Knowing God's Will for your Life

Boy, could this have helped me out four years ago...
*First of all, God's Will refers to two things:
a. Univeral Will
b. Specific Will

A. Universal Will:
a. Salvation
b. Submission
c. Obedience
d. Share Faith
e. Sexual Purity

B. Specific Will
who to date? marry? what do I major in? what about a career>

ºExodus 13:21- something to follow
ºMathew 9:36- God is our Shepard. His infinite knowledge vs. our not-so-infinate knowledge.
º1 Sammuel 2:3
ºLemmings. You know how those little animals up in Europe somewhere are known for once a year leaping to their deaths off a cliff into the ocean? People say it can be explained by looking at their everyday life.

They run around a bunch and whenever they come to a river bank, they jump in and swim right to the other side. But, scientists have theorized that these Lemmings think the ocean is just another river. So they go out, start swimming, and eventually drown.

In a lot of ways, that happens in our life. We make hundreds of decisions every day, but one day a big one comes and we think it's just like all the others. When we realize we can't handle it, it's too late. We thought of that decicion as "just another river" like the Lemmings do.

ºProverbs 3:5-6- Seek Guidance You must seek through-
»prayer
»bible study
»cirsumstances
»the church (other Christians)

What this means is first, you must pray to God asking him to help make this decision. He has a will already, but we have free will, so he's not gonna force anything on us. Of course, God is perfect and has plans "only to prosper you and not to harm you" so who wouldn't want his will to be done?
Next, look through some passages in the Bible. There are many that talk about His will and given gifts and stuff that may help you out.
When deciding between two colleges, maybe one seems cirsumstantially perfect. Near home, cheap, has the program you want to study...God uses the cirsumstances in our lives to talk to us sometimes.
And finally, talk to two people. Both Christians and familar with God's will. One should know you well- your wants, dreams- that stuff. The other should have an outside view and be impartial. For example, if deciding between two schools, don't let this person be an alumus of of of the schools.

If this seems confusing still, you can write me and I can explain some part of it or maybe help you out with the Bible Verses part. In the past two weeks, I have seen this "lesson" 2 or 3 times so I think God is finally gonna tell me his will for my life.

This lesson was originally written by Josh. I forget his last name, but he does our Bible Study.