In the course of our lives, we often find ourselves faced with a choice of what to do, which path to take, and not just to go, but so that this path corresponds to the will of God for us. How can you know the will of God? How do we know that the choice we are making is the right one? Pastors of the Russian Church give their advice.

The question of how to know the will of God is perhaps one of the most important in our lives. Agree that the will of God is the most accurate and true measure of how we should act.

In order to know or feel the will of God in this or that case, many conditions are needed. This is a good knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, this is slowness in decision, this is the advice of a spiritual father.

In order to correctly understand the Holy Scriptures, firstly, it must be read with prayer, that is, read it not as a text for discussion, but as a text that is understood by prayer. Secondly, in order to understand Holy Scripture, it is necessary, as the apostle says, not to be conformed to this age, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind (cf. Rom. 12:2). In Greek, the verb “not to conform” means: not to have a common pattern with this age: that is, when they say: “In our time everyone thinks so” - this is a certain pattern, and we should not conform to it. If we want to know the will of God, we must deliberately reject and ignore what one of the sages of the 17th century, Francis Bacon, called "the idols of the crowd", that is, the opinions of others.

It is said to all Christians without exception: “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God… do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2 ); “Do not be foolish, but know what the will of God is” (Eph. 5:17). And in general, the will of God can be known only through personal communication with Him. Therefore, a close relationship with Him and service to Him will be a necessary condition for finding the answer to our question.

Live in harmony with the commandments of God

How to know the will of God? Yes, it's very simple: you need to open the New Testament, the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, and read: "The will of God is your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4: 3). And we are sanctified by obedience to God.

So there is only one sure way to know the will of God - it is to live in harmony with the Lord. And the more we establish ourselves in such a life, the more we become rooted, as it were, affirmed in Godlikeness, we acquire a real skill in comprehending and fulfilling the will of God, that is, in the conscious and consistent fulfillment of His commandments. This is the general, and the particular follows from this general. Because if a person in a particular life situation wants to know the will of God about himself and, for example, learns it from some spirit-bearing elder, but the disposition of the person himself is not spiritual, then he will not be able to understand, accept, or fulfill this will ... So the main thing is, without a doubt, a sober, spiritual life and attentive fulfillment of the commandments of God.

And if a person is going through some important period in his life and he really wants to make the right choice, to act like God in this or that difficult situation, then it is precisely on the basis of everything that has been said that the first way to find out the will of God is to strengthen your church life, then there is a special spiritual labor to bear: to speak, to confess, to take communion, to show more than usual zeal in prayer and reading the word of God - this is the main labor for someone who really wants to know the will of God in this or that issue. And the Lord, seeing such a sober and serious disposition of the heart, will surely make His holy will understand and give strength for its fulfillment. This is a fact that has been verified many times and by a variety of people. You just need to show constancy, patience and determination in the search for the truth of God, and not in catering to your dreams, desires and plans ... Because all of the above is already self-will, that is, not the plans, dreams and hopes themselves, but the desire that everything be exactly the way we want. Here it is a question of real faith and self-denial, if you like, readiness to follow Christ, and not one's own ideas about what is right and useful. It is impossible without this.

Prayer of Abba Isaiah: “God, do mercy on me and, what is pleasing to You about me, inspire my father (name) to show something about me”

In Rus', it is customary to ask for advice at especially important moments in life from the elders, that is, from experienced confessors endowed with special grace. This desire is deeply rooted in the tradition of Russian church life. Only, when going for advice, we need to remember, again, that spiritual work is also required from us: strong prayer, abstinence and repentance with humility, readiness and determination to do the will of God - that is, everything that we talked about above. But besides that, it is also imperative and fervent to pray for the enlightenment of the confessor by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that the Lord, by His mercy, through the spiritual father, reveals to us His holy will. There are such prayers, the holy fathers write about them. Here is one of them, proposed by the Monk Abba Isaiah:

“God, do mercy on me and, whatever pleases You about me, inspire my father (name) to say something about me”.

Desire the will of God, not your own

The will of God can be known in various ways - through the advice of a confessor or through reading the word of God or by drawing lots, etc. But the main thing that a person who wants to know the will of God should have is the readiness to unquestioningly follow it in his life. If there is such a readiness, the Lord will surely reveal His will to a person, perhaps in an unexpected way.

It is necessary to internally prepare for any outcome, not to stick to any of the scenarios

I like patristic advice. As a rule, we yearn to know the will of God at the moment when we stand at a crossroads - before a choice. Or when we prefer one scenario to another, less attractive to us. First, you need to try to set yourself up in the same way in relation to any path or development of events, that is, internally prepare for any outcome, not stick to any of the options. Secondly, to sincerely and fervently pray that the Lord will arrange everything according to His good will and do everything in a way that will be useful for us in terms of our salvation in eternity. And then, as the holy fathers assert, His Providence for us will be revealed.

Be attentive to yourself and your conscience

Be careful! To yourself, to the world around you and to your neighbors. The will of God is open to a Christian in Holy Scripture: a person can receive an answer to his questions in it. According to Blessed Augustine, when we pray, we turn to God, and when we read Holy Scripture, the Lord answers us. The will of God is that everyone should come to salvation. Knowing this, strive to direct your will towards the salvation of God in all the events of your life.

And “in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

It is quite simple to find out the will of God: if the conscience does not “rebel” when tested by prayer and time, if the solution of this or that issue does not contradict the Gospel, and if the confessor is not against your decision, then God’s will is the decision. Each of your actions must be viewed through the prism of the Gospel and accompanied by a prayer, albeit the shortest: "Lord, bless."

In Orthodoxy, the term "God's providence" is very often used. Believers do not always understand how it differs from the concept of "God's will." Does the Creator control our destiny and life? Does man have his own will?

What is God's work

Origin of the phrase

The term "God's providence", or providence, (lat. Providentia) originated in Ancient Greece, introduced by the great philosopher Socrates. It means the action of the Supreme mind, which brings the general good for the world. He talked a lot about the Creator and his influence on the course of world history.

The meaning of the phrase in Christianity

Metropolitan Filaret defined his definition of God's providence:

“The providence of God is the unceasing action of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God, by which God preserves the being and strength of creatures, directs them to good goals, helps every good thing.”

In Holy Scripture and Sacred Giving, the essence of this concept is explained in detail. The idea is that the Lord carries within Himself the light of love and goodness. All religious relationships are built on divine providence.

Definition in philosophy

There is a philosophical doctrine called "deism". There is no concept of providence. Its essence lies in the fact that God is the creator, but he does not control these worlds. Some people admit that God arranged this world, but since so many catastrophes happen in it, it means that the Lord does not deal with it, but lets everything take its course. This teaching is widespread in the West.

History of the concept

The birth of an idea

The concept originated in the philosophy and religion of ancient Greece. For the first time Socrates spoke about the higher mind. This idea was supported by the Stoics, who believed that a person should obey nature and divine providence. Later, a concept appeared, which is called fate.

