How to Discern God’s Will

In this episode of Kingdom Culture Podcast with Apostle Dotimi Egbuson, we explore one of the most important questions every believer asks: How can we truly discern God’s will for our lives?

Many people struggle with uncertainty when making decisions—wondering if they are hearing from God or simply following their own thoughts. In this conversation, we unpack biblical principles and practical insights that help us recognize God’s voice, align our hearts with His purpose, and walk confidently in the direction He is leading.

We discuss how prayer, Scripture, spiritual sensitivity, wise counsel, and the peace of the Holy Spirit all play a role in discerning God’s guidance. Whether you are facing a major life decision or simply seeking a deeper relationship with God, this episode will help you develop the spiritual discernment needed to walk in His will.

Join us as we learn how to move from confusion to clarity and from hesitation to obedience in following God’s plan.

🎧 Listen now and discover how to discern God’s will for your life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Let me know if you can hear me okay from wherever you are listening from right now. Hallelujah. Blessed be God. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord Jesus. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Thank you, everyone, for joining us right now. It's so good to have you here with us. Amen and amen. Glory be to God. So today is another time for kingdom culture. Uh, it's so good to be here with everyone. So please share this broadcast on your page in your groups. Invite someone to join us right now, even as we spend time in his word. Amen and amen. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. So God bless you, everyone. Thank you for joining us. I trust you are well and having a great weekend. So today's going to be a great time of sharing um the word today. So we're going to talk about a very interesting topic. Um, it's one topic that I like to talk about so much, and it's gonna we're gonna be talking about how do we discern or discover God's will, how to discover God's will, amen. So many of us, you know, we are always asking this question. Um, how do I know the will of God? How do I know you know when God is what God is asking me to do in you know whatever particular situation might be? You know, how do you discover, how do you discern um God's will? So it's a very important topic um that we're gonna be sharing today, amen and amen. Hallelujah! Glory be to God. So, how do we discover how to discover God's will? So, the key scripture uh we're gonna be using today. We're gonna be using the key scripture, which is in Proverbs chapter 3, from verse 5 to 6. Proverbs 3, 5 to 6. Amen. Proverbs 3, 5 to 6. What does the Bible say? It says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your path, or he shall direct my path. Hallelujah. So, how do we trust in the Lord? How do we um you know discern God's will? One of the first ways is by trusting in the Lord in all our ways, in everything that we do, we trust in the Lord, hallelujah. So the first thing to do is trusting in God. In discerning God's will, one of the first things we want to do is learning to trust in the Lord, hallelujah. So, God is always God has a plan, God has a will, God has a plan for every single person. But how many of us realize that not God's will is not always being done all the time? Amen. So God's will is not always being carried out or always being done. So, how do we ensure that we can actually whatever we're doing or whatever whatever action we're taking or things like that is in line with his will. So the first thing to do is God's word, or God's will would always line up with his word. So God is sovereign, we know that, but he also has a plan for every single person on every every single um individual. God's plan is God's will, but God's will is not always being done in anybody in everybody's life. So we want to make sure that we are always in line, or uh, whatever actions or whatever things we're doing is in line with God's will. So before, but before you can do the will of God, you have to discover what his will is. So, number one, what is God's sovereign will? So, these are certain things that God has already decided, or the decision is under his control, and we have no jurisdiction over that. For example, you know, God's when is Jesus going to come back? The Bible says, No, no, no one knows when the Lord will come back, not even the angels in heaven. So that's something that the Lord has put under his own control and his own care, and nobody would know that. God's decision to create man, he just decided, he said, Let us make man in our own image and likeness. It's just a things that God has already planned or decided all by himself, and we have nothing to do about it. We just have to believe it and go with it. For example, God's salvation plan, you know, the various things that happened in history, how God chose Israel as his own people, the plan of redemption, you know, those are things that God has put in motion by himself. But in certain those situations as well, God needed man as well. At certain points, for example, he needed Abraham as a covenant partner on the earth, someone he can walk with or walk through to do things on the earth, to carry out his will. So, for if God wants to do anything on the earth, because he has given the whole dominion or the control of the earth to man in order to do or carry out his plans on the earth, he needs a man to partner with him, he needs somebody to be in a covenant with him. That's why when he when when Adam sinned in the beginning and he had to put in place a plan of redemption, that plan of redemption needed a man to give authority as well for God to be able to intervene in the affairs of men. So that is why having a covenant relationship with God is so important, and that is why, even in the old covenant, before God could actually intervene in the lives of Israel or the Israelites, they