Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue.

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Waters or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow capped mountain?

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I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God.

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And fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness.

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I truly believe this journey will refresh.

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You spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm.

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Glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Yet above all of this chaos and confusion about God's will, Jesus has this very simple promise which is going to be the foundation of our series. It's found in John 10:27 Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Every day we're faced with a thousand different decisions, ranging from what to wear to where to move. But how do we know which choice is God's will for us?

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains how to listen to God's direction in every decision we make. But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. During this first week in September, we're stepping into fresh territory. Over the next several weeks, we'll tackle one of the most common questions among Christians: How do we make personal decisions that are in alignment with God's will? For instance, when a job opportunity comes our way and it requires relocating to another state, how do we calculate what God truly wants for our family? Or when your son or daughter is trying to choose a life partner, how do we help him or her make a sound decision?

I've written a book on this topic. It's called *How to Make Wise Decisions: The Joy of Discovering God's Will for Your Life*. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'd be pleased to send you a copy right away.

I'm also thrilled to announce our 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, sailing June 13th through 20th. Join me and Amy for an unforgettable week exploring the great frontier together. Imagine waking up to breathtaking views of towering glaciers, spending your days in idyllic Alaskan villages, and witnessing God's creation in all its glory. From soaring bald eagles to waterfalls cascading directly into the ocean, this family-friendly cruise provides the perfect setting for Christian fellowship. While enjoying world-class amenities and service, you'll return home refreshed, inspired, and filled with incredible memories shared with believers who treasure the same values you do. To reserve your spot today, go to ptv.org.

Okay, it's time to get started. Let's venture into our first message in the teaching series called *How to Make Wise Decisions*. I've titled this first study "Discovering God's Will."

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It was the late Joe Bailey who wrote, if there is a serious concern among Christians today, it is for guidance. Holiness may have been the passion of another generation of Christian young men and women, but not today. Today the theme is getting to know the will of God. Why is that? Why are Christians so interested in this topic? I want to suggest to you today three reasons for interest in this topic.

First of all, it's only natural that Christians would want to know God's will for their life. You know, in John 4, verse 34, Jesus said, "My food is to know the will of God, of Him who sent me, and to accomplish his work." Jesus said, the reason I exist is to know God's will and to accomplish his purpose. Shouldn't that be our goal as well? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, 9, "Therefore, we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." It's natural that those of us who are children of God would want to know what God's desire is for every area of our life.

Second, I think there is renewed interest in this topic because it's a challenging topic to know God's will for your life, especially in the age in which we live that is filled with options. I love the story about the newspaper reporter who was doing a story on the citrus industry in Florida. He went to this plant and watched as a workman at the bottom of a conveyor belt would take the oranges as they came off that conveyor belt and start to sort them. The big oranges were placed in one hole, smaller oranges in a second hole, and bruised oranges in a third hole. The orange worker said, "Oh, you don't know the half of it. From the time I check in in the morning until the time I go home at night, it's the same thing. Decisions, decisions, decisions."

Well, you know, we all face decisions in life, but most of them are much more complicated than which orange to put in which hole. Now just think about it. Think about all the options that we have. It wasn't that long ago that if you wanted to choose a long-distance carrier, you had one choice: AT&T. You didn't have to decide which one you were going to choose. Today, you have dozens of choices. If you wanted to watch television, you had four choices. Remember that? You had the three network affiliates and an independent station. That was it. Today, if you want to watch television, you have hundreds of choices with cable and satellite television.

One hundred years ago, if you wanted to order an automobile, Henry Ford gave you one choice: the Model T in basic black. But I read somewhere that today, between all of the makes, models, and options available on cars, there are 25 million different combinations of what you can order in an automobile. Those options extend to every area of our life. We face numerous choices like no other generation in where we can live or what vocation we can choose. Lots of choices are out there. And that's why, as never before, Christians need to know how to discover God's direction for their lives.

