Christian counselors often suggest three ways to discern God’s will. One is God’s Word. It’s filled with insights of the rights and wrongs of God’s will. Two is the Holy Spirit living within us. He gives us inner convictions of the right path to take. And three is God’s providential arrangement of our circumstances. We read in Acts chapter 16 that as Paul and Silas were making their way to carry the Gospel from city to city, they needed God’s guidance. When they attempted to go north, their way was blocked. As they tried to go northwest, God again blocked their way. Some suggest Roman soldiers were doing the blocking. Then during the night, Paul, in a vision, saw a man asking them to come over to Macedonia to help them. Luke, in Acts 16:10 adds, “We decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.” By closing two doors and opening a third, the missionaries discerned God’s will. But a fourth principle is our willingness to obey. Proverbs 3:6 says, “Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take.”
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
