Living the Dream: Subjective Ways to Discover God’s Will [Sermon]

Anush A. John
Jun 22
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

June 2026, Krabi, Thailand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6c61D6uws0

The Bible is the only objective way to find God’s will.

1.0 Necessity For Subjective Guidelines

1.1 Day-to-Day Guidance

1.2 Freedom of the Christian Faith

1.3 Fellowship with God

Mistake: To search for subjective guidance when there are already clear objective guidelines.

2.0 Internal Personal Guidance

2.1 Knowledge

Proverbs 18:15

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Daniel 1:17 NASB

And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every kind of literature and expertise; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.

Proverbs 18:15: An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

2.2 Discernment

Acts 17:11: Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Philippians 1:9: And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment

2.3 Wisdom

Isaiah 11:2: And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him… the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:10: “…to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits…”

Eph 1:17: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom …

Gather truth from Scripture and from the facts of the situation — knowledge.

Test motives, fruit, timing, and influences — discernment.

Take the most God-honoring step (in line with objective guidelines) — wisdom.

2.4 Conscience

It is a second-level awareness that accompanies the awareness of an impulse, thought, or action

It is a part of the soul involved in morality that influences a person toward what is morally right.

[See here for a full study on the Conscience]

a. Corrupted by Sin

b. Needs Cleansing

Hebrews 9:9: gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper

Hebrews 9:14: how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

c. Needs Conditioning

1 Cor 2:11: For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Our conscience is conditioned by the Holy Spirit through the Bible.

3.0 External Non-Personal Guidance

The joy and general sense of well being that often (not always) goes with being ‘in love’ can easily silence conscience and inhibit critical thinking. How often people say that they ‘felt led’ to get married (and probably they will say ‘the Lord has so clearly guided’), when all they are really describing is a particularly novel state of endocrine balance which makes them feel extremely sanguine and happy. Oliver R Barclay

3.1 Counsel

Proverbs 15:22: Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

a. Expert advice

b. Experiential advice

3.2 Church

a. Spiritual Advice

b. Spiritual Care

James 5:14: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

3.3 Circumstances

Circumstances will fall into place as we seek God’s will but we cannot use circumstances to determine God’s will.

Scripture is the first and final filter. If anything contradicts clear biblical teaching, it is not God's will. Internal guidance (knowledge, discernment, wisdom, conscience) and external guidance (counsel, church, circumstances) work together to confirm and clarify God's will, but never contradict Scripture.