Development and distribution

The idea of ​​providence was popular in Alexandrian philosophy, writings about it were written by Philo of Alexandria. He supports the idea that God controls the destinies of people.

After Philo, this issue was dealt with by Plutarch, who believed that God takes care of all living beings that he created.

Further fate

In the Middle Ages, there was a discussion about whether the Lord influences not only the private life of a person, but also world events. People did not know how to reconcile the good and evil that is happening in the world.

Many of the philosophers could not compare the will of God and the presence of catastrophes and disasters on this planet.

The idea of ​​providence ends in Christian teachings, where it talks about the infinite love of God for the world and man.

Modern meaning

The providence of God in human life is that the Creator takes care of his creations like a father. He does not leave anyone in trouble, but leads to the right choice. Only the sinful nature of man can prevent him from doing this.

The Holy Fathers also talk a lot about the providence of God, for example, here is what John Chrysostom says:

“He alone can heal the heart, Who alone created our hearts and knows all our deeds; He can enter into our conscience, touch our hearts and comfort our souls.”

He argues that no matter who bothers a person, if God lives in his heart, then no external circumstances will break him.

"Not a single bird will fall without the will of God."

The Creator sends only goodness and love, he has no dark side. He sends sickness and suffering to a person so that he comes to salvation through pain and tears. Suffering, a person realizes how hectic his life is, and turns to religion.

God's work in people's lives

How to understand what it is

It is unrealistic for a person to know what the Lord is actually preparing for him. Philosophers and scientists alike have struggled for years to understand this question. There is an interesting story about the believer Abba Anthony, who asked the creator why some are healthy and others are sick, why someone is poor and someone is rich. To which God replied:

"Look at your life, and do not deal with other people's destinies."

One must know how providence manifests itself in human life. It may be a series of random events that are out of control. An interesting, but not always successful set of circumstances - this is the divine providence in our life.

Examples

There was a case with a war veteran, whose name is Valentina, she is now 76 years old. She saved one dignitary during the bombing. Notes about this incident were preserved in the newspaper, she was awarded for her feat by Stalin. Father Vadim invited her to confess and reminded her that there were no unbelievers in the trenches. There was a temple nearby, but Valentina laughed at the clergyman and flatly refused to obey him.

She told him:

“What do you mean, there is no God, I went through the war and famine in Stalingrad, there were no wounds left.”

She expressed her disdain for the rite of communion and did not understand how it was possible to partake of the gifts from the same spoon with everyone.

Since then, 10 years have passed. Father Vadim, with another clergyman, went to give communion to the sick woman at the military hospital in Izmailovo. The old woman in the ward was very thin, which she could not help but amaze. In one of the corridors Father Vadim met Valentina's relative. She approached the priest. It turned out that the old woman who received communion was the same Valentina, she was already 86 years old at that time. The doctors did not know what to do with her, she did not sleep well and tossed and turned.

God presented this meeting to people, Father Vadim still had the Holy Gifts. Valentina told him:

“I am very afraid to die, life was empty.”

They began to object to her, because she went through the war, saved a person, survived hunger, got children and even grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She did not recognize Vadim's father, even when he came a second time.

The old lady said:

“I am glad that I have so many things, but I regret only one thing: that 10 years ago I told one clergyman that there is no God, I would very much like to confess.”

It was by the will of God that this chance meeting was arranged. Together with Father Vadim there was a priest who immediately accepted this confession. Tears flowed from the eyes of the ossified communist, her soul was cleansed.

You also need to pay attention to the weather that was outside the window. It was overcast outside and it was about to rain. They wanted to close the window. The woman said:

"I see the light, don't close anything."

She asked the priests to come again, and the next time they performed the sacrament of Unction. After this rite, her soul literally within a few minutes went to another world. So God decided their meeting and sent her soul to the light, which she recognized only at the end of her life.

Many events in everyday life also happen to us, which prove the divine providence. It often happens that you need to go somewhere, but there is no ticket. On this day, accidents and traffic accidents happen on the road, as a result, you remain safe and sound. Many people buy a plane ticket and then cancel it, simply because there is a bad feeling. And this is the providence of the Creator, which protects us from losses.

The sins of mankind are great, but the Lord sends us eternal salvation through trials and illnesses. The Son of the Creator Jesus Christ gave people eternal salvation. We must put our sincere hope in God, and not in ourselves. Then, even in case of a mistake, the Creator will lead you to the right decision and show you the right path.

Video of God's Providence

From the presented video you can learn more about the providence of God.

God's will

Today we will talk about the will of God.

Speaking of this, I mean two main questions:

1. What does God want from a person?

What is the will of God regarding people, you and, most importantly, regarding myself. Is this the will of God, is it the same for everyone or is it different for you and me?

Maybe I or you are special, so God wants us something special?

2. How should a person act and live in order to make this life pleasing to Christ our Lord?

Here are two very important questions that we will try to analyze today.

Speaking about faith, undoubtedly, faith is the most important question of what God wants from a person, but the question of faith is not so simple, because there are a lot of misconceptions about faith. We see how many varieties of faith there are in this world – hundreds, maybe thousands. Is that what God wants, or does God have only one way?

God from the creation of the world has plans for man, and man is not abandoned by the Lord, and God desires that each person seek and find the Lord and live in harmony with him.

(Acts 17:27)

27 so that they may seek God, whether they feel him or find him, though he is not far from each of us:

In order to make it possible for a person to know who God is and what is the will of God in relation to a person, God manifested himself, declared Himself through His prophets and left us in the Holy Scriptures all the necessary instructions and laws sufficient for a person to know Who is God and what does He want from a person.

(Deut. 30:15-20)

15 Behold, today I have set before you life and good, death and evil.

16 [I] commandments which I command you today, love the Lord your God, walk in his ways, and keep his commandments and his ordinances and his laws you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land where you are going to take possession of it;

17 But if your heart is turned away, and you will not listen, and you will go astray, and you will worship other gods and serve them,

18 then I declare to you today that you will perish and will not stay long in the land, for the possession of which you cross the Jordan.

19 Today I call heaven and earth to witness before you: I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

20 loved the Lord your God, listened to his voice and clung to him; for in this is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell on the land which the Lord promised with an oath to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them.

We read:

Firstly, God for a person is not some kind of application in his life, as if saying: "if you want to live as God wants, but if you want, live on your own." The Lord immediately warned us people that the matter concerns not some insignificant issues, but it concerns life and death, good and evil.

God said that I will give you, man, My commandments, laws and instructions. If you, a man, will fulfill these commandments, then God will bless you and your offspring. Here we are talking not only about the promised land, for us it is a matter of eternity.

If a person does not follow the instructions of God, then the Lord says: "you will perish and not stay long on earth" Thus, the question of obedience to God is not a matter of little importance or secondary, but it is a matter of life and death, good and evil, blessings and curses. This Man's decision to do or not to do the will of God has eternal consequences.