had to be in a covenant relationship because, in a covenant relationship, what that means is my blessings are yours, your problems are mine, so it's a sharing together of everything. So the same way God put himself in a covenant with man, with Adam, and with uh with Abraham was such that Abraham's enemies became God's enemies. The same way he could receive the blessings from the Lord, the same way anybody that fought against Abraham was fighting against God because he was in a covenant relationship with him. And the importance of that covenant, if you look at all through the Bible, for example, in Abraham's life, you could see several times when people came against Abraham, or Abraham sometimes even put himself in trouble, but God will fight for him. For example, in the Abimelech situation, he caused them to be barren, caused everybody in the family to be barren because they are carried, they took Sarah, Abraham's wife. He did the same thing to Pharaoh, and he told Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked Abraham to pray for it because the prophet, and you know, that was when Abraham prayed for for Pharaoh and his household, then they were healed. Because several times, you know, God has put himself in that place. So going back to God's will. So, first of all, we need to discover the will of God, and then we can follow his will. The second thing, God's moral will. For example, these are revealed in scripture: the love of God, loving one another, the ten commandments. You know, those are those are the moral, the moral will of God. We can find out all through scripture. For example, be holy, for I am holy, give thanks to unto the Lord. So you see, there's several several times in the Bible, He has given us instructions to do or things to do, and those are classified under God's moral will or moral code. So the Ten Commandments, all other things like that. But in the new covenant, for us, we only have one commandment which is love the Lord the God, all your heart, all your soul, all thy mind, and also to love thy neighbor as thyself. So the love of God, the love for God is the primary commandment in the new covenant. Hallelujah. Glory be to God. So God's personal will for your life. You know, things like, for example, who you should marry, what career you should go into, where you should serve, major decisions in your life, those are things that would pertain to God's plan or God's will for your life. So you need to know his plan or know his will. So or else, how are you gonna know where you're gonna marry, where you're gonna live? Things like that. But many people struggle with things like that in their life because they haven't learned how to listen or hear the voice of God. So, another foundation um, surrender before direction. So, one of the ways that the first thing we want to know or discern the will of God for our lives is the first thing we need to do is to surrender to his will. The Bible says in Romans chapter 12, from verse 1 to 3, it says, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not confirm, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, since then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. So, Bible says, first of all, we need in order to discern the will of God, number one, you need to humble yourself. What does it mean to humble ourselves? It means to come to God acknowledging the fact that we don't know everything and we need his help. So we humble ourselves before the Lord, we submit and surrender to his will. That's one of the things Jesus did at the Gather Gethsemane. He says, Not my will, but your will be done. So that should be the stance in every area, every decision in our lives is Father God, it's not my will, but let your will be done in my life. So for us to be able to discern or to know the will of God, we have to surrender first of all to his will and be willing to accept what his health tells us to do. Just like Mary told the the people that were asking Jesus to perform a miracle at the wedding of Canaan, says, Whatever he tells you to do, do it. Hallelujah. So, number one, in order to know or discern the will of God, we have to surrender to his word, amen. Then surrender our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable the Lord. So, what that means is be willing to obey the Lord, even when your body doesn't feel like it. When your body's rebelling, you surrender to his will and to his word. So this is holy and pleasing unto the Lord. So this is your true and proper form of worship. So do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, don't follow the world's ways of doing things, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, transform your way of thinking, the way you think. So another thing that we need to do to discover God's will. So, number one, in order to discover or discern God's will, is we can know God's will through the word of God, through the scriptures. So this is the primary way in which God would speak to us. It says Psalm 119, verses 105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. So God would never lead you contrary to his word. Every decision that violates God's God's scripture is not in line with God's will. But God's will would always align with scripture. So this is where we need to focus or kind of strengthening our Bible reading. Ask ourselves what principles apply to my situations. Amen. Discovering the will of God through prayer. Prayer is foundational. The Bible says in James chapter 1, verse 5, says, if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of the Lord who gives liberally unto all persons, all men, and abrade it not. So if you lack wisdom, if you want to know the will of God for life, ask him. So prayer is not trying to change God's mind or persuade God to do anything, prayer is aligning ourselves, our heart, with God's plan or God's will. The Bible says, Lord, search my heart, search my motives, try me and see if there will be any wicked way in me. We pray and say things that Lord, close any