Finding the Will of God

About fifteen years ago I came across a book concerning the will of God that transformed my thinking on the subject. Recently, the author has expanded the book and added a lot of new material that I believe is well worth the purchase price.

“Decision Making and the Will of God” is unlike any treatise you have ever read on the subject of finding God’s will. The primary reason is because it approaches the subject from a totally different (and I think biblical) perspective. Early in my Christian life I struggled with knowing God’s will for my life. After all, if there is only "one" choice that places you in the “center” of His will, it is essential that you “find” that singular choice or face missing God’s “perfect” plan. Most books on the subject I read provided a “formulae” that I thought was very arbitrary in their approach. And, I couldn’t help but feel that God, for some reason, was making the process feel like a search through a haystack for a needle.

Dr. Garry Freisen presents what I believe to be the most biblical and best approach to knowing God’s will for your life. At first reading, you may initially reject his ideas because it is significantly different to the approach most of us learned earlier in our Christian lives. But, if you will let the scriptures speak for themselves I think you will discover that God’s will is not “hidden” as some have been led to believe. Actually, though God has a sovereign will (that is secret and unalterable) and moral will (revealed in His inspired word and must be obeyed), I no longer believe that God has an “individual will,” as traditionally presented. You have probably heard a formulae for finding God’s will that goes something like this: What does God’s Word say about your choice? Have you talked to and listened to godly counselors on this matter? Do you have peace about your choice? Do the circumstances align to confirm your choice? Are there open or closed doors ahead of you? Etc., etc.

Do you see how some of these questions can lead a person to total inaction while making the most important decisions in life? The “way of wisdom” is the best way to know God’s will and it removes the fear of missing “God’s best.” Dr. Friesen argues poignantly that the "way of wisdom" is God's means for guiding our lives.

Two other books that address this same subject from a similar perspective are “Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach,” by Kevin DeYoung and “Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion?” by Dr. Bruce Walke. These are shorter books about the will of God, but both provide excellent material worth considering in the discussion of this subject. Although they interact less with the biblical text than Dr. Friesen's book, they are both very practical and biblical in their approach to doing God's will.

The Church Awakening by Dr. Charles Swindoll

Dr. Charles Swindoll is a prolific author that I have read many times through the years. (Actually, he is one of my favorite authors.) Recently I picked up his newest book, “The Church Awakening, An Urgent Call for Renewal” primarily because I was curious about what he might have to say about the current state of today’s modern church growth movement. What I found was a well reasoned and thoroughly biblical treatise of God’s plan for His church, as well as poignant treatment of where some churches have gone astray. His words are not delivered in a caustic way, but you will find them convincing and convicting...if you hold to the centrality of the scripture as the final rule of the church. I think he argues cogently that too much emphasis is placed on secular methodology rather than on the Master’s plan for building His church. In the last chapter he states, “We can prevent the slow, silent, and subtle erosion--the drift from Christ’s master plan--only by allowing clear, biblical thinking to override a secular, corporate mentality based on human opinions” (P.267). Too often what we sacrifice in the process of utilizing the "secular, corporate mentality” are the central tenets that have set the church apart for the past 2000 years and made her the light in the darkness of our society. I especially appreciated his emphasis on the need for biblical, expository preaching/teaching to return to our pulpits rather than the spiritual “junk food” diets that many church members receive weekly. Just my general observation is that too many speakers talk about/around the scriptures, but fail to accurately expound them. Clearly, as Dr. Swindoll indicates, preaching does not have to be boring, but it must be thoroughly biblical. It may be that people are clamoring for more entertaining worship that essentially relegates biblical truth to a secondary status, but we acquiesce to these demands at our own (and their) spiritual peril. I know I have said this in other book reviews, but I believe every young pastor should read this book to help maintain balance in his ministry. God didn’t call us to just build a crowd. He called us to make disciples. That’s what this book can help us accomplish.

Why Men Hate Going To Church

When I recently finished reading this book I could only think to myself, "I wish this had been written 25 years ago and that I had read it then." The documentation is here along with clear explanations about why men hate going to church. On any given Sunday (in most of our churches) there will be many more women worshipping/serving than men. It has long disturbed many of us that so few men are willing to step up to the plate and join the cause of advancing Christ's Kingdom. This book gives cogent and documented explanations for the gender gap in our congregations, as well as many suggestions on how to change the situation. You might not agree with every conclusion or suggestion offered to correct the problem, but you'll see why we must "do church" differently, if men really matter to God (and they do). Young pastors and church leaders need to get their hands on this book early in their ministries and adjust their approach away from things that unnecessarily turn men off. It's really not a matter of men being less spiritual than women that keps them from participating, but rather important differences in the way men relate to spiritual things that the church has too long ignored. I believe that most of the content of this book any man will affirm with a hearty, "AMEN."

"When a mother comes to Christ the rest of her family follows 17% of the time. When a father comes to Christ the rest of his family follows 93% of the time." (Pg. 47)