SEEKING THE LORD BEFORE YOU DECIDE from The Return
“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).
We know Jesus was utterly dependent on the Father, and he is our example of yielding and trusting. Indeed, he makes clear that such a life is possible for us. If we actually lived this, God should be the captain of our souls by now. But is he? Too often, as soon as our next crisis arises, we question God’s faithfulness and give in to doubt and fear, relying on our wits to find an escape.
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Many Christians read the Bible regularly, believing it is God’s living, revealed Word for their lives. They read accounts of God speaking to his people again and again in past generations. Yet, these same Christians live as though God doesn’t speak to his people today.
An entire generation of believers has come to make decisions completely on their own, without praying or consulting God’s Word. Many simply decide what they want to do and then ask God to validate their actions. They move ahead forcefully, their only prayer being, “Lord, if this is not your will, then stop me.”
Malcolm Gladwell wrote a best-selling book titled: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. The theory presented is, “Trust your instincts. Blink-of-the-eye decisions prove to be best.” Think of all the hurried-up “blink language” we hear every day: “This is the offer of the century! You can make a bundle overnight! But you only have a short window of opportunity, so get in on it — now!” The driving spirit behind it all is, “Blink, blink, blink!”
The question we should be asking ourselves is, “Have I prayed about it? Have I sought the wisdom of the Lord concerning the matter? Have I received godly counsel?”
What is your practice? How many important decisions have you made where you honestly took the matter to God and prayed sincerely? The reason God wants full control of our decision-making is to save us from disaster — which is exactly where most of our “blink decisions” end up.
God has promised to make his will clear to all who seek him. When you give him full control, you’ll hear his voice, saying, “This is the way, beloved. Now, walk in it with confidence because I have everything under control.” How wonderful to have such a loving Father!