doors that are not from you. Because some some some some doors are not supposed to be, you don't need to go into them because they can be an open pit and can lead into trouble. Another way God will lead us is through the Holy Spirit's peace. The Bible says in Colossians 3, verse 15, says, Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. So that word rule means let the peace of God act as an umpire in your heart. The peace of God will bring you clarity, assurance, and knowing that this is in line with God's will. No, if you don't have peace about anything, don't go that direction, don't do it. Amen. So peace is not just the absence of fear, but it's confidence in the Lord. It's an assurance, knowing that God has got your back. So another way God speaks to us is through godly counsel. Proverbs 11 14 says, In the multitude of counselors, there is safety. So God can speak to us through our through our pastors, through other believers, spiritual mentors, you know, people that we we we trust and are spirit-led, are spirit-filled. We can ask them, so what do you feel about this decision? What do you think about this this thing, this decision I'm trying to make? What's your thoughts? And they can give you their own perspective or godly counsel. So let us not ignore this great part of God's plan for our lives or God's way of leading us is through the counsel of the believers. For in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. So through circumstances, open and close doors. Sometimes God can open doors, but I'll say God can open a door that no one can shut, and it will shut doors nobody can open. Sometimes God will close some doors. You know, there was one time when Peter and Paul and their other apostles were praying and deciding the you know, trying to decide where to go preach the gospel. And the Bible says one time they were trying to go into Asia, but the Holy Spirit constrained them, the Holy Spirit prevented them from going into Asia. And then they had Paul had a dream where a man said to him, Come on to Macedonia and help us, and then that's why they decided actually God had led them to go and preach the gospel of Macedonia. So we could see God leading Paul, directing him. You know, it was a good thing, he was trying to do a good thing to go into Asia, but that was not God. So that wasn't the will of God, that wasn't the plan of God. Also, we could see in the life of Stephen, the evangelist, of Philip the evangelist, you know, he was having a great gospel crusade, he had a great outreach in Samaria. So many people got saved, so many healings, so many miracles. And then the Lord speaks to him and says, Go onto the unto Gaza to that leads to the desert. And there he met the Ethiopian eunuch, and that was the key that took the gospel into Africa, was through that Ethiopian eunuch that um Philip met right after his gospel crusade, right after the great and mighty miracles that were happening. God led him to go and preach the gospel um to this man, the utopian eunuch, and then he took the gospel into Africa. So we could see God's plan and God's will. And that was his way from leading a great crusade, a great outreach, so many things and miracles to go and preaching to just one person in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere. That was the will of God. He heard the voice of God, heard God's plan, and he obeyed. So we could see how God moved in that situation. So don't try to force some doors open that God is not opening. Sometimes we may try to make things happen in our own natural strength, unnatural ability, and God is not in it. So we need to be careful. Not every open door or not every door needs to be opened. Sometimes that's why we need to just trust the Lord to open doors for us. Don't make things happen in your own strength. Pray about it. Say, Lord, if whatever decision might be, ask the Lord about it. Pray about it. If it's a new job, if it's a promotion, whatever it might be, let God open the doors for you. Don't need to force things to make things happen because you can force things and then go out of God's plan or out of God's will. So we need to be careful, you know, and just trust the Lord in every circumstance and pray the prayer and say, Lord, if it's not your will, then let it not open. Don't let the door open in the first place. So another way to discern or to know the will of God for our lives is through our God-given desires. The Bible says in Psalm 34, verse 7, 37, verse 4, it says, Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart. So when we desire, we delight ourselves in the Lord, when our heart and our motives and our mind is in line with God's plan and will, you will have holy desires, holy, you know, your plans and your thoughts and your heart and your mind, your will will be in line with God's will. He will shape your desires. When we align our lives in line with his word and his will, your thoughts, your desires, your prayers will be in line with his plans and his will as well. Your passions would align with his purposes. Amen. Sometimes God can even give you a burden, a holy burden, or sometimes it may give you dreams and visions or a passion, something that you cannot shake. You try to run away from it, and yet you're always finding yourself back into it. Amen. So another way we can discern and know the will of God is through waiting. Isaiah 40, verse 31 says, Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. So we need to wait upon or learn how to wait on the Lord. So waiting is not like inactivity, but waiting is very important because you are trying to discern his plan and his will before you make another step. Wait upon the Lord, trust in the Lord in all your heart, in all your ways, acknowledge him. The Bible says he shall direct your path, trusting in God. Sometimes we need to just wait, you know, instead of taking a step, just wait upon the Lord until he shows the next direction. You know, when the the Lord said to the early apostles to wait or tarry