Do The Will of God
God’s will isn’t hidden: Be saved; Be Spirit-filled; Be Sanctified; Be Submissive; Be Suffering; Be Thankful. Trust Him and He will shape your desires. Below are bible verses that speak direct to doing the will of God.
Resource: You can watch John MacArthur's sermon here, on YouTube, or at Grace to You's website (with full written transcript).
Do The Will of God
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
- Psalm 143:10 (NIV)
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
- Luke 22:42 (NIV)
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
- John 4:34 (NIV)
“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
- John 5:30 (NIV)
“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
- John 6:38 (NIV)
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdo come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
- Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV)
“When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’”
- Acts 21:14 (NIV)
“in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.”
- Romans 1:10 (NIV)
“so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.”
- Romans 15:32 (NIV)
“As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”
- 1 Peter 4:2 (NIV)
“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
- Colossians 4:12 (NIV)
“Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.”
- Psalm 119:33 (NIV)
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.”
- Psalm 33:8 (NIV)
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”
- Isaiah 46:9 (NIV)
“The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.”
- Psalm 135:6 (NIV)
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
- Ephesians 1:11 (NIV)
A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you. “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
- Mark 3:32-35 (NIV)
A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you. “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Jesus asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Be Saved
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
- John 1:12-13 (NIV)
“Becoming a child of God is His will for those who beleive.”
- 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’”
- Matthew 17:5 (NIV)
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
- John 6:40 (NIV)
“God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires that they turn and live.”
- Ezekiel 18:23 (NIV)
“However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ - the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
Be Spirit Filled
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
- Ephesians 5:17-18 (NIV)
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”
- Romans 8:9 (NIV)
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
- Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil."
- 1 Thessalonians 16:22 (NIV)
“…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”
- Romans 8:9 (NIV)
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
- Galatians 5:16 (NIV)
Be Sanctified
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NIV)
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.”
- 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV)
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
- Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NIV)
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
- Galatians 5:24 (NIV)
Be Submissive
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
- James 4:7 (NIV)
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
- Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)
"Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people."
- 1 Peter 2:13-15 (NIV)
"In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."
- 1 Peter 5:5-6 (NIV)
Be Suffering
“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
- 1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
“For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
- 1 Peter 3:17 (NIV)
“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.”
- 1 Peter 2:20 (NIV)
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
- 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
- 2 Timothy 3:12 (NIV)
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
- 2 Corinthians 9-10 (NIV)
“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”
- Philippians 1:29 (NIV)
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
- Romans 8:17 (NIV)
Be Thankful
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
- Colossians 3:12-17 (NIV)
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character, and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
- Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
