What Does God Want Me to Do With My Life? How to Figure It Out

Inside: Discover 3 pitfalls keeping you from hearing the answer to, “What does God want me to do with my life?” Plus learn a simple, easy-to-miss way to discover the answer for yourself.

“What does God want me to do with my life?” The question haunted me for years.

At first, I managed to ignore it—sometimes even silence it—for months at a time. I went about life as usual, executing my foolproof career plan: work hard, earn good money, work hard some more, get promoted, earn better money.

And I killed it at executing the plan. My office on the executive floor, house on the hill overlooking the city, luxury car parked in the driveway, overflowing walk-in closet, and healthy bank account proved it.

But it got to where no amount of executive perks or money in the bank could silence the question. “God, what do you want me to do with my life??” started niggling at me yet again.

And it wouldn’t stop.

In fact, it robbed me of the happiness and satisfaction they’d promised with the flawless execution of my foolproof career plan.

Well, the joke was on me. And I was way overdue to find a real answer for what God wanted me to do with my life.

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What Does God Want Me to Do With My Life?

If you’re a high-achieving woman like me, you haven’t been idle in trying to answer this question. Between career counselors, the latest how-to books on discovering your God-given dreams, personality tests, career quizzes, and skills profiling, you’re kinda over it.

Heck, even your church friends’ suggestions of fasting and Bible study haven’t helped you answer, “What does God want me to do with my life?”

As a Christian woman, the question keeps niggling at you because you know the truth. You won’t be satisfied until you’re fulfilling a higher purpose than locking down another promotion or adding another zero to your investment portfolio balance.

But the only higher purpose you can think of is God’s purpose for your life. So everywhere you turn, the darn question of what God wants you to do with your life keeps smacking you in the face.

Well, it’s time for you to find a real answer.

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But Here’s the Problem

Maybe like I did, you’ve wrestled with this joy-stealing question for years now. And for years, it’s seemed like God is silent on the subject.

As far as you can tell, He hasn’t said a word about it. Even with all your begging and pleading, it seems like you’ve gotten from him is crickets.

Which is frustrating, right?

I mean, here you are, ready to jump into whatever He wants you to do with your life. But God isn’t telling you what to do.

This is why you were forced to go looking for answers from other sources. After all, you only have this one life and every minute that goes by is a minute you can’t get back. But God seems to be taking His sweet time revealing what He wants you to do with your life.

The thing is, this whole time, you may have been missing signs God is pushing you into something better—your purpose.

How You Missed God’s Answer for What to Do With Your Life

When you know and acknowledge where you went wrong, you’re less likely to make the same mistake again. This is why understanding how you missed signs of God answering your prayers is important.

Let’s look at 3 ways this could have happened. You may have missed His answer to, “God, what do you want me to do with my life?” because of any one or all of them. I sure did, so listen up!

1. You received an unacceptable answer for what God wants you to do with your life.

Maybe, like He did for me, God whispered a dream into your heart. But it was unconventional or seemed impractical so you dismissed it. Then you went right back to asking, “What does God want me to do with my life?” like you hadn’t already gotten an answer.

Or maybe God gave you an answer but you didn’t see how it could happen. So, after a few failed attempts in your own strength, you abandoned it as impossible.

Or maybe when you asked God what He wants you to do with your life, He wouldn’t give you the whole roadmap. So you decided you couldn’t trust Him to have a workable plan for bringing the dream He gave you to life.

This is how you ended up where you are now—richer in money but not in joy.

All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.
Ecclesiastes 6:7 (ESV)

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2. You cared more about others’ opinions of what God wants you to do with your life.

You may have ended up looking for what makes you happy answers and failing to find any because others’ opinions mattered more to you than submitting to God’s will.

The truth is, you’ll never hear or accept God’s answer for what to do with your life if people-pleasing is more important than following His path for you.

You’ll keep turning away from the thing God has for you by choosing to chase after others’ approval instead.

For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
John 12:43 (ESV)

3. You forgot who’s in charge of what God wants you to do with your life.

Maybe God wasn’t giving you answers in the ways you expected or in timeframes you thought were reasonable.

This is to say, you were trying to control how and when God answered your prayers of what to do with your life.

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

Don’t miss one critical thing in this verse. Letting God be the boss—letting Him unfold things in His time and His way—requires not only patience but also courage.

Waiting on God is a test of your faith. No mature Christian life has escaped having to wait on God for something that felt urgent.

But you’ll never experience the satisfaction and peace of walking out what God wants you to do with your life if you don’t wait on Him.

So…How Do I Know What God Wants Me to Do With My Life?

Now you know the 3 pitfalls to beware of when you’re asking, “What does God want me to do with my life?”:

Don’t discount God’s answer as unacceptable because it seems impossible or because it’s not a whole roadmap and detailed plan.
Elevate God’s will—whatever it turns out to be—to first place in your life. Even above others’ opinions of you and your choices.
Let God be in control of how and when He tells you what He wants you to do with your life.

All the Bible studies in the world, all the claims that you love God with your whole heart, and all your professions of faith won’t help if you let yourself fall into these traps.

And now you’re ready to learn how you can discover the answer to what God wants you to do with your life.

It’s simple: Start listening to Him.

Most Christians ask God all sorts of things and expect Him to abracadabra an answer right before their very eyes. Because of this, most Christians fail to get quiet, tune in, and listen for His response.

And since God always hears our prayers, you can be sure He’s been responding.

You see, as a confessed, baptized believer who knows who you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living within you. Jesus Christ said so.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:13 (ESV)

The Holy Spirit is always communicating truth to you. Because of this, you can receive God’s guidance on what to do with your life, if only you’ll stop and notice signs God is speaking to you.

So before you ask again, “What does God want me to do with my life?” drop your desperation, judgment, and impatience.

Instead, the next time you ask, “God, what do you want me to do with my life?” do it with submission, curiosity, and a willingness to obey in your heart.

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You Can Know What God Wants You to Do With Your Life

I let the question of what God wanted me to do with my life niggle at me for years.

Sure, I had a good life—a prosperous one even, in the world’s eyes. But because the path I chose wasn’t the one God had laid out for me, I felt no satisfaction or peace in my accomplishments.

Meanwhile, I prayed without ceasing, “God, what do you want me to do with my life?” And I expected an immediate, comfortable answer.

Then when I didn’t get what I was looking for in the way I was looking for it, I started to believe God didn’t love me and maybe I wasn’t special to Him after all.

The day I realized I was the problem, not God, was one of the best days of my life!

As for you, God isn’t torturing, ignoring, or trying to frustrate you while you seek an answer to what He wants you to do with your life.

More than likely, He’s already answered you by giving you either a big dream you’re afraid won’t materialize or a small dream you’ve dismissed as inconsequential.

Either way, you need to decide if you’ll submit to God and take the one next step He shows you.

Then you’ll be well on your way to walking out what God wants you to do with your life.

Before you go, get your FREE printable download to help conquer your confusion—The Essential Guide to Finding Clarity.

How to Find an Answer For: What Does God Want Me to Do With My Life?