"Your confidence in making decisions is directly related to your confidence in God himself"

http://www.challies.com/resources/5-great-books-on-the-will-of-god

Decision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen. This is the classic and the granddaddy of all the books on both decision making and understanding God’s will. The book is very thorough which is both a strength and a weakness. It’s one you can use for reference, turning to just the parts you want to read, or you can read it straight through. In either case you’ll benefit. My favorite bit is where he discusses “the case of the missing dot” and deals with the idea that we can somehow be outside the center of God’s will.

Every Christian should read!

I appreciate this list very much. I have been keeping an eye out for something that addresses this topic for a while now, ever since I used to be a Youth Pastor facing teenage questions like, “I’m about to graduate - how do I know God’s will for my life.”

I remember then struggling with common perception that God is trying to “reveal His will” for each of us, if we’d only listen hard enough. I basically told the teenagers to:

• Find what Scripture says about their question
• Pray
• Just get off their butt and make a decision
• Keep praying

I am becoming more and more convinced that this is the way to go. I recently gave the same advice to an older Christian lady I know who is looking to be a short-term missionary. She wants to know what God’s will is. I asked her if she could afford to leave for a year. She said it might be a bit tight, but she could do it. I asked her if she wanted to take advantage of this missionary opportunity. She said yes. I asked if she’d prayed about it and still wants to do it. She said yes. I told her to stop worrying and go.

Thanks again, Jim!

Found: God’s Will

Worthwhile

I found Kevin DeYoung’s book “Just Do Something” a very good book on the subject. Easy to read and not too long. Kevin keeps it interesting. A good book to consider for teens. I plan to have my teenage daughter read it.

All of these books mentioned are rock-solid Calvinist, and often Reformed. If you aren’t sold out on that theology, avoid them.

I have read all of those mentioned: Decision Making, Found God’s Will, and Just Do Something. I found little to help me since the worldview is so different from mine.

The worst of the 3 is Just Do Something. Kevin De Young’s quintessential example of decision making is his grandfather who managed to live 50+ years as a Christian and NEVER ONCE wondered if any decision he made was in God’s will.In fact, the book emphasizes that when Kevin asked him about if his decisions were in God’s will, he didn’t even relate to why anyone would ask the question! That was lifted up as the example to follow. No thanks!

I wouldn’t call Friesen “reformed”. Also don’t recollect Calvinism shining through his writing (I’ve read the book twice … once 30 years ago … 2nd time perhaps 15 years ago).

Here’s his biography: http://www.multnomah.edu/bio/garry-friesen/

His education: B.A. - John Brown University; Th.M., Ph.D. - Dallas Theological Seminary

@Mark_Smith: While Calvinists and Arminians would say something different about what’s going on re: the hidden will of God (how sovereignty/Providence/predestination works out), I would think the decisive doctrine would be the sufficiency of Scripture, right? Of the three books listed above, I have read most of Friesen, none of the other two. (I essentially agree with him.)

1. Can you connect the dots for me on how you see Reformed theology affecting their view of decision-making?
2. Do you agree with me that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 means that if there’s anything good that God wants me to do, I’ll find sufficient guidance in Scripture?

I said “often”, not “was” Reformed.

I did not say Friessen was Reformed. I am mostly referring to Challies and De Young with that.

No, I am not arguing this topic, and I have learned in the past it brings up way too much and isn’t worth it. As an example, I mention Reformed in a sentence and people misread it and off you go!!!

My only point is to say that readers should be careful. That is all.

[Jim]

Found: God’s Will

Worthwhile

Mark:

I appreciate your points. You wrote the following:

Kevin De Young’s quintessential example of decision making is his grandfather who managed to live 50+ years as a Christian and NEVER ONCE wondered if any decision he made was in God’s will.In fact, the book emphasizes that when Kevin asked him about if his decisions were in God’s will, he didn’t even relate to why anyone would ask the question!

I have to confess that I don’t spend any amount of time wondering about God’s will. There, I said it. I confess it openly. I don’t spend any time thinking about it. None.

• I remember sitting in the Career Counselor’s office in LaMaddalena, Sardinia in 2003. I had to pick a duty station. I had a choice between going to sea and being away from my family, or heading to Sicily and getting a $200.00 per month bonus to boot. I didn’t stop to ponder God. I just chose to go to Sicily.
• I remember making the decision to get out of the Navy and go to Seminary. I’d been praying about guidance for a long time. It was a big decision. Eventually, I just filled out the form. I never received any bolt from the blue from God - not even a hint of one. I just figured that if God didn’t want me to be in the ministry, then He’d steer me in another direction. He didn’t.
• I didn’t wait for “God’s call” to take a Pastorate. For a variety of reasons, I just felt it was time to take the next step. I submitted a lot of applications. I went to the first place that would have me. I preached and met the people. We clicked. They offered and I accepted. Here I am. How do I know I’m “in God’s will?” I never asked myself that question. I just acted after prayer.

