Understand that man was sent by God. Clear Signs That God Says “Yes” to Your Prayers

Have you ever wondered if you are following God's will or plan for you?

Have you been worried that you might be going in the wrong direction?

Would you like God to write His will on your daily to-do list?

Yes, I am too!

Since my ordination, Rev has received calls to serve in various ministries, and I have had to make decisions about whether to return to teaching full-time, half-day, or stay at home.

And work is just the beginning, isn't it?

How many children should we have? Which school should our children go to or is it better to teach them at home? Where should we live? Is this house right for us? Is that the church? When should I retire?

What should I do?

Questions keep popping up and popping up one after another.

Sometimes it is very easy to understand where God wants us to be, and sometimes it is more difficult.

Having to make life-changing decisions can be one of the biggest stressors in our lives.

So the question we all want to know the answer to is:

How can I know if this or that is from God?

There are some things we can do to check the situation and we ask God for guidance and want to do His will.

5 Ways to Know It's From God

1. Prayer

Start with prayer. Sounds simple, doesn't it? The way it is.

Begin by asking him to show you His special will for you in this situation.

“…Pray for us to the Lord your God… that the Lord your God will show us the way we should go and what we should do.” (Jer. 42:3)

2. Praise God

Ask: Does this glorify God?

God will never direct you to do something that does not glorify Him.

Ask yourself: Does this bless my relationship with my family? Does it help me to serve others? What will be my attitude if I do this? Etc.

“…Present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.” (Rom. 6:13)

3. Agreement with Scripture

Is this consistent with Scripture?

God gave us His Word, in which He showed His will. And I can trust biblical wisdom.

You never need to ask God if it is His will for you to steal money from your company or spread fresh gossip about your neighbor.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Tim. 3:16)

4. Willingness to wait

Be patient. God's will is worth the wait. Trust His timing.

If something is God's will, He will help you wait and accomplish it. Don't rush, God will let you know when the right time is.

“Trust in the Lord, be of good cheer, and let your heart be strong, and hope in the Lord.” (Ps. 26:14)

5. Trusting God to do His will in your life

God will fulfill His promises and do His will for you.

I confess that I am sometimes very impatient. I want a clear answer and I want it right now! But I realized that I can watch and wait... God will do what He said, and He will do His will.

“And to Him who, by the power that works in us, can do incomparably more than all that we ask or think about, to Him be glory in the Church in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, from age to age. Amen." (Eph. 3:20-21)

Not everything in life is clear and simple. There will be times when you do all of the above and still aren't sure what God's will is for you.

This is fine.

You can be sure that if God wants something specific for you in your life, He will lead you to it.

If you've gone through all five steps and still don't have a clear answer... just keep moving on. Make a choice. The good news is that if you trust God and glorify Him with your life, you can move forward with confidence.

Rev and I had periods where the choice was obvious... so obvious that we had to change our plans halfway through.

Sometimes we used "wool" to ask God for guidance. You can read about Gideon and how he used wool to confirm God's will in Judges 6. No, we did not ask God for dew on sheared sheep's wool, we asked Him to clearly show us His will through some events so that it would be easier for us to make a decision.

And to be honest, there were several times when we went through all five items on our list and still it was not clear to us what to do.

Because we just lived every day ...

And you can too!

Trust in God's love... immerse yourself in His mercy and grace. You can be sure that God will openly reveal His special plans for you. You don't have to live in fear of disappointing Him as you seek His will with these five steps.

Pray, praise God, study the Scriptures, be willing to wait, and trust God's ability to work in your life.

Your Father is with you.

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Take action! Live for His glory! Praise and glorify Him!

“For only I know what intentions I have for you, says the Lord, intentions for good and not for evil, to give you a future and hope. And call to Me, and go and pray to Me, and I will hear you; and you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:11-13)

Can the Lord leave people without His care? Conversation with Archimandrite Markell (Pavuk), confessor of the Kiev Theological Schools.

- It's good when everything in life is five, but sometimes continuous troubles begin (these are health problems, and troubles in the family and at work). Then it seems that God has completely forgotten you and left you. Father, can this be?

– God-forsakenness is somewhat reminiscent of the passion of despondency, but it is not the same thing. If people indulge in despondency for the most part because of the multitude of their sins, which they do not want to repent of, then a feeling of God-forsakenness can arise not only among great sinners, but also among quite pious people. As St. John Chrysostom explains, the Lord can leave people without His care for the sake of their testing and improvement. It is like a mother leaving a child who is learning to take the first steps in life. If she did not do this, the child would never have learned to walk. He all the time, even as an adult, just to crawl.

