More than anything else, I want to be in tune with the will of God for my life.
As you look at Scripture, you can quickly and easily see the necessity of knowing and following God’s will.
When David followed God’s leading, he prospered and the people of God were blessed. When Saul decided to look to his own interests and to ignore God, he suffered sorrow and pain and the people around him suffered as well.
We all need to know and do what God wants in life.
How do we know God’s plans for us?
First, acquaint yourself with God and His ways. By looking at Holy Scripture you can learn to recognize the voice of God.
When my mother calls me, she never identifies herself. She doesn’t need to. Hers is the voice most recognizable to me. I’ve heard her voice all of my life. When she calls, I don’t have to wonder who’s speaking.
God wants us to know His voice as well. When we have spent time in Scripture acquainting ourselves with who God is and what matters to Him, we will know when He is speaking.
Second, listen carefully to God’s prompting. God will speak gently to us by His Spirit. If we are eager to hear God, He will make His plan known to us. We simply must be open to His leading and obedient to His ways.
God knows and understands our frailties and short-comings. He knows we are made of dust. Therefore, be quick to ask God to make His teaching and prompting clear and recognizable. While He desires for us to live in faith, He also wants to reveal Himself clearly to us.
Third, look for evidences of God’s working. Expect God to speak in the midst of the providential circumstances of life. Identify open and closed doors and don’t get caught up with why the door is closed. Simply be thankful that God did not allow you to go down a harmful and destructive path.
God wants to lead us. Jesus gave us the figure of the Good Shepherd and the sheep. He is the Good Shepherd–He gently leads His sheep. The shepherd provides for all of the needs of the sheep. He calls His sheep by name, and they recognize His voice (John 10:3-4).
We need to hear God’s voice and follow in His ways. It’s the #1 need of life.
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3 Responses
Thanks, Waylon. A timely reminder and encouragement for me at this point.
I love the analogy of your Mom’s voice, so profoundly spoken. Yesterdays service was my “#3” as that is exactly what I have been praying, THANK YOU! I prayed this morning exactly as you told us yesterday; my daughter Grace handed me one of my index cards I keep in my Bible to make notes when God speaks to me.
A similar verse spoke so powerfully to my core this week from my Daily Devotion that I want to share with you. My devotional gives a verse and then an analogy following.
Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. James 1:2
Analogy: Trials, James tells us, prove the authenticity of our faith. Truth is, we would rather be perfected and completed by viewing a motivational video, attending a challenging conference, reading an inspiring book (about someone else who went through trials), or ….. anything but testing!…… We long for controlled, comfortable circumstances. But pure joy is the fruit of tested, patient faith.
AMEN!
Thanks, Ally. May God continue to bless and lead you.