A Person Who Follows the Will of God

For My thoughts are not your thoughts

neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)**

When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan and settled there, the era of the judges passed and the age of kings began. Historically, Israel’s first king was Saul. By God’s grace, Saul became king of Israel.In 1 Samuel 15, God told King Saul through Samuel, “Attack the Amalekites and completely destroy all their possessions. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” Saul heard God’s word, gathered Israel’s soldiers, and attacked the Amalekites. But he did not kill King Agag, and he spared the best sheep and cattle—the fattened animals and all that was good—destroying only what was worthless and despised.

Saul, Who Tried to Protect His Throne and Lost His Life

One of the greatest hindrances to our spiritual life is our own thoughts. God says in Isaiah, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” Our thoughts differ from God’s thoughts. Therefore, if we hold onto our own thoughts, we can never live a proper life of faith. When we abandon our thoughts and follow God’s will, we can live a blessed life.

But Saul did not do this. Though God commanded him to completely destroy the Amalekites, Saul followed his own judgment instead of God’s command. He kept what looked good in his eyes and destroyed only what seemed worthless. Later, when he learned that God had chosen David as the new king, he did not follow God’s will. Instead, he tried desperately to kill David to preserve his throne. Obsessed with maintaining his kingship, he relentlessly pursued David.

David faced many life-threatening moments at the hands of Saul, but each time God miraculously delivered him. When Saul refused to give up his intent to kill David and continued to pursue him with his army, David could no longer remain in Israel and fled to the land of the Philistines.

And this was where the problem lay. The Philistines had attacked Israel many times before, but each time they were defeated because God’s servant David was there. Even when they brought out their giant warrior, Goliath—three meters tall—they lost the battle because Goliath was slain by David. But now David had left Israel.

The Philistines seized the opportunity, gathered their forces, and attacked Israel. With David gone, Israel had no one capable of stopping the Philistines, and they were defeated. Saul’s soldiers were slain on Mount Gilboa, and Saul’s three sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua—were killed as well. Saul was critically wounded by enemy arrows and, fearing humiliation at the hands of the Philistines, fell on his own sword and took his life.God intended to establish David as king, but Saul rejected God’s will and followed his own thoughts, trying to kill David to preserve his throne. As a result, he faced a tragic end, losing not only his own life but also the lives of his three sons.

Seeking God’s Will and Following It

Our thoughts are different from God’s thoughts. God clearly says so:“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways” (Isaiah 55:8).God is perfect; we are not. Naturally, our thoughts cannot align with His. Therefore, to live a proper life of faith, we must look in Scripture to discover God’s heart and will, and then discard our thoughts when they conflict with His. Whoever does this receives God’s grace and blessing.

Sadly, even among those who have been saved, many do not clearly understand God’s will and simply follow their own thoughts—leading to ruin. To succeed spiritually, it is not about our skill or effort. First, we must search the Scriptures to find God’s will. Then we must cast aside every thought that differs from His and follow His will. When we do so, anyone can receive God’s grace and blessings.

Following Your Thoughts or God’s Word?

Some brothers who once worked together for the gospel eventually left the church. Why did they go down that path? Because they followed their own thoughts instead of God’s will. Everyone believes their own thoughts are right. But when we carefully look at the Bible, we soon discover that our thoughts differ from God’s Word. At that moment, if we boldly abandon our thoughts and follow God’s will, we can live an exceedingly blessed life.

To avoid going astray by following our own thoughts, we must read the Bible daily. In Scripture, we must discover God’s will. And when confronted with His will, we must abandon our thoughts and follow His. We must walk in the same direction as God’s will. Anyone who refuses to follow their own thoughts like Saul did, and instead sets aside their thoughts as David did—uniting their heart with God’s Word and mind—will live brightly and healthily in God, enjoying His grace and living a blessed life.

A person who knows God’s will, aligns their heart with His, and refuses to follow their own thoughts—that person succeeds in whatever they do and receives blessings. Everyone instinctively follows their own thoughts, but we can see clearly that our thoughts differ from God’s in many ways. Discovering this, denying ourselves, and joining our hearts to God’s will—this is how we receive blessings and live gloriously.

Today, we must examine whether we are following our own thoughts or God’s Word. Are we reading the Bible, discovering God’s will, and living in unity with it? Or are we living according to our own thoughts, apart from God’s will? If the path we are walking differs from God’s path, we must immediately abandon it and follow His will. Such a person is what we call “a man of God.”