There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. ~Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)
Have you ever made a decision that seemed right at the time but later turned out to be wrong, or a dead end? Some paths lead to nowhere and the longer our stubborn selves stay on it the farther towards nowhere we go! Many times, throughout scripture God’s people are referred to as sheep. When we study sheep, it can open our eyes to many of the truths in God’s word. For instance, sheep have very poor vision. They can’t see very far ahead. Interestingly enough neither can we. We don’t know the future. We don’t know if the path we are on is headed to where God wants us to go or even where we want to go. Therefore, just as sheep need a guide, so do God’s children. God did this, so we would come to depend on Him, so we could develop a relationship with the true Shepherd, and He could guide us in the way we should go. Impatience is one of our biggest obstacles to following the Lord. We learn His promises and we pray that the Lord will bring them to pass in our lives and we wait…and we wait….and we wait. Sometimes it seems like we have waited for years and sometimes we actually do wait for years. It’s during that waiting time that our faith is tested and whether or not that testing builds character in our lives is up to us. God wants to use that time to turn impatience to patience. He wants us to be kind and forgiving during the time we are patiently expecting Him to do what He has promised. Not snappy and rude! Consistently making choices that honor God while we are waiting on Him will keep us on the right path. The Lord tells us in 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” (KJV)
Our heart is perfect towards God because of what Jesus did for us. Now we have to learn to act like it. We have to walk in the grace He bestowed and live to love despite what we do or do not see. When was the last time you prayed for clear direction? When was the last time you thanked God for His promises to guide and lead you? The Lord tells us in Proverbs 32:8 “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (NLT) God promises to advise us in every decision we make if we let Him. But many of us don’t take the time to develop a relationship close enough to hear His voice. Jesus told the disciples in John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” (NIV) God is talking through His Spirit to us every day. Are we listening? Do we recognize His voice? Just as you know your spouse or child’s voice on the next isle over at the grocery store, you should be able to identify God’s voice when He speaks to you. We all have the promise to be led by God. The first step is to admit to the Lord that you need His guidance. The next is to develop a relationship with Him and learn His voice by spending time with Him in His word. Based on scripture, there is no need for us to stumble around making dead end decisions. Read God’s word and He will remind you by His Spirit of everything it says, just when you need to hear it!
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. ~Psalm 25:9 (NIV)
How is your faith being tested today?
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