This is something of blogged on before and I'll repeat it because it bugs the heck out of me. Evangelicals, such as myself, believe that God is control of the universe. He didn't create it and jump ship and He hasn't allowed it to run it's random course. The control itself isn't something we casually observe and when we do it's of a very subtle nature. We get this belief from a number of Bible verses, but one such verse is Romans 8:28, "For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." (My paraphrase since my brain is not capable of word-for-word memorization.)
From this belief in God's control, Christians want to make decisions that are according to God's will, i.e., his plan. Unfortunately, I've seen too many Christians take this to an extreme that both muddies up what God's will is, implies that God works through superstition, and, worst of all, allows Christians to justify whatever they want to do by cloaking it in "God's will."
Let's take a common example, let's say I get fed up with my job,which isn't likely since I truly love where I am like I've never loved a job before, but let's say I do for the sake of the argument. I do what any atheist would do: I go update my resume and start checking out job postings or consider using a head hunter if I'm really desperate. Let's say I'm very talented and I get two different offers. Now, I have a dilemma, do I try to get a better offer where I'm at based on the best other offer I'm given, do I take the job that sounds coolest and pays better than I'm getting now, or do I take the job that pays best and looks like the best long-term career path?
Okay, all of that is completely normal for any person looking for a job. As a Christian, I could start cloaking this as so: "I think that God's leading me to look for a new job. I think He's placed a seed of dissatisfaction in my heart. So, I've updated my resume and looked for jobs and I've got two offers. Do you think that God wants me to try and improve my current situation, or take one of these other jobs and, if so, which one? God's really laid this on my heart to pray about and I'm really listening to God on this." All I've done is taken a completely non-spiritual task and ritualized it in a way that is neither Biblical nor godly. This is a way of making yourself look good to other Christians who also do this so that they think, "Wow, he's so spiritual." Not only this, but it's done in such a way that makes it difficult to challenge. Who can tell me that I made the wrong decision since it's God that led me to these decisions?
In reality, this is totally selfish and an abuse of God. It's as if I sent an email to someone asking them for their opinion and then making the decision I liked without getting a reply, but saying they recommended it. Everyone has feelings. Feelings don't validate our decisions as if they were revelations from God.
So how does one make this decision in a way that follows God's will? It's pretty simple, do it the way everyone else does it. Measure your situation and make a decision based upon all the factors. Seek the guidance of friends and mentors. The major difference is that you are to make sure that any decision you make will be in tune with the principles laid out in the Bible.
Does God speak to us through the opportunities presented to us in our life? Certainly. However, it's just as certain that if your job sucks that God is teaching you perseverance and patience. It might actually be more in tune with Biblical principles to stick to a job you don't like because it allows you to better take care of your family, reach out to people you work with, or just because you know you should take joy in hard situations. Make sure you aren't making a decision because you want to and that it really is in tune with Biblical principals. If you want to be really Biblical about giving God control over your decisions, you should cast lots (roll the dice) to make the decisions when you aren't sure, as the Apostles did in selecting Mattias to replace Judas.
So, whether this be to get a job, figure out when to have children, or just determine whether to take a left or right on your next walk, make sure that when you attribute a decision to God's will you aren't just disguising your will as His.
Cheers.
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