mine eye. That's a wonderful promise. But notice this warning.

[John Weaver] Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bid and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Now God says, listen, I will instruct you and I will teach you and I will show you the way that you should go. I'll guide you with my eye. But God says, listen carefully, don't make me guide you. Why do you put a bit in a horse's mouth or in a mule's mouth so you can guide them?

[John Weaver] Mules or some of the stubbornest creatures that ever lived. Brother Charles knows that. He's from Missouri. We had a mule when I was a boy. She had a little lip. We called her Old Crip. She's an older mule. And my cousin came up from Miami, Florida, a city boy. And he saw the mule and he wanted to ride the horse. I said, Larry, that's not a horse. That's a mule.

[John Weaver] Well, he said, I want a rider. I said, well, OK. But I said, understand, mules are stubborn. And we were young boys. So I got the old mule out of the stall, put the bridle on her, jumped up on her back. I'd ridden her plenty of times before. Reached down and pulled my cousin up behind me. And we were in the yard, and we started going toward the road and that mule started heading straight for a pecan tree with a low limb. I took both hands on the left brain and I started pulling as hard as I could to turn that mule from that pecan limb. I knew right where she was going.

[John Weaver] I finally had that mule's head turned up like this. I was pulling so hard and she's walking straight on. When I found out that that mule was not going to budge and that I couldn't turn her, I said at the last moment, duck, Larry, and I laid down and I grabbed the mule's neck and my city cousin sitting behind me looked up in the sky and said, where?

[John Weaver] And about that time the limb hit him. That boy never did forgive me. He swore to the day he died, I did that on purpose, but I did not. Notice what God said. God said, don't be like that. Now, I don't have any idea that I was gentle with that mule. I was not. Probably I was hurting that mule. I was pulling that bit so hard and so tight in her mouth.

[John Weaver] But she just kept going. God said, don't be like that. God said, I promise you. I'll show you my will. But don't make me put a bit in a bridle in your mouth. So the very first way that we can know the will of God is by His promise. The second way that we can know the will of God is by His providence. Everyone in this room can quote Romans 8 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. Let me also give you Revelation 3, verse 8, because there God said, I know thy works.

[John Weaver] I have set before thee an open door which no man can shut. God, in His sovereign providence, will open some doors and close others. You have to remember that God is sovereign over everything. God controls everything, and He works everything out for our good and for His glory. I want you to notice in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and look at verse 9. 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 9. Notice what the Apostle Paul said. And this has direct reference to the sovereign providence of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 9. The Apostle Paul says, For a great door and effectual is open unto me, and there are many adversaries. There may be adversaries, but God opened the door. If you look in 2 Corinthians 2 and look at verse 12, look what he says. Furthermore, he said, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord. What is he saying? God sovereignly opened the door. God put me right there. where I could preach.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 16, I'll show you another biblical illustration. Of the sovereign providence of God, notice Acts chapter 16 and let's begin reading there with verse 6 Acts 16 and note if you would verse 6. Acts 16 verse 6.

[John Weaver] Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. After they were come to Mycenae, they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mycenae came down to Troas, and a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over to Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuring the gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." But I want you to note, the Holy Ghost told them not to go into Asia. When they wanted to go to Bithynia, no, God says you don't go there either. But then God opened the door into Macedonia, and that is exactly where they went.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you, if I had hour after hour tonight, I could tell you innumerable times how the providence of God has shut some doors in my life and opened other doors. One particular time, I remember I was preaching in Virginia. And at that particular time, all I was doing was in an itinerant ministry, I was going from church to church, and I had been preaching for two weeks. And after I left the church in Virginia, I was supposed to go to a church in Illinois for two weeks, and then I was going to have two weeks off. I came in. One night from the meeting in Virginia, and there was a message waiting for me on the phone, there was a pastor from Illinois, he said, Brother Weaver, he said, I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to cancel the meeting. We have just had a church split.

[John Weaver] He said, we are in such horrible straits. He said, no one would listen to anything that anybody said right now. Well, I call the pastor back and I said, well, you're the pastor. I said, you know, you're responsible with people. That's totally up to you. And I hung up the phone and I thought, now, Lord, I don't understand this because that would give me four weeks without preaching. I'd go crazy if I couldn't preach in four weeks.

[John Weaver] So I went to church the next night. And God just opened the bottoms of heaven and it dropped out, and I mean the glory of God just came down and the pastor looked at me and said, could you stay and preach another week? I said, you know, it just so happens I can. And when I got back to the motel that night, there was another call from a pastor in Michigan And he said, Brother Weaver, the Lord is broken out upon us up here in Michigan. Can you come up here a week after next? I said, it just so happens I can, brother. You know what God did? God just closed the door in Illinois and he opened the door in Virginia and then in Michigan. I'm just simply saying when God closes the door, all you have to do is fold your arm and say, Lord, I'm just waiting on you. Because I know you're going to open a door. And when God opens a door, you simply walk through it.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. The Bible tells us that God told the Israelites that He brought them out of Egypt to bring them into the Promised Land. He did not bring them out of Egypt to drop them in the desert. God did not bring us out of the kingdom of darkness and translate us into the kingdom of His dear Son just to drop us. He is not going to forsake us. He's not going to leave us. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, said our Lord. So we can know the will of God first by His promise, secondly, by His providence. Thirdly, we know the will of God by His principles. John 17, 17. Write it down. John 17, 17.

[John Weaver] Our Lord in His high priestly prayer said, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. You remember Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2 and verse 19. referring to the Word of God, he said, we also have a more sure word of prophecy, where until you do well, that you take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark day, in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star rises in your heart. What did he say? We have a more sure word of prophecy. Until our Lord returns, we have the full and final revelation of God in His Word.

[John Weaver] Now let me explain this. Listen carefully. God never leads us to violate his word. He never leads us to violate the principles in his word. His word is forever settled in the heavens. The principles are eternal. There is never there is never an instance where God is going to command us or lead us to violate his word. I've preached for 46 years, and I can assure you during those years, I have heard innumerable horror stories about individuals who were claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit of God and then went absolutely and totally and completely contrary to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something, folks. The leading of the Holy Spirit is indeed real and genuine. But He always leads us in agreement with and in accord with the Word of God. The Bible says in Romans 8 in verse 14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. But if you take that verse in its context, it is the Holy Spirit who's leading us to mortify the deeds of the flesh, obey Christ, and live obediently. The Holy Spirit is not leading us somewhere beyond the Word of God or contrary to the Word of God. Please do not try to tell me that the Holy Spirit is leading you to have an affair or the Holy Spirit is leading you to steal or the Holy Spirit is leading you to murder. He is not. If you do those things, I do not doubt for one instant that you're being led by a spirit, but it's not the Holy Spirit.

[John Weaver] Just last year, some of you may remember there was a woman down in Florida by the name of Marie Moore. She had a son by the name of Mitchell. And she took her son, who was in his 20s, to a gun range. She shot a pistol and reloaded and then let her son step up and shoot. And as her son stepped up to shoot, She put her pistol in the back of his head and pulled the trigger. And stayed there till the law came and she told the law that God led her to do it because she had to send her son to heaven and herself to hell.

[John Weaver] I got news for you. God said thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not kill. God never led her to murder her son. When I was in college, there was a woman in Greenville, SC. who caught her husband sleeping on the couch and she slipped up and put her 38 to his temple and pull the trigger. And then she had the audacity to tell the law and everybody else that the Holy Spirit led her to do it.

[John Weaver] I know better than that. But ever since then, Brother Myra, when my wife tells me to get my feet off the couch, I move them. God doesn't lead you to violate his word. I know of women. Listen to this. I know women who have forsaken their husbands. I know men who have forsaken their wives and run off with others. And the excuse they give is this, that the Holy Spirit led them to do it because the person they ran off with was more spiritual than their spouse.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something. That is not only nonsense. It is not only hogwash. It is blasphemy. The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the word of God. Suppose I were to come to you. And I were to ask you to do this for me, suppose I were to ask you, please pray for me because I'm thinking about going out and getting drunk tomorrow night. What? I would hope you would have enough sense to say, Brother Weaver, I don't have to pray about that. God said don't do it. Well, pray for me, I'm thinking about having an affair. Don't have to pray about that. God says don't do it. Well, pray for me. I'm thinking about defrauding someone. Don't have to pray about that. God says don't do it. The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us contrary to His Word.

[John Weaver] We could save ourselves a great deal of heartache and a great deal of trouble just by remembering this simple truth. And it's never right to do wrong. It's never right to violate the Word of God. It's never God's will for you and I to go contrary to His revealed Word. Never! How do we know God's will?

[John Weaver] Now, listen, first, vice promise. Second, vice providence. Thirdly, vice principles.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, we can know the will of God by prayer. John 14, verses 13 and 14, our Lord said it like this. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, that will I do." You know what he said in Philippians 4 and verse 6? Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. Colossians 4 and verse 2, God says, continuing in prayer and watching the same with thanksgiving. Ephesians 6 and verse 18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Romans 12 and verse 12, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer. And let me tell you something about prayer, folks. It is true that prayer is indeed a form of communication. It is a command. It is also a privilege because we fellowship with our sovereign God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] But prayer is never meant to change the mind of God. Prayer is a means to accomplish the purpose of God. It's not a means to change the mind of God. God is immutable. God is unchangeable. And you are going to have an exceedingly difficult time trying to change the mind of the unchangeable One. Prayer is a means to accomplish the will of God. Prayer is not a means to inform God, instruct God or direct God. It's a means of communication to accomplish the will of God. And I'm not going to tell you tonight, you already know that everything must be done in faith. It must be done in the name of Christ. It must be done according to his word and according to his will. But you know, it's amazing how many people. Never think about prayer. I get so upset with these people.

[John Weaver] They say, well, Brother Weaver, the doctors told us the prayer is our last resort. Oh. Why was it not your first resort? Well, they've done everything they can do. It's just up to the Lord now. It's always been up to the Lord. We need to learn to pray about everything. How many of you really pray about your health? How many of you pray about your witness? How many of you pray about your finances?

[John Weaver] I'm sure a lot of people do, especially in this day and time. We can know the will of God by His promise, by His providence, by His principles and by prayer. And fifthly, we may know the will of God by His peace. Colossians 3 and verse 15. Here's what the Bible says and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you're called in one body and be thankful and let the peace of God rule in your hearts.

[John Weaver] Now the word rule there literally means to decide to determine, to be an umpire, to direct and control. So he says, let the peace of God now direct you, let it be an umpire, let it control you. In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 7, he says, and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Adam Clark wrote and he said this, no heart is right with God where the peace of God does not rule. and the continual prevalence of the peace of Christ is the decisive proof that the heart is right with God. The Greek word for peace is the word eirene which refers to a settled state of tranquility.

[John Weaver] It is an exemption from rage, havoc, turmoil, and strife. Now let me clarify this because I want you to understand this. When the Bible says, let the peace of God rule your hearts. The peace of God is a settled assurance that we are doing the will of God. We are not fighting against the will of God. We're not battling the will of God. We're not trying to escape the will of God. No, it is settled. There is no fighting on our part. We really genuinely want the will of God. But let me tell you something about peace. But the Bible says, let the peace of God rule your hearts and mind. God's peace does not mean the absence of all human anxiety or nervousness. Let me explain what I mean.

