Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung

As a pastor to young married couples and to young adult singles, I receive a myriad of questions concerning God. For most young adults, they want to know how God relates to their own lives. In that vein of thought, one of the most pressing questions for young adults is “How can I know God’s will for my life?” In fact, this question was becoming so prevalent within the ministry that I ended up buying a book for us all to go through together. That book was called Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung.

This book was a breath of fresh air. It helped me to be able to narrow down my thoughts on the subject matter. Kevin does a wonderful job at helping us see how we have complicated the discussion of “God’s will for my life.” Throughout the book, in many different ways, he emphasizes the main theme: Love God, and do what you want. The statement becomes more clear and fleshed out as the book progresses.

The book opens with Kevin’s thoughts on Tinkertoy Christians. He explains that, too often, Christians tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships. In our pursuit of these things, we constantly worry if we are in God’s will or if we have made a decision that has placed us outside of God’s will. Kevin explains that most of the time it is not that complicated. In fact, we are the ones who complicate God’s plan for us. Kevin writes that God has given us His will already in Scripture, and it is a simple will: an easy yoke. God’s will for His people is that we would love Him and obey Him. Once those things are accomplished, then we can do what we please.

In the course of the book, Kevin explains that we as believers spend many of our days in paralysis trying to decide which job God wants us to pick, which person He has willed for us to marry, or which school we should attend. In our days of paralysis, we are waiting for God to show us clear and unmistakable direction for our lives. We want it shown to us with a feeling of perfect peace. Kevin helps us to understand, and to remember, that life just does not work that way. The one thing, Kevin points out, that we fail to understand is that God has given us the ability to make wise decisions. God has given us wise people around us to help us think through difficult decisions and point us in a good direction. When we love Him and obey Him, we will want to make decisions that honor Him.

This book was helpful for my own life, but also for many of those in my young adult ministry. Some of them were currently thinking through different job offers and this helped them be proactive in simply making a decision through wise guidance. This has helped me personally relieve a burden on my life about whether or not I was making daily decisions that were keeping me in God’s will or keeping me out. Kevin helped me understand that most of the time God simply wants me to stop waiting and just do something.

Aaron Allen

Young Adults and Families Pastor

Sunnyvale First Baptist Church