Revealing God’s Will: Good, Acceptable, and Perfect

Part 1: God’s Will Is Like a Fractal Zoom

Have you ever tried to discern God’s will and felt completely lost?
I have. I’ve nodded solemnly, even whispered a reverent “Mmm,” as if the Holy Spirit and I were deep in conversation—when really, I was just confused and parroting someone else’s commentary.

For years, I was content with someone else’s interpretation. Or rather, I didn’t realize there were deeper interpretations. I thought the written text was the depth. If a passage didn’t immediately bloom with insight, I would just move on to the next, assuming it wasn’t my day to receive divine revelation—or worse, that I simply wasn’t “spiritual enough.”

What Is a Fractal Zoom?

Then something strange started happening. Somewhere between prayer and spiritual fatigue, God began to meet me in unexpected ways. Not in the fireworks-and-thunder sense, more like a mesmerising slow zoom diving endlessly into a spiral of colour and light.

At first, I had no language for it, but then I stumbled across something called a fractal zoom. A fractal is a pattern that repeats itself infinitely, no matter how far you zoom in. What looks like a swirl from far away turns out to be thousands of smaller swirls, each echoing the original shape, each unique and increasingly complex. A fractal zoom is an endless deep dive into one design, where each level reveals more wonder than the last.

How Fractals Mirror Spiritual Growth

This is what it’s like when the Holy Spirit begins to reveal the will of God through Scripture.

You think you understand a passage, maybe you’ve even underlined it in three colours and posted it on Instagram. Then suddenly, years later, it unfurls like multiple doors. You walk through one, only to find multiple other directions you could explore. Some refer to these as rabbit holes, but fractals are illuminating.

And this is how God enchants you. Each time, you see Jesus He draws you further into the mystery of revelation.

God’s Will: Not a Ladder, But a Spiral

Romans 12:2 says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

For years, I read that verse like a spiritual grading checklist (as I said earlier – I parroted what I had been taught):

• Good = not terrible performance
• Acceptable = decent performance
• Perfect = awesome performance – something missionaries get after 40 years in the jungle.

I assumed these were levels. Tiers. A ladder you have to climb.

But then God took me into a zoom. And I started to wonder about the questions arising in my mind, what if these aren’t levels at all? What if they’re dimensions? What if they’re a journey? What if God’s will is not a staircase of effort, but a spiral of transformation?

Maybe the “good” will of God is the foundation. The “acceptable” will is alignment. And the “perfect” will? That’s what happens when we surrender not just what we do, but who we are.

Descending to Rise: The Way of the Kingdom

Questions, questions, glorious questions!

What if God’s will isn’t about spiritual performance? What if it’s about perception, the kind that deepens with revelation?
What if the Word doesn’t reduce reality, it expands it?
What if His won’t narrow over time, but widens, growing richer, deeper, more luminous?

What once looked like an endless checklist of do’s and don’ts begins to reveal itself instead as a spiral staircase, winding ever downward yet somehow lifting you higher.

That’s the wonder of God’s Word. The more you question, the deeper you go.
The deeper you search, the wider your vision becomes, until you’re swimming in a sea of unending beauty, right in the heart of God.

In the fractal nature of His will, every question opens a higher revelation.
Every act of surrender reveals more of His mind.
And each layer of obedience? It enlarges your joy.

Zoom In: An Invitation to Go Deeper with God

Here’s the good news: you don’t need a theology degree to zoom in. You just need childlike curiosity, patience, and the Holy Spirit.

God’s will is not only a destination, it’s a revelation. It isn’t three boxes to tick. It’s a living journey that unfolds like a fractal under divine light.

So, if you’ve ever skimmed a verse, shrugged, and moved on, welcome. You’re not alone. But take heart. What seems baffling today may be the edge of a fractal tomorrow.

Ultimately God’s Will Is About Spiritual Growth

My zoom into God’s will happened on a crystal-clear Tuesday morning, coffee in hand, watching the sun rise. The Holy Spirit asked me what I thought His good, acceptable, and perfect will really meant. And just like that, I knew everything I’d believed about ticking performance boxes was about to be completely rearranged.

My first zoom landed in 1 John 2:12–14. Behold three stages, clear as day. But they’re not tick boxes; they’re a journey. A spiritual progression, not a performance chart. The way we grow up into Christ.

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 

I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 

• Children – You know your sins are forgiven. You’re a little shocked that suffering still exists post-salvation. But this is God’s good will.
• Young men – You overcome the evil one. You discover spiritual warfare isn’t optional. But you’re entering God’s acceptable will.
• Fathers – You’re mature. You don’t need to prove anything. You’re just quietly dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. You’re in God’s perfect will.

