How Do I Know What God's Will Is For Me

I want to let go of my will and give my life over to God's will, but how do I know what God's will is for me?

Answer:The short answer is "Do what Christ commands." ("If any man's will is to do his will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority" (John 7:17). Christ's basic command to his disciples is "Love the Lord your God" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." All else is commentary. However, we hasten to add, it is very valuable commentary and show you the way to do that rightly. Start with attending mass and the sacraments as often as you can. Here you encounter Christ in a profound way and here you receive from him the grace to do his will (as well as frequent reading from Holy Scripture which describes what he desires us to do. Next, read Scripture, particularly the gospels. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it. Don't be shy about getting hold of Scripture study materials (try Mark P. Shea's Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did as a good introduction if you are not sure what's going on in the Bible. Get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read through it prayerfully. Try to practice the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and love portrayed in Scripture, the Mass and the Catechism in imitation of Christ and ask for his help in doing so. Finally, get a good spiritual director so that you can discuss your successes and failures and receive absolution when you stumble. That's a pretty good start...>..>..>URL: http://css.catholicexchange.com/truthtract.asp?qid=380