[John Weaver] I've never had an operation, or at least not one that I can remember. I had a minor operation, I think, when I was two years old. But let's suppose that I had to have an operation next week. Maybe my gallbladder has to be taken out. And I have the promise of God that he's going to bring me through this thing. Providence of God has opened the door so I can get it fixed. I've got a good Christian doctor.

[John Weaver] I'm not violating any principles of his word. I've prayed about it. But let me tell you, I may know that God is going to bring me through that operation successfully. But I hadn't been operated on since I was two years old. I don't know what it's like to be put to sleep. I don't know what it's like to be in the hospital like that. But suppose Brother Charles came up to me and said, oh, Brother Weaver, I had that same surgery two years ago, piece of cake. He said, I was in the hospital one day. I was out the next day and preaching the next weekend. Well, the miron comes up to me, so I had the same surgery six months ago. Came through the flying colors, it's a piece of cake, there's no problem. Now, look what I'm doing. I've got all these brothers assuring me that it's simple. But do you think for one minute When I actually go to that hospital and they start to put me to sleep, that there's not going to be just a little bit of nervousness in me because I've never experienced it.

[John Weaver] I don't know what it's like. I don't know what I'm going to be going through. Sure. I know God's going to bring me through it, but I've never experienced that. God's peace means this, that we cannot be shaken from the confidence that we are in His will and that we're going to do His will. But let me tell you something, if in the sovereign providence of God you lose your job, You may know that God's going to take care of you and God's going to provide for you and God's going to open a door for you. But I'll tell you one thing, there's going to be a little bit of anxiousness wondering until he does, how am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to feed my family? If I were to tell you how God called me to Jessup, Georgia, years ago, If I were to tell you how the providence of God worked out that I went to Jessup, Georgia, there's not a person in this room would doubt for one instant that it was the will of God that I

[John Weaver] be in Jessup, Georgia. But knowing everything that I knew, when we moved to Jessup, Georgia, With no family there, no friends there, not knowing anyone, the first night I spent in Jessup, Georgia, I woke up the next morning, and the first thought that hit my mind is, what in the world are you doing in Jessup, Georgia? You don't know anybody here. But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I knew that was exactly where God would have me. So what happens? The peace of God comes like an umpire and says, that's it. You don't have to worry about this.

[John Weaver] This is right where you need to be. It's settled.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think with me. I'm trying to tie this together for you. I've just given you five ways that you can know the will of God. You can know the will of God by His promise. You can know the will of God by His providence. You can know the will of God by His principles. You can know the will of God by prayer. And you can know the will of God by peace. Now listen carefully. God does not need to lead you all five of those ways. God may lead you any one of those ways. He may lead you any two of those ways if He chooses. He may lead you any three of those five ways. He may lead you any four of those five ways. And if God so chooses, God could lead you at all five at one time. But now listen carefully. He does not have to give you all five at one time. Any one of them or any combination of them would be sufficient. But are you listening?

[John Weaver] If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will. If you don't have His promise, it's not His will. If His providence doesn't open the door, it's not His will. If it violates a principle, it's not His will. If there's been no prayer, it's not His will. If there's no peace, it's not His will. Should I buy a house? Should I buy a car?

[John Weaver] Should I get another job? Should I go to college? Should I marry this person? Those five principles will work in every situation. You just have to realize that you cannot violate either one of those. And have the will of God in your life.

[John Weaver] Now, if that's not sufficient, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14 and look at verse 23. Romans 14 verse 23. Look what the Bible says. Romans 14 verse 23, here's another principle. This is in addition to those five, but listen to it. Romans 14 verse 23, and he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. Now here's the part you need. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If you cannot do what you want to do or go where you want to go in faith, God says don't do it. It's sin. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Here's my counsel to every young person. Here's my counsel to every old person. If in doubt, don't. If in doubt, don't. Whatsoever is not a faith is sin. If there is any question in your mind, don't.

[John Weaver] If someone's pushing you for an answer, say no. It is always easier later on to change a no to a yes than is a yes to a no. So when in doubt, just don't. There's one other principle I'm going to give you. And that's Proverbs 16, verse three. God says, commit my works in the Lord and my thoughts shall be established. And I will tell you this, I have been in a lot of churches in this country. And I have been. To some before I ever got there, I knew I knew I knew exactly what I was going to preach, I knew that's what God would have me to preach, I knew it. I knew it.

[John Weaver] But there have also been some places I've gone. I didn't know where to start. I didn't know where to end. And it wasn't that I didn't have anything to preach, I had too much to preach, I just couldn't preach everything. But I knew that I had to give something. And here's what I would do, I would say, Lord, I know that you honor your word, and that is the main thing that you won't talk your word. And Lord, unless you give me further illumination, I'm going to preach from this passage right here.

[John Weaver] And I would do it because the Bible says, commit my works and Lord, my thoughts shall be established and you inevitably, invariably people come up to me afterwards of Brother Weaver. That is exactly the message that we needed. That's exactly it. But here are the principles of the Word of God. Do not, do not, do not go by your feelings. Do not go by your emotions. Feelings change, emotions change, God's principles never change. Period.

[John Weaver] And what did he say? Listen to this again. Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. You have an obligation. You have a duty. You have a responsibility to understand the will of God in every area of your life. And if you will take these principles and apply them, you may know the will of God in every situation. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We're so thankful that Thou has said that we're not to be unwise in Your will, but we are to be wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is. Help us to do it tonight, Lord. Help us to learn to apply this word in our everyday life and help us, Father, to live for Thee and to love Thee and to glorify Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, amen and amen.

Five Ways to Discern God's Will

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	8410224861
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans-Related Topical Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2010-08-02
Dictation Name
Book	Book 138: Romans-Related Topical Applications — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	78

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Command to Understand God's Will

Weaver introduces Ephesians 5:17, explaining the negative command not to be unwise and the positive command to understand God's will. He defines key Greek words and stresses the need for application.

We need men that understand the Word of God and will apply the Word of God. Do you understand that you can know all the doctrine in the world, but if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless to you? All you have is just a head knowledge without any application. It's like having a weapon in your home, but you don't know how to shoot it. What good is a rifle when someone's breaking into your home if you don't know how to shoot it? I'm just simply saying the Word of God needs to be applied to our lives on a daily basis. With that in mind, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of Ephesians, chapter 5. The message I'm going to bring to you tonight is nothing but pure application, really. There's so many things I want to share with you, and I'm not going to be able to share everything, very obviously. But this is a message that I have recommended to the Nelson family several times, with their young folks, recommended to other people, because there's so many questions on knowing the Lord's will. Look what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 17. The Word of God says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise,

but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Isn't that amazing? "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Let me ask you a couple of questions by way of introduction. The first one is this: Do you know the will of God for your life? Now, let me ask that question another way. Do you know the will of God in everything that relates to your life? How in the world can you discern the will of God in every situation and in every circumstance? I want you to note this commandment in verse 17. God says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." So if you'll notice verse 17, the very first thing you should see is there is a negative and there is a positive. So what God is doing is commanding us and telling us how not to act on the one hand and how to act on the other hand. So negatively, He tells us we're not to be unwise concerning the will of the Lord.

Now, the word "unwise" is from a Greek word, aphrōn, which literally means to be foolish, to be unwise, to be one that is senseless, to be one that acts rashly and without reason. So God says, do not be senseless and do not act without reason when it comes to the will of God. But then positively, He tells you in verse 17 that we're to understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, let me just tell you what the little word "understand" means. The Greek word is syniēmi, and it literally means to understand, consider, be wise, but technically, when you break the word down, it means to set or bring together or to join together in the mind. Thus, since you join something together in your mind, you perceive it, you understand it, you grab hold of it, you make it yours. So this is what God is saying. You have to understand, you have to perceive, you have to lay hold on the will of God to literally make it yours.

The General Answer: God's Will is Revealed in His Word

God's will is found in Scripture, not through trances, dreams, or fortune tellers. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation, and bypassing the Word is an insult to God.

We do not understand God's will through trances, dreams, fortune tellers, tarot cards, or any other humanistic and wicked and blasphemous way. I never will forget when I was a boy, my dad told me about he and my mother, and they were very young, and they went to a county fair. And they were holding hands as they walked past the fortune teller's tent. And the fortune teller said to my father, "Well, come on inside, and I'll tell you when you're going to get married." Daddy looked at her and said, "If you knew anything at all, you'd know we're already married," and just kept on walking. Well, very obviously, you know, I get so exasperated. "Sister Mary, psychic." And you walk in and the first thing she wants to do is ask you a whole bunch of questions. Well, if she's really a psychic, she ought to know why you came in and know the answer without asking anything.

But no, you see, all of that is humanistic and wicked. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would. Let me show you something. Turn to—well, Ephesians 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 1. And I want you to see how important this is. I want you to understand that we have the will of God in the Word of God. Notice—not Ephesians, but Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1.

Look what the Bible says: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." Now wait a minute, in the Old Testament God did use some trances. God did use some visions. And there were a few in the New Testament. I'll explain why in just a moment. But He says, "God, who at different times and in different manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Note, if you would please, the Bible said God used to speak in these ways in the old times. But He hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things. You have to remember, first of all, that Jesus Christ is the living Word. You remember the Bible says in John 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." You skip down to verse 14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

And then when you get to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." All Scripture is God-breathed. Now, just like Jesus Christ is the living Word, the Bible is the written Word of God. And any time—listen carefully—any time you seek to know the will of God apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word, it is an insult to the Father and a rejection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 6 and verse 38, our Lord was speaking. He said,

Scripture Reading — John 6:38

"I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

And our Lord, in John 5 and verse 23, tells us this, "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." So when you try to bypass Jesus Christ, the living Word, or when you try to bypass the written Word of God, which Jesus Christ has spoken, you're not only insulting God and rejecting Christ, it's an act of blasphemy. You're saying that Jesus Christ is not the full and final revelation of God. You're trying to say that the Word of God is not complete in and of itself.

So the general answer, how do we know the will of God? is that we know the will of God is revealed to us in His Word. If you would look in your Bibles to 2 Peter, 2 Peter, notice, if you would please, chapter 1 and verse 3. 2 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 3. I want you to look closely at this verse because the Bible tells us exactly what God has given us. 2 Peter 1, verse 3,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:3

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness."

Now look,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:3

"through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."

Note what God has given us. According to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. But note, if you would please, it is through the knowledge of Him. So the more we know about God, and the more we know about His Word, the more knowledge we have concerning life and godliness. I want you to note Deuteronomy 29, verse 29.

Specific Areas Where God's Will is Clearly Stated

Scripture explicitly states God's will regarding sanctification, giving thanks, suffering for well-doing, and silencing foolish men through good conduct.

Because we are specifically told what God's will is in certain matters. For instance, look in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3. There should never ever be a question about the will of God in this area. Notice 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3. What does the Bible say?

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:3

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."

I don't have to worry or wonder what God's will is when we talk about adultery or fornication or incest or anything immoral, unclean, or impure. No, no, no. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication.

There can be no guessing about that. God said very specifically it is His will that you live a holy, godly, pure, undiluted life. Can't be any plainer than that. You don't have to wonder about that. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Look at verse 18. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

You don't have to wonder about God's will.