– It turns out that the feeling of God-forsakenness is deceptive, the Lord never leaves anyone?

– The Lord does not leave a person, even if he has turned away from Him because of his sins. God patiently, like no one else, is waiting for the return to Him, just as He was waiting (remember from the Gospel parable) for the return of the prodigal son.

– But after all, the Lord can be angry with a person through his sins, in which he is mired and does not want to repent?

- In this case, according to the explanation of St. Theophan the Recluse, there may be a feeling of God-forsakenness, which persists for quite a long time, until a person realizes to which bottom he has sunk, and does not repent. Probationary God-forsakenness usually does not last long.

– Some people actively go to services, confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, but over time they have a period of cooling off to spiritual life and they stop going to church. Is that also godliness?

- Not always. Such cooling most often occurs due to the fact that they could not overcome their main sins - pride, pride, vanity. As long as they are given special attention in the temple, they are given special assignments, they experience joy from this, and when such people remain a little in the shadows due to the fact that the priest began to pay more attention to others, they get upset and lose interest in spiritual life.

—Maybe for the same reason children stop going to church? As long as the priest pays attention to them, gives them obedience in the altar, or blesses them to read and sing on the kliros, they feel in demand. But as soon as someone better than them appears, because of a feeling of jealousy, and sometimes undisguised resentment, they leave the church.

- It happens too. It is not so bad when children leave the temple for this reason. After some time, when the insult passes, they can return here. It's scary when grown-up people, sometimes even invested with clergy, do this. Because of lust for power, greed and pride, if something does not happen the way they would like, they begin to blame not only the people around them, but are not afraid to be angry with God Himself. For this reason, someone begins to look for other gods for himself, leaving for a schism or a sect, where one does not have to fight with oneself, but where, on the contrary, human lust for power and pride is flattered in every possible way.

– Is it possible to insure yourself and other people against such a rash step?

– A lot depends on the pastors of the Church. They should try to treat all people equally, with the same love. And not only priests, but also all who come to the temple of God, need to work hard to eradicate pride, vanity and self-love from their hearts with the help of prayer, confession and communion. Sometimes these vices are for the time being hidden behind special piety, but in fact we can love ourselves more than God.

How to prepare yourself for spiritual trials?

– We must never forget that the Lord, no matter how capricious and disobedient children we may be, does not cease to love us. And therefore, all the troubles that happen in our lives should be taken as a bitter medicine that will heal us, make us more reasonable, patient, not power-hungry and not greedy, but loving God and other people with all our hearts and souls.

In the course of our lives, we often find ourselves faced with a choice of what to do, which path to take, and not just to go, but so that this path corresponds to the will of God for us. How can you know the will of God? How do we know that the choice we are making is the right one? Pastors of the Russian Church give their advice.

The question of how to know the will of God is perhaps one of the most important in our lives. Agree that the will of God is the most accurate and true measure of how we should act.

In order to know or feel the will of God in this or that case, many conditions are needed. This is a good knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, this is slowness in decision, this is the advice of a spiritual father.

In order to correctly understand the Holy Scriptures, firstly, it must be read with prayer, that is, read it not as a text for discussion, but as a text that is understood by prayer. Secondly, in order to understand Holy Scripture, it is necessary, as the apostle says, not to be conformed to this age, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (cf. Rom. 12:2). In Greek, the verb “not to conform” means: not to have a common pattern with this age: that is, when they say: “In our time everyone thinks so” - this is a certain pattern, and we should not conform to it. If we want to know the will of God, we must deliberately reject and ignore what one of the sages of the 17th century, Francis Bacon, called "the idols of the crowd", that is, the opinions of others.

It is said to all Christians without exception: “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God… do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2 ); “Do not be foolish, but know what the will of God is” (Eph. 5:17). And in general, the will of God can be known only through personal communication with Him. Therefore, a close relationship with Him and service to Him will be a necessary condition for finding the answer to our question.

Live in harmony with the commandments of God

How to know the will of God? Yes, it's very simple: you need to open the New Testament, the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, and read: "The will of God is your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4: 3). And we are sanctified by obedience to God.

