The Will Of God, Episode 2

Devotional

Day 1: Sovereignty in the Grocery Aisle

A man agonizes over which grocery store to choose, paralyzed by the fear of missing God’s “perfect will.” His hands tremble as he prays over bread brands. Jesus never promised micromanaged guidance for nonmoral choices. He said, “Seek first the kingdom” – not seventh-guess your cereal aisle. [26:18]

God’s sovereignty isn’t a corn maze requiring perfect turns. It’s a Father’s hand holding all things while giving freedom to choose. James 1:5 says God gives wisdom liberally, not secret maps. When we obsess over trivial decisions, we shrink His lordship to fortune-telling.

You face ten small choices today. Instead of spiritualizing each one, ask: Does this decision involve moral obedience or mere preference? What if trusting God’s control frees you to simply…choose?

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”
(James 4:13-15, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for His good control over outcomes, then make one practical decision today without over-spiritualizing.

Challenge: Choose a minor decision (meal, route, clothing) and make it in 30 seconds. Note how God’s peace follows obedience, not perfection.

Day 2: Fleeces and Missing Blankets

A student laid a fleece blanket outdoors, praying for dew to confirm Bible school. By morning, a dog had stolen it. Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6) was a sign for doubting God’s presence—not a template for decision-making. Modern “fleeces” often become superstitious rituals, not faith. [27:31]

God gave Scripture and the Spirit to shape our desires, not cosmic games. Proverbs 3:5-6 calls for trust, not divination. When we demand signs, we treat God like a vending machine rather than a Father walking with us through choices.

How often do you delay obedience while waiting for “confirmation”? What if God’s will is less about specific paths and more about Christlike character as you walk?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve sought signs over wisdom. Ask for courage to act on what Scripture already reveals.

Challenge: Read Proverbs 3:5-6 aloud three times today. Apply it to one pending decision by sundown.

Day 3: Billboards and Broken Peace

A woman saw a billboard about divorce after praying, interpreting it as “God’s answer.” But peace divorced from Scripture’s truth is self-deception. Judas felt peace after betraying Jesus. Feelings alone make dangerous guides. [23:09]

Jesus said true peace guards hearts anchored in Him (John 14:27), not circumstantial outcomes. The Spirit aligns our desires with God’s Word, not random signs. When we prioritize inner calm over biblical fidelity, we worship comfort, not Christ.

Where are you justifying a choice solely because it “feels right”? How might Scripture or mature believers challenge that perception?

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:6-7, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to recalibrate your desires to His Word. Thank Him for peace that persists even in hard obedience.

Challenge: Share a decision you’re facing with a mature believer today. Test your feelings against their biblical insight.

Day 4: Eyesight and Eternal Sight

A missionary’s botched eye surgery made her question: “Did I miss God’s will?” Yet suffering doesn’t mean wrong choices. Paul’s thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) wasn’t punishment—it was purpose. God’s will often includes pain that refines, not rewards that pamper. [37:54]

Christ’s primary goal isn’t our comfort but our conformity to His image (Romans 8:29). Hardships don’t indicate failure—they forge faith. When we equate difficulty with divine displeasure, we misunderstand the cross-shaped path of discipleship.

What current struggle tempts you to doubt past decisions? How might God use this pain to deepen your trust in His character over circumstances?

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
(2 Corinthians 4:16-17, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for a past hardship He redeemed. Ask for eyes to see His purpose in present trials.

Challenge: Write down one difficulty you face. Beside it, write “God is…” and complete the sentence with a biblical truth.

Day 5: Love First, Choose Freely

Jesus reduced God’s will to two verbs: love God, love others (Matthew 22:37-39). Kevin DeYoung notes God cares more about whom you love than where you live. Moral choices demand clear obedience; nonmoral choices invite Spirit-led freedom. [32:50]

The disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas through lots (Acts 1:26)—a method never repeated. Why? Pentecost brought the Spirit’s indwelling. Now we walk in wisdom, not wonder. When we prioritize Christlike love, our decisions become worship, not worry.

What nonmoral decision have you overcomplicated? How would choosing in love—for God and others—simplify your next step?

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Matthew 22:37-39, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to purify your motives in one pending decision. Seek His glory, not guarantees.

Challenge: Make a pro/con list for a decision, then circle options that best express love for God and others. Act on it within 48 hours.

Sermon Summary

Kevin DeYoung puts his finger on a crippling habit: the hunt for a secret, one-right-plan, “center of God’s will.” That hunt breeds fear, indecision, and strange methods for guidance. The text of Scripture does not teach a hidden “will of direction.” Scripture speaks of God’s providence and the gift of wisdom, not a maze that must be solved. So the chase for signs and special whispers turns normal choices into a corn maze, a dartboard, or a tightrope, with the soul afraid of a single wrong step. That picture mislocates what God cares about and misunderstands how God leads.

James, Peter, and Jesus point a different way. James calls disciples to ask for wisdom and to speak of tomorrow with “If the Lord wills,” not as fortune tellers but as children who trust their Father’s rule. Jesus says friends are not kept in the dark. The revealed will is plain, and it majors on holiness, love, truth, purity, and Spirit-filled life. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. That is the kind of person who makes good decisions.

The anxiety about the future shows a deeper issue. Sovereignty is never separated from goodness, so “sovereign goodness controls everything.” Worry grows when the heart doubts that. Then the shortcuts appear. “God told me” becomes a way to dodge responsibility, bypass Scripture and Christ’s body, and end debate. Subjective impressions, dreams, unusual coincidences, even a literal fleece, can become functional idols when they are not submitted to the Word and wise counsel. The deceitful heart and a deceptive enemy can dress up bad ideas as divine leading.

