A Simple Test for Following God's Will

People who face big decisions often get stuck. They want to do the right thing. For many, that means trying to follow God's will. But this creates a new problem. How do you know if it's God's will or just your own strong desire? They can feel identical.

You pray for a sign. You look for patterns. You ask for advice. Sometimes this helps. But often it just adds more noise. The world is full of noise. Our own minds are the noisiest places of all. We have our hopes, our fears, our ego. We have the expectations of our parents and friends. All these things broadcast on the same frequency.

Trying to find a clear signal in that static is incredibly difficult. It's like trying to hear a whisper in a crowded room. So maybe the answer isn't to try and listen harder. Maybe the answer is to find a way to quiet the noise.

The Problem of External Signals

We are taught to look for external signals. An open door. A chance encounter. A gut feeling. These can be useful, but they are also notoriously unreliable. A gut feeling can be fear just as easily as it can be wisdom. An open door might lead off a cliff.

Relying on these things is a form of prediction. You are trying to guess the future. You are trying to figure out which path leads to the outcome you want, success, happiness, or security. But what if the goal isn't to predict the best outcome? What if the goal is to choose the best path, regardless of the outcome?

This shifts the problem. It becomes a question not of foresight, but of character. And questions of character are something we can actually work with.

A Test of Subtraction

Here is a simple test. It is a test of subtraction. Instead of adding more information, you take some away.

First, identify the decision. Let's say you are deciding between taking a high paying corporate job or starting your own company. Your desire is to start the company. You feel it's your calling. But you are not sure if this is a true calling or just a romantic idea.

Now, imagine two futures. In one, you start the company and it becomes a huge success. In the other, you take the corporate job and you do well there.

The next step is the most important. Subtract the success. In your imagination, take away the successful outcome of starting your company. Imagine it fails. Not because of a market crash or bad luck, but because of your own limitations. Imagine the hard work, the stress, the public failure.

Now ask yourself this question. Which path makes you a better person? Not a more successful person. A better person.

Does the path of building your company, even if it fails, force you to be more courageous, more resilient, more honest, and more reliant on faith? Does the struggle itself build something valuable inside you?

Or does the corporate path, with its structure and demands, force you to be more disciplined, more collaborative, and a better steward of your talents?

The path that molds you into a better version of yourself is the one to look at more closely. God's will is rarely about giving you what you want. It is almost always about shaping who you are. The right path is the one that does the most shaping.

Willingness Over Wanting

This test helps reveal the difference between wanting something and being willing. We want outcomes. We want the successful company, the happy marriage, the perfect home. There is nothing wrong with wanting these things.

But God's will often feels more like a state of being willing. Willing to endure hardship. Willing to be humbled. Willing to grow in ways that are uncomfortable. Willing to prioritize character over comfort.

If your sense of peace and rightness depends entirely on getting the successful outcome you imagine, it is probably just your own desire. If you can find a sense of purpose and peace in the process, in the struggle itself, you are much closer to the right track. The outcome becomes secondary. The growth becomes primary.

Speaking to Find Clarity

This is not an easy exercise to do entirely in your head. Our thoughts are slippery. They circle back on themselves.

A useful trick is to speak them out loud. Talk through the two paths. Describe the person you would have to become to walk each one. Don't just think it. Say it.

You will notice something interesting. The arguments for the path of pure desire often sound weak when spoken. They sound like rationalizations. "I deserve this" or "It will make me happy".

The arguments for the path of character sound solid. They feel true. "This will force me to be more honest" or "This path requires more courage than I have, so I will have to rely on something bigger than myself".

When you hear yourself say it, you will know which one has more weight.

The goal isn't to find a perfect, foolproof method for knowing the future. It's to find a way to make a wise decision today. A decision based not on predicting success, but on choosing growth. The path that makes you better is almost always the right one.

Try speaking about the decision you are facing and see which path feels more true.