So there is only one sure way to know the will of God - it is to live in harmony with the Lord. And the more we establish ourselves in such a life, the more we become rooted, as it were, affirmed in Godlikeness, we acquire a real skill in comprehending and fulfilling the will of God, that is, in the conscious and consistent fulfillment of His commandments. This is the general, and the particular follows from this general. Because if a person in a particular life situation wants to know the will of God about himself and, for example, learns it from some spirit-bearing elder, but the disposition of the person himself is not spiritual, then he will not be able to understand, accept, or fulfill this will ... So the main thing is, without a doubt, a sober, spiritual life and attentive fulfillment of the commandments of God.

And if a person is going through some important period in his life and he really wants to make the right choice, to act like God in this or that difficult situation, then it is precisely on the basis of everything that has been said that the first way to find out the will of God is to strengthen your church life, then there is a special spiritual labor to bear: to speak, to confess, to take communion, to show more than usual zeal in prayer and reading the word of God - this is the main labor for someone who really wants to know the will of God in this or that issue. And the Lord, seeing such a sober and serious disposition of the heart, will surely make His holy will understand and give strength for its fulfillment. This is a fact that has been verified many times and by a variety of people. You just need to show constancy, patience and determination in the search for the truth of God, and not in catering to your dreams, desires and plans ... Because all of the above is already self-will, that is, not the plans, dreams and hopes themselves, but the desire that everything be exactly the way we want. Here it is a question of real faith and self-denial, if you like, readiness to follow Christ, and not one's own ideas about what is right and useful. It is impossible without this.

Prayer of Abba Isaiah: “God, do mercy on me and, what is pleasing to You about me, inspire my father (name) to show something about me”

In Russia, it is customary to ask for advice at especially important moments in life from the elders, that is, from experienced confessors endowed with special grace. This desire is deeply rooted in the tradition of Russian church life. Only, when going for advice, we need to remember, again, that spiritual work is also required from us: strong prayer, abstinence and repentance with humility, readiness and determination to do the will of God - that is, everything that we talked about above. But besides that, it is also imperative and fervent to pray for the enlightenment of the confessor by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that the Lord, by His mercy, through the spiritual father, reveals to us His holy will. There are such prayers, the holy fathers write about them. Here is one of them, proposed by the Monk Abba Isaiah:

“God, do mercy on me and, whatever pleases You about me, inspire my father (name) to say something about me”.

Desire the will of God, not your own

The will of God can be known in various ways - through the advice of a confessor or through reading the word of God or by drawing lots, etc. But the main thing that a person who wants to know the will of God should have is the readiness to unquestioningly follow it in his life. If there is such a readiness, the Lord will surely reveal His will to a person, perhaps in an unexpected way.

It is necessary to internally prepare for any outcome, not to stick to any of the scenarios

I like patristic advice. As a rule, we yearn to know the will of God at the moment when we stand at a crossroads - before a choice. Or when we prefer one scenario to another, less attractive to us. First, you need to try to set yourself up in the same way in relation to any path or development of events, that is, internally prepare for any outcome, not stick to any of the options. Secondly, to sincerely and fervently pray that the Lord will arrange everything according to His good will and do everything in a way that will be useful for us in terms of our salvation in eternity. And then, as the holy fathers assert, His Providence for us will be revealed.

Be attentive to yourself and your conscience

Be careful! To yourself, to the world around you and to your neighbors. The will of God is open to a Christian in Holy Scripture: a person can receive an answer to his questions in it. According to Blessed Augustine, when we pray, we turn to God, and when we read Holy Scripture, the Lord answers us. The will of God is that everyone should come to salvation. Knowing this, strive to direct your will towards the salvation of God in all the events of your life.

And “in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

It is quite simple to find out the will of God: if the conscience does not “rebel” when tested by prayer and time, if the solution of this or that issue does not contradict the Gospel, and if the confessor is not against your decision, then God’s will is the decision. Each of your actions must be viewed through the prism of the Gospel and accompanied by a prayer, albeit the shortest: "Lord, bless."

8 Ways God Wants to Speak to You

What language does God speak? In English, French, Spanish? Maybe he speaks Hebrew or Greek? The truth is that sometimes we speak with Him in different languages. It would probably be great if He always spoke to us in a loud voice. Life would be much easier. But in this case, we are wasting most of our time here on earth building relationships with the One who loves us the most. Reflect on this.

