Discerning the will of God

Just read Benny Ho's book on Discerning the will of God.

5 characteristics about God's will:
Source/Type/ Action
His pleasure/ His sovereign will/ We must submit
His purity/ His moral will/ We must obey
His providence/ His providential will/ We must observe
His permission/ His permissive will/ We must avoid
His preference/ His specific will/ We must discern

God's specific will is uncovered by doing the first 3 aspects of God's will - submit to His sovereign will, obey His moral will and observe His providential will.

The underlying principle of God's guidance is Christ-likeness - Rom 8:28-30.

Below are the key factors to divine guidance:
1. the supremacy of Scriptures
- read the word of God (Ps 119:105, 2 Tim 3:14-17)
2. the spirit of the seeker
- go to God with a pure desire for His will to be done
3. the patience of prayer
- wait for God's guidance and direction
- silence and solitude needed --> demands inner quietness to listen, patience to
wait, expectancy to hear, time to listen and attention and focus
4. the counsel of Christians
- seek counsel of spiritually mature people
5. the confirmation of circumstances
- God's providence may kick in to engineer the circumstances to fulfil his will
6. the discipline of decision-making
- make sound decisions and exercise sound judgment in the light of the
Scriptures, our circumstances, what God has given to us, the big picture, and
our calling.
7. the presence of peace (Phil 4:6 -7 & Col 3:15)
- the inner witness of the Spirit
8. the supernatural signs of the Spirit
- divine intervention

Distinguishing soul-driven from Spirit-driven
sudden impulsive urge/ gradually growing conviction
originates from the mind/ birthed from the Spirit in prayer
initiated by circumstances/ initiated by God
confused changing of mind/ convicted steadfastness in the Spirit
lack of inner peace/ presence of inner peace
waning desire/ growing desire

Steps to listening prayer
1. Lay the situation and options before God
2. Ask the Lord to show if there is anything we don't know or have not considered
3. Mention specific areas of concern
4. Wait for God's reply
5. Write down what you sense you are hearing
6. Wait for confirmation through circumstances, counsel or conviction