In this blog series I’ve explained, to the best of my ability, how to know God’s will in any given situation. I have given you an effective reliable method which I have used in many different circumstances to discern God’s will. Now I want to show you how I applied it to a very big decision I had to make.
It was May 2018. I was living in an apartment when out of the blue, my landlord informed me that he wasn’t renewing my lease at the end of September!
To where am I supposed to move?!
Before I received the notice, I was already sensing that God might be moving me out of the area—away from my home state, away from my church family of 25 years. I just didn’t know where or when, or even if for certain.
This “feeling” became so strong in April that I began confiding in a few trusted people. One of them was a close family member, who said she was also sensing the same thing for me. But was that a sign that He was moving me out of the area or only that He was going to move me?
So I waited.
When I did get the shocking news from my landlord, and after my initial “Oh no!” response, I quickly realized this was God’s doing. But where am I to go? This is a pretty big world!
Being clueless where to start, I prayed…
“Lord, You know where You are moving me. Please show me! Help me to lay all my desires and emotions on the altar. Let them not interfere with me discerning Your will. Reveal any sin that would hinder my hearing You. I want to be in the center of Your perfect will. And Lord, if at all possible, please let me know before the end of August.”
I began gathering information and asked questions like:
- Where would I like to live?
- In what way would I like to serve God more?
- In what way does God want to use me more?
- What church is in need of women with my gifts?
I also sought the counsel of several godly people, including a man I greatly respected and knew through Revive Our Hearts Ministry. He had given me great counsel in the past, so I figured his church would be a good one to investigate. Plus, it was only 1 hour away and closer to the mountains–I love to hike!
I checked out the church’s doctrine, purpose statement, and ministries. I listened to several sermons online, visited on 3 different occasions, and met with the women’s ministry director. The more I discovered, the more I sensed that this could very well be my new church home. If that was the case, then God would have to provide a place to live.
So I began searching online for an apartment. Initially, I came up empty and was dismayed. But I kept seeking and found one!
It gets a little too complicated from this point on. Suffice it to say that when I saw the apartment, I knew it was the one for me. So I put down a security deposit and asked a few close friends to pray for peace (or lack of it) about my decision. From that moment on, all I had was complete peace.
But I am a scaredy cat, plagued with fears of making a mistake. Plus, this was a HUGE decision! Was this peace truly from God? Therefore, I continued to ask God for confirmation. He patiently reassured His fearful daughter that this was indeed my new home and church in a variety of “miraculous” ways.
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I am in awe of how God orchestrated all these details and clearly revealed His will to me. I only had to visit one church and knew where I was to live by mid-July! That is amazing!
I’ve been at my new location now for over 16 months. I made the right decision! I just love it here! The best part: God is using me in even greater ways than before. And He has brought people to help me expand He’s So Worth It Ministries. It certainly has been worth it!
Until next time, my friends, go forth in complete confidence in God.
He will direct every one of your steps!
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. (Ps 37:23)
Previous blogs in this series:
How to KNOW God’s Will: Part 1
6 Hindrances to Knowing God’s Will
A Proven Method to KNOW God’s Will: A 10 Step Process
A Proven Method to KNOW God’s Will: A 10 Step Process-Part 2
Originally published 2/19/20
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.