I think a third reason for this series and renewed interest in this topic is because knowing God's will is also a complicated issue. Quite frankly, the reason I'm addressing this topic is not because nobody's ever spoken on it before, but because so many people are speaking on this topic with so many contradictory ways to discover God's will for your life. Go to a Christian bookstore or listen to some of the best-known speakers in America today. They're all addressing this topic, but they give you different ways to discover God's will.

For example, there's what I call the formulaic approach that says there's a formula for knowing God's will. It's kind of like a checklist that a pilot uses before he takes off. You have to check everything off: God's word, check; prayer, check; wise counselors, check. And then if all of them line up and agree, you can know that particular decision is God's will. Now, the problem with the formulaic approach is what happens if all of those ingredients don't say the same thing? What if, for example, you pray about a particular decision, you feel like God's leading you one way, but then you go to a wise counselor who says, "Boy, that'd be a big mistake. You shouldn't do that." Which do you give more weight to: what you feel like God's leading you through prayer or what wise counsel is saying to you?

A second way some people try to discover God's will is through the experiential method. They'll say, "Well, when Moses was trying to listen to God, he didn't have a checklist. He just got to know God intimately, and God led him." They say, "If you will just simply get to know God, experience God, then you don't have to worry about knowing his will. You'll just know automatically what to do."

Then some people use the rational approach to discover God's will. They say, "God doesn't have a particular will for every little detail of your life; what he's interested in is your making wise decisions." So wise decision-making is the key to knowing God's will. Yet, above all of this chaos and confusion about God's will, Jesus has this very simple promise, which is going to be the foundation of our series. It's found in John 10:27. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."

Will you notice what Jesus is promising in that short verse? First of all, he says God's voice is audible. God has a voice. He is speaking. As Francis Schaeffer said, he is there, and he is not silent. God's voice is audible. Secondly, Jesus says God's voice is discernible. That is, you can actually distinguish God's voice. You can hear it, of course. He says a condition for hearing from God is, first of all, belonging to God. The only people who have the promise of hearing from God are those who belong to God through Jesus Christ, those who are truly his sheep.

Then thirdly, Jesus says God's voice is directional. It's leading us someplace. When God speaks to us, he does so more than just to give us courage and comfort to face our present situation. He actually promises guidance and direction to those who trust in Him.

Now, today, as we begin this series together, I want to start with just three very simple and biblical presuppositions about God's will that we have to understand before we can ever hope to hear from God. I want you to write them down on your outlines. First of all, we must desire to obey God's will. If we ever hope to hear from God, we must have a desire to obey the will of God. It's not enough just to want to know God's will. We can't say, "God, show me your will so that I can decide whether or not I want to obey it." God doesn't work that way. He only reveals his will to those who truly want to know his will.

In John 6:38, Jesus said, "For I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me." Jesus said the consuming passion of his life, John 4:34, was to do the will of God, of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Is that true of you? Is your overriding passion in life to obey God's will? When you roll out of bed in the morning, is your first thought, "How would God have me spend my time today?" Or when you face a difficult decision or a thorny dilemma, is the first thing you ask yourself, "What would God have me do in this situation? What is his will in this decision?"

I want to take a poll this morning. How many atheists do we have here in the sanctuary? Would you raise your hand? How many atheists? Not many. Not many. The fact is, there are very few theological atheists left in the world. We are not theological atheists. But I submit to you today, most of us live our lives as practical atheists. We live our lives, we formulate our plans, we expend our resources as if there were no God in heaven. We do what we want to do. But, ladies and gentlemen, there is a God in heaven. And that God in heaven has a plan for your life. He promises to reveal that plan to those who truly want to know it.

Let me give you a great illustration from the Old Testament. First Kings, chapter three. This is the story of the beginning of Solomon's reign over Israel. Remember, Solomon was the son of David, and Solomon knew he had some pretty big shoes to fill. Realizing the challenge that was before him at the beginning of his reign, he went to a little village called Gibeon. There he met with God. I want you to notice what happened in Gibeon. In verse 5 of 1 Kings 3, the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, "Ask what you wish, and I will give it to you." He said to Solomon, "You can ask for anything, and I will give it to you."