Imagine that you are in a room with a lot of people. Suddenly your mother comes in and says something. This is familiar to you, since you know her voice. You heard it when you were born, so you will easily recognize it as soon as you hear her first words.

However, if you are asked to choose a person from the crowd, relying solely on his voice, you are unlikely to succeed. You will need time to become friends with him, get to know him, and then you can tell how his voice sounds. God likes to draw us to Himself, and when He speaks to us, He is pleased if we recognize His voice.

If we do not understand exactly how God speaks, then we will miss His voice. Knowing the voice of God is the key to deep intimacy with the One who knows you are the best. This is an opportunity to cooperate with Him in your life.

How does God speak to us? Of course, there are other ways to communicate, but these eight are the most common in the Lord's communication with His children:

1. Visions

There are two types of visions. The first is vision in the mind. In this case, the Lord seems to project His picture onto the “screen” of our mind. Most often, this is what the Holy Spirit speaks to us. They appear as some kind of hieroglyphs - that is, pictures that require interpretation. Since the Holy Spirit speaks to us through these pictures and images in our minds, we must turn to Him and ask for an interpretation of what we see.

From time to time, the Lord speaks to us in a still, still voice from within our spirit. It doesn't sound like a scream or clearly audible words. It is like a passing thought, a sudden impression, or an inner feeling that God is speaking. This quiet voice is well demonstrated in the book of Kings. Here God is manifested not in a strong wind or an earthquake, but in a gentle breeze of a still wind (1 Kings 19:11-13).

3. Angels

4. Creation

Creation itself is the voice of the Lord, and it speaks to us in many ways, especially when it tells us who God is. The mountains tell us of His strength, the rivers of His provision, the flowers of His beauty (Psalm 18:1-2). Another way nature speaks to us is when God uses it for prophetic activities and appearances. For a year, every time our Bethel Church met for prayer meetings, we watched through the glass door as a cuckoo appeared with a lizard in its beak. This went on for a month, until we realized that the Lord was calling us to go to the paths, the roads, the highways and order back what was lost! One day, the cuckoo made its way into the church, and in a desperate attempt to get out of the building, it hit the glass and died. The Lord showed us through this situation that if we do not go to serve the lost of this world, then our church will die.

5. Scripture

The Lord can speak to us as we read the Bible daily. He can highlight a verse or a whole story that talks about our circumstances. Sometimes it may even seem that God is taking Scripture out of context. It is very important for us to have a basic knowledge in the context of Scripture in order to understand God's general instruction for our lives. God never breaks His word, but He often destroys our own understanding of His word. The Holy Spirit can give us a fresh look at the Word or an understanding of how to use it when we read the Bible. If God gives us a fresh perspective and a new understanding of a verse or passage of Scripture, it is important that it fits within the rest of the context of Scripture. It also must not be contrary to God's nature and character (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

6. Impressions

Many things people understand through impressions without even realizing it. Often we can sense an evil spirit on someone just by sitting next to that person. The evil spirit that is tormenting this person is beginning to disturb us as well. For example, if a person who lives close to you is afraid, you begin to feel the same. If you are not fully aware of your prophetic abilities in this area, you may feel that you are confused or out of your mind. (1 Corinthians 12:10).

7. Circumstances

God can speak to us and guide us through the circumstances of our lives. This can happen as God opens and closes doors of opportunity. It is important to understand correctly this way of God's communication with us. Sometimes it may seem to us that if we have encountered an obstacle in our lives, then we are doing something not according to the will of God. However, we must remember that often when we do something for God, the enemy opposes us! Even in times of conflict, we must remember that in Revelation 3:8 He says: “I know your deeds; Behold, I have opened a door for you, and no one can close it; you have not much strength, and you have kept my word, and have not denied my name.”.

8. Spiritual Events

Spiritual events are another way the Lord communicates with us. These are supernatural incidents that are associated with natural phenomena. Some time ago, every time I went to a worship service at a church, I noticed that my clock was exactly one hour fast. After I bought new watches three times, each showing an extra hour during the service, I finally asked the Lord what that could mean. He replied, "It's later than you think now."

WHAT IS GOD SAYING?

Analyze your life - did the Lord speak to you in any of these ways? Often we don't notice what He is talking about because we don't know about the ways He can speak. How often does God speak to you? How would you like to grow in hearing His voice?