Be Filled with the Knowledge of God’s Will

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9

If there is a question I get asked the most, it is this, “How can I know God’s will for my life?” The exciting answer to this familiar question is that God is eager for us to know His will. As a matter of fact, we are to be “Filled with the knowledge of His will.” But what exactly does that mean and how do we go about having the knowledge of God’s will the way the Bible describes?

I think it is important to understand how God reveals His will to us. When I was younger, I seemed to think God’s will was a great mystery and if I was one of the lucky ones, I would somehow stumble across it. But the Bible does not paint this type of picture.

Instead, Scripture reinforces over and over that God’s will can be known. Ephesians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, do not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Romans 12:2 says that we should be able to “discern what the will of God is.”

So if God’s will is not stumbled upon, then how do we find it? The Psalmist gives us the answer in Psalm 143:10. “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” God’s will is taught! It is studied and discovered through God’s Word and through a life of obedience.

I like to think of it this way in my own life. I do not “find” God’s will. I “live” God’s will. When I am faithful in living God’s will and doing what I am taught by God’s Spirit, then I will end up in God’s will in the bigger areas of my life.

The problem for most people is that they are not willing to live God’s will in the smaller details of life. For example, many pray to marry the right person, but are they actively dating the right people? There are some who pray that God will help them get out of debt, but are they actively tithing and giving as God expects?

How can God help us in the larger areas of our life if we are unwilling to live out His will in the small details? Let us unpack Colossians 1:9 and discover how the Bible teaches us that we can understand and live the will of God.

Paul’s Pastoral Prayer
The Book of Colossians is one of my favorite letters in the New Testament. You can hear Paul’s pastoral heart coming through the pages of Scripture. Notice what he says to this congregation in the beginning of verse 9, “From the day we heard (speaking of their faith), we have not ceased to pray for you.” Paul understood the greatest thing he could do for the Colossian believers is pray for them.

Do we understand this principle? Are we faithful to pray for the people we love? One of the saddest situations I see as a pastor are parents of adult children who their kids are far from God. Rather than crying out to the Lord, interceding, and pleading with the Lord to save their children, I see so many sign a peace treaty with Satan over the lives of their family. Some parents are not going to war over their family’s lost condition. The greatest gift we can give the people we love is prayer! Are you consistent in praying for those you love?

Asking that You Be Filled
Paul’s petition for this congregation is that they be “Filled with the knowledge of His will.” Be filled with God’s will is a very special concept. The word, “Filled”, literally means, “To be controlled.” So once I have the knowledge of what God wants me to do, then His will should control the decisions of my life.

In 2014, my wife and I purchased a printing company. After the sale of the company, there was an ethical decision I had to make. We received a large sum of money, but was the money mine or the previous owners? I asked some friends about it, and they all agreed that once I signed the papers, I owned everything. I had all right to keep the money.

I tried to justify it in my own heart and mind, but I knew deep down what the Lord wanted me to do. When I prayed it about what I should do, it seemed like God answered in a split second. I knew in my heart what was the right thing to do. I had to give that sum of money to the previous owners.

Knowing what the Lord wanted me to do help, “Control” my decision. Even though I had some ground to stand on, and even though the opinions of my friends agreed that the money was rightfully mine, my conscience disagreed. It was during this time that I was studying Colossians and when I came to Colossians 1:9 and learned what it means to be “Controlled” by the knowledge of God’s will, I knew what I had to do. Sadie and I wrote the check to the previous owner and said goodbye to that money. But I know that we obeyed what the Lord expected of us.

The Knowledge of His Will
What is the knowledge of God’s will? Psalm 103:7 has an interesting lesson to teach us. It says, “He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.” In other words, Israel saw what God was doing, but Moses understood why God was working.

In the Fall and Winter of 2016, my church experienced a season where God “pruned” our congregation. There were some families who left and it was difficult to go through the pruning process the Lord had for us. But do you know what kept me going during that painful season? In the first week of October 2016, the Lord told me He was about to prune my Church. God made known to me what He was doing and why He was going to allow this season.

Do you have a knowledge of what God is doing in your life right now? Are you seeking the Lord and asking Him to reveal His will to you? I have found in all my years of serving the Lord that He does not want me in the dark. Yes, there times I must walk by faith and not by sight, but even in those seasons of walking by faith, I can know the “ways of God” like Moses!

In All Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding
How do we grow in our knowledge of God’s will? Paul says it comes through “All spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This means that the “Knowledge” of God’s will is not just knowing a few simple facts.

Spiritual wisdom and understanding is the ability to apply Biblical principles to your life. This is exclusively reserved for believers. People who halfheartedly follow Jesus cannot obtain this precious gift of, “Spiritual wisdom and understanding.” What Paul is describing is a deep, thorough knowledge of God’s will for our lives.

The only way to obtain this is through the study of God’s Word. As we learn more of God’s Word, we learn more of God’s will. They are inseparable. As God’s Word becomes more dominant in our lives, in our thinking, and in our feeling, then the will of God will come with it.