Now think about this. If God came to most 19-year-old boys and said, "Ask whatever you want, and I'll give it to you," what would most 19-year-old boys ask for? The latest model chariot, a closet full of designer tunics, the hottest girlfriend in all of Israel. That's what most would ask for, not Solomon. Look at verse nine. He said, "So give thy servant an understanding heart." That word understanding in Hebrew means a hearing heart. He said, "God, more than anything, I want to be able to hear from you. I want to know your will. I need your direction because this task is too big for me."

1 Samuel 3:10 said, "When Solomon asked for that, it was pleasing in the sight of God." We find not only did God grant Solomon the wisdom that he wanted, but he gave him the chariots, the tunics, and more girlfriends than he knew what to do with. You see, the point is, God answers the prayers of those who ask for wisdom in life. The same is true with us. God is not trying to withhold direction. He will honor and direct us if we truly have this desire to obey Him.

Listen to some of these promises that you find in Scripture about God's promise of direction. Jot it down. Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight." Or Matthew 7:7: "The Lord said, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." Or James 1:5: "If any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it shall be given to him." God promises to reveal his will if we are intent on obeying it.

But exactly how does God do that? How does God speak to Christians today? Before I answer that question, I think at the outset we need to define some terms here. When we talk about the will of God, what do we mean by the will of God? As I search both through the Old and the New Testaments, I find that this phrase, the will of God, is used in three distinct ways.

First of all, sometimes the phrase the will of God refers to God's providential will. His providential will. God's providential will is that secret plan by which he governs everything that happens in the universe. Turn over to Ephesians 1:9. Here is a great illustration of God's providential will, the mysterious will that governs everything that happens. In Ephesians 1:9, Paul says he God made known to us the mystery of his will according to his kind intention, which he purposed in him. In other words, Paul is saying, before the foundation of the world, God's plan was to send Christ to die for us. But just in later times, has he made known to us this mystery that was a part of his plan from the beginning.

By the way, will you notice two things about God's providential will in verse 9? First of all, there's only one of them. God doesn't have multiple wills. He has a will, singular. Now we're going to get into this more in this series. But contrary to what you've heard in the past, there are no two wills of God. God doesn't have what some people call a perfect will and then a permissive will. Have you ever heard that before? Well, this is God's perfect will, but this is God's permissive will. You ask me, what do you mean by that? They say, well, God's perfect will is what he wishes really would happen. But God's permissive will is what actually happens when God can't pull off his perfect will.

Now, do you believe in a God like that? Do you ever believe in a God who has to settle for second best? A God who is so impotent he can't get his purpose achieved? The fact is, God has one will, one plan that was formulated before the foundation of the world. And by the way, God's plan was big enough that it encompassed the fall of Satan from heaven. It included the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden. It included Israel's disobedience in the wilderness. It even included the torture and crucifixion of God's own son. God has a plan by which he's governing everything that happens in the universe.

And notice what Paul says. For the most part, it's a mystery. It's hidden. It's hidden. You can't know it. I would say in this broad category of God's providential plan would be such questions as the origin of evil, the reasons for suffering, or predestination and election. All of those things we can sit around and theorize about and argue about and fight about. The truth is, none of us will understand it because it's a mystery. It's in the mind of God. The secret things belong to the Lord, the scripture says. That's God's providential plan.

But on the other end of the spectrum is God's preceptive plan, number two, his preceptive plan. And that's the part of God's will that can be clearly understood by everyone from the precepts, the teachings that are found in Scripture. Do you realize that most of what we need to know about God's will has already been revealed in the Scripture? Even many of the specific things we want to know about are already revealed in Scripture. For example, in First Thessalonians, chapter 4, Paul says, "For this is the will of God." Somebody walking around saying to Thessalonica, "Oh God, show me your will. I want to know your will." Paul said, "Okay, Thessalonians, here is the will of God for your life: your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality." It's very clear. God wants you to abstain from premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexual sex, pornography. That's God's will for you to abstain completely from those things. It's right there in Scripture.

