Do you ever find yourself in search of the will of God? Certainly as a faith-centered leader, God has something specific for you to do with your life and work. What is it, exactly? How and where can you find those elusive instructions that will put you on a God-directed path forward? Ephesians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Obviously there is a will of God for us to live, and it can indeed be understood.

Consider, though, that God’s will may be much simpler than you imagine. In fact, Scripture is filled with directions on God’s will. Some examples:

• Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

• For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 1 Peter 2:15

• For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality… 1 Thessalonians 4:3

• Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

God gives us liberal instruction throughout Scripture. Everything that God tells us to do is His will for us. God would never tell us to do anything that is outside of His desire for us. Everything God instructs us to do in general is good and conforms to His ideal for Christ-followers. In fact, God’s instructions come with a promise to us: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). The New Testament alone contains more than 1,000 instructions for us to learn and follow. Think about that—how specific and far-ranging God’s good and gracious instructions to us are!

For some reason though, our tendency is to wait for God to reveal something more specific to us individually. What about what God has for me to do? Those 1,000 instructions, after all, are far too general in nature. Surely God has designed me for something more important and fitting for my talents, gifts and abilities? This is dangerous thinking, because it is prideful, and leads us to separate ourselves from the comprehensive commands God has already provided for us to following.

The Christian leader is often tempted to do anything and everything with their life and leadership except forthe things God has already told us to do. Not having heard from a burning bush or a booming voice from heaven directly into our own ears, we set out searching for a specific glass of communication in an ocean of Words from God. The will of God is not hard to find, because so much of it is common to each and every one of us. Those 1,000 instructions, and the redemptive story God has laid out for us in the Bible, is more than enough for every leader to grasp onto and follow.

Yes, indeed there are specific opportunities God Himself has prepared for you. Remember Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” How do we find those? We begin with what God has already told us to do. God is trustworthy and He will certainly reveal the 2-3 things He meant just for us as we continue in obedient living, learning following the 1,000+ instructions He has already provided.