And whatever happens to you. I realize sometimes it's difficult. How difficult is it to say, "Thank you, Lord, I lost my job today"? What did he say? "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God concerning you." You know what you could do? You could say, "Lord, thank You that You let me have that job for 20 years and at least have some savings." I've had Christian friends who've lost husbands and lost wives. And it's a sad, sorrowful thing to lose someone that you love. I understand that. But you can at least thank God that He allowed you to have them for 30 or 40 years. Do you realize that's more, far more than many people ever have their mates? "In every thing give thanks. This is the will of God concerning you." We don't have to worry about that. God tells us, He spells it out. Whatever comes our way in the providence of God, we have to understand that our heavenly Father

is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. And so we have to give thanks in everything. If you will turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter, chapter 2 and look in verse 15. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 15. Here's something else that you don't have to worry about. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 15. The Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:15

"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."

Do you realize? When we are criticized and slandered and lied about and rumors are spread concerning us, God says the best thing that you and I can do is to live in such a way, so holy and so rightly and so biblically, that those who slander us will be found to be obvious liars. Some of you may have heard what the one guy said. He said, "I'm upset. There's some vicious rumors going around about me, and some of them are true." Well, I guess that should upset you.

You know, I have people come to me occasionally, and they will tell me this, "Brother Weaver, you know what so-and-so said about you?" And I have two stock answers. And it depends on who's telling me that. My first stock answer is this: "Well, if they're talking about me, at least they're leaving some poor widow alone." And the second stock answer I have is this: "Well, if they really knew me the way the Lord did, they'd probably say a whole lot worse than that." Well, that's what he said. You make sure that you live your life when you're criticized, that those who are doing the criticizing will be proven to be liars and spreaders of rumors and gossip. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Peter 3 and verse 15—here it is. 1 Peter 3, verse 17 it is, I'm sorry. 1 Peter 3 and verse 17. He says this:

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 3:17

"For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

So God says this: if you're going to suffer, here's my will. I'd rather you suffer for doing what's right.

And that's something, you know, I've always said. I don't want to go to prison, I've never been in prison. I have no desire to go, but that doesn't mean I won't end up there one day. But if I do end up there, I want to be there for doing the will of God and not doing something stupid, contrary to the will of God. I want to suffer for righteousness' sake. I don't want to suffer because of my own stupidity. So he says very plainly, 1 Peter 3 and verse 17,

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:19

"It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

Then if you look at 1 Peter 4 and verse 19, he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:19

"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

So it's the Lord's will then that whenever we suffer, even for right doing, that we commit our souls unto Him and say, "Lord, we understand You're in control.

You're going to work it out. I'm not going to fret. I'm not going to get upset. I'm not going to jump ship. I'm just committing everything to You like You've told me."

Now, you and I should have no problem in these particular areas because it is spelled out for us in black and white. So the question has to be asked, well, what about all those areas in which it is not spelled out in black and white? How do we discern the will of God in those areas? How do we know the will of God in those areas, for instance?

Five Ways to Discern God's Will in Unclear Matters

Weaver introduces five biblical principles for discerning God's will when Scripture does not give explicit commands.

There is nothing in the Bible that says, "Jeremiah, go to this college." There's nothing in the Bible that says, "Luke, marry this girl." There's nothing in the Bible that says, "Ernie, sell this house and buy this house." There's nothing in the Bible that says, "Ben, change jobs now." Nothing in the Bible that says, "Well, go to this church over here." Now, you say, "Boy, would it be nice if everything was spelled out for us?" Yeah, it'd be nice. The only problem is you couldn't carry your Bible around. It'd be so heavy and so thick. You couldn't.

But let me tell you what God does. God gives us principles in His Word so that we may be able to discern the will of God in every area of our lives. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 25 and verse 2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." So we're responsible to search out God's will in every area of our life. Now what I want to do tonight is this, and I want you to listen very carefully. I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in every situation. I told you this whole message is just application. Because Scripture says, "Be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." So here's an application of this one verse. I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in any situation, in any circumstance. The very first way is this: we may know the will of God by His promise. John 7 verse 17, if you're taking notes, here it is. Our Lord said, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Now, it is true that in the context, our Lord here is speaking of doctrine, but the principle is still the same. He said, "If any man will to do my will, he shall know." In other words, if we genuinely, truly want God's will, He said we shall know God's will.

First Way: By His Promise

God promises to reveal His will to those who genuinely desire to do it (John 7:17). He will guide us, but we must not be stubborn like a mule.

I want you to think about something. This thought may have never crossed your mind. But did you realize that God is far more interested in you doing His will than you are in doing His will? God is far more interested in you knowing His will than you're probably interested in knowing it. And God has promised that if you really, genuinely want to know the will of God, He's going to give it to you. Now, I want you to notice something. If you come to God with this attitude, if you say, "Dear Lord, I want Your will, I could care less about the situations. I could care less about the circumstances. Lord, what I want is Your will, period." I can assure you, based upon the Word of God, you're going to know His will. But if you come to the Lord with this attitude, "Lord, You show me what Your will is, and if I like it, I'll do it,

and if I don't, I won't," I can assure you, God will never show you His will. No. But if you come and say, "Lord, I want it, regardless of anything else, I want Your will," you can mark it down that God is going to show you His will. You've got His promise. You know what He said in Isaiah 30 and verse 21? Listen to this:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 30:21

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

God said, "I'll lead you, I'll guide you." Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. I love this passage.

In fact, I have about an hour's worth of preaching just on this one passage, but it is so simple to grasp. But look what God said in Psalm 32. And notice, if you would please, in verse 8, God said, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go." Now that's a promise. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." That's a wonderful promise. But notice this warning. "Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." Now God says, listen, I will instruct you and I will teach you and I will show you the way that you should go. I'll guide you with my eye. But God says, listen carefully, don't make me guide you. Why do you put a bit in a horse's mouth or in a mule's mouth? So you can guide them.

Mules are some of the stubbornest creatures that ever lived. Brother Charles knows that. He's from Missouri. We had a mule when I was a boy. She had a little lip. We called her Old Crip. She's an older mule. And my cousin came up from Miami, Florida, a city boy. And he saw the mule and he wanted to ride the horse. I said, "Larry, that's not a horse. That's a mule."

Well, he said, "I want to ride her." I said, "Well, OK." But I said, "Understand, mules are stubborn." And we were young boys. So I got the old mule out of the stall, put the bridle on her, jumped up on her back. I'd ridden her plenty of times before. Reached down and pulled my cousin up behind me. And we were in the yard, and we started going toward the road and that mule started heading straight for a pecan tree with a low limb. I took both hands on the left rein and I started pulling as hard as I could to turn that mule from that pecan limb. I knew right where she was going.

I finally had that mule's head turned up like this. I was pulling so hard and she's walking straight on. When I found out that that mule was not going to budge and that I couldn't turn her, I said at the last moment, "Duck, Larry," and I laid down and I grabbed the mule's neck and my city cousin sitting behind me looked up in the sky and said, "Where?" And about that time the limb hit him. That boy never did forgive me. He swore to the day he died, I did that on purpose, but I did not. Notice what God said. God said, "Don't be like that." Now, I don't have any idea that I was gentle with that mule. I was not. Probably I was hurting that mule. I was pulling that bit so hard and so tight in her mouth.

But she just kept going. God said, "Don't be like that." God said, "I promise you, I'll show you my will. But don't make me put a bit and a bridle in your mouth." So the very first way that we can know the will of God is by His promise. The second way that we can know the will of God is by His providence. Everyone in this room can quote Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Let me also give you Revelation 3, verse 8, because there God said, "I know thy works:

Second Way: By His Providence

God sovereignly opens and closes doors. Examples from Paul's ministry and Weaver's personal experience illustrate how God guides through circumstances.

behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." God, in His sovereign providence, will open some doors and close others. You have to remember that God is sovereign over everything. God controls everything, and He works everything out for our good and for His glory. I want you to notice in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and look at verse 9. 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 9. Notice what the Apostle Paul said. And this has direct reference to the sovereign providence of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 9. The Apostle Paul says, "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." There may be adversaries, but God opened the door. If you look in 2 Corinthians 2 and look at verse 12, look what he says: "Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord." What is he saying? God sovereignly opened the door. God put me right there where I could preach.

Now, if you will turn in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 16, I'll show you another biblical illustration of the sovereign providence of God. Notice Acts chapter 16 and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Acts 16 and note, if you would, verse 6. Acts 16 verse 6. "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." But I want you to note, the Holy Ghost told them not to go into Asia. When they wanted to go to Bithynia, no, God says you don't go there either. But then God opened the door into Macedonia, and that is exactly where they went.

Let me tell you, if I had hour after hour tonight, I could tell you innumerable times how the providence of God has shut some doors in my life and opened other doors. One particular time, I remember I was preaching in Virginia. And at that particular time, all I was doing was in an itinerant ministry, I was going from church to church, and I had been preaching for two weeks. And after I left the church in Virginia, I was supposed to go to a church in Illinois for two weeks, and then I was going to have two weeks off. I came in one night from the meeting in Virginia, and there was a message waiting for me on the phone. There was a pastor from Illinois. He said, "Brother Weaver," he said, "I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to cancel the meeting. We have just had a church split."

He said, "We are in such horrible straits." He said, "No one would listen to anything that anybody said right now." Well, I called the pastor back and I said, "Well, you're the pastor. I said, you know, you're responsible with people. That's totally up to you." And I hung up the phone and I thought, "Now, Lord, I don't understand this because that would give me four weeks without preaching. I'd go crazy if I couldn't preach in four weeks."

So I went to church the next night. And God just opened the bottoms of heaven and it dropped out, and I mean the glory of God just came down and the pastor looked at me and said, "Could you stay and preach another week?" I said, "You know, it just so happens I can." And when I got back to the motel that night, there was another call from a pastor in Michigan. And he said, "Brother Weaver, the Lord is broken out upon us up here in Michigan. Can you come up here a week after next?" I said, "It just so happens I can, brother." You know what God did? God just closed the door in Illinois and He opened the door in Virginia and then in Michigan. I'm just simply saying when God closes the door, all you have to do is fold your arms and say, "Lord, I'm just waiting on You. Because I know You're going to open a door." And when God opens a door, you simply walk through it.

Let me tell you something. The Bible tells us that God told the Israelites that He brought them out of Egypt to bring them into the Promised Land. He did not bring them out of Egypt to drop them in the desert. God did not bring us out of the kingdom of darkness and translate us into the kingdom of His dear Son just to drop us. He is not going to forsake us. He's not going to leave us. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," said our Lord. So we can know the will of God first by His promise, secondly, by His providence. Thirdly, we know the will of God by His principles. John 17:17. Write it down. John 17:17.

Our Lord in His high priestly prayer said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. You remember Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1 and verse 19, referring to the Word of God, he said, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." What did he say? We have a more sure word of prophecy. Until our Lord returns, we have the full and final revelation of God in His Word.

Third Way: By His Principles

God never leads us to violate His Word. The Holy Spirit always leads in agreement with Scripture. Claims of being led to sin are blasphemous.

Now let me explain this. Listen carefully. God never leads us to violate His Word. He never leads us to violate the principles in His Word. His Word is forever settled in the heavens. The principles are eternal. There is never an instance where God is going to command us or lead us to violate His Word. I've preached for 46 years, and I can assure you during those years, I have heard innumerable horror stories about individuals who were claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit of God and then went absolutely and totally and completely contrary to the Word of God.

Now, let me tell you something, folks. The leading of the Holy Spirit is indeed real and genuine. But He always leads us in agreement with and in accord with the Word of God. The Bible says in Romans 8 and verse 14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." But if you take that verse in its context, it is the Holy Spirit who's leading us to mortify the deeds of the flesh, obey Christ, and live obediently. The Holy Spirit is not leading us somewhere beyond the Word of God or contrary to the Word of God. Please do not try to tell me that the Holy Spirit is leading you to have an affair or the Holy Spirit is leading you to steal or the Holy Spirit is leading you to murder. He is not. If you do those things, I do not doubt for one instant that you're being led by a spirit, but it's not the Holy Spirit.