Or maybe somebody comes to you, and it may be a business partner, it may be a son or daughter who says, "Mom, dad, friend, I'm trying to get on my feet financially, but I need some help. I need some money. And the bank says they won't loan me any money unless you co-sign this loan for me." You don't have to pray about that because God already has said what his will is about anybody co-signing a note. In Proverbs 17:18, it says, "A man lacking in sense pledges and becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor." Don't co-sign a loan for somebody. If you want to give them the money, fine. Don't co-sign a note for them.

As a pastor, I have people all the time coming and saying, "Oh, Pastor, I'm so excited. God has done such a great work in my life. I've been praying for a mate, and God has brought that perfect guy, that perfect girl into my life. Would you please pray for our coming marriage?" I said, "I'll be happy to. But tell me, when did that person come to know Christ as his Savior?" They kind of bow, "Well, they're not quite there yet. But I just know if we got married or we started dating, I just know I could have a great influence on them." I always say the same thing. I said, "I'm not going to pray for you." "You're not going to pray for me? You're a pastor. Aren't you paid to do that?" "No, I'm not going to pray for your relationship because I know it's not God's will for you to get married."

"Well, how do you know that?" "Because the Bible already says it in 2nd Corinthians 6:14. Do not be bound together with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" I don't care how much you pray about it. I don't care how much you feel the Lord's leading. It is never God's will for you to marry an unbeliever. He's already revealed that in Scripture. God's preceptive will is that part of God's will that has clearly been defined in Scripture.

But the third use of the term God's will is the term that most people use it the way most people use it. And that's in reference to God's personal plan for my life. Of course, I guess we ought to answer the question: does such a plan exist? Does God have a blueprint that governs every part of your life, even the smallest details of your life? Some years ago, Gary Friesen, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote a book entitled Decision Making and the Will of God. There are many helpful things in that book. But Gary Friesen argued that, yes, God has a providential will, a secret will that governs everything. He has a preceptive, or what Friesen calls a moral will. But Friesen postulates that there is no individual blueprint for your life. He uses logic. He said, "Do we really think God cares what color socks we put on this morning or what color dress we choose, or whether we order chicken or beef for lunch? I mean, do we really think God has a plan that governs all of those things?"

He says, "God, there is no blueprint that we need to learn to make wise decisions." A few years ago, a publisher asked me to write a book with Gary Friesen in which he would present his view of God's will, I would present mine, and we would interact with one another. I thought it'd be an interesting project, but I had to decline. I didn't have the time to do it. I figured it wasn't God's will, so I declined that project. But had I done it, this is what I would have said. I would have said, of course God has a blueprint that governs every part of our life.

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Well, let me offer a little disclaimer at the beginning of this series. Whenever we address the topic of God's will, most people hear that phrase and think about God's plan for their life. They're looking for a roadmap for the next 20 or 30 years. That's not what we're talking about in this study. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me." So we're talking about obedience and learning to make wise decisions.

It's such a delight to bring this practical perspective message about knowing God's will to our global family of listeners today. I know that someone is listening right now—perhaps you—who needed this powerful affirmation. You're hearing my voice right now because someone gave a generous gift to Pathway to Victory, which enabled us to deliver today's teaching on radio, television, and the Internet.

We invite you to step forward and give a generous gift as well. God will use your investment to bring hope to someone who needs comfort today. To express my thanks for your financial partnership, I'm pleased to offer my book called "How to Make Wise Decisions: The Joy of Discovering God's Will for Your Life." If you're serious about following God's will, this book is the perfect place to start.

The Bible teaching in this book will help direct the next steps for your family, the next decision for your business, or God's choice for your marriage. I'd be happy to send you a copy of my book, "How to Make Wise Decisions," when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Here's David to tell you more.

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A copy of the book titled *How to Make Wise Decisions* is yours when you give a generous gift to Pathway to Victory. To request your copies, simply call 866-999-2965 or give online at ptv.org. When your generous gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you this month's complete teaching series on CD and DVD one more time. Call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org now. If you'd prefer to make your request by mail, write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Join us again tomorrow when Dr. Robert Jeffress continues teaching on how to discover God's will. That's Tuesday, right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.