Who's will...What way?

God's will vs our free will is always an interesting topic to discuss with people. It is hard enough to talk about this with a nonbeliever and explain why God's will for our life is always what's best, but it also amazes me how many professing Christians go through each day of their life without considering if they are acting in their own free will or God's will. As I was thinking about the clear difference and how this started way back with Adam and Eve and the decision to listen to the temptation of the enemy, my mind went to the results of acting in either our will or God's. In certain situations the outcome alone will show you if you were acting in God's will, but there are certain situations where the outcome makes it hard to see the difference. Especially if the temptation is clouding our judgement.
Because this is the way my mind works sometimes, I was comparing wills to simple math. And how if we didn't know 2+2=4 how would we ever know if we were doing it right. Because we can lay 4 things down in front of us and see that inside of that are 2 groups of 2...the evidence is right in front of us, so there is nothing left to question. The answer is always 4 so it is very obvious if we are doing it wrong. Well every time we make a decision there is also an obvious right and wrong answer....but how do we know? The bible! Every time we act within our own free will (or our flesh) there will be something that does not line up with God's word. The reason why is because our human side gets in the way of our decision. There will be some sign of selfishness, greed, desire or want....something in it for us above anything else. And that does not line up with God's word. But when we act in God's will the beauty is that He has a way of making it work out for us. When we act in a way that is selfless, giving, sharing and thoughtful toward others, God can take that and use it to bless us...and others. It is exactly what the enemy does not want us to figure out. Greed is the seed of the enemy. Greed makes us worry about what we will get out of a situation and causes us to act in our own free will instead of seeking God's. But selflessness is a virtue of Christ, and when we act selfless we will put God's will above all else.
Obviously taking any decision before God in prayer will help us see His will and His way. We open ourselves up to hear from Him and for Him to reveal things to us that we may otherwise overlook. If you can't see if you are acting in your own free will or God's will in a situation, take to the bible and take it to prayer. He will show you there is an obvious answer, but you have to be willing to see the situation through His eyes to see that answer. But I promise you this, if you act in God's will the blessings that come from it will affect so many more people than just you...and that is exactly how God designed it to be.