Second questionWhat are God's requirements for man? What should a person do?

What did the Lord say to this?

16 ... to love the Lord thy God,

20 ... listened to his voice and cleaved to him – believe, trust

Third question Is it possible to fulfill the will of God if you only know the law and try to fulfill it?

We see that this is only one of the requirements of God - walk in His ways and keep His commandments, but there are two more points - love and believe.

Why were the Pharisees the first enemies of Christ? After all, they knew the law perfectly and tried to fulfill it. Then why could they not understand and do the will of God? Because they could not fulfill two more conditions that the Lord established - love and believe they could not, left these instructions, did not seek and did not ask for it. Therefore, answering the question, is it possible to fulfill the will of God - knowing and fulfilling the law? Christ answered.

(Mat. 23:23-26)

23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you give tithes of mint, anise, and cumin, and left the most important thing in the law: judgment, mercy and faith; this was to be done, and that not to be abandoned.

24 Blind leaders, who strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel!

25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, while inside they are full of theft and unrighteousness.

26 Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and dish, so that their outside may also be clean.

You and I must understand that God wants to see His creation like Jesus Christ, having soul, spirit, and body perfect, not defiled. In the matter of doing the will of God, we must be sincere. We cannot please God if we follow any part of His instructions. It doesn't work with God, because God cannot be deceived.

When Christ began His ministry, He immediately declared the main Will of God:

(Mark 1:15)

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel.

Brother has said in previous sermons that faith itself is a part of a person's personality. God created man in His image and likeness - a personality, and put faith into the basis of a human personality. The entire worldview and mind of a person, his principles, morals, way of thinking, and other components of a person are built on the faith of a person. If faith is taken away from a person, then there will be no personality, it will be a person with a disorder of consciousness and psyche, he will be lost. Therefore, it becomes clear when in a conversation with a person about faith, as a rule, in 90% we will hear: "I believe." And these people do not deceive, they really have faith.

Then the second question should be asked: “If you are a believer, what is the will of God regarding your life? How should you act to please God? Those. is your faith the faith of God? Will there be an understandable and clear answer from such a believer? - usually not.

Because if a person does not know God, then he does not know the will of God, and he begins to believe in anything: rituals, divination, rituals, traditions, signs, miracles, luck, success, a healthy lifestyle, vegetarianism, UFOs, aliens, humanoids , rebirth, reincarnation and other nonsense. A person fills his inner emptiness with anything and begins to sincerely believe in it. Thus, such a mixture of all kinds of human delusions is obtained that Christ was indignant about it.

(John 5:43,44)

43 I have come in the name of my Father, and you do not receive me; but if another comes in his name, you will receive him.

44 How can you believe when you receive glory from one another, but do not seek the glory that is from the One God?

The way of salvation is one for all people through repentance and faith in the Gospel. If a person wants to find another way, or he considers himself special, that God should do something special for him, then this is not the faith of God. This is not the path that Christ pointed out. And the path of such a person is not the path of fulfilling the will of God, it is not the path of the Gospel, such a person does not fulfill the will of God, but fulfills some other will. As a rule, their own, human, selfish will, in other words, their own lusts, and this has nothing to do with Christ.

(1 John 2:17)

17 And the world is passing away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

The question of salvation is the same for everyone, and the way is the same for all, through the knowledge of the truth, which is Christ.

(1 Tim. 2:4)

4 Who wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

There is a way of salvation indicated to us in the Gospel, indicated to us by Christ. This is the way of fulfilling the Will of God regarding each person.

There are situations in our Christian life when we have a choice to do this or that, and we do not know how to do it right. Living in this world without God, how did we act? According to our understanding, we made a decision quickly so that the problem was solved as soon as possible, and it seemed that we were moving forward. But it turned out that they were going nowhere, because they did not consider God, His will.

But in Christ we no longer act like that, we do not make hasty decisions, but turn to Christ, and He shows us the way.

(Jer. 29:11-13)

11 For [only] I know the intentions that I have for you, says the Lord, intentions for good, and not for evil, to give you a future and hope.

12 And call to me, and go and pray to me, and I will hear you;

13 And you will seek me and find me, if you seek me with all your heart.

(Ps.24:12)

12 Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will show him the path to take.

In this case, a temptation may arise for those who are looking for other ways, special ways, who do not want to part with their “wealth”: sins, views, opinions, selfishness. A person who has not gone through the path of repentance and faith does not have the forgiveness of sins, he is a sinner:

(John 9:31)

31 But we know that God does not listen to sinners; but who honors God and does His will, that listens.

For a person who does not have peace with God, whose conscience condemns, there is only one way of the corresponding will of God - the way of repentance and faith in Christ: repent and believe in the gospel.

It often happens that a person thinks to himself that he has received some special revelations - this, as a rule, is a seduction, conceit, a manifestation of pride, and a person falls into delusions and networks.

For you and me, the example of doing the will of God is Christ. Let's look at the Scriptures, how Jesus acted to do the will of God. Christ came precisely in order to indicate this way of fulfilling the will of God, the way of salvation. And here we come to the second question of our sermon today:

What must a person do to fulfill the will of God?

(Mat. 6:9,10)

9 Pray thus: Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be thy name;

10 Thy kingdom come; may Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;

Brothers, is the will of God – is it good, is it good, for good? In heaven, the will of God is fulfilled, there is His kingdom, and He is the king, and everyone listens to Him and fulfills His will - the will of God. Christ wants that here on earth, and I, and you, and all people do the will of God. Christ wants this to be in our heart all the time, for His will to be in our lives here on earth.

(Mat. 7:21)

21 Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but doing the will of my Father in heaven.

The Lord clearly says that it is not enough just to know and be able to speak and reason about God. What you have learned about God must be realized in your life, otherwise this knowledge will be a source of additional condemnation, greater severity and punishment by God in relation to those who knew and did not fulfill.

(John 4:31-34)

31 Meanwhile the disciples asked Him, saying: Rabbi! eat.

32 But He said to them, I have food that you do not know.

33 Wherefore the disciples said to one another, Who brought him food?

34 Jesus says to them: My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

(John 6:38)

38 for I Christ came down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of the Father who sent me.

Christ came to earth with one purpose - to fulfill the will of the Father. And this is an example for us, how we should live on this earth doing the will of God.

(John 7:16-18)

16 Jesus answering them said, My teaching is not mine, but that of him who sent me;

17 who wants to do His will, he will know about this teaching, whether it is from God, or whether I speak from Myself.

18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Whoever wants to do the will of God will know that the Gospel that Christ proclaimed is from God. Let's remember when we came to Christ, how the Lord convinced us - By my truth.

