Page 135 - First Steps 2023

6. How to know if an idea is God’s will…or your idea.
You’re energized by the idea to launch a ministry or serve in a spe-
cific way. How can you know whether you’re following God or yourself?

Using the following Cycle of Confirmation will help you know. The
process involves understanding what the Bible says, seeking wisdom from
other Christians, listening to the Holy Spirit, and noting whether there are
favorable circumstances.

Circumstances
Cycle of
Confirmation

Spirit You Others

Bible

In the early 1970s, a young student asked a religious professor
the question, “How do I find God’s will?” The professor and the
student were eating at a restaurant, and the professor took out

a pencil and drew on a napkin the diagram that you see here. He
called it an “Increasing Cycle of Confirmation” for finding God’s
will. The professor said, “If it is God’s will, all four areas will be
positive, and the four parts of the cycle will increase with more
and more confirmation. You always have to take a step of faith,
but as you walk in faith, God will speak more through the Bible,
others will continue to affirm, the Spirit will provide, and doors will
continue to open. The Cycle will intensify!”

• Seeking discernment in the Bible
There are general commands that apply to every believer. Your spe-
cific calling will never contradict those.
For instance, dating that attractive person from the office might

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