Can I Miss God's Will?
1) Direct Answer
Yes—a person can step out of God’s perfect will by unbelief or disobedience and miss His best in a season. But if you truly belong to Him, His purpose will stand; He will correct and bring you back. The Bride will not miss her place.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible shows a perfect will and a permissive will. “Prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). That means some things are allowed, but they are not His best.
- Israel wanted a king. God let them have Saul, but said, “they have rejected Me” (1 Samuel 8:7). Permitted, yet outside His perfect plan.
- Balaam pressed past God’s “No” until he got a “Go,” and it led to judgment (Numbers 22; 31:16). That’s permissive will—dangerous ground.
- Jonah ran from God’s will, but God corrected him and set him back on the path (Jonah 1–3). You can detour, but God can bring His own back.
- Not everyone doing religious works is in the will of God (Matthew 7:21). We must do the Father’s will, not our own way.
- For those who are His: “All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me” (John 6:37). “My sheep hear My voice… and no man is able to pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:27–29). He finishes what He starts (Philippians 1:6).
- We are told, “Be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). That means it can be known, and it can be missed if we are unwise.
- God’s will is first moral and spiritual: “This is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). As we walk clean, He orders our steps (Proverbs 3:5–6).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- If everything that happens were God’s perfect will, there would be no warnings to “understand” His will, no call to “prove” it, and no need to pray “Thy will be done.” The Bible gives those commands because our choices matter.
- You can miss timing, peace, and reward by choosing your own way (1 Corinthians 3:13–15). But if you are His, you won’t miss salvation or your ordained place; He disciplines and restores His own.
- The Bride hears the Word, follows the Spirit, and will not fail to take her place. She is called, washed, and kept.
Practical counsel to stay in His perfect will
- Yield fully: Present your body a living sacrifice so you can “prove” His perfect will (Romans 12:1–2).
- Stay in the Word: His will never contradicts Scripture (Psalm 119:105).
- Be led by the Spirit: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
- Watch the fruit and the peace: The wisdom from above is pure and peaceable (James 3:17); let His peace rule in your heart (Colossians 3:15).
- Don’t force God after He has spoken: Balaam did and paid dearly. Wait, obey, and don’t press past the check of the Word and Spirit.
- If you’ve stepped off: Repent now. He restores and even redeems lost time (Joel 2:25). “All things work together for good” to them that love God (Romans 8:28).
Short reinforcing statement
Don’t live in the permissive will. Walk in the light you have, and God will make the next step plain. His perfect will is knowable, walkable, and sure for those who yield to His Word and Spirit.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Trying to do God a service without it being God's will
65-1127B §110
And God doesn't need any of us to interpret His Word. God is His own interpreter. He don't need our seminaries. He don't need our wisdom, it's nonsense. See? Eve got that, and missed the interpretation by her wisdom. Say, "Oh, boy, that guy's a smart man." Well, that don't mean a thing. Sure. Ahab was a smart man. Belshazzar was a smart man. Satan was most cunning and crude, subtle, nobody could withstand him, none at all. Now don't depend on no wisdom, just depend on God. See? How is God? He is the Word. And then...
Does God ever change His mind about His Word?
65-0418E §85
Notice, as God said to Balaam, after he had heard the true-cut decision Word, "Don't go"... Yes, then He told him after He seen it in his heart what it was to do, He give him his permissive will, so He said, "Go." And you can do the same thing. If you don't want to walk in the truth, you can go ahead and have a great ministry. Certainly you can. But you're taking his permissive will. You're walking over his Word. He'll prosper you, certainly, just like He did Balaam. He was a success, but he couldn't curse that peo...
Trying to do God a service without it being His will
65-0718M §54
and it must be by the person He has chose to give it and to do it. Moses tried to run from it. "Take somebody else!" But God chose Moses to do it. Many of them... Paul tried to get out of it, many others. But it's got to be by the one He chooses to do it. And it must come first to His prophets. The Word of God must come to His prophets (Amos 3:7). " The Lord God will do nothing until first He reveals it to His servant the prophet: Four. And the prophet must be a-vindicated by the Word of God. There's your five must...
Hear ye Him
56-0611 §47
You say, "Brother Branham, what do you say..." God bless you, little boy. "What does that mean?" Say anything to me, but the best thing that you could ever do, would say, "God bless you." If He blesses me, everything else is all right. God bless you, sister, dear. God bless you, sister. Certainly, that's my sincere prayer. God bless you, my sister. God bless you, sister dear. God bless you back there, sister. God bless you, brother. God bless you, sister. You, my brother. That's right. God bless you, sister. You br...
Does God ever change His mind about His Word?
65-0418E §76
Look at even King Hezekiah, when he sent that prophet up there to him---God did---and said, "Put your house in order. You're going to die." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly, and said, "Lord God, I ask You to consider me. I've walked before you with a perfect heart. I want You to let me live fifteen years longer." "All right." God spoke to the prophet, said, "Go back and tell him I heard him." And what did he do? He brought disgrace upon the whole nation. He kindled the anger of God till He wou...