BIBLICAL COUNSELING CONFERENCE - Day 3

There are so many good things I have been learning, been reminded of, and have been meditating on while I have been here, including yesterday (day 3); but I will resist writing it all down, and just focus on one session. The senior pastor of Faith Baptist Church here in Lafayette, Indiana is Steve Viars. He taught the session entitled: "How Do I Know the Will of God?" Since I have been wondering about God's will recently, this was timely for me (as this entire week has been). Here are the main points and subpoints, that perhaps you can gain something from:

Introduction: many of the ideas, out there, about the will of God, are based on personal testimony or wrongly interpreting God's Word.

I. Excuses for not using the Bible in decisions
A. What they are
1. Bible has nothing to say about everyday decision making
2. Additional revelation is available in the form of visions, dreams, feelings, circumstances, fleeces, etc.

B. Why they are wrong
1. II Peter 1:3 - we have EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness
2. II Timothy 3:16,17 - All Scripture is God breathed and profitable for...

II. Different Aspects of God's Will
A. Directive will
1. Moral will
2. what He's already revealed to us
3. Can only be found in the Bible
4. What He wants us to do

B. Decreed will
1. Soveriegn will
2. Ultimate, eternal, determined will
3. Can only be determined after the fact, cannot be known in advance

Examples of Directive will: Psalm 40:8; Mark 3:35; Ephesians 5:17; Romans 12:2
Examples of Decreed will: James 4:15; I Corinthians 4:19

III. Place of the Bible in Decision Making
A. Understand the difference between the Bible speaking directly and indirectly
B. Know three "Propositions about Biblical Guidance"
1. There is no way to know God's will and receive His guidance apart from the Scriptures
2. There are scriptural principles and practices to cover all areas of life
3. The Scriptures speak directly and indirectly by implication. They help us make either/or (yes/no) choices or they give us a limited number of equally legitimate choices.

C. Steps for good decision making
1. gather all facts - list pros and cons
2. write out all principles, examples, etc. of Scripture that have a bearing on the decision
3. apply these to the pros and cons and the various options
4. may need to seek godly counsel
5. if narrowed down to two equally good decisions (based on biblical principles), may decide on the basis of preference; so just pick one.
6. If question of possible sin is involved, use "holding" principle

That was just a part of the session, but a good place to start.
God's will in my situation has become much more clear this week.