Just last year, some of you may remember there was a woman down in Florida by the name of Marie Moore. She had a son by the name of Mitchell. And she took her son, who was in his 20s, to a gun range. She shot a pistol and reloaded and then let her son step up and shoot. And as her son stepped up to shoot, she put her pistol in the back of his head and pulled the trigger. And stayed there till the law came and she told the law that God led her to do it because she had to send her son to heaven and herself to hell. I got news for you. God said, "Thou shalt not murder," "Thou shalt not kill." God never led her to murder her son. When I was in college, there was a woman in Greenville, SC, who caught her husband sleeping on the couch and she slipped up and put her .38 to his temple and pulled the trigger. And then she had the audacity to tell the law and everybody else that the Holy Spirit led her to do it.

I know better than that. But ever since then, Brother Myra, when my wife tells me to get my feet off the couch, I move them. God doesn't lead you to violate His Word. I know of women—listen to this—I know women who have forsaken their husbands. I know men who have forsaken their wives and run off with others. And the excuse they give is this, that the Holy Spirit led them to do it because the person they ran off with was more spiritual than their spouse. Let me tell you something. That is not only nonsense. It is not only hogwash. It is blasphemy. The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the Word of God. Suppose I were to come to you and I were to ask you to do this for me. Suppose I were to ask you, "Please pray for me because I'm thinking about going out and getting drunk tomorrow night." What? I would hope you would have enough sense to say, "Brother Weaver, I don't have to pray about that. God said don't do it." "Well, pray for me, I'm thinking about having an affair." "Don't have to pray about that. God says don't do it." "Well, pray for me. I'm thinking about defrauding someone." "Don't have to pray about that. God says don't do it." The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us contrary to His Word.

We could save ourselves a great deal of heartache and a great deal of trouble just by remembering this simple truth. And it's never right to do wrong. It's never right to violate the Word of God. It's never God's will for you and I to go contrary to His revealed Word. Never! How do we know God's will?

Now, listen, first, by His promise. Second, by His providence. Thirdly, by His principles.

Fourth Way: By Prayer

Prayer is a means to accomplish God's will, not to change His mind. Believers should pray about everything, making it a first resort.

Fourthly, we can know the will of God by prayer. John 14, verses 13 and 14, our Lord said it like this: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." You know what He said in Philippians 4 and verse 6? "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Colossians 4 and verse 2, God says, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Ephesians 6 and verse 18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Romans 12 and verse 12, "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." And let me tell you something about prayer, folks. It is true that prayer is indeed a form of communication. It is a command. It is also a privilege because we fellowship with our sovereign God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But prayer is never meant to change the mind of God. Prayer is a means to accomplish the purpose of God. It's not a means to change the mind of God. God is immutable. God is unchangeable. And you are going to have an exceedingly difficult time trying to change the mind of the unchangeable One. Prayer is a means to accomplish the will of God. Prayer is not a means to inform God, instruct God, or direct God. It's a means of communication to accomplish the will of God. And I'm not going to tell you tonight, you already know that everything must be done in faith. It must be done in the name of Christ. It must be done according to His Word and according to His will. But you know, it's amazing how many people never think about prayer. I get so upset with these people.

They say, "Well, Brother Weaver, the doctors told us that prayer is our last resort." Oh. Why was it not your first resort? "Well, they've done everything they can do. It's just up to the Lord now." It's always been up to the Lord. We need to learn to pray about everything. How many of you really pray about your health? How many of you pray about your witness? How many of you pray about your finances?

I'm sure a lot of people do, especially in this day and time. We can know the will of God by His promise, by His providence, by His principles, and by prayer. And fifthly, we may know the will of God by His peace. Colossians 3 and verse 15. Here's what the Bible says: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.

Fifth Way: By His Peace

The peace of God acts as an umpire, giving settled assurance that we are in God's will. It does not mean absence of all anxiety but confidence in His leading.

Now the word "rule" there literally means to decide, to determine, to be an umpire, to direct and control. So he says, let the peace of God now direct you, let it be an umpire, let it control you. In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 7, he says, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Adam Clarke wrote and he said this: "No heart is right with God where the peace of God does not rule, and the continual prevalence of the peace of Christ is the decisive proof that the heart is right with God." The Greek word for peace is the word eirēnē, which refers to a settled state of tranquility. It is an exemption from rage, havoc, turmoil, and strife. Now let me clarify this because I want you to understand this. When the Bible says, "Let the peace of God rule your hearts," the peace of God is a settled assurance that we are doing the will of God. We are not fighting against the will of God. We're not battling the will of God. We're not trying to escape the will of God. No, it is settled. There is no fighting on our part. We really genuinely want the will of God. But let me tell you something about peace. The Bible says, "Let the peace of God rule your hearts and minds." God's peace does not mean the absence of all human anxiety or nervousness. Let me explain what I mean.

I've never had an operation, or at least not one that I can remember. I had a minor operation, I think, when I was two years old. But let's suppose that I had to have an operation next week. Maybe my gallbladder has to be taken out. And I have the promise of God that He's going to bring me through this thing. Providence of God has opened the door so I can get it fixed. I've got a good Christian doctor.

I'm not violating any principles of His Word. I've prayed about it. But let me tell you, I may know that God is going to bring me through that operation successfully. But I haven't been operated on since I was two years old. I don't know what it's like to be put to sleep. I don't know what it's like to be in the hospital like that. But suppose Brother Charles came up to me and said, "Oh, Brother Weaver, I had that same surgery two years ago, piece of cake." He said, "I was in the hospital one day. I was out the next day and preaching the next weekend." Well, then Myron comes up to me, says, "I had the same surgery six months ago. Came through with flying colors, it's a piece of cake, there's no problem." Now, look what I'm doing. I've got all these brothers assuring me that it's simple. But do you think for one minute, when I actually go to that hospital and they start to put me to sleep, that there's not going to be just a little bit of nervousness in me because I've never experienced it?

I don't know what it's like. I don't know what I'm going to be going through. Sure, I know God's going to bring me through it, but I've never experienced that. God's peace means this, that we cannot be shaken from the confidence that we are in His will and that we're going to do His will. But let me tell you something, if in the sovereign providence of God you lose your job, you may know that God's going to take care of you and God's going to provide for you and God's going to open a door for you. But I'll tell you one thing, there's going to be a little bit of anxiousness wondering until He does, "How am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to feed my family?" If I were to tell you how God called me to Jesup, Georgia, years ago, if I were to tell you how the providence of God worked out that I went to Jesup, Georgia, there's not a person in this room would doubt for one instant that it was the will of God that I

be in Jesup, Georgia. But knowing everything that I knew, when we moved to Jesup, Georgia, with no family there, no friends there, not knowing anyone, the first night I spent in Jesup, Georgia, I woke up the next morning, and the first thought that hit my mind is, "What in the world are you doing in Jesup, Georgia? You don't know anybody here." But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I knew that was exactly where God would have me. So what happens? The peace of God comes like an umpire and says, "That's it. You don't have to worry about this. This is right where you need to be. It's settled."

Application and Conclusion

Any decision violating one of the five ways is not God's will. If in doubt, don't act. Commit works to the Lord, and He will establish thoughts. Do not rely on feelings.

Now, I want you to think with me. I'm trying to tie this together for you. I've just given you five ways that you can know the will of God. You can know the will of God by His promise. You can know the will of God by His providence. You can know the will of God by His principles. You can know the will of God by prayer. And you can know the will of God by peace. Now listen carefully. God does not need to lead you all five of those ways. God may lead you any one of those ways. He may lead you any two of those ways if He chooses. He may lead you any three of those five ways. He may lead you any four of those five ways. And if God so chooses, God could lead you at all five at one time. But now listen carefully. He does not have to give you all five at one time. Any one of them or any combination of them would be sufficient. But are you listening?

If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will. If you don't have His promise, it's not His will. If His providence doesn't open the door, it's not His will. If it violates a principle, it's not His will. If there's been no prayer, it's not His will. If there's no peace, it's not His will. Should I buy a house? Should I buy a car?

Should I get another job? Should I go to college? Should I marry this person? Those five principles will work in every situation. You just have to realize that you cannot violate either one of those and have the will of God in your life.

Now, if that's not sufficient, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14 and look at verse 23. Romans 14 verse 23. Look what the Bible says. Romans 14 verse 23: "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith." Now here's the part you need: "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." If you cannot do what you want to do or go where you want to go in faith, God says don't do it. It's sin. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Here's my counsel to every young person. Here's my counsel to every old person. If in doubt, don't. If in doubt, don't. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If there is any question in your mind, don't.

If someone's pushing you for an answer, say no. It is always easier later on to change a no to a yes than it is a yes to a no. So when in doubt, just don't. There's one other principle I'm going to give you. And that's Proverbs 16, verse 3. God says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." And I will tell you this, I have been in a lot of churches in this country. And I have been to some before I ever got there, I knew—I knew—I knew exactly what I was going to preach, I knew that's what God would have me to preach, I knew it. I knew it.

But there have also been some places I've gone, I didn't know where to start. I didn't know where to end. And it wasn't that I didn't have anything to preach, I had too much to preach, I just couldn't preach everything. But I knew that I had to give something. And here's what I would do, I would say, "Lord, I know that You honor Your Word, and that is the main thing that You won't talk Your Word. And Lord, unless You give me further illumination, I'm going to preach from this passage right here." And I would do it because the Bible says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." And you inevitably, invariably people come up to me afterwards, "Oh, Brother Weaver, that is exactly the message that we needed. That's exactly it." But here are the principles of the Word of God. Do not, do not, do not go by your feelings. Do not go by your emotions. Feelings change, emotions change, God's principles never change. Period.

And what did he say? Listen to this again. "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." You have an obligation. You have a duty. You have a responsibility to understand the will of God in every area of your life. And if you will take these principles and apply them, you may know the will of God in every situation. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We're so thankful that Thou hast said that we're not to be unwise in Your will, but we are to be wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is. Help us to do it tonight, Lord. Help us to learn to apply this Word in our everyday life and help us, Father, to live for Thee and to love Thee and to glorify Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, amen and amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Necessity of Applying God's Word

Summary: Knowing doctrine is useless without application; believers must apply Scripture daily to discern God's will.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'You can know all the doctrine in the world, but if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless to you.'

God's Will is Revealed in Scripture

Summary: The Bible is the primary and sufficient revelation of God's will; seeking guidance outside it is an insult to God.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Any time you seek to know the will of God apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word, it is an insult to the Father and a rejection of Jesus Christ.'

Five Biblical Ways to Discern God's Will

Summary: Believers can know God's will through His promise, providence, principles, prayer, and peace.

Evidence: Weaver outlines the five ways, stating, 'I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in any situation.'

The Holy Spirit Never Contradicts Scripture

Summary: Any leading that violates biblical principles is not from the Holy Spirit; claims of being led to sin are blasphemous.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the Word of God.'

The Role of Faith and Doubt in Decision-Making

Summary: Whatever is not of faith is sin; if in doubt, believers should not proceed.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Romans 14:23 and advises, 'If in doubt, don't.'