Christ pointed out that our life is not going right, we ourselves understood this, but we ourselves could not change our life and make it right. But when they turned to God, Christ illuminated all our darkness and showed us the way. And we made a decision not to live according to our personal human will, which destroyed our lives, but to accept and do the will of God, because we realized that His will is for our good. And when we accepted the will of God, our whole life changed, everything fell into place: relationships with God, relationships with others, attitude towards ourselves.

How to distinguish human will from God's will? The Lord said: 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. The human will always, I emphasize always, seeks glory for itself. Selfishness is nothing but the human will, my will which egoism will never yield to anyone, and will not give honor to anyone but itself.

And whoever seeks glory for Him who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. And whoever seeks the glory of God will do the will of God. How is it possible to give glory to God? Only on one condition - if you transgress through your Self, your desires and interests, if you do not give glory to yourself and observe your own will, but accept the will of God for yourself.

(Luke 22:41-42)

41 And he himself departed from them to throw a stone (some distance), and knelt down and prayed,

42 saying: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however not my will, but yours be done.

An example of Christ, when he understood that suffering, humiliation and death awaited Him ahead. As a man He experienced fear, His flesh was afraid and did not want to suffer, and His human will resisted what awaited him. And the worst thing is that Christ knew that the wrath of God would be poured out on Him for all the sins of people, including mine and yours. On the Righteous One, who was without sin, and He bore the punishment for all the sins of the world - this was the most painful thing in the sufferings of Christ.

Therefore, knowing about his suffering, Jesus said: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me!

But Christ knew that He had to go through this, otherwise the will of God would not be done, otherwise your and my salvation would not be possible, and in the end God would not be glorified. And knowing this, Christ directed all his will to accept and go to fulfill the will of God. And so he said: however, not my will, but yours be done.” Christ, in spite of the coming suffering, directed His will to do the will of God.

Where a person directs his will, that will will be fulfilled by him, because a person always, I repeat always, has a choice:

Man has the choice to say no to sin, it is in the will of man;

Man has the choice to turn to God and kneel before Him;

A person has a choice and an opportunity to humble himself, not to desire glory for himself, but to desire the glory of God.

The choice of a person determines whose will a person will fulfill: their human will and their desires or the will of God.

These decisions of a person determine whose will he will fulfill. Therefore, such statements of a person as:

- "I'm waiting for something to happen in my life"

- "maybe God will give me some revelations and finally I can believe"

No, that's not the point. The fact is that you still have not made a decision to give up your own will, and have not accepted the will of God. Christ has already said everything for you: repent and believe in the Gospel. There is nothing more to say - either you accept it, or go and do your will.

(John 6:39,40)

39 But this is the will of the Father who sent me, that of what he has given me, nothing should be destroyed, but all that should be raised up on the last day.

40 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

From these verses we see: what is God's care for us, what is the responsibility and care of Christ for us. To don't ruin anything but to bring us all to the end, to eternity.

Accordingly, how important and responsible is our appeal to Jesus, how we should be grateful to Jesus, love Him, do His will, keep ourselves in holiness. I repeat, this is not a secondary issue, we see what Christ cares about us, because this is a matter of eternal life and death.

(1 Thess. 4:3-7)

3 For the will of God is your sanctification that you refrain from fornication;

4 so that each of you knows how to keep his vessel in holiness and honor,

5 and not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles, who do not know God;

6 so that you do nothing against your brother that is unlawful and covetous: for the Lord is the avenger of all these things, just as we told you and testified before.

7 For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness.

God has freed us from the power of sin. God's will is that we, having received the forgiveness of sins at the beginning of our journey, keep holiness. Holiness is an undeserved gift to us from Christ, which became possible when Jesus overcame fear and rejected human will, turned His will to fulfill the will of God.

(Heb. 10:36-39)

36 You need patience so that doing the will of God, receive the promised;

37 For a little more, a very little while, and the One who comes will come and will not tarry.

38 The righteous will live by faith; but if [anyone] stumbles, my soul does not favor him.

39 But we are not of those who hesitate to perish, but [stand] in faith to the salvation of the soul.

RESULTS. Today we have considered two questions:

1. What is the will of God concerning man.

We are convinced that the will of God is the same for all people: through repentance and faith in Christ, we get the opportunity to fulfill the will of God. In order to fulfill the will of God, we must know it in its entirety, be sincere towards ourselves, so as not to leave something behind. Not to have a religious approach, which is hypocrisy, which shares the will of God, and allows not to fulfill some part of the will of God, which Christ condemned by the example of the Pharisees.

It doesn't work that way with Christ - we have to do the will of God completely.

2. How a person should act.

This is to direct your will to the path of fulfilling the will of God, i.e. properly dispose of their free human will. Do not do your will, selfish, sinful, but do the will of God, choose the Gospel path of salvation, which Christ showed us:

Man must seek God, turn to the Word of God;

Man must believe in Christ;

Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit convicts a person, and repentance becomes possible;

A person repents before Christ of his sins, and God forgives a person, gives the opportunity to live a new holy life in communion with the living God;

Venerable Macarius of Egypt:

God expects a fervent, according to our strength, our good striving towards Him from the will of faith and zeal, but He Himself produces all prosperity in us.

Saint Peter of Damascus:

There is no shortest success of the soul than cutting off one’s own desires and understandings, and there is nothing better than to cast oneself before God day and night and ask Him that His will be done in everything. And there is nothing worse than loving freedom for the soul or body.

No other virtue can so comprehend the will of God as humility of mind and abandonment of all one's understanding and one's own will.

If the flesh is not mortified and the person is not completely led by the Spirit of God, then he cannot fulfill the will of God without compelling himself. When the grace of the Spirit reigns in us, then we will no longer have our own will, but everything that happens to us is acceptable as the will of God. Then we have peace and can be called sons of God, for we love the will of the Father, just as we love the Son of God and God. But this cannot be achieved without observance of the commandments, by which the ascetic cuts off all pleasures, that is, his desires, and endures all sorts of sorrows resulting from this.

Rev. Abba Isaiah:

Prefer the will of God over all human wisdom and recognize it as more useful than all human reasoning.

Saint John Chrysostom:

If in human affairs we do not understand many things, how things are done, and although many things seem inappropriate to us, nevertheless we yield, then all the more so should we act in this way in relation to the will of God.

Let's not say: what is it for and why is it? when it all comes from God. We will not demand an account from Him - this is extremely impious and insane.

The Lord often providently hides His will from us, knowing that even if we knew it, we would not obey and would deserve greater punishment.

Rev. Abba Dorotheos:

God wants us to desire His good will... that is, the fulfillment of His commandments; that we love each other, be compassionate, do alms and the like; this is the good will of God.

