8 Signs God Doesn’t Want You To Do Something

Sharing is caring!

You can’t see God, but He’s always with you.

And He speaks to us through the Bible, through prayer and through our hearts.

It’s important to listen to God and obey His commands.

But sometimes we don’t know what those are.

Or we think we know what they are, but we’re not sure.

Or we want to do something that isn’t right for us or for others around us.

How do you know when God is saying ‘no’ to something you want to do?

8 Signs God Doesn’t Want You To Do Something

1. It’s not in line with your conscience and the Bible

Your conscience is a gift from God and

He has placed it within us as a compass that points us toward truth.

He created us with a conscience so that we know what is right and wrong.

So if you have a gut feeling that something isn’t right, then pay attention to that feeling.

It’s usually a sign from God telling you not to go through with something.

You need to ask yourself:

Is what I’m doing right now in line with my conscience?

If not, why am I doing it?

Does this line up with what I know about God and his Word?

If you can’t answer yes, then it’s probably not the right thing to do.

If we’re going to live in harmony with God, we have to obey His Word (the Bible).

Be careful that you don’t make excuses for sinning by saying things like: “It’s not really wrong.”
“I’ll ask forgiveness later.”

 

2. You’re not sure if it’s God’s will or your own whim

If you’re having trouble deciding if something is God’s will for your life or if it’s just something you want for yourself, you need to take a pause.

It may be hard to discern between the two because sometimes our desires can seem like they come from God when they really aren’t His plan at all.

When in doubt, ask yourself these questions:

What does this look like?

Is this my desire or God’s will?

Am I acting like Jesus would act?

How would my pastor/mentor/friend advise me?

 

3. You’re motivated by fear, and not faith

The Bible is full of examples of times when God’s people did things that he didn’t want them to do.

And this is usually because they were motivated by fear instead of faith.

They feared what would happen if they didn’t follow through on their plans or desires, so they ignored God’s warning signs and went ahead with them anyway.

If God wants you to do something, you might experience a bit of fear but your faith will be more than your fear.

However, if fear is what is motivating you to do something, it’s not the will of God.

The Bible says, “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and of a sound mind.”

 

4. It’ll cause harm or hurt others

If you know you’re about to do something that will cause harm or hurt someone else, God probably doesn’t want you to do it.

God wants us to treat others with love, respect and honesty.

For instance, God will not want you to date a married person because it’ll cause hurt to their spouse/family.

So, God will never be in support of doing what will bring pain and heartache to others.

 

6. You don’t have peace about it

God is a God of peace.

When we seek God’s will, He gives us peace about it.

If we are doing what he wants us to do, there should be an inner peace about it that comes from knowing we are doing what is best for us and for those around us.

If there is no peace about something, then that may be an indication that God doesn’t want us to do it.

Sometimes we have peace about a decision before we make it and sometimes after making it — either way is fine.

But if there is no peace at all, then maybe it isn’t part of God’s plan for our lives after all.

For example, if you’re going to get married and you don’t have peace about it, it’s probably not wise to marry that person.

If you’re going to start a business and you don’t have peace about it, then don’t start that business.

If you want to go on a trip, and you’re troubled about it, it’s best to pause and ensure you’re at peace before going.

If God has His way in our lives, He will give us peace when we ask Him for guidance in a decision-making situation.

 

7. Your motive is not pure

God does not only care about what we do but why we do it.

The Bible says “God weighs the motives”.

You want to do something, but you are doing it for all the wrong reasons.

You are trying to be somebody else’s hero or you are trying to prove something to someone else.

You may even be doing it out of rebellion or anger toward your parents or other authority figures in your life.

God knows your heart and He will show you when your motives are not pure.

If the motive behind your decision is impure, God doesn’t want you to do it.

 

8. Authority figures in your life warn you against it

Sometimes, God speaks to us through the people He has placed in our lives, especially when we are too overwhelmed to hear Him or know His will.

So, when an authority figure in your life e.g your godly parents, spiritual parents, mentors etc. disagrees with a decision you’re making, listen carefully.

It doesn’t mean they’re always right — but their wisdom could help guide you away from trouble down the road.

It’s not always easy to distinguish between God’s voice and your own thoughts especially when you haven’t trained yourself to discern His will.

You may have a strong feeling about something and mistakenly assume it’s from God.

But if you pay attention and take time to listen, you will know when He is saying no to you, and these signs can also help you to know when God doesn’t want you to do something.

And if God doesn’t want you to do something, it’s not to punish you but for your own good because He cares about you.