Key Arguments

God commands believers to understand His will

Summary: Ephesians 5:17 contains a negative command (do not be unwise) and a positive command (understand God's will), making it a duty for Christians.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Greek words for 'unwise' and 'understand,' emphasizing the command.

God's will is found in His Word, not in subjective experiences

Summary: The Bible is the complete revelation of God's will; dreams, visions, and fortune-telling are not valid means for Christians today.

Evidence: Weaver cites Hebrews 1:1-2 and 2 Timothy 3:16 to show that God now speaks through His Son and Scripture.

God promises to reveal His will to the willing

Summary: John 7:17 promises that those who genuinely want to do God's will will know it; a half-hearted attitude will not receive guidance.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you come to God with this attitude... I want Your will, period... you're going to know His will.'

God's providence opens and closes doors

Summary: God sovereignly directs circumstances; believers should wait for open doors and not force closed ones.

Evidence: Weaver shares personal stories of canceled meetings and new opportunities, illustrating God's providential guidance.

Peace is an umpire for God's will

Summary: The peace of God rules in the heart, providing settled assurance that one is in God's will, though it does not eliminate all nervousness.

Evidence: Weaver explains Colossians 3:15 and distinguishes between peace and the absence of anxiety.

Any decision violating one of the five ways is not God's will

Summary: If a choice lacks promise, providence, principle, prayer, or peace, it is not from God.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will.'

Scripture References

Ephesians 5:17

Context: The primary text: 'Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.'

Romans 12:1-2

Context: Believers are to present their bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed to prove God's will.

Ephesians 6:6

Context: Doing the will of God from the heart, not with eyeservice.

Colossians 4:12

Context: Epaphras prayed that believers would stand perfect and complete in the will of God.

Hebrews 1:1-2

Context: God spoke in various ways in the past but has now spoken by His Son.

John 1:1, 14

Context: Jesus Christ is the living Word who became flesh.

2 Timothy 3:16

Context: All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine and instruction.

John 6:38

Context: Jesus came to do the Father's will.

John 5:23

Context: Honoring the Son is necessary to honor the Father.

2 Peter 1:3

Context: God's divine power has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness through knowledge of Him.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Context: Secret things belong to God, but revealed things belong to us and our children.

James 4:17

Context: To him who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:3

Context: God's will is our sanctification, abstaining from fornication.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Context: In everything give thanks, for this is God's will.

1 Peter 2:15

Context: God's will is that by well-doing we silence the ignorance of foolish men.

1 Peter 3:17

Context: It is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, if God's will be so.

1 Peter 4:19

Context: Those who suffer according to God's will should commit their souls to Him.

Proverbs 25:2

Context: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings to search out a matter.

John 7:17

Context: If anyone wills to do God's will, he shall know the doctrine.

Isaiah 30:21

Context: Ears will hear a word behind saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.'

Historical References

Adam Clarke

Context: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke's commentary on Colossians 3:15 regarding the peace of God ruling in the heart.

Marie Moore case

Context: A woman in Florida who claimed God led her to murder her son; Weaver uses this as an example of false leading.

Woman in Greenville, SC

Context: A woman who killed her husband and claimed the Holy Spirit led her; Weaver cites this as blasphemous.

Important Quotes

You can know all the doctrine in the world, but if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless to you.

Significance: Emphasizes the necessity of applying biblical knowledge to life, setting the stage for the practical message.

Any time you seek to know the will of God apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word, it is an insult to the Father and a rejection of Jesus Christ.

Significance: Highlights the exclusivity and sufficiency of Scripture for discerning God's will.

It's not what I don't know that bothers me, it's what I do know. And if you know what's right and you don't do it, to you it is sin.

Significance: A memorable quote from Papa Morris that underscores the importance of obedience to known truth.

The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the Word of God.

Significance: A foundational principle for testing spiritual leadings against Scripture.

If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will.

Significance: Summarizes the five-fold test for discerning God's will.

If in doubt, don't.

Significance: A concise, practical rule for decision-making based on Romans 14:23.

Discussion Questions

Why is it important to apply God's Word rather than just know it intellectually?

Context: Weaver begins by stressing that doctrine without application is useless.

How does the command in Ephesians 5:17 challenge our typical approach to decision-making?

Context: Weaver explains the negative and positive aspects of the command.

In what ways might Christians today be tempted to seek God's will outside of Scripture?

Context: Weaver warns against trances, dreams, fortune tellers, and other unbiblical methods.

How can we cultivate a genuine desire to do God's will regardless of the cost?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that God reveals His will to those who truly want it.

What are some practical ways to recognize God's providential guidance in our lives?

Context: Weaver shares personal stories of God opening and closing doors.

How can we distinguish between the peace of God and mere human calmness?

Context: Weaver explains that God's peace is a settled assurance, not the absence of all nervousness.

Why is it dangerous to rely on feelings and emotions when seeking God's will?

Context: Weaver concludes by warning against feelings-based decisions.

Applications

Apply Scripture daily

Summary: Believers must move beyond head knowledge to actively apply God's Word in everyday decisions.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The Word of God needs to be applied to our lives on a daily basis.'

Seek God's will with a whole heart

Summary: Approach God with a genuine desire to do His will, not with conditions or reservations.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'If you come and say, "Lord, I want it, regardless of anything else, I want Your will," you can mark it down that God is going to show you His will.'

Wait on God's providence

Summary: When doors close, trust that God will open others; do not force your own way.

Evidence: Weaver advises, 'When God closes the door, all you have to do is fold your arms and say, "Lord, I'm just waiting on You."'

Test all leadings by Scripture

Summary: Reject any guidance that contradicts biblical principles, no matter how spiritual it seems.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the Word of God.'

Make prayer a first resort

Summary: Pray about every area of life, not just as a last resort.

Evidence: Weaver laments, 'Why was it not your first resort?'

Let peace be the umpire

Summary: Seek the settled assurance of God's peace before proceeding with decisions.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The peace of God comes like an umpire and says, "That's it. You don't have to worry about this."'

When in doubt, don't act

Summary: If you lack faith about a decision, refrain from acting until you have clarity.

Evidence: Weaver counsels, 'If in doubt, don't.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:19:00Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:21:37Z