If you want to protect yourself from hidden obstacles on the path to perfection, if you want to successfully establish yourself in a good mood, so that you can desire and do everything only for the sake of what God wants, only for His glory, and for His pleasing, and for His service one who desires that in our every deed and in our every thought He alone be both the beginning and the end, then proceed as follows. When you have some work ahead of you that is in accordance with the will of God or is good in itself, do not immediately incline your will towards it and do not desire it, unless you first ascend with your mind to God in order to understand what is the direct will of God for that, to desire and do such things, and that they are pleasing to God. And when you put it in your thoughts in such a way that the very will of God will determine for you the inclination of your will, then desire it and do it for the sake of what God desires, for the sole sake of pleasing Him and only for His glory.

When you want to deviate from that which is inconsistent with the will of God or is not good, do not immediately turn away from it, but first attach the eye of your mind to the will of God and make it clear to yourself what is the direct will of God, so that you deviate from this for the sake of God. For the flattery of our nature is extremely subtle and is recognized by few: it secretly seeks one of its own, and meanwhile, apparently, it conducts business in such a way that it seems to us that its only goal is to please God, which in reality is not.

Just as everyone has his own kind of activity, but he did not accept it from himself, but from all of us, of course, because the master of every work, whatever he wants, makes his tool and skillfully works with it. Therefore, you can neither harvest fields with a shovel, nor carpentry with a sickle, nor build with a knife, nor dig with a saw, nor sew with an axe, nor chop wood with a stick, nor saw with a spear, nor throw with a sword, nor cut with a bow, but each tool is adapted for a specific job. But if you use them not for their intended purpose, but otherwise, then your life and all your actions are completely lost. In the same way, understand me, God created us for every faithful person to do his own work in life. He appointed some to teach, others to learn, others to rule over many, and others to obey them. And to some He gave wisdom, to others knowledge and the word, to others to prophesy, to others to speak in tongues, to others to work miracles and produce powers, to others He showed them to be leaders - all these are spiritual gifts. But let us also name other gifts of the Creator, which He gave to people to each according to their dignity: He created one strong in body, the other more beautiful, and the other with a better voice than the others. And in general, He bestowed on each of the people his gift and advantage, as He alone knows - the God and Creator of all, in an inexpressible way, for useful activity in life. Therefore, each one is not suitable for the craft that he himself desires, but for which he was created and for which he has a natural ability and properties. And you can see a swimmer skillfully crossing the depths of the sea and rejoicing in this much more than a rider galloping on a fast horse, and a farmer cutting the furrows of the earth with a plow and a pair of working oxen, who considers it much better than four horses harnessed to the royal chariot, and therefore he rejoices comforted by good hopes. The warrior, on the contrary, considers himself superior to all farmers, and seafarers, and artisans, and, as having glory, is proud, going to the slaughter and untimely death. Therefore, it will be completely unbearable for him to row with an oar, or hold a spade, or become a carpenter; he will not want to be a shipbuilder, or a farmer or tiller. But everyone, as I said, will act in the kind of activity that he received from God. Otherwise, a person absolutely cannot do anything in this life, or even wish to start a business. For behold, I tell you again, as I have said before, it is as impossible as ever for any of all the above-mentioned instruments to set in motion of its own accord to act, or to act without the hand of a person who takes and makes something with it, so also a person without the Divine hand he cannot think or do anything good. For I, too, the Artist - the Word arranged, what Itself wished, and placed in the world.
So, tell me, how can I think anything, or do anything, or act at all without Divine power? Granted me the mind, which, of course. He wished. He Himself gives to think about what He knows as useful and gives me the strength to act as He pleases. So, if I create this (the last), then He will, of course, give more and philanthropicly give to philosophize about something more perfect. If, however, I neglect this very few, then truly righteously I will lose what was entrusted to me from God the Giver and become an inactive and worthless instrument, as one who did not want to fulfill the commandments of the Creator, but gave himself over to laziness and negligence. Therefore, I was rejected from the hands of the Lord, for, having tasted disobedience to Him and disobedience, I was expelled from the true paradise, removed from God and from the hands of the saints.
So, finding me lying and giving myself over to complete inactivity in goodness, the crafty serpent, by cunning, made me obscene through all sorts of dishonorable deeds, in which I enjoyed, it seemed, and rejoiced. Instead, I should have mourned, wept and sobbed, since I voluntarily, unfortunate, departed from that for which I was created, and of my own free will gave myself over to everything unnatural, having fallen in the most unfortunate way into the foul hands of the enemy, by whom I completely hold , and we are moved, not being able, miserable, to oppose him. For how could I resist, being dead? Cunningly deceived, I, unfortunate, became the organ of every vice, every lawlessness, and a skillful instrument of evil deeds. For, holding me in his hand and strongly attracting, he, the serpent, defiled me with evil deeds and all kinds of impurity, plunging me into sharp stench and forcing me - oh insensibility! - to have fun with them: theft, envy and unjust murders, curses, anger, and, in short, he found me guilty of every vice, or rather, he himself took advantage of me, although I did not want to. Since then, after all, as I voluntarily rejected the hands of God and His saints, I was kidnapped by a terrible prince-strangler and held me in his hand and, despite the fact that I wanted to, could no longer do his deeds, but acted according to all his desires. . For the sword cannot contradict the holder, but wherever the holder wishes, he uses it there.
The God who created me, looking down from above and seeing me held in the hand of a tyrant, took pity, and snatched me out of his hand, and again led me into the Divine Paradise, into His vineyard. And he delivered me into the hands of the agricultural saints, so that I might do divine deeds, cultivate virtues, keep the commandments, and not move without the hand of the saints, so that the worker of evil, again finding me outside the holy hand of God, would not kidnap and again force me to do his works. . So, those kind and compassionate farmers, receiving me and taking into their hands all my will, ordered me to immediately practice humility and repentance and to weep unceasingly. For those who keep these three virtues and remain in their good deeds soon, as if not noticing, are elevated to glory, purification, dispassion and Divine contemplation and are no longer caught by the hands of the hater, but receive forgiveness from God of all sins and sins and thus become sons. the Most High and the gods by grace and worthy tools that do all good, it is better to say, the divine farmers instruct others in truly good deeds, in deeds of salvation.
Having believed them, listen to everything, and having created, and in the hands of these farmers and servants of God, at the command of God, betraying all of myself, I found all this irrevocably fulfilled on me, and I was amazed, and I shout to everyone, loudly calling out, and admonishing, and saying, for I cannot bury this in silence: those who feel that they are outside the hands of God and His saints, run, hasten and cling to them indissolubly, by faith and ardent love and complete will, cast aside all wisdom and your will and commit your souls into their hands their own, like soulless tools, apart from them doing nothing at all, not moving and not acting. Let their wisdom be your wisdom, and also their holy will be fulfilled by you as the will of God. And thus, having traveled a short path and completely unhindered, you will be friends of the Most High God, and in a few days you will become heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven and inexpressible blessings. For at the same time as you ascend this right path, you will be numbered among all the saints, and He will make you all blessed.
And for me, who sinned more than all mortals and walked this tough, narrow, short and safe path, leading to the breadth of Eternal Life, as having shown it to you, pray all those who voluntarily wished to walk along it and zealously follow in the footsteps of Christ, so that I too, and you have been found to walk blamelessly to the end of your life; and those also who wish to see Christ, so that together, joyfully leaving our bodies, we may go to heavenly rest and heavenly expanses and become heirs of that life. And inseparable from God and all the saints in Christ, the Only Begotten Son and God the Word with the Divine Spirit, we will abide with the Holy Trinity now and always and to all ages of ages. Amen.

Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer:

You must manage your will in such a way that you do not allow it to bend to your wishes, but, on the contrary, lead it to be completely one with the will of God. At the same time, remember well that it is not enough for you to desire and seek always what is pleasing to God, you must desire this as moved by God Himself, and for the sole purpose of pleasing Him from a pure heart. In order to resist this, we must endure a stronger struggle with our nature ... For our nature is so inclined to please itself that in all matters, even in the most kind and spiritual, it seeks comfort and delight, and this secretly and imperceptibly lustfully feeds, like food. Because of this, it happens that when spiritual things are before us, we immediately desire them and rush to them, however, not as moved by the will of God or with the sole purpose of pleasing God, but for the sake of that consolation and joy that is generated in us when we desire and seek what God wants from us. This charm is all the more hidden, the higher in itself and the more spiritual is what we desire.

In all cases, do not give free rein to your desires, but keep them in your power, directing everything towards one goal - standing in the will of God and walking according to the will of God. Then your desires will be right and pious, and in every unpleasant accident you will remain at peace, relying on the will of God.

Beware of yourself as your worst enemy, and follow neither your will, nor your mind, nor your taste and feeling, if you do not want to get lost. Therefore, always keep a weapon ready against yourself, and when your desire is inclined towards something, even if it is holy, lay it alone, naked from everything else, before God and with the deepest humility implore Him that it be His, and not yours. will. And do this with a sincere heartfelt surrender to the will of God, without any admixture of self-love, knowing that in yourself you have nothing and by yourself you can do nothing for salvation.

Saint Theophan the Recluse:

In the parable of the two sons, the second of them hurriedly said: "I go ... and did not go" (Matthew 21:30). This is an image of all the hasty good intentions, which then lack constancy, will and patience to carry out. A light heart is immediately ready for every good that presents itself to it, but an unsteady and industrious will refuses to do it at the very first stages. This infirmity occurs in almost everyone. How to avoid such failure before oneself and before others? And here's how: do not start anything without thinking it over and not calculating that there will be enough strength for what you have undertaken. So the Lord commanded in the parable of the one who starts a war and starts building a house. What is this calculation? In that, according to the same parable of the Lord, to arm yourself in advance with self-denial and patience. See if you have these supports of all the workers in good, and if you have, start the business, and if not, then first stock up on them. If you stock up, then whatever you meet on the way to what you have planned, you will endure and overcome everything and finish what you started. Calculation does not mean that if the matter is too difficult, give it up, but rather to inspire yourself for any kind of work. From here firmness of will and constancy of doing will come. And it will never happen to you that you say: "I'm going," and then you don't go.

Saint John Cassian the Roman:

Remember the Cross, under whose banner you must live, for it is no longer you who live, but Christ crucified for you lives in you (Gal. 2:20). Just as he hung for us on the Cross, so too, having nailed the flesh with the fear of the Lord, the will and all our desires, we must not serve our passions, but constantly mortify them, in order thus to avoid the rejection of God: "He who does not take up his cross and follows Me, he is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:38).

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian:

Whoever cuts off his will for the fear of God, God is unknown to him, so that he does not know how it happens, grants His will and makes it indelible in his heart, opening the eyes of his heart so that he knows the will of God, and giving the power to fulfill it. This is done by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and without it nothing happens.

He who tries to mortify his own will must do the will of God: instead of his own will, introduce the will of God into himself, plant and implant it in his heart.

Rev. Ephraim the Syrian:

By not wanting to leave our own will for the sake of the Lord, we ourselves harm our souls.

To the extent that one cuts off and humbles his will, to the same extent he goes to prosperity. And the more stubbornly he clings to his own will, the more he harms himself. Therefore, do not wish to be subservient to your own will, but rather be obedient to the will of God.

Know that as long as you easily surrender to your will, you are far from perfect.

Woe to a man who relies on his own strength, or his feat, or on his natural gifts, or on his own will, and does not place all his hope in God, because strength and strength come from Him alone.

Saint Basil the Great:

Whoever recognizes as useful what he pleases, he judges unreliably about what is just - he looks like a blind man ...

Rev. Abba Isaiah:

In any case, cut off your will. Do not rely on your own truth, but always keep your sins before your eyes.

Whoever hopes for his own truth and follows his own will will not escape the enemy's machinations, will not find peace for himself, will not know his shortcomings. It is difficult for him to receive the mercy of God at the hour of the exodus.

Constantly force yourself to cut off your own will, for your own will destroys all virtues.

The cutting off of one's own will binds the virtues with the union of the world.

Whoever cuts off his will before his neighbor proves by this that his mind serves virtue. The one who insists on the fulfillment of his whim, insulting his neighbor, reveals unreason.

Saint John of the Ladder:

Great is he who piously renounces his possessions, but holy is he who renounces his own will. The first will be enriched a hundredfold with property or gifts, and the second will inherit eternal life.

Self-will puffs up the soul.

Rev. Abba Dorotheos:

Do you see the fallen? Know that he followed himself. There is nothing more dangerous, nothing more destructive than this.

A person sees the immaculate way of God only when he leaves his will. When he obeys his will, he does not see that the ways of God are blameless, and if he is instructed in these ways, he opposes, humiliates them and denies them.

The devil loves those who rely on themselves because they help him and intrigue themselves.

Nothing benefits people so much as cutting off one's own will; indeed, from this a man prospers more than from any other virtue.

Cutting off one's will is bloodshed, and to achieve this, a person must work to death ...

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk:

To follow Christ is to renounce one's own will.

Ancient Patericon:

One brother, having taken on a monastic form, immediately shut himself up in his cell, saying: "I am a hermit." The elders, having heard about this, took him out and forced him to go around the cells of the monks, repent and say: "Forgive me! I am not a hermit, but a novice monk." The elders said: “If you see a young man ascending to heaven of his own free will, hold him by the leg and throw him out of there, for it is good for him.

Rev. Isaac the Syrian:

Whoever does not submit his will to God will submit to His adversary.

Rev. Abba Isaiah:

He becomes an enemy to God who follows his own will.

He who establishes himself on his own mind and follows his own will breeds in himself enmity towards others and is alien to that spirit from which contrition is born.

He who follows his own will does not have peace even with pious people, for impatience, anger and irritability dwell in his heart.

Those who hope for their truth and follow the will of their fallen being will not be able to avoid demonic wiles, they will not be able to acquire silence of the heart... and after leaving the body, it will be difficult for them to receive mercy from God.