in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father that the Holy Ghost was going to be poured out. So they were waiting in Jerusalem and He didn't tell them how long to wait. So you can imagine coming to a prayer meeting, and then Peter the apostle is leading the prayer meeting, and it's like we're going to wait on the Lord. And we're like, Okay, how are we going to wait? How long are I going to wait for? Like, we don't know, we're just going to wait until something happens. And they didn't even know what's going to happen. But Jesus. Said to them, Wait until the Holy Ghost is poured out unto you. He said to them in Acts chapter 1, verse 8, and you shall receive power when the Holy Ghost comes upon you. And that power is the ability to work miracles, to see signs and wonders, to see to be good to operate and function just as Jesus did on the earth. Amen. So sometimes we may try to go ahead of God and help God, like Abraham did with Ishmael, when he was trying to fulfill the promise of God that God was going to give him a son that was supposed to be by promise or by a miracle through Sarah. Or yet he went and had a child with Hagar, Sarah's servant, and produced Ishmael. And that Ishmael is the same problem we're still facing till today, you know, still having conflict with the descendants of Ishmael. So we can see that you know when Abraham tried to help God, it created a problem that he couldn't fix. So some of the common mistakes that we can make when seeking God's will is looking for a sign before seeking obedience, asking, you know, asking for signs in the natural. When we begin to ask for signs in natural, we can open ourselves up for the devil to accommodate us. For example, if you instead of relying on God's word and praying or waiting upon the Lord to actually speak to you or give you clear direction, if you put out a fleece and say, you know, if God, if you want me to go there or do this, make this happen in the natural. When you begin to pray things like that, the devil can actually make things happen in the natural. So we need to be very careful with those kind of prayers. Another thing we can make a mistake is when we confuse our own emotions or our own heart's desire for the will of God. So some things that you've been desiring and praying, and maybe that desire is really not in line with God's will, but you hunger and thirst, and you want this so badly, you can actually wish or think actually that's God's speaking to you, but it's probably not. So expecting a loud voice instead of his quiet guidance. Sometimes people are waiting and say, Lord, speak to me in an audible voice. Does God speak in an audible voice? Yes, he can, but it's not this normal way of speaking. The normal way he speaks is primarily through his word, and also primarily through the inward witness or the still small voice. The still small voice is basically your intuition, you're knowing the thoughts of God into your mind. Hallelujah. So God usually gives light for today and step-by-step direction. He gives you one step at a time. God may not give you the full blue, the full plan all in one day. For example, when God spoke to Abraham to leave the Chaldeans and go to a land that was going to show him, the Bible says Abraham left his father's house not knowing where he was going. So you can imagine taking a step of faith, not even knowing the destination, but just by the word of God that says, Go, leave your father's house and go to a land I'm going to show you. So you can imagine, let's say you're part of Abraham's family and you're asking Papa Abraham, Papa Abraham, so where are we going? And he's saying to you, Well, I don't know. I'm just waiting upon the Lord to give me the next step, the next direction to show me where I need to go. That's trust, that is faith, that is commitment to the Lord. Hallelujah. So that's how we need to be sometimes. We just need to wait upon the Lord. Don't don't take a step, don't hurry. Just trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not onto your own understanding in all your ways, acknowledge Him, the Bible says, and He shall direct your path. So, what are some practical ways in which you can help us fulfill or kind of know or discern God's will? So, when facing a decision, a big task, you want to know what God's will or God's plan is for your life in a certain season, certain direction. So you might say, Is this thing biblical? Is what I'm trying to do, is it in line with God's word? Is it in line with God's will? So if you're trying to pick a prayer that is not in line with God's will, first of all, it's not going to work. So the Bible says in 1 John chapter 5, it says that we have this. This is the confidence that we have in the Lord. That whatever we ask him, we receive from the Lord because we ask according to his will. So when we ask anything, the Bible says, according to his wills, the Bible says we know that he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, then he has granted us the petition that we've asked of him. So if we're praying and design anything from the Lord that is not in line with his will or in line with his word, then we can't receive answer to that prayer. So that's the first thing to do. What is God's will on this matter? If it's a matter for healing, for example, you know, the Bible already says by his stripes you were healed. So he is who his will is already known. You know, the Bible was was uh teaching, and uh I think it was um uh either Luke chapter one or so where the Bible talks about the man who had leprosy that came to Jesus to pray for him, and he says, Lord Master, I know that you can heal me if you if you want to. He knew God Jesus was able to heal him, but he wasn't sure if it was the will of God, if it was Jesus' will to for him to be healed, and Jesus said to him, I will, I am willing to be healed. So that word, I am willing, is a settled matter. So for anybody that has a sickness or disease that comes to God, Jesus is still saying that thing today, I am willing for you to be healed. It is