Jesus gives the main idea in plain speech: do not worry, seek the kingdom. God cares more about what a person loves than which college, job, or house is chosen. The New Testament’s language about “the will of God” sits inside sanctification, thanksgiving, sobriety, and Spirit-filled obedience. Therefore, nonmoral decisions can be made in freedom. Pray. Search the Scriptures. Invite godly counsel. Then choose. And do not read outcomes as the verdict on the wisdom of a choice. Hard providences do not mean the wrong path. A painful surgery result can still sit inside the Father’s good plan to conform his child to Christ. Rest in that, and keep walking.

Key Takeaways

1. Stop chasing a secret roadmap The so-called will of direction is not a biblical category. God has not hidden a single correct dot to find for every nonmoral decision. Providence and wisdom are the lanes, not divination. Seeking a secret blueprint breeds fear, not faith, and distracts from what God has clearly revealed. [08:07]
2. Wisdom aims at holiness, not hints Scripture defines wisdom by moral quality, not by success in picking schools or zip codes. Pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful, fruitful, impartial, sincere people will usually choose well because they love what God loves. The target is character, not clairvoyance, so formation precedes decision. [09:35]
3. Sovereign goodness calms tomorrow-anxiety God’s rule is never bare power. His sovereignty is always paired with his goodness, which means tomorrow is held by nail-scarred hands. That pairing frees a person to plan humbly, speak of the future with “if the Lord wills,” and trade paralysis for prayerful action. [13:18]
4. “God told me” is a cop out Claiming private revelation to justify choices silences counsel and sidesteps Scripture. That move removes personal responsibility to think, study, and seek input, and it elevates impressions to the level of authority. God gives wisdom through his Word and his people, not shortcuts that shut others out. [16:14]
5. Outcomes are not God’s verdict Good choices can still meet hard providences, and bad choices can appear to work for a while. Circumstances are tools in God’s hand, not a scoreboard for yesterday’s decision. Judge decisions by Scripture, wisdom, and counsel, then entrust results to the Father’s timing and purposes. [36:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:16] - Introducing “Just Do Something”
[02:53] - Fear of missing God’s will
[07:23] - Corn maze, dartboard, tightrope
[08:07] - No “will of direction” in Scripture
[09:35] - Wisdom that actually matters
[12:51] - “If the Lord wills” perspective
[13:18] - Sovereignty joined to goodness
[16:14] - “God told me” removes responsibility
[20:56] - Dreams, billboards, and signs
[27:31] - Gideon’s fleece and the dog
[27:54] - Don’t worry, seek the kingdom
[32:50] - God’s will is Christlikeness
[34:45] - Choose freely in nonmoral decisions
[36:13] - Circumstances are not verdicts
[37:12] - Surgery story and resting in providence

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
James 4:13-15 (ESV)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Observation Questions

What does James 4:13-15 instruct believers to say when making plans for the future, and what does this reveal about God’s role in our decisions?
According to the sermon, what are the characteristics of “wisdom from above” listed in James 3:17, and how do they contrast with seeking signs or hidden plans? [09:35]
What is the “main idea” Jesus gives in Matthew 6:33-34 about how to approach decisions and anxiety? [28:54]

Interpretation Questions

Why does James emphasize the phrase “If the Lord wills” in his teaching about planning? How does this perspective guard against fear or arrogance?
How does the pairing of God’s sovereignty with His goodness (as mentioned in the sermon) address anxiety about the future? [13:18]
Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to “trust in the Lord” and “not lean on our own understanding.” What might it look like to ignore this command when making nonmoral decisions (e.g., choosing a job or home)?

Application Questions

When have you hesitated to make a decision out of fear it might not be “God’s perfect will”? How could James 4:15 reshape your approach to future choices?
The sermon warns against using phrases like “God told me” to bypass responsibility. [16:14] In what areas of your life have you been tempted to rely on subjective impressions rather than Scripture and wise counsel?
How might focusing on growing in Christlike character (e.g., purity, peace, mercy) impact the way you approach a major decision this year? [32:50]
The sermon says, “Circumstances are not God’s verdict on your choices.” [36:13] Can you share a time when a hard outcome did not mean you made a wrong decision? How did that experience shape your trust in God’s providence?
What practical step could you take this week to “seek first the kingdom” (Matthew 6:33) in a decision you’re currently overcomplicating or worrying about?

Sermon Clips

And I love Kevin De Jong says, what does God care about? He cares far more about what you love than what college career spouse you will choose. and a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Have you ever thought about that? What is God's will for my life? It's about what you love. thusly. That's God's will. So, what is God's will for our lives? Very simply, that we grow in Christ likeness. [00:32:09] (63 seconds)

It encourages a preoccupation with the future. Number four, it undermines personal responsibility and initiative. Right. Because I gotta wait until God shows me exactly what to do. God told me, which we're gonna continue to get to here. God told me is bad theology and it's a cop out. Yeah. We've said before it's bad theology. He says it's a cop out. Amen. It's just a cop out. Amen. Yes. We're to pray for wisdom. James one five. Clearly. [00:14:00] (24 seconds)

They decided to put a fleece out. You mean a literal fleece? They got a blanket. They put it out, and they prayed that God would guide them. And they got up the next morning to see whether it was wet or dry. Mhmm. And the blanket was gone. A dog had taken it. A dog had taken it in the night. That's True story. Absolutely true story. That was not one of the options. [00:27:25] (33 seconds)

So here's God working for good in all things. That's his providence. Everything is under the providence of God, under the hand of God. But his purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus. That's his purpose. Yep. And that's why when you read those phrases, the will of God, they're in the context of our sanctification. [00:33:16] (49 seconds)

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