Luke 22:7-13
Here are 3 signs God really is sending you confirmation about an important decision in your life.
1. There Will Be Clarity on How to Apply the Word of God to Your Situation When God Is Giving You Confirmation
There are basically two different types of “the will of God” in the Bible. The first “will of God” is God’s sovereign will which will always happen no matter what. For example, in Act 2:23 we are taught that Jesus was crucified because it was God’s definite plan but it was the free choices of sinful man who actually crucified Jesus.
The other type of “God’s will” is what is commonly referred to as God’s will of command or God’s prescribed will. This is what God specifically wants us to do in life. If you want to know the will of God for your life, you have to start with the word of God. This is the type of “God’s will” that humans can choose not follow and thus miss out on what God wanted to give them. God wants us to obey his word, so when we sin we are in a sense breaking God’s will for our lives.
So when God is giving you confirmation on what he wants you to do, he will show you how to rightly apply the word of God to your life. The word of God is full of very clear and specific commands, but each of our lives is very complicated and unclear. Therefore we need the Holy Spirit to show us how to apply his word in each situation that comes up. When God shows you how to do this, this is confirmation that you are on the right path in life.
As Paul said in Philippians 4:9 (NIV), “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” It’s not enough to just know God’s word. We must “put it into practice” as well. When God shows you a Bible verse and then shows you how to live that out in your specific situation, this is God giving you confirmation that you are doing his will for your life.
2. The Multiple Necessary Circumstances that Need to Happen Will Happen When God Is Confirming Something for You
For example, perhaps you were praying really hard about whether or not someone was the person God wanted you to marry one day. And then one thing led to another and you actually started dating this person you had been praying about. It would be easy at this point to start assuming this was the person God had for you. But, then, after a few months of dating, this relationship starts to fall apart, you breakup, and it is clear you two are not going to get back together. You are then left confused because it seemed like God had opened the needed doors and was confirming this relationship for you.
This is why it is so important to look for all the necessary doors to open as confirmation form God. For example, when God leads you to the one, you will start dating but then you will also get engaged and actually get married one day. Multiple steps will happen as confirmation, not just one step like starting a dating relationship with someone. Notice what happened in Luke 22:7-13. It states:
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.’ They said to him, ‘Where will you have us prepare it?’ He said to them, ‘Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, “The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.’ And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”
This is such an interesting story because Jesus gave Peter and John multiple forms of confirmation to look for to ensure they were headed in the right direction. It’s possible that they could have met multiple men carrying a jar of water, so they would then need to see how this man would respond to them to confirm if this was the person Jesus was referring to. And then another form of confirmation was that the house they would be led to would have a large furnished upper room. When these multiple doors where opened for Peter and John that needed to be opened, they then had the confirmation that they were headed where Jesus intended them to go.
Likewise, don’t be fooled by just one or two open doors. When God really wants something for you, this will be confirmed to you when all the needed doors are opened for you.
3. When You Are Making the Right Decision, You Will Experience Biblical Emotions as Confirmation
Emotions should not be our only guide in life. But the Bible does tell us that we will experience certain emotions when we are following God’s will for our lives (perhaps none more prevalent the peace). Emotions like peace (Philippians 4:7), joy (Philippians 4:4), and contentment (Philippians 4:11-13) are signs that you truly are doing what God wants you to do.
These emotions don’t always come right away. Sometimes we need to make hard decisions that will cause us to feel anxiety or even fear at first. But once you obey the Lord, the Bible promises us that we will experience the supernatural peace and love of the Holy Spirit that surpasses human understanding.
As Psalm 119:165 states, “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” When we are following God’s will for our lives, we will be obeying God’s word in our lives. And one sign of confirmation that we truly are obeying God is this supernatural peace the only the Lord can give.