One of the hardest parts of following God is knowing when to wait and when to move forward.
- Is it time to stay single? Or is it time to enter into a new relationship opportunity?
- Should you keep waiting for that person you like? Or is it time to let them go?
- Will God keep that door closed, or is it about to open?
How do you know when God is releasing you to move forward? Here are 4 signs.
1. When God Is Releasing You to Move Forward, the Path in Front of You Will Be Biblical
This is the first and most important filter. It may sound obvious to many of you, but when you really want something, it’s easy to twist the Bible to make it say what you want it to say. So not only will the Bible support your decision to move forward when God is truly releasing you, but it will also be very clear from Scripture. No mental gymnastics will be required!
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
This point is particularly clear when dealing with a moral or immoral choice. But many major life decisions are not about right versus wrong. Marriage is one such example. Marriage is a gift from God. Marriage is good. And yet, if you are called to singleness or marriage is debatable, because both are good (1 Corinthians 7:7). And if you’re called to marriage, who you should choose to marry is also debatable. So how can you make a biblical choice in situations like this?
Sometimes people are waiting for some mystical sign before going on a date, joining a dating app, or expressing interest in someone. But if the opportunity is not tainted with something obviously sinful, if the person has evidence of godliness, and you are doing your best to apply the Bible to your life, then oftentimes you are free to move forward.
When God releases you, he doesn’t always promise you the outcome. Doing biblical things, however, is the best guide we have. In God’s sovereign power, he will providentially produce the outcomes that fit his will for our lives.
2. God Is Probably Releasing You to Move Forward if the Desire Has Stayed Strong Even After Prayer
Not every desire is from God. Even a good desire might not be God’s will for you.
Again, going back to the marriage example: You might have a desire to be married, which is good and biblical. But that good desire might be expressed in a way that is not aligned with God’s personal will for your life. You might want to marry a specific person. But if God doesn’t want you to marry that person, he will often give you conflicting desires through your prayer time.
We often think of prayer as our time to change God’s will into what we want. But really, prayer is about us being conformed into God’s will for us. Through prayer, God shapes your desires and helps you to want what he wants.
Think of David’s desire to build God the temple (2 Samuel 7). This was a good, biblical desire. But it wasn’t God’s will for David to build the temple. Rather, God wanted to use David to help Solomon build the temple. And just as God made it clear to David, God will make it clear to you whether he does or doesn’t want you to do something.
Thus, when you pray about a certain desire, and after prayer you still have that desire, and it feels holy to you, and God isn’t stopping you, that’s a good sign he is probably releasing you to move forward.
3. God Is Probably Releasing You to Move Forward If He Has Given You the Ability and Opportunity
God’s calling and God’s equipping often go together. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.”
Think about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Those who passed the man in need before the Good Samaritan had the means and the opportunity, but they didn’t act, and God was displeased with them. But the Good Samaritan saw the need, had the ability to help, and took action. Thus, he was in God’s will.
Likewise, ability and opportunity are the markers that you are actually following God’s will. Many people get stuck because they only have the ability but not the opportunity, or the opportunity but not the ability. They are close to doing what they want, but not quite there yet. When God is truly releasing you, both of these important variables will be present.
For example, maybe you’ve been saying you want marriage, but now you’re emotionally healthier, your life is stable, and you are prepared to fulfill the biblical roles in marriage. Not only that, but you have also met someone who has the ability to do these things. In a situation like this, the ability and opportunity would point you to conclude God is indeed releasing you to move forward.
4. If Your Fear Is the Only Thing Holding You Back, Oftentimes This Means God Is Releasing You to Move Forward
This is a huge one.
Sometimes what keeps us stuck is not lack of clarity, a lack of ability, or even a lack of opportunity. Sometimes it’s simply a lack of courage:
- “What if I get rejected?”
- “What if I’m misreading the signs?”
- “What if this doesn’t end how I want?”
- “What if . . .?”
Fear is not God’s no. There are many examples in Scripture of people who were afraid, but God told them to move forward anyway (Exodus 3-4). Courage isn’t fearlessness. Courage is the choice to move forward even in the face of fear.
Before God used Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
If the only thing holding you back is yourself, it’s time to trust God and move forward with him.
