How Do I Know God’s Will for My Life?

Knowing God’s will for your life depends on the area of your life you need understanding in. But in this blog, we will talk about the area of your life that relates to work and prosperity.

The first thing you need to know with regard to God’s will for your life is found in Jeremiah 29:11, and it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” So, without letting your mind wander too far, the first encouragement that is sure and true is that God’s plans for you contain prosperity, hope, and a good future.

But there are moments and seasons of your life that feel like a crossroad experience. There are times you feel lost within yourself, and you just aren’t sure the direction your life is taking or should take. Those moments when you are trying to figure out your purpose in life, the career path you should follow, the kind of business to venture into, and you really would love to know the mind of God for your life in this matter.

I can relate to this because I have been there a million times over. As a grown woman, a wife, and a mother of four, I have very little time for myself, and I often wonder if I have a dream for my life, let alone pursuing such a dream, whatever that may be. So, this topic is one that I can personally relate to.

One of the surest ways of knowing God’s will for your life is by asking Him. Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The first thing I am learning here is the need to be hungry for an answer. The posture of your heart when you seek God for answers says a lot about whether you get one or not.

Still on the issue of asking, Jeremiah 33:2-3 says, “This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is His name. ‘Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” With a heart hungry for answers and ready to receive, God is telling us to ask, and He will answer, and open up the mystery of who He has purposed us to be to us.

This is as straightforward as it can get, but there is a downside to it. How are we able to hear from God? What if what you are told by Him does not make sense? What if you cannot rationalise what you have heard?  

I think it is safe to say that if you have prayed and you have heard from God and you are convinced it is God speaking to you, then whatever you have heard, please pursue it and be diligent in it. But understand that God will not give you an assignment He has not equipped you for.

Exodus 31:1-6

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also, I have given skills to all craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.

 From the scripture above, another convenient way to know God’s will for your life in terms of your life’s purpose is to be sensitive to your talents and abilities. What is it that God has given you skill, ability, and knowledge in? You know those things you are good at doing, and you excel in effortlessly; that is your purpose. That is God’s will for your life.

If you have been able to catch a glimpse of your special skill, ability, and knowledge, and you have prayed and have confirmed your purpose and direction with God, you need to understand that the prosperity that God promised may not manifest overnight. So, if you think you know your calling and things are not happening yet, please continue reading.

Proverbs 12:24 tells us that diligent hands rule. Diligence is not restricted to just working hard but working hard persistently. What this scripture is saying is that you need to put consistent effort into your craft to gain mastery of it before it begins to become profitable for you.

The fact that you tried a couple of times does not make it invalid. Understand the fact that God gave you the skill, but He will need to grow you into the skill, such that you understand and have knowledge in it to perfection, before showing you off to the world. Every skill and knowledge God gives you requires training.  

Jumping from one career field to another is a big time-waster. And so, you need clarity, which comes from prayer and your ability to hear from God, and then you need resilience, which is the training process to prosper in God’s will for your life. Consider your resilience and determination as the seed you need to sow in order to have the harvest of prosperity from the skill and ability that God has given you.

But one thing you should never do is consider that someone is prospering in their own area of ability and skill and covet that ability and pursue the skill without first asking God if that is His will for your life. In such a situation, no matter your resilience and determination, if God has not given you the skill for that trade, career, or purpose, you are just wasting your time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” And verse 11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Finally, Habakkuk 2:3 says, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end, and it will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

All the scriptures in the paragraph above speak of one thing—the time of the manifestation of skill. The skill, ability, and knowledge that God has given you are there to prosper you, but the timing of that prosperity is determined by God alone.

If there is a waiting season, then the waiting season is a training season. The resilience, persistent effort, and continuous hard work are seeds that precede the harvest. Without the seed, there is no harvest.

So, in answering the question “How do I know God’s will for my life?” The first thing is to pray. You need to pray with a hunger in your heart for an objective answer. You need to be sensitive to your special skill, ability, and knowledge—that ability that makes you take on some special tasks without getting bored. Then you need to put in persistent effort till it becomes a prosperous task for you.

If this message stirred something in your heart, don’t stop here. Here are books that go deeper into these truths—offering clarity, encouragement, and practical faith for real-life seasons. Each one was written to strengthen you where you are and help you walk forward with confidence in God. Explore the books and take the next step in your faith journey today. Click on the button below for details.