Clean Transcript

Five Ways to Discern God's Will

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

We need men that understand the Word of God and will apply the Word of God. Do you understand that you can know all the doctrine in the world, but if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless to you? All you have is just a head knowledge without any application. It's like having a weapon in your home, but you don't know how to shoot it. What good is a rifle when someone's breaking into your home if you don't know how to shoot it? I'm just simply saying the Word of God needs to be applied to our lives on a daily basis.
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With that in mind, I want you to open your Bibles tonight to the book of Ephesians, chapter 5. The message I'm going to bring to you tonight is nothing but pure application, really. There's so many things I want to share with you, and I'm not going to be able to share everything, very obviously. But this is a message that I have recommended to the Nelson family several times, with their young folks, recommended to other people, because there's so many questions on knowing the Lord's will. Look what the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 17. The Word of God says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise,
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but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Isn't that amazing? "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Let me ask you a couple of questions by way of introduction. The first one is this: Do you know the will of God for your life? Now, let me ask that question another way. Do you know the will of God in everything that relates to your life? How in the world can you discern the will of God in every situation and in every circumstance?
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I want you to note this commandment in verse 17. God says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." So if you'll notice verse 17, the very first thing you should see is there is a negative and there is a positive. So what God is doing is commanding us and telling us how not to act on the one hand and how to act on the other hand. So negatively, He tells us we're not to be unwise concerning the will of the Lord.
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Now, the word "unwise" is from a Greek word, aphrōn, which literally means to be foolish, to be unwise, to be one that is senseless, to be one that acts rashly and without reason. So God says, do not be senseless and do not act without reason when it comes to the will of God. But then positively, He tells you in verse 17 that we're to understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, let me just tell you what the little word "understand" means. The Greek word is syniēmi, and it literally means to understand, consider, be wise, but technically, when you break the word down, it means to set or bring together or to join together in the mind. Thus, since you join something together in your mind, you perceive it, you understand it, you grab hold of it, you make it yours. So this is what God is saying. You have to understand, you have to perceive, you have to lay hold on the will of God to literally make it yours.
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Now, we are to be constantly and consistently not only knowing, but proving the will of God in our lives. Just by way of introduction, and I'm sure that you can quote this, but you remember the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Yes. But what did he say? Not only present your bodies, but you are to present them unto Him, not being conformed to this world, but being transformed, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God.
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Now, the word "conformed" literally means to be pressed into a mold. My wife used to make butter. We have an old butter churn, in fact, several of them. And she had butter molds. And she would take that butter and press it into that mold and put it in the refrigerator. And when she dumped it out of that mold, guess what? That butter had been conformed to that mold. God says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. And the word "transformed" is where we get our English word "metamorphosis" from—to go through changes like a butterfly does or a caterpillar.
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So He's saying that we're to be metamorphosized, we're to be changed by the renewing of our mind. So although we're to be constantly knowing and proving the will of God, it is not something to be done routinely and mechanically, callously. No, because the Bible says in the book of Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 6, "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but doing the will of God from the heart." So our hearts are to be behind our service to God. We're to be eat up with the will of God in our lives, so to speak. You remember it was Epaphras in the book of Colossians chapter 4 verse 12, who prayed for his godly friends that they would stand perfect and complete in the will of God.
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Have you ever stopped to think about that? Standing perfect and complete in the will of God. Wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful if every one of our young people, if every father, if every mother could truthfully and honestly say, "I'm standing perfect and complete in the will of God right now"? And you need to ask yourself this question: Are you standing perfect and complete in the will of God? Now, the question you have to ask yourself is this: Since God has commanded us that we are to understand what the will of the Lord is, we have to ask ourselves, how in the world do we know and how in the world do we find the will of God? Well, let me answer that question for you, because there are several specific answers, but there is one general answer as well. Let me give you the general answer first. Everyone understands this. First and foremost, we must understand that the will of God is revealed in the Word of God.
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We do not understand God's will through trances, dreams, fortune tellers, tarot cards, or any other humanistic and wicked and blasphemous way. I never will forget when I was a boy, my dad told me about he and my mother, and they were very young, and they went to a county fair. And they were holding hands as they walked past the fortune teller's tent. And the fortune teller said to my father, "Well, come on inside, and I'll tell you when you're going to get married."
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Daddy looked at her and said, "If you knew anything at all, you'd know we're already married," and just kept on walking. Well, very obviously, you know, I get so exasperated. "Sister Mary, psychic." And you walk in and the first thing she wants to do is ask you a whole bunch of questions. Well, if she's really a psychic, she ought to know why you came in and know the answer without asking anything.
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But no, you see, all of that is humanistic and wicked. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would. Let me show you something. Turn to—well, Ephesians 5, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 1. And I want you to see how important this is. I want you to understand that we have the will of God in the Word of God. Notice—not Ephesians, but Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1.
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Look what the Bible says: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." Now wait a minute, in the Old Testament God did use some trances. God did use some visions. And there were a few in the New Testament. I'll explain why in just a moment. But He says, "God, who at different times and in different manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of
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his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Note, if you would please, the Bible said God used to speak in these ways in the old times. But He hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things. You have to remember, first of all, that Jesus Christ is the living Word. You remember the Bible says in John 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." You skip down to verse 14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
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And then when you get to 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." All Scripture is God-breathed.
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Now, just like Jesus Christ is the living Word, the Bible is the written Word of God. And any time—listen carefully—any time you seek to know the will of God apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word, it is an insult to the Father and a rejection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in John 6 and verse 38, our Lord was speaking. He said, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." And our Lord, in John 5 and verse 23, tells us this, "That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." So when you try to bypass Jesus Christ, the living Word, or when you try to bypass the written Word of God, which Jesus Christ has spoken, you're not only insulting God and rejecting Christ, it's an act of blasphemy. You're saying that Jesus Christ is not the full and final revelation of God. You're trying to say that the Word of God is not complete in and of itself.
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So the general answer, how do we know the will of God? is that we know the will of God is revealed to us in His Word. If you would look in your Bibles to 2 Peter, 2 Peter, notice, if you would please, chapter 1 and verse 3. 2 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 3. I want you to look closely at this verse because the Bible tells us exactly what God has given us. 2 Peter 1, verse 3, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." Now look, "through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." Note what God has given us. According to His divine power, God has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. But note, if you would please, it is through the knowledge of Him. So the more we know about God, and the more we know about His Word, the more knowledge we have concerning life and godliness. I want you to note Deuteronomy 29, verse 29.
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You say, "But Brother Weaver, there's just so many things that I don't know." I've got news for you. There are a lot of things that I don't know. There are a lot of things that you never will know. But you know what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29, verse 29? "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." Let me tell you, I am not concerned about the secret will of God until and unless it comes to pass in time and history. My concern is with the revealed Word of God.
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That's what I must guide my life by. And He's given me that Word, He said, that I can indeed guide my life by it. The problem is, folks, listen, we don't really apply the truth of God's Word to our lives. You remember, I quoted the verse the other day, James 4, verse 17, where the Bible said, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
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Years ago, Alice and I had some dear friends. We call them Mama and Papa Morris. We were not related, but we were just dear friends. They were older than Alice and I. In fact, they had children our age. In fact, one a little older than us. And Papa Marsh played the saxophone. He'd always come over to our house and Alice had to sit at the piano for hour after hour and just play hymns with him, you know. But he didn't have anybody to play with in his home. And he told me one day, he said, "I'd rather be at your house than at mine any day." I said, "Well, I'm thankful, Papa."
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But anytime, anytime they had a family reunion, they invited us. Well, Alice and I were coming from a meeting and they had a family reunion and we stopped in. And I'd been preaching for several weeks, had been driving for several hundred miles. And when I got there, his daughter-in-law began to pepper me with question after question after question. And I was trying to answer her questions.
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And finally, Papa looked at her and he said, "Francis, why don't you shut up and leave him alone? Can't you see he's tired?" She said, "Because, Papa," she said, "I don't know the answer to these questions and it bothers me." I never will forget what he said. He said, "It's not what I don't know that bothers me, it's what I do know. And if you know what's right and you don't do it, to you it is sin." If you know that you should apply the Word of God to your life and you don't, to you it is sin. Now, let me just tell you, there are a number of things that God spells out in the Bible that you and I should never have a question about. Never ever should have a question about why.
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Because we are specifically told what God's will is in certain matters. For instance, look in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3. There should never ever be a question about the will of God in this area. Notice 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verse 3. What does the Bible say? "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." I don't have to worry or wonder what God's will is when we talk about adultery or fornication or incest or anything immoral, unclean, or impure. No, no, no. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication.
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There can be no guessing about that. God said very specifically it is His will that you live a holy, godly, pure, undiluted life. Can't be any plainer than that. You don't have to wonder about that. I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Look at verse 18. The Bible says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." You don't have to wonder about God's will.
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And whatever happens to you. I realize sometimes it's difficult. How difficult is it to say, "Thank you, Lord, I lost my job today"? What did he say? "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God concerning you." You know what you could do? You could say, "Lord, thank You that You let me have that job for 20 years and at least have some savings." I've had Christian friends who've lost husbands and lost wives. And it's a sad, sorrowful thing to lose someone that you love. I understand that. But you can at least thank God that He allowed you to have them for 30 or 40 years. Do you realize that's more, far more than many people ever have their mates? "In every thing give thanks. This is the will of God concerning you." We don't have to worry about that. God tells us, He spells it out. Whatever comes our way in the providence of God, we have to understand that our heavenly Father
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is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. And so we have to give thanks in everything. If you will turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter, chapter 2 and look in verse 15. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 15. Here's something else that you don't have to worry about. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 15. The Bible says this: "For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." Do you realize? When we are criticized and slandered and lied about and rumors are spread concerning us, God says the best thing that you and I can do is to live in such a way, so holy and so rightly and so biblically, that those who slander us will be found to be obvious liars. Some of you may have heard what the one guy said. He said, "I'm upset. There's some vicious rumors going around about me, and some of them are true." Well, I guess that should upset you.
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You know, I have people come to me occasionally, and they will tell me this, "Brother Weaver, you know what so-and-so said about you?" And I have two stock answers. And it depends on who's telling me that. My first stock answer is this: "Well, if they're talking about me, at least they're leaving some poor widow alone." And the second stock answer I have is this: "Well, if they really knew me the way the Lord did, they'd probably say a whole lot worse than that." Well, that's what he said.
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You make sure that you live your life when you're criticized, that those who are doing the criticizing will be proven to be liars and spreaders of rumors and gossip. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Peter 3 and verse 15—here it is. 1 Peter 3, verse 17 it is, I'm sorry. 1 Peter 3 and verse 17. He says this: "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." So God says this: if you're going to suffer, here's my will. I'd rather you suffer for doing what's right.
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And that's something, you know, I've always said. I don't want to go to prison, I've never been in prison. I have no desire to go, but that doesn't mean I won't end up there one day. But if I do end up there, I want to be there for doing the will of God and not doing something stupid, contrary to the will of God. I want to suffer for righteousness' sake. I don't want to suffer because of my own stupidity. So he says very plainly, 1 Peter 3 and verse 17, "It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." Then if you look at 1 Peter 4 and verse 19, he says, "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." So it's the Lord's will then that whenever we suffer, even for right doing, that we commit our souls unto Him and say, "Lord, we understand You're in control.
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You're going to work it out. I'm not going to fret. I'm not going to get upset. I'm not going to jump ship. I'm just committing everything to You like You've told me."
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Now, you and I should have no problem in these particular areas because it is spelled out for us in black and white. So the question has to be asked, well, what about all those areas in which it is not spelled out in black and white? How do we discern the will of God in those areas? How do we know the will of God in those areas, for instance?
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There is nothing in the Bible that says, "Jeremiah, go to this college." There's nothing in the Bible that says, "Luke, marry this girl." There's nothing in the Bible that says, "Ernie, sell this house and buy this house." There's nothing in the Bible that says, "Ben, change jobs now." Nothing in the Bible that says, "Well, go to this church over here." Now, you say, "Boy, would it be nice if everything was spelled out for us?" Yeah, it'd be nice. The only problem is you couldn't carry your Bible around. It'd be so heavy and so thick. You couldn't.
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But let me tell you what God does. God gives us principles in His Word so that we may be able to discern the will of God in every area of our lives. You know, the Bible says in Proverbs 25 and verse 2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." So we're responsible to search out God's will in every area of our life.
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Now what I want to do tonight is this, and I want you to listen very carefully. I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in every situation. I told you this whole message is just application. Because Scripture says, "Be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." So here's an application of this one verse. I want to give you five ways that you can know the will of God in any situation, in any circumstance. The very first way is this: we may know the will of God by His promise. John 7 verse 17, if you're taking notes, here it is. Our Lord said, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Now, it is true that in the context, our Lord here is speaking of doctrine, but the principle is still the same. He said, "If any man will to do my will, he shall know." In other words, if we genuinely, truly want God's will, He said we shall know God's will.
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I want you to think about something. This thought may have never crossed your mind. But did you realize that God is far more interested in you doing His will than you are in doing His will? God is far more interested in you knowing His will than you're probably interested in knowing it. And God has promised that if you really, genuinely want to know the will of God, He's going to give it to you. Now, I want you to notice something. If you come to God with this attitude, if you say, "Dear Lord, I want Your will, I could care less about the situations. I could care less about the circumstances. Lord, what I want is Your will, period." I can assure you, based upon the Word of God, you're going to know His will. But if you come to the Lord with this attitude, "Lord, You show me what Your will is, and if I like it, I'll do it,
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and if I don't, I won't," I can assure you, God will never show you His will. No. But if you come and say, "Lord, I want it, regardless of anything else, I want Your will," you can mark it down that God is going to show you His will. You've got His promise. You know what He said in Isaiah 30 and verse 21? Listen to this: "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." God said, "I'll lead you, I'll guide you." Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. I love this passage.
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In fact, I have about an hour's worth of preaching just on this one passage, but it is so simple to grasp. But look what God said in Psalm 32. And notice, if you would please, in verse 8, God said, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go." Now that's a promise. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." That's a wonderful promise. But notice this warning.
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"Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." Now God says, listen, I will instruct you and I will teach you and I will show you the way that you should go. I'll guide you with my eye. But God says, listen carefully, don't make me guide you. Why do you put a bit in a horse's mouth or in a mule's mouth? So you can guide them.
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Mules are some of the stubbornest creatures that ever lived. Brother Charles knows that. He's from Missouri. We had a mule when I was a boy. She had a little lip. We called her Old Crip. She's an older mule. And my cousin came up from Miami, Florida, a city boy. And he saw the mule and he wanted to ride the horse. I said, "Larry, that's not a horse. That's a mule."