But let me warn you, this fractal journey, called spiritual growth, is weird. There’s no polite way to say it. It’s beautiful, sure, but also slow, unpredictable, and not nearly as Instagrammable as you’d like. One day you’re floating on a cloud, whispering, “God is so good,” and the next you’re snapping at someone in traffic and questioning your salvation. Growth is awkward.

Then Jesus, calm, mischievous as ever, zoomed me to Mark 4:28:

“The earth produces by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”

Another growth progression. Quiet. Organic. No fanfare, just the patient unfolding of a life rooted in faith.

Faith Grows Awkwardly (and That’s Okay)

You start with joy (blade).
Then comes the battle (head).
Then comes maturity (full corn).

James adds: “The perfect man is the one who controls his tongue.” (James 3:2)

Let’s be real. If spiritual maturity is measured by what we say, most of us are still babes.

But that’s the point.
The tongue changes with time because it reveals the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And the heart, in turn, is shaped by your thoughts, your will, and your emotions.

But as your thoughts begin to spiral through the glory of His thoughts, something shifts.
Your words begin to carry life.
And life-giving speech?

It doesn’t just transform your life.
It transforms the world around you.

The Kingdom Grows in You: One Quiet Day at a Time

Once your inner conversation changes, the natural circumstances must follow. Jesus said the Kingdom starts within. Paul, James, John, Jesus, – they all agree:

You become what you imagine within.

So here it is:

• Faith is the seed.
• The renewed mind is the soil.
• Speech is the first fruit.
• And the Kingdom? That’s the full harvest.

Growing in God’s will is a process. Sometimes boring. Sometimes excruciating. Sometimes exhilarating. But always holy.

The Seed, the Soil, and the Stages of Faith

Whoops, that’s exactly what Paul echoes in Romans 12:2, urging us to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Sounds like growth to me.
That’s how we begin to discern what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, not by ticking boxes, but by maturing in our thinking.

Now if you’re anything like me, trying to be “perfect” makes you want to throw your Bible across the room. Perfect? I’m just trying to get through the day without checking my phone mid-prayer.

But Paul isn’t talking about performance. He’s talking about transformation.

The good, acceptable, and perfect will of God isn’t some divine buffet line where you pick what feels right for the day.
It’s not three separate callings, it’s one will, unfolding in stages. A progression. A growth arc.

• First, the blade – God’s good will: the beginning, childlike and full of promise.
• Then, the head – God’s acceptable will: strength emerging, young and learning to war.
• Finally, the full grain in the ear – God’s perfect will: maturity, steady and fruitful, like a father or mother in the faith.

Spiritual maturity doesn’t start with your behaviour.
It starts with your mind.

Which, let’s be honest, is kind of a shame, because behaviour is way easier to fake.
But renewing the mind? That’s inner work. Slow work.

It means letting go of the old man’s narrative, guilt, shame, lack, and snuggling into the one the Holy Spirit is softly writing within you.
A story marked by grace. By fullness. By freedom.

But let’s be real, accepting the mind of the new man (no guilt, no shame, no lack) doesn’t happen overnight.
It’s not a switch. It’s a rewiring.

Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 4:22-24

And he has taught you to let go of the lifestyle of the ancient man, the old self – life, which was corrupted by sinful and deceitful desires that spring from delusions. Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you. And to be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him! For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness. 

Delusional thoughts include condemnation, self-hatred, guilt, shame, unworthiness—all that disqualifying verbiage that sneaks in and harasses your union with the Lord.
But in the kingdom of heaven, the one you actually belong to, those thoughts are completely detached from reality.

Breathe.
I know, it almost sounds blasphemous.
But here’s the twist: those thoughts are blasphemous, when applied to the saints.

God does not think this way about you.
Not ever.
Remember: He is enchanted with you. (Read Enchanted blog)

Paul urges us to be transformed, not by self-effort, but through embracing the thoughts of His perfect righteousness.
Why?
Because we belong to Him.
And we belong to a realm where only perfect holiness exists.

Yes, it’s a mind-bend.
But it’s also the truth.
The truth of who you are in Christ: fully righteous, fully holy.

Accepting God’s thoughts about you is what ultimately sets you free from every shadow of condemnation this world tries to hurl your way.

“Ha!”
It makes you a world-overcomer.
A dragon slayer.

Wherever you are – child, warrior, sage, or chaos gremlin – take heart.
The Kingdom is growing in you.

And the Holy Spirit?
He’s right there, ever present, ever willing, gently guiding you through this wild, enchanting journey.

God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13) 

And if today you feel more like a soggy caterpillar in its cocoon,
that’s okay.
It means transformation is underway.
A butterfly is in the making.
You’re right on track.

In His ever-deepening will,

❣️May your heart grow ever more attuned to the One who never takes His eyes off you.

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If you missed part 2 of the series, you can read it here.

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