not God's will for you to be sick, that is foundational. So, with regards to your healing, it's foundational. His word says, by his stripes you were healed. So that's clear. Then you're praying in line with that. God wants me healed, therefore, by his stripes I am healed. So, first of all, next thing have you prayed about this thing sincerely? Have you asked the Lord what his plan is or what his thoughts are? So we don't when we're asking the Lord about something to know his will, we don't come with a con preconceived notion or preconceived idea of what we want. You know, if you want God to say yes, you already come and say, Lord, I'm asking for this, but already you've already decided the answer is yes. But we need to come to God open-minded and say, God can say yes or no in this thing that I'm asking him about. So, another thing to do is when you've prayed, do you have peace in that action you're about to take? If you don't have peace, don't take an action, just wait. Wait, don't have, don't take an action, don't let anybody pressure you or force you into doing something that is not in line with God's word because they're under pressure. You know, we can see this happen in the Bible with Saul, for example, the king, when he made a sacrifice when Samuel was waiting, was was delaying in coming to do the sacrifice, and so Saul, the king, took it upon himself to sacrifice uh that was supposed to be done by the priest or the prophet. And Samuel was so angry with him, like, why did you do this? And because of that action he took, God rejected him from being a king and took away the kingdom from him. So we can see that you know he didn't have the jurisdiction, it wasn't God's will for him to do that, and he did it anyway, and he it was really bad for him, he lost the kingdom. So, another thing to understand in the process of discerning God's will is what are other believers saying about this? Have you prayed about it? Have you asked other believers, you know, about this section about the situation? What is their thoughts as well? Listen to what they say, what advice they give. So, are any circumstances in the natural confirming that decision? You know, am I surrendered to God's God's will and say, Lord, either way, for example, let's say you're praying about somebody to be your spouse, you know, to get married, or you want to get married to somebody, don't come to go with a preconceived notion and say, This is my husband, this is my wife. But if you're asking, say, Lord, is this my wife? Is this my husband? Am I supposed to get married to this person? And you are willing to receive whatever direction God says. If he says yes and you get a peace and confirmation, then go ahead. But if you don't have the peace or confirmation in your heart, don't go ahead with that situation or that that action, you know. Um, so when God speaks, when God says something to you, then take that step of faith and move on in that direction without doubting, amen. Hallelujah. So glory be to God. Just in case if you have any prayer requests, please put it in the chat and uh we're gonna pray about it, amen. Glory be to God. Final encouragement for everyone discovering God's will is not you know, it's not like solving a jigsaw puzzle, amen. But we need to come to God in humility and believing that it is God's will for your life to know his plan. Because God is not going to hide in some kind of mysterious way, as if you know he doesn't want you to know his plan for your life. Of course, he wants you to know his plan, but then he wants you to seek him, seek the Lord, trust in the Lord, walk with him, abide in him, seek his face. The Bible says, Bible says, if you seek him, you will find him. If you seek to know his will, you will discover his will for your life in every situation. Glory be to God. Psalm 32, verse 8 says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. So God is more commitment, committed to guiding you than you are in finding his direction. The Bible says that you shall hear a voice behind you saying, This is the right way, walk in it. God is going to direct your life day by day. Say, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path. Daily when I seek you, every single day. God will answer your prayer if you seek him sincerely with your heart, wanting to know his plan for your life. Amen. So, in closing, let us make let us commit our ways unto the Lord, and our path shall be directed. Amen. So God will answer every prayer you pray in line with his will. So, first of all, discover his will. Number one, through his word, it might be the written will of God, the written word of God, or his discovered or his revealed will, which he maybe he speaks to you in a voice or in a thought or in a dream or in a vision or in in the in an interaction with other believers or prophetic word, you know, whatever it is, when God has revealed his real to you, then you can pray in line with that will and then it will be answered. Amen and amen. So I'd like us to pray a prayer right now in closing. Father, I thank you for hearing our prayer, and for every single person that will listen to this message, in that's discerning or kind of have a question in their heart, they want to know your will for their lives. I pray, Father God, that you will speak to them in clarity, give them discernment, give them peace. And Lord, in areas where they might be making a mistake or trying to go ahead of you, I pray help them to be sensitive, to be obedient, to be to learn to be patient and wait upon the Lord. Father, I thank you, Father God, because I know it's your good that you it's your good pleasure to give us the kingdom and to answer our prayer. So, Father Lord, I just thank you. I give you praise, I give you glory. Blessed be your holy name right now. Thank you for this amazing, amazing time of kingdom culture and learning how to discern or discover your will in Jesus' name, amen. God bless everyone. Have a wonderful evening, wonderful day wherever you are, in Jesus' mighty name, amen.