He who clings to his fallen will cannot be at peace even with true Christians, because his heart is cowardly, angry and irritable.

If God wants to have mercy on a soul, and it persists and does not obey, but acts according to its damaged will, then God allows it sorrows that it would not want to have, so that this soul would seek God in this way.

The one who establishes himself on his mind and follows his will becomes the home of an evil spirit and is deprived of that Spirit, from which contrition of heart is born.

God does not help those who, although they have entered into His service, are at the same time serving the passions. God leaves them to their own devices, since they arbitrarily want to follow themselves, and delivers them into the hands of their enemies, the demons...

In every action of yours, pay the main attention to humility, so that you can constantly endure dishonor and cut off the will of your fallen nature. He who holds on to his will damages and destroys all his virtues.

Saint John Chrysostom:

If you want to be with demons, if you are striving for the fiery Gehenna, then do what you please, live as you like...

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian:

It is impossible for him who does his own will, even in a small way, to follow the Lord and keep His commandments.

Saint Mark the Ascetic:

A self-made man, walking without the Gospel knowledge and guidance, often stumbles and falls into many pits and nets of the evil one, often errs and undergoes great misfortunes and does not know where he will finally come. Many have gone through great deeds... and great ones have endured labors and sweats for the sake of God, but self-will and thoughtlessness... have made such their labors unpleasant and vain.

Abba Isidore:

All demons are not so terrible as following one's own heart, that is, one's thoughts, and not the law of God, is terrible.

Sayings of the nameless elders:

There is nothing more terrible than holding on to your own will and living not according to the will of God. By addiction to his will, a person can hypocritically exit this world through wide gates, but through small doors, that is, through his will and his desires for fulfillment, he can again find himself inside the world and cannot receive the Kingdom of Heaven.

Venerable Simeon the New Theologian:

Sin is committed both by our will and not by our will. For sin always appears before us only as a kind of deceptive bait. But as soon as the soul of a person mentally inclines towards sin, the tyrant and rapist of souls immediately jumps up to it, who always stands behind and vigilantly watches her movements, jumps up and drags her to commit sin by deed, and it is so obvious that sin happens at the will of a person. , and not according to his will: according to his will, because the mind itself is inclined to sin; not according to his will, because when he is inclined to commit a sin by deed, then the devil draws and compels him to this.
That is why the Wisdom of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, cuts down the very roots and germs of sins when He commands in His holy Gospel that no one should allow vicious desires and even look with lust with his eyes, because when the soul reaches the lust of sin, then it it is difficult to go back, it is difficult to keep from the case, because the demons push her towards it, doing it in the twinkling of an eye. Thus, the soul should try in every possible way to prevent the demons from approaching itself, and it cannot achieve this in any other way than by not inclining to the desires of sin, with the assistance of Jesus Christ, to whom glory is forever.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk:

A sign of self-love, when, leaving the will of God, a person fulfills his own and does not do what the will of God wants, and does what the will of God does not want, from this follows the ruin of the entire law of God. Self-love is called because a person loves himself, and not God, and pleases himself, and not God. And love should please the beloved, and not itself ...

A person who lives according to his own evil will is dead to God.

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov):

The good intention of a person is strengthened away from temptations... On the contrary, surrounded by temptations, it begins to weaken little by little and finally becomes completely perverted.

Those who allowed themselves to follow their desires and carnal wisdom were carried away by them, enslaved by them, forgot God and eternity, spent their earthly life in vain, perished forever.

There is no way to do your own will and the will of God at the same time. From the performance of the first, the performance of the second is defiled ...

From activity according to one's own will and according to one's own mind, care for oneself will immediately appear, various considerations will appear to the mind ... they will destroy attentive prayer.

A monk who is guided by the writings of the fathers in every monastery will have the opportunity to acquire salvation. He who lives according to his own will and according to his mind will lose it, even if he lives in the deepest desert.

Those who attempt... to arbitrarily invade what is hidden by God from us, are recognized as tempters of God and are expelled from His presence into pitch darkness, in which the Light of God does not shine.

Whoever has not learned to overcome his will will not be able to extinguish either anger, or sorrow, or the spirit of fornication, will not be able to acquire true humility of the heart, or everlasting unity with the brethren, or even stay long in community life.

The ascetic himself should not voluntarily and boldly plunge into sorrows and tempt the Lord: this is madness, pride and fall.

Pray to God for the removal of misfortune from you and together renounce your will, as the will of sin, the will of the blind; surrender yourself, your soul and body, your circumstances, both present and future, surrender those close to your heart to the will of God, all-holy, all-wise.

Ignaty Brianchaninov

What will be will be. And it will be what God will give. God, however, arranges everything that is only useful, and soul-profiting, and saving. Only on our part it is required not to be faint-hearted, but to endure the sent sorrows and illnesses with obedience to the will of God, humble ourselves before God and people and not dare to accuse or condemn anyone, so that the gospel word of the Lord comes true on us: Judge not, and you will not be judged (Lk. 6, 37). And again: he who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22). And again: do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its own: enough for each day of its own care (Matt. 6, 34).
If the Lord has hitherto provided for us through His mercy, then His goodness will not leave us in the future with His all-good Providence. In the meantime, at leisure, we will try to more accurately interpret the words of St. Ephraim the Syrian: “The pain of the disease is more painful, but bypass the vain diseases of the disease.”

Ambrose Optinsky (Grenkov)

Approaching the Benefactor, be yourself a benefactor; approaching the Good, be kind; approaching the Truthful, be truthful; approaching the Patient One, be patient; approaching the philanthropic, be philanthropic. And also be worthy in everything else, approaching the Kind-hearted, the Benevolent and Generous in blessings, the Merciful of everyone. And if anything else is seen as Divine, in all this be like your will and thereby acquire boldness in prayer. For it is impossible for the evil one to have fellowship with the good, and for the impure with the pure and undefiled.

Gregory of Nyssa

May we do not what pleases us, but what pleases God, and thus we shall please Him. God's word shows us what is pleasing to God and what is not. May this sacred lamp shine on us in all our deeds, words, thoughts and undertakings; for this he was placed by our merciful Heavenly Father. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). We want to live in idleness and laziness, but this is not pleasing to God - let us do what is pleasing to God and, shaking off the dream of laziness and idleness, we will abide in useful and blessed labors ... We want to fulfill passionate lust, but this is disgusting to God, and chastity is pleasing to Him and let us do our holiness that is pleasing to God, and let us live “chastely, righteously, and piously” (Titus 2:12). It is pleasing to us with our tongue to talk idle, to slander, to condemn, and to utter other worthless and rotten words, but it is not pleasing to God, let us bridle our tongue and love prudent silence, and let us dissolve every word with the salt of the mind “for edification in faith” (Eph. 4, 29) our neighbor, for this pleases God. So in other things let us act and do not what our will and flesh pleases, but what the will of God wants, and thus we will please Him.