Perhaps this is really about the doctrine of providence more than anything else?

• How do I know whether it’s God’s will that I go to a Bible study tonight at the home of a couple who are new Christians, want to join the church, but are fuzzy on salvation and redemption? Of course it’s God’s will that I help make things clear for them. Therefore, we’re going over Ephesians 1 at their house tonight.
• How do I know if it’s God’s will that we do VBS? Why in the world wouldn’t’ it be His will that kids hear the Gospel? Therefore, we’re doing VBS.
• How do I know if it’s God’s will for us to support another missionary? Can we afford it? Yes. Then why it wouldn’t it be His will to support another missionary?
• How do I know if it’s God will that I get a PhD one day? Would it help or hinder my abilities as a Pastor or my growth as a Christian? It would help. Therefore, why wouldn’t it be God’s will for me to continue to study His Word?

This may seem simplistic or perhaps even fatalistic to some folks. It just seems simple to me. I am interested in hearing objections.

Well, that is great for you. When I teach a room full of college students, most of whom have been taught young earth creationism at home and church, that modern cosmology measures the age of the universe to be 13.6 billion years old…I ask myself A LOT whether I have wasted my time earning a PhD and teaching science!!!

What I mean by this is I often feel like I am perceived by students and fellow Christians as “destroying” the faith of people by having to teach this. I always do it carefully, but people aren’t usually nuanced enough to get my points. So, I often wonder whether my career choice was a good one.

My point, Mark, is that I don’t think “waiting on God’s will” will get many people anywhere. Short of a voice from the sky, how will someone ever be “sure” they’re in God’s will? Far better to just ponder the Scriptures, pray and just do something. If God doesn’t want it to happen, I’m sure He’ll steer us in another direction, often without us even being aware of it. I’m sure we can all look back, in retrospect, and see God’s providence in our lives in a way we couldn’t at the time.

I really do.

[Mark_Smith]

Well, that is great for you. When I teach a room full of college students, most of whom have been taught young earth creationism at home and church, that modern cosmology measures the age of the universe to be 13.6 billion years old…I ask myself A LOT whether I have wasted my time earning a PhD and teaching science!!!

What I mean by this is I often feel like I am perceived by students and fellow Christians as “destroying” the faith of people by having to teach this. I always do it carefully, but people aren’t usually nuanced enough to get my points. So, I often wonder whether my career choice was a good one.

I think you could be very effective as a resource / speaker for campus Christian groups. You know … “I have a PhD in Physics (or whatever it is) and I have faith in Christ and I believe the Bible”

It doesn’t bother me if people make decisions “mystically”, as long as they don’t make them mystically for me or with me

–- anecdote –-

• I was on a non-profit (Christian) board.
• We had a director (full time w the organization)
• I was the President
• We had a big project to acquire a specialized type of property for the ministry
• A subcommittee determined that we needed such and such … so much square feet … x number of this type or rooms and … a list of specialized requirements (location in the metroplex, access to public transportation, et cetera)
• The committee brought the recommendation to the full board. We hashed over it and refined it a bit and approved it. Basically the way the subcommittee recommended. Our board President was chair of the subcommittee and obviously was on the full board too.
• So we had a complete list of requirements and specifications.
• All was fine
• We fundraised and that was going well … approaching the amount we projected we needed.
• Out of the blue, our board president had a feeling that such and such property was right for us. It was owned by a Christian who needed to sell it. There was a complete mismatch between the specifications and the property. It had half of the required “x” rooms. Our president was certain that this was God’s will. She prayed about it and it was going to happen.
• Talk about frustration. After hours and hours of work over months and months that resulted in a specification document, a mystical directive turned the whole thing around.
• As it turned out it was a short sale and that process is notoriously long and arduous. The deal failed to go through
• After that weird event, it became obvious to me that I was on a completely different wavelength from the director. And that decisions were to be made subjectively instead of objectively
• When my term expired, I chose not to run for reelection.
• The new board president followed this visionary subjective process. They bought a property with 3x of one of the specifications instead of 6x

​–––––-

• It doesn’t bother me if others play the subjective, lay a fleece out, “God told me” .. .etc
• But I won’t play in that game