Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you. Romans 12:2

Have you ever asked yourself the question, how do I determine God’s will for my life? Have you ever just made so many mistakes or perceived wrong turns that you just had to stop yourself and say “Ok God, I give up. What am I doing wrong here?” I know I have.

But then, this scripture changed my life.

I’ve been drawn to God for as long as I can remember. I’d like to call myself a spiritual person. That is, curious about God enough to seek Him out, study Him and have a relationship with Him. But it took me having to go though a little bit of life first before I actually “walked with Him.”

What does “walking with Him” look like, you might ask. For me, it wasn’t just about going to church and being satisfied with hearing the word presented to me by someone else – even though that was certainly helpful to my spiritual growth. My real walk began when I started to actually have quiet time dedicated to reading the word for myself, talking to God, actually sitting still and listening for Him to speak back to me, and journaling. That’s when I felt a real connection, and things started to shift for me.

Several years into my walk, I stumbled across this scripture. I had read it before, I’m certain, because I had read the Bible front to back before. But I didn’t really explore it and dissect it and understand it until I really searched for this understanding of God’s will for my life.

And there it was. Staring me in the face. Slowly but surely over time, as I strengthened my walk with Him, as I started to not just listen to and seek understanding from God, I started to be obedient – I began to change into a new person. I started to think differently, speak differently, walk differently. I started to make wiser decisions. As the scripture states, I was being transformed. In the midst of my transformation, I found access to determining God’s will for my life.

Now before you look at me sideways for thinking that I am claiming to be some type of prophetess, let me explain to you what I understand is knowing God’s will for one’s life.

God has given us some pretty clear instructions on how to live in the Bible. However, one big challenge for us is that we often pick and choose what we’d like to be obedient to based off of our limited understanding of a boundary He has set. In other cases, it may be an unwillingness to do or not do something that requires self-control or discipline.

However, when we start to study the Bible and internalize the words and truly live those words out, we start to operate in a way that constantly asks the question, “what would God want me to do here?” And you know what happens after that? The path starts to become clear. We start to think and walk and talk like Him. With each step that we take towards obedience, the more our minds are renewed, and the clearer the path becomes.

Now can I see all the way through to the end of my story, or even answer questions like who will I marry or how long do I have here on Earth? No, but that’s not the point of this gift either. The point is, if you want to know how to live and determine what God wants for you, you just need to first believe that He knows the way and will show you, and allow Him to constantly transform you into the person He is shaping you to be. In that renewing of your mind, there you will find His will. There you will find the firm footing of His plans for you.  In following His instructions, He will indeed show you the way forward.

Learn more about my personal testimony in discovering God’s will for my life in my newest book, God Doesn’t Make Mistakes at www.ourmistakeshisplans.com.