R.C. Sproul

This is His will that we not commit idolatry.

Now, is it possible for us to break that will?

Yes, of course.

But that's not what I want to be looking at immediately.

I want to go back to this business of the sovereign will of God.

And when people say to me, how do I know the will of God for my life?

I want to know this, what will are they talking about?

Usually what they're asking me about is what is the sovereign, efficacious will of God for my life?

What is God's eternal plan for my life?

Now, when we make further distinctions about this business of the sovereign, efficacious will of God, we make a distinction between the hidden will of God and the revealed will of God.

the hidden will of God and the revealed will of God.

Now, remember the Old Testament says, the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but that which He has revealed belongs to us and to our children forever.

So the Bible itself makes a distinction between what God has revealed and what He has left hidden.

And when we talk about the hidden will of God, the usual language we employ to describe that is the language that speaks of the secret counsel of God or the hidden counsel of God.

Now I think so often what people are asking when they say, how do I know the will of God for my life?

What they're asking me to help them with is how they can discern the secret counsel of the Almighty.

And frankly, I get frustrated when people ask me that because there are things I want to say that I don't say, but I'll say them now because I'm speaking anonymously where I'm not any particular individual.

Two things I would say, how in the world can you expect me to know what is the secret counsel of God?

If I knew what the secret counsel of God is, it wouldn't be a secret anymore.

It wouldn't be hidden anymore.