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Well, he said, "I want to ride her." I said, "Well, OK." But I said, "Understand, mules are stubborn." And we were young boys. So I got the old mule out of the stall, put the bridle on her, jumped up on her back. I'd ridden her plenty of times before. Reached down and pulled my cousin up behind me. And we were in the yard, and we started going toward the road and that mule started heading straight for a pecan tree with a low limb. I took both hands on the left rein and I started pulling as hard as I could to turn that mule from that pecan limb. I knew right where she was going.
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I finally had that mule's head turned up like this. I was pulling so hard and she's walking straight on. When I found out that that mule was not going to budge and that I couldn't turn her, I said at the last moment, "Duck, Larry," and I laid down and I grabbed the mule's neck and my city cousin sitting behind me looked up in the sky and said, "Where?"
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And about that time the limb hit him. That boy never did forgive me. He swore to the day he died, I did that on purpose, but I did not. Notice what God said. God said, "Don't be like that." Now, I don't have any idea that I was gentle with that mule. I was not. Probably I was hurting that mule. I was pulling that bit so hard and so tight in her mouth.
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But she just kept going. God said, "Don't be like that." God said, "I promise you, I'll show you my will. But don't make me put a bit and a bridle in your mouth." So the very first way that we can know the will of God is by His promise. The second way that we can know the will of God is by His providence. Everyone in this room can quote Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Let me also give you Revelation 3, verse 8, because there God said, "I know thy works:
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behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." God, in His sovereign providence, will open some doors and close others. You have to remember that God is sovereign over everything. God controls everything, and He works everything out for our good and for His glory. I want you to notice in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and look at verse 9. 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 9. Notice what the Apostle Paul said. And this has direct reference to the sovereign providence of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 9. The Apostle Paul says, "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." There may be adversaries, but God opened the door. If you look in 2 Corinthians 2 and look at verse 12, look what he says: "Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord." What is he saying? God sovereignly opened the door. God put me right there where I could preach.
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Now, if you will turn in your Bible to the book of Acts chapter 16, I'll show you another biblical illustration of the sovereign providence of God. Notice Acts chapter 16 and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Acts 16 and note, if you would, verse 6. Acts 16 verse 6.
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"Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." But I want you to note, the Holy Ghost told them not to go into Asia. When they wanted to go to Bithynia, no, God says you don't go there either. But then God opened the door into Macedonia, and that is exactly where they went.
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Let me tell you, if I had hour after hour tonight, I could tell you innumerable times how the providence of God has shut some doors in my life and opened other doors. One particular time, I remember I was preaching in Virginia. And at that particular time, all I was doing was in an itinerant ministry, I was going from church to church, and I had been preaching for two weeks. And after I left the church in Virginia, I was supposed to go to a church in Illinois for two weeks, and then I was going to have two weeks off. I came in one night from the meeting in Virginia, and there was a message waiting for me on the phone. There was a pastor from Illinois. He said, "Brother Weaver," he said, "I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to cancel the meeting. We have just had a church split."
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He said, "We are in such horrible straits." He said, "No one would listen to anything that anybody said right now." Well, I called the pastor back and I said, "Well, you're the pastor. I said, you know, you're responsible with people. That's totally up to you." And I hung up the phone and I thought, "Now, Lord, I don't understand this because that would give me four weeks without preaching. I'd go crazy if I couldn't preach in four weeks."
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So I went to church the next night. And God just opened the bottoms of heaven and it dropped out, and I mean the glory of God just came down and the pastor looked at me and said, "Could you stay and preach another week?" I said, "You know, it just so happens I can." And when I got back to the motel that night, there was another call from a pastor in Michigan. And he said, "Brother Weaver, the Lord is broken out upon us up here in Michigan. Can you come up here a week after next?" I said, "It just so happens I can, brother." You know what God did? God just closed the door in Illinois and He opened the door in Virginia and then in Michigan. I'm just simply saying when God closes the door, all you have to do is fold your arms and say, "Lord, I'm just waiting on You. Because I know You're going to open a door." And when God opens a door, you simply walk through it.
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Let me tell you something. The Bible tells us that God told the Israelites that He brought them out of Egypt to bring them into the Promised Land. He did not bring them out of Egypt to drop them in the desert. God did not bring us out of the kingdom of darkness and translate us into the kingdom of His dear Son just to drop us. He is not going to forsake us. He's not going to leave us. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee," said our Lord. So we can know the will of God first by His promise, secondly, by His providence. Thirdly, we know the will of God by His principles. John 17:17. Write it down. John 17:17.
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Our Lord in His high priestly prayer said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. You remember Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1 and verse 19, referring to the Word of God, he said, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." What did he say? We have a more sure word of prophecy. Until our Lord returns, we have the full and final revelation of God in His Word.
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Now let me explain this. Listen carefully. God never leads us to violate His Word. He never leads us to violate the principles in His Word. His Word is forever settled in the heavens. The principles are eternal. There is never an instance where God is going to command us or lead us to violate His Word. I've preached for 46 years, and I can assure you during those years, I have heard innumerable horror stories about individuals who were claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit of God and then went absolutely and totally and completely contrary to the Word of God.
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Now, let me tell you something, folks. The leading of the Holy Spirit is indeed real and genuine. But He always leads us in agreement with and in accord with the Word of God. The Bible says in Romans 8 and verse 14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." But if you take that verse in its context, it is the Holy Spirit who's leading us to mortify the deeds of the flesh, obey Christ, and live obediently. The Holy Spirit is not leading us somewhere beyond the Word of God or contrary to the Word of God. Please do not try to tell me that the Holy Spirit is leading you to have an affair or the Holy Spirit is leading you to steal or the Holy Spirit is leading you to murder. He is not. If you do those things, I do not doubt for one instant that you're being led by a spirit, but it's not the Holy Spirit.
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Just last year, some of you may remember there was a woman down in Florida by the name of Marie Moore. She had a son by the name of Mitchell. And she took her son, who was in his 20s, to a gun range. She shot a pistol and reloaded and then let her son step up and shoot. And as her son stepped up to shoot, she put her pistol in the back of his head and pulled the trigger. And stayed there till the law came and she told the law that God led her to do it because she had to send her son to heaven and herself to hell.
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I got news for you. God said, "Thou shalt not murder," "Thou shalt not kill." God never led her to murder her son. When I was in college, there was a woman in Greenville, SC, who caught her husband sleeping on the couch and she slipped up and put her .38 to his temple and pulled the trigger. And then she had the audacity to tell the law and everybody else that the Holy Spirit led her to do it.
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I know better than that. But ever since then, Brother Myra, when my wife tells me to get my feet off the couch, I move them. God doesn't lead you to violate His Word. I know of women—listen to this—I know women who have forsaken their husbands. I know men who have forsaken their wives and run off with others. And the excuse they give is this, that the Holy Spirit led them to do it because the person they ran off with was more spiritual than their spouse.
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Let me tell you something. That is not only nonsense. It is not only hogwash. It is blasphemy. The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the Word of God. Suppose I were to come to you and I were to ask you to do this for me. Suppose I were to ask you, "Please pray for me because I'm thinking about going out and getting drunk tomorrow night." What? I would hope you would have enough sense to say, "Brother Weaver, I don't have to pray about that. God said don't do it." "Well, pray for me, I'm thinking about having an affair." "Don't have to pray about that. God says don't do it." "Well, pray for me. I'm thinking about defrauding someone." "Don't have to pray about that. God says don't do it." The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us contrary to His Word.
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We could save ourselves a great deal of heartache and a great deal of trouble just by remembering this simple truth. And it's never right to do wrong. It's never right to violate the Word of God. It's never God's will for you and I to go contrary to His revealed Word. Never! How do we know God's will?
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Now, listen, first, by His promise. Second, by His providence. Thirdly, by His principles.
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Fourthly, we can know the will of God by prayer. John 14, verses 13 and 14, our Lord said it like this: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." You know what He said in Philippians 4 and verse 6? "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Colossians 4 and verse 2, God says, "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Ephesians 6 and verse 18, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Romans 12 and verse 12, "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." And let me tell you something about prayer, folks. It is true that prayer is indeed a form of communication. It is a command. It is also a privilege because we fellowship with our sovereign God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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But prayer is never meant to change the mind of God. Prayer is a means to accomplish the purpose of God. It's not a means to change the mind of God. God is immutable. God is unchangeable. And you are going to have an exceedingly difficult time trying to change the mind of the unchangeable One. Prayer is a means to accomplish the will of God. Prayer is not a means to inform God, instruct God, or direct God. It's a means of communication to accomplish the will of God. And I'm not going to tell you tonight, you already know that everything must be done in faith. It must be done in the name of Christ. It must be done according to His Word and according to His will. But you know, it's amazing how many people never think about prayer. I get so upset with these people.
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They say, "Well, Brother Weaver, the doctors told us that prayer is our last resort." Oh. Why was it not your first resort? "Well, they've done everything they can do. It's just up to the Lord now." It's always been up to the Lord. We need to learn to pray about everything. How many of you really pray about your health? How many of you pray about your witness? How many of you pray about your finances?
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I'm sure a lot of people do, especially in this day and time. We can know the will of God by His promise, by His providence, by His principles, and by prayer. And fifthly, we may know the will of God by His peace. Colossians 3 and verse 15. Here's what the Bible says: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
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Now the word "rule" there literally means to decide, to determine, to be an umpire, to direct and control. So he says, let the peace of God now direct you, let it be an umpire, let it control you. In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 7, he says, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Adam Clarke wrote and he said this: "No heart is right with God where the peace of God does not rule, and the continual prevalence of the peace of Christ is the decisive proof that the heart is right with God." The Greek word for peace is the word eirēnē, which refers to a settled state of tranquility.
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It is an exemption from rage, havoc, turmoil, and strife. Now let me clarify this because I want you to understand this. When the Bible says, "Let the peace of God rule your hearts," the peace of God is a settled assurance that we are doing the will of God. We are not fighting against the will of God. We're not battling the will of God. We're not trying to escape the will of God. No, it is settled. There is no fighting on our part. We really genuinely want the will of God. But let me tell you something about peace. The Bible says, "Let the peace of God rule your hearts and minds." God's peace does not mean the absence of all human anxiety or nervousness. Let me explain what I mean.
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I've never had an operation, or at least not one that I can remember. I had a minor operation, I think, when I was two years old. But let's suppose that I had to have an operation next week. Maybe my gallbladder has to be taken out. And I have the promise of God that He's going to bring me through this thing. Providence of God has opened the door so I can get it fixed. I've got a good Christian doctor.
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I'm not violating any principles of His Word. I've prayed about it. But let me tell you, I may know that God is going to bring me through that operation successfully. But I haven't been operated on since I was two years old. I don't know what it's like to be put to sleep. I don't know what it's like to be in the hospital like that. But suppose Brother Charles came up to me and said, "Oh, Brother Weaver, I had that same surgery two years ago, piece of cake." He said, "I was in the hospital one day. I was out the next day and preaching the next weekend." Well, then Myron comes up to me, says, "I had the same surgery six months ago. Came through with flying colors, it's a piece of cake, there's no problem." Now, look what I'm doing. I've got all these brothers assuring me that it's simple. But do you think for one minute, when I actually go to that hospital and they start to put me to sleep, that there's not going to be just a little bit of nervousness in me because I've never experienced it?
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I don't know what it's like. I don't know what I'm going to be going through. Sure, I know God's going to bring me through it, but I've never experienced that. God's peace means this, that we cannot be shaken from the confidence that we are in His will and that we're going to do His will. But let me tell you something, if in the sovereign providence of God you lose your job, you may know that God's going to take care of you and God's going to provide for you and God's going to open a door for you. But I'll tell you one thing, there's going to be a little bit of anxiousness wondering until He does, "How am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to feed my family?" If I were to tell you how God called me to Jesup, Georgia, years ago, if I were to tell you how the providence of God worked out that I went to Jesup, Georgia, there's not a person in this room would doubt for one instant that it was the will of God that I
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be in Jesup, Georgia. But knowing everything that I knew, when we moved to Jesup, Georgia, with no family there, no friends there, not knowing anyone, the first night I spent in Jesup, Georgia, I woke up the next morning, and the first thought that hit my mind is, "What in the world are you doing in Jesup, Georgia? You don't know anybody here." But I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I knew that was exactly where God would have me. So what happens? The peace of God comes like an umpire and says, "That's it. You don't have to worry about this.
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This is right where you need to be. It's settled."
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Now, I want you to think with me. I'm trying to tie this together for you. I've just given you five ways that you can know the will of God. You can know the will of God by His promise. You can know the will of God by His providence. You can know the will of God by His principles. You can know the will of God by prayer. And you can know the will of God by peace. Now listen carefully. God does not need to lead you all five of those ways. God may lead you any one of those ways. He may lead you any two of those ways if He chooses. He may lead you any three of those five ways. He may lead you any four of those five ways. And if God so chooses, God could lead you at all five at one time. But now listen carefully. He does not have to give you all five at one time. Any one of them or any combination of them would be sufficient. But are you listening?
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If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will. If you don't have His promise, it's not His will. If His providence doesn't open the door, it's not His will. If it violates a principle, it's not His will. If there's been no prayer, it's not His will. If there's no peace, it's not His will. Should I buy a house? Should I buy a car?
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Should I get another job? Should I go to college? Should I marry this person? Those five principles will work in every situation. You just have to realize that you cannot violate either one of those and have the will of God in your life.
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Now, if that's not sufficient, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 14 and look at verse 23. Romans 14 verse 23. Look what the Bible says. Romans 14 verse 23: "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith." Now here's the part you need: "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." If you cannot do what you want to do or go where you want to go in faith, God says don't do it. It's sin. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Here's my counsel to every young person. Here's my counsel to every old person. If in doubt, don't. If in doubt, don't. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If there is any question in your mind, don't.
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If someone's pushing you for an answer, say no. It is always easier later on to change a no to a yes than it is a yes to a no. So when in doubt, just don't. There's one other principle I'm going to give you. And that's Proverbs 16, verse 3. God says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." And I will tell you this, I have been in a lot of churches in this country. And I have been to some before I ever got there, I knew—I knew—I knew exactly what I was going to preach, I knew that's what God would have me to preach, I knew it. I knew it.
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But there have also been some places I've gone, I didn't know where to start. I didn't know where to end. And it wasn't that I didn't have anything to preach, I had too much to preach, I just couldn't preach everything. But I knew that I had to give something. And here's what I would do, I would say, "Lord, I know that You honor Your Word, and that is the main thing that You won't talk Your Word. And Lord, unless You give me further illumination, I'm going to preach from this passage right here."
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And I would do it because the Bible says, "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." And you inevitably, invariably people come up to me afterwards, "Oh, Brother Weaver, that is exactly the message that we needed. That's exactly it." But here are the principles of the Word of God. Do not, do not, do not go by your feelings. Do not go by your emotions. Feelings change, emotions change, God's principles never change. Period.
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And what did he say? Listen to this again. "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." You have an obligation. You have a duty. You have a responsibility to understand the will of God in every area of your life. And if you will take these principles and apply them, you may know the will of God in every situation. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We're so thankful that Thou hast said that we're not to be unwise in Your will, but we are to be wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is. Help us to do it tonight, Lord. Help us to learn to apply this Word in our everyday life and help us, Father, to live for Thee and to love Thee and to glorify Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, amen and amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:19:00Z

