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We ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:15, ESV).
Let’s consider our next major decision. How do we find God’s will? Below is a simple plan for knowing God’s will that I call The Cycle of Confirmation.
In the early 1970s, I was leading a bunch of ex-hippies (now called Jesus Freaks) in a ministry called the One Way House (One Way for Jesus!). We were under the age of 22, and the dominant question we were asking was …
What is the will of God?
We wanted to sell out for God by knowing and doing His will. We had decisions to make about college, career, marriage, and whether we should live in Springfield, Ohio, for the rest of our lives.
What is the will of God?
I was attending Bible college, and so I raised my hand in a theology class and asked the professor to take a few moments from his intricate instructions on the details of Systematic Theology and answer a simple question.
How can we know the will of God for our lives?
His gracious response to my impertinent question was to invite me to lunch after class. After we sat down at our table, he took out a napkin and drew a diagram with pen on paper that is reproduced to the below …
The professor said, “Finding God’s will is a process. I look at it as a Cycle of Confirmation. You are in the middle with the direction or decision that you have made or need to make. If it’s God, you will find the Bible supportive, the Spirit confirming, others agreeing, and the circumstances opening for the decision.”
I put the napkin in my pocket after our lunch and promptly lost it. But I never forgot this Cycle of Confirmation. I use it to determine if a decision that I’m making is God’s will.
This is how you find God’s will! But one more thing …
The professor also said, “I call this the ‘Increasing Cycle of Confirmation’ because in my experience, not only will the decision align with the Bible, others, the Spirit, and circumstances, but the cycle will spin more intensely as God gives more Scripture, more encouragement, more Spirit leading, and more doors miraculously opening — all confirming your decision.”
Let’s review:
- Bible
- Spirit
- Others
- Circumstances
Spinning faster and faster, increasing faith and confidence, you can find God’s will with the Cycle of Confirmation.
Interruptions is trying something new.
Follow this link to a short video about using the
Cycle of Confirmation. Let me know what you think.