Tikhon Zadonsky

“The world is passing away, and its lust” (1 John 2:17). Who doesn't see this? Everything flows around us: phenomena, faces, events, and we ourselves flow. Worldly lust also flows: as soon as we taste the sweetness of satisfying it, both of them disappear. We chase after another and the same with that one; chasing the third - again the same. And nothing stands, everything comes and goes. What? Is there nothing permanent? There is, the apostle continues: “He who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). What keeps this fluid world? God wants and he stands. The will of God is its unshakable and indestructible foundation. So it is with people; whoever becomes firm in the will of God immediately becomes steadfast and firm. Thoughts are turbulent while someone is chasing the transient. But as soon as one comes to his senses and returns to the path of the will of God, thoughts and undertakings subside. When, finally, he has time to acquire the skill in this way of life, everything in him, both inside and outside, comes into a calm order and serene order. Starting here, this deep peace and serenity will pass into another life - and there they will remain forever. This is what is among the general flow around us - not current and constant in us: walking in the will of God.

Theophan the Recluse

The Lord forbade people and demons to praise Him when He was on earth (Mark 3:12), but He demanded that they believe in Him and fulfill the commandments of God. The same law is with the Lord now, the same will be in judgment: “Not everyone who says to me:“ Lord! Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). That is why in the church they begin to sing: “Glory to God in the highest,” and towards the end they reach the words: “Heal my soul ... teach me to do Your will.” Without this, the praise of God has no value. Yes, then it does not come from the soul, but only ascended by the tongue from other people's words, therefore the Lord does not pay attention to it. It is necessary to arrange so that others see our deeds and praise the Lord, so that our life is a praise to God, for He creates everything in everyone, just do not interfere; to Him and praise for works ascends. Everyone needs to become the fragrance of Christ, then, even without verbal praise, we will unceasingly glorify the Lord. The rose flower does not utter a voice, and its fragrance diverges far - this is how all Christians should live.

Theophan the Recluse

The will of God does not bind our autocracy, but is accomplished by looking at it—what it leads to. There is the will of God by good pleasure, and there is the will of God by permission, and this last happens when we want it to be without fail the way we think it will be good for us. And when we surrender to the will of God and seek not what we want, but what will be pleasing to Him and useful to us, then this is the will of God - by good pleasure, useful and saving for us, and with the will of God, which happens by permission, sorrows are inevitable. and sadness.

Macarius Optinsky (Ivanov)

The article "On the Will of God" by Bishop Ignatius teaches us to submit to the will of God. Knowing what is said in this article is necessary for every believer, whether a monk or a layman. To my great regret, for the most part you see and hear murmuring around you and within yourself, unwillingness to obey what the Lord sends, the demand for a fair attitude towards yourself and other crazy manifestations of opposition to the will of God. How great is our weakness! How weak is our faith! It is not our business to discuss why and why this or that befalls us: we need to know that this is the will of God, we must humble ourselves, but to demand, so to speak, from God an account is extreme madness and pride. So, everyone should: demand from himself (that is, force himself to do) the fulfillment of the commandments and everything that other people do with us, that without the help of people is done to us - consider it a righteous judgment of God for our benefit, our salvation and humbly all that tolerate.
It will be soul-saving and bring peace to our hearts. God! May your holy will be done!
Comprehension of the will of God is available to the pure in his life. They receive the gift of spiritual reasoning, which is above all virtues.

Nikon Optinsky (Belyaev)

The ways of God's Providence are incomprehensible to us. We cannot understand them. Therefore, with all humility, I surrender to the will of God. In surrendering myself and everything to the will of God, I find peace for my soul. I firmly believe that everything is in the hands of God.

Nikon Optinsky (Belyaev)

Believing in the Providence of God that cares for me, I am afraid to direct my life according to my thinking, for I have watched how my own will brings sorrows and difficulties to people ... May the will of God be good and perfect! I entrust myself to her, and all my life, and everyone. Accepting the will of God brings peace to my heart.

Nikon Optinsky (Belyaev)

If we rely on the will of God, everything is good, even troubles, everything leads to the salvation of our soul, and at the same time great wisdom and depth are revealed. Those who love God... everything works together for good (Rom. 8:28).

Nikon Optinsky (Belyaev)

Human pride says: we will do, we will achieve, and we begin to build the tower of Babel, we demand an account from God in His actions, we want to be the stewards of the universe, we dream of transcendental thrones - but no one and nothing obeys her, and the impotence of man is proved with all obviousness bitter experience. Observing this experience from history and ancient, bygone days and modern, I come to the conclusion that the ways of God's Providence are incomprehensible to us, we cannot understand them, and therefore it is necessary to surrender to the will of God with all humility.

Nikon Optinsky (Belyaev)

Your activities, people, should be entirely in the fulfillment of the will of God. An example of this activity is shown, the rules of this activity are taught to humanity by a perfect man, God, who has taken humanity upon Himself.

Ignaty Brianchaninov

Cooking<к молитве>serve: the rejection of cares by the power of faith in God, the power of humility and devotion to the will of God, the consciousness of one's sinfulness and the contrition and humility of the spirit flowing from this consciousness.

Ignaty Brianchaninov

Those trained in internal warfare come to know the all-holy will of God, and little by little they learn to abide in it. Knowledge of the will of God and obedience to it serve as a haven for the soul. The soul finds peace in this haven and a notice of its salvation.

Ignaty Brianchaninov

Blessed is the man whose whole will is in the Law of God. Blessed is the heart that has matured in the knowledge of the will of God, that has seen how good the Lord is, that has acquired this vision by partaking of the commandments of the Lord, that has united its will with the will of the Lord.

Ignaty Brianchaninov

What calms in fierce times of spiritual distress?.. It calms the mere consciousness of being a slave and a creation of God... As soon as a person prays to God with all his heart: “May Thy will be done to me, my Lord,” as the excitement of the heart subsides. From these words, spoken sincerely, the most severe sorrows are deprived of their overwhelming power over a person.

Ignaty Brianchaninov

<Бог хочет>so that we desire His good will, which happens ... according to good pleasure, that is, everything that is done according to His commandment: to love one another, to be compassionate, to do alms, and the like; this is the good will of God.

Abba Dorotheos

“Not everyone who says to me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven (Matt. 7:21). Prayer alone will not save you: prayer must be combined with the fulfillment of the will of God - everything that is entrusted to each, according to his rank and order of life. And in prayer, we must primarily ask that God grant us not to deviate in anything from His holy will. And vice versa, whoever has the zeal to fulfill the will of God in everything, that prayer is bolder before God and more easily gains access to His throne. Even so, if prayer is not accompanied by walking in the will of God, then prayer is not real prayer, sober and heartfelt, but only external, verbal. During its time, the moral malfunction, like a fog, is covered by verbosity with disorder and wandering of thoughts. It is necessary to adjust both with piety, then there will be fruit.