Five Ways to Discern God's Will

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds Ephesians 5:17, emphasizing that believers are commanded to understand God's will. He provides a general principle that God's will is revealed in Scripture, then outlines five specific ways to discern God's will in any situation: by His promise, providence, principles, prayer, and peace. He warns against subjective guidance that contradicts Scripture and stresses that any decision violating one of these five ways is not God's will.

Introduction: The Command to Understand God's Will

Weaver introduces Ephesians 5:17, explaining the negative command not to be unwise and the positive command to understand God's will. He defines key Greek words and stresses the need for application.

The General Answer: God's Will is Revealed in His Word

God's will is found in Scripture, not through trances, dreams, or fortune tellers. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation, and bypassing the Word is an insult to God.

Scripture Reading — John 6:38

"I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:3

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness."

Now look,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:3

"through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."

Specific Areas Where God's Will is Clearly Stated

Scripture explicitly states God's will regarding sanctification, giving thanks, suffering for well-doing, and silencing foolish men through good conduct.

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 4:3

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication."

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

You don't have to wonder about God's will.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:15

"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 3:17

"For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

So God says this: if you're going to suffer, here's my will. I'd rather you suffer for doing what's right.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:19

"It is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."

Then if you look at 1 Peter 4 and verse 19, he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:19

"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

So it's the Lord's will then that whenever we suffer, even for right doing, that we commit our souls unto Him and say, "Lord, we understand You're in control.

You're going to work it out. I'm not going to fret. I'm not going to get upset. I'm not going to jump ship. I'm just committing everything to You like You've told me."

Five Ways to Discern God's Will in Unclear Matters

Weaver introduces five biblical principles for discerning God's will when Scripture does not give explicit commands.

First Way: By His Promise

God promises to reveal His will to those who genuinely desire to do it (John 7:17). He will guide us, but we must not be stubborn like a mule.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 30:21

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

God said, "I'll lead you, I'll guide you." Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 32. I love this passage.

Second Way: By His Providence

God sovereignly opens and closes doors. Examples from Paul's ministry and Weaver's personal experience illustrate how God guides through circumstances.

Third Way: By His Principles

God never leads us to violate His Word. The Holy Spirit always leads in agreement with Scripture. Claims of being led to sin are blasphemous.

Now, listen, first, by His promise. Second, by His providence. Thirdly, by His principles.

Fourth Way: By Prayer

Prayer is a means to accomplish God's will, not to change His mind. Believers should pray about everything, making it a first resort.

Fifth Way: By His Peace

The peace of God acts as an umpire, giving settled assurance that we are in God's will. It does not mean absence of all anxiety but confidence in His leading.

Application and Conclusion

Any decision violating one of the five ways is not God's will. If in doubt, don't act. Commit works to the Lord, and He will establish thoughts. Do not rely on feelings.

Five Ways to Discern God's Will

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	8410224861
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans-Related Topical Applications
Genre	Sermon
Date	2010-08-02
Dictation Name
Book	Book 138: Romans-Related Topical Applications — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	78

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Command to Understand God's Will: Weaver introduces Ephesians 5:17, explaining the negative command not to be unwise and the positive command to understand God's will. He defines key Greek words and stresses the need for application.
The General Answer: God's Will is Revealed in His Word: God's will is found in Scripture, not through trances, dreams, or fortune tellers. Jesus Christ is the full and final revelation, and bypassing the Word is an insult to God.
Specific Areas Where God's Will is Clearly Stated: Scripture explicitly states God's will regarding sanctification, giving thanks, suffering for well-doing, and silencing foolish men through good conduct.
Five Ways to Discern God's Will in Unclear Matters: Weaver introduces five biblical principles for discerning God's will when Scripture does not give explicit commands.
First Way: By His Promise: God promises to reveal His will to those who genuinely desire to do it (John 7:17). He will guide us, but we must not be stubborn like a mule.
Second Way: By His Providence: God sovereignly opens and closes doors. Examples from Paul's ministry and Weaver's personal experience illustrate how God guides through circumstances.
Third Way: By His Principles: God never leads us to violate His Word. The Holy Spirit always leads in agreement with Scripture. Claims of being led to sin are blasphemous.
Fourth Way: By Prayer: Prayer is a means to accomplish God's will, not to change His mind. Believers should pray about everything, making it a first resort.
Fifth Way: By His Peace: The peace of God acts as an umpire, giving settled assurance that we are in God's will. It does not mean absence of all anxiety but confidence in His leading.
Application and Conclusion: Any decision violating one of the five ways is not God's will. If in doubt, don't act. Commit works to the Lord, and He will establish thoughts. Do not rely on feelings.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God commands believers to understand His will

Ephesians 5:17 contains a negative command (do not be unwise) and a positive command (understand God's will), making it a duty for Christians.

Weaver explains the Greek words for 'unwise' and 'understand,' emphasizing the command.

God's will is found in His Word, not in subjective experiences

The Bible is the complete revelation of God's will; dreams, visions, and fortune-telling are not valid means for Christians today.

Weaver cites Hebrews 1:1-2 and 2 Timothy 3:16 to show that God now speaks through His Son and Scripture.

God promises to reveal His will to the willing

John 7:17 promises that those who genuinely want to do God's will will know it; a half-hearted attitude will not receive guidance.

Weaver says, 'If you come to God with this attitude... I want Your will, period... you're going to know His will.'

God's providence opens and closes doors

God sovereignly directs circumstances; believers should wait for open doors and not force closed ones.

Weaver shares personal stories of canceled meetings and new opportunities, illustrating God's providential guidance.

Peace is an umpire for God's will

The peace of God rules in the heart, providing settled assurance that one is in God's will, though it does not eliminate all nervousness.

Weaver explains Colossians 3:15 and distinguishes between peace and the absence of anxiety.

Any decision violating one of the five ways is not God's will

If a choice lacks promise, providence, principle, prayer, or peace, it is not from God.

Weaver states, 'If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will.'

Scripture References

Ephesians 5:17: The primary text: 'Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.'
Romans 12:1-2: Believers are to present their bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed to prove God's will.
Ephesians 6:6: Doing the will of God from the heart, not with eyeservice.
Colossians 4:12: Epaphras prayed that believers would stand perfect and complete in the will of God.
Hebrews 1:1-2: God spoke in various ways in the past but has now spoken by His Son.
John 1:1, 14: Jesus Christ is the living Word who became flesh.
2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine and instruction.
John 6:38: Jesus came to do the Father's will.
John 5:23: Honoring the Son is necessary to honor the Father.
2 Peter 1:3: God's divine power has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness through knowledge of Him.
Deuteronomy 29:29: Secret things belong to God, but revealed things belong to us and our children.
James 4:17: To him who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin.
1 Thessalonians 4:3: God's will is our sanctification, abstaining from fornication.
1 Thessalonians 5:18: In everything give thanks, for this is God's will.
1 Peter 2:15: God's will is that by well-doing we silence the ignorance of foolish men.
1 Peter 3:17: It is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, if God's will be so.
1 Peter 4:19: Those who suffer according to God's will should commit their souls to Him.
Proverbs 25:2: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings to search out a matter.
John 7:17: If anyone wills to do God's will, he shall know the doctrine.
Isaiah 30:21: Ears will hear a word behind saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.'

Historical References

Adam Clarke: Weaver quotes Adam Clarke's commentary on Colossians 3:15 regarding the peace of God ruling in the heart.
Marie Moore case: A woman in Florida who claimed God led her to murder her son; Weaver uses this as an example of false leading.
Woman in Greenville, SC: A woman who killed her husband and claimed the Holy Spirit led her; Weaver cites this as blasphemous.

Important Quotes

You can know all the doctrine in the world, but if you don't know how to apply it, it's useless to you.

Emphasizes the necessity of applying biblical knowledge to life, setting the stage for the practical message.

Any time you seek to know the will of God apart from Jesus Christ and apart from His Word, it is an insult to the Father and a rejection of Jesus Christ.

Highlights the exclusivity and sufficiency of Scripture for discerning God's will.

It's not what I don't know that bothers me, it's what I do know. And if you know what's right and you don't do it, to you it is sin.

A memorable quote from Papa Morris that underscores the importance of obedience to known truth.

The Holy Spirit never leads you to violate the Word of God.

A foundational principle for testing spiritual leadings against Scripture.

If whatever you start to do violates one of those five things, it's not God's will.

Summarizes the five-fold test for discerning God's will.

If in doubt, don't.

A concise, practical rule for decision-making based on Romans 14:23.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why is it important to apply God's Word rather than just know it intellectually?

[Context]

Weaver begins by stressing that doctrine without application is useless.

[Question]

How does the command in Ephesians 5:17 challenge our typical approach to decision-making?

[Context]

Weaver explains the negative and positive aspects of the command.

[Question]

In what ways might Christians today be tempted to seek God's will outside of Scripture?

[Context]

Weaver warns against trances, dreams, fortune tellers, and other unbiblical methods.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a genuine desire to do God's will regardless of the cost?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that God reveals His will to those who truly want it.

[Question]

What are some practical ways to recognize God's providential guidance in our lives?

[Context]

Weaver shares personal stories of God opening and closing doors.

[Question]

How can we distinguish between the peace of God and mere human calmness?

[Context]

Weaver explains that God's peace is a settled assurance, not the absence of all nervousness.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to rely on feelings and emotions when seeking God's will?

[Context]

Weaver concludes by warning against feelings-based decisions.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:21:37Z