DIVINE GUIDANCE

The longer I go with God the more there seems to be a struggle within me to direct my steps. Now to me this sounds funny especially knowing how God confirms His desires time and time again through His divine guidance. I am always amazed to how God lets me know (which is His desire) where and when to go abroad and minister. As for me I can be content to stay on this side of the pond and minister, but God has other plans. I know God is up to something when extra money starts coming in and then God begins to paint a picture in my heart to places I am to go and things to say, I know then to dust off my backpack and begin to prepare, specific information is forth coming. Now if I try to do all of this in myself things might work out to a certain degree, but not for the best. In our self we can do things for God and sometimes things work out, but in retrospect we see best when God does things, when God provides guidance things always work out. Seldom (never in my life) does He speak with an audible voice oh no God uses things (spiritual references) like extra money, dreams, thoughts as we mediate on them and Him, even visions to show us His will for our lives. These all are a part of God’s divine guidance for our lives. Jeremiah said, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) Jeremiah knew God yet felt utterly dependent upon Him. The LORD’s approval is with those who are dependent upon Him, those who seek counsel from the mouth of the LORD. Because of one act of disobedience the human race fell and that one act of disobedience cost the Son of God His life. Some of the consequences of being out of the will of God are seen when Israel continued in her disobedience to God. “And among these nations shall you find no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest: but the Lord shall give you there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind.” (Deuteronomy 28:65) These are the conditions which are symptomatic of being out of the will of God: uneasiness, restlessness, uncertainty, fearfulness, lack of assurance, discontent, and spiritual bondage. Have you ever experienced these in your life? Now tell the truth I have. There are others, but these indicate that something is out of alignment in our relationship with the LORD. When these conditions are present it would be well for us to consider we possibly could have missed the will and purpose of the LORD. Knowing the mind of God in matters that pertain to us is very important. Guidance can be divided into two distinct categories; unconditional and conditional guidance. Unconditional guidance is God guiding in sovereign grace, independent of anything we do, or do not do and conditional guidance which is based on us meeting the conditions God has established in His word. Notice the passage in Isaiah about Cyrus the Great, “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 45:1-3) Cyrus the Great was an idolater who did not know the God of Israel, yet the Lord chose Cyrus and called this heathen king “His anointed.” Here is divine guidance exercised in sovereignty. The City of Babylon was an impregnable city. There was no power on earth at that time that could take Babylon, but God gave Cyrus a dream in which He revealed how to take the city. God guided Cyrus unconditionally in order to accomplish His purposes. Many of us could testify that the LORD had been guiding us unconditionally, before we were saved. However there are conditions that must be met in order to enjoy this type of divine guidance. There are times when we need wisdom and direction from the LORD and He has promised to grant such help. Also in Isaiah we read, “And if you draw out of your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and make fat your bones: and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Isaiah 58:10-11) What a promise from God, but to be able to walk in the guidance the LORD provides there are some conditions we first must meet. One condition for this guidance is unselfishness. When we are selfish we incur the disfavor of God for selfishness is the very opposite of the love of God. The love of God is a love that gives. The more we love the LORD the more unselfish we will be toward our fellow beings. If we want to enjoy the continuous leading of God we must cheerfully share the burden and concern for others. Another condition for guidance is for us to trust in God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) We cannot foresee the future. Therefore we should prayerfully make our decisions giving God the opportunity to redirect us because only He knows what is ahead. We must maintain a position in which we can say to the best of my knowledge, I am moving in the ways and will of the Lord, and I desire His correction. With this attitude God has promised that He will give us direction. We should not hurry the LORD because sometimes He takes us only one step at a time. Sincerity of heart is another condition we must meet. Jeremiah reveals, “For you dissembled in your hearts, when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us according to all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare it to us, and we will do it.” (Jeremiah 4:20) Did you know “dissembling in your hearts” is making a false pretense in intention. They had already determined that if God told them to not go to Egypt they would go anyway. They did and carried the prophet Jeremiah with them. We cannot expect God to guide us unless we are sincere and willing to obey His Word. Yet another condition for guidance is patience; our being willing to wait for the Lord. Sometimes God is silent because we already know His will, yet ask God again, thinking that He might change His mind. God may change His mind, and let us have our own way, but remember what is written: “He gave them (the children of Israel) their requests (the desires of their heart), but sent leanness into their souls.” (Psalm 106:15) When God has not spoken it is better to wait than to move on our own. We should abide in the circumstance and place to which we are called until the LORD speaks differently. While in Germany God provided a job for me to be a substitute teacher at the DOD school where Connie and Joshua attended so when we returned from Germany I asked the LORD about whether or not to continue to work as a substitute teacher He said nothing so I continued and out from my obedience what a joy, provision, and opportunities to share the Gospel message not only for me, but for many of our friends around the world. Sometimes the LORD waits to see whether we really desire His will or whether we are bent on having our own way with or without His guidance. Do not take the silence of God to be equivalent to consent. Did you know there is a distinction between instruction and teaching? David said, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go….” (Psalm 32:8) Instruction reveals the principles of divine guidance while teaching helps us to receive and move in divine guidance. The LORD may teach us to discern His will through our circumstances or problems. Therefore, we must understand the principals of guidance. The LORD has promised to guide us even when we are not aware of our need for guidance. Again in Psalm 32:8, “. . . will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32:8) This is guidance by intimation. There is a principle that the further away we are (from Him) the louder the LORD has to speak, “Be you not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near to you.” (Psalm 32:9) If we desire guidance, we must be close to His heart, soft, and pliable. “The meek will He guide in judgment; and the meek will He teach His way” (Psalm 25:9). This “meekness” is a pliability that enables the LORD to guide us gently, rather than by the force of circumstances. Guidance often can come through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, or by divine providence. The LORD in His wisdom has given us these three safety measures so if we are uncertain of His will and if the Word, the Spirit, and divine providence agree as one we have a three-fold safety factor of assurance and we then can be reasonably sure that we are hearing from the LORD. David said, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). David had shortcomings, but he had an abiding respect for the Word of God. David regarded the precepts of the Word of God as a “lamp to his feet” (the next step) and a light for his pathway (the general direction in which he was to go). Still another form of guidance relates to personal integrity. Solomon said, “The integrity of the upright shall guide them….” (Proverbs 11:3) Integrity my friend is a big big deal to God, but sadly not too many Christians think so. Most Christians think God is more concerned about their spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, or how long they can speak in tongues well to be honest God cares little of these things, but greatly cares about our character and truthfulness. There is guidance by integrity (standards of righteousness) that we receive from the written Word of God. The LORD would have us to be guided by principles of integrity where we do what is right even though we could evade it. The Word of God establishes standards of right and wrong and the LORD expects us to adhere to these standards without special revelation. We do not need a revelation to discover that we are obligated to obey the Word of God and the laws (as long as they do not conflict with God’s laws) of men. During a time of distress we may have opened the Bible and saw a verse that ministered to our need. But if we begin to do this on a regular basis as a method of ascertaining the will of God sooner or later we will discover that we are mistaken. There is a difference between an occasional exceptional intervention of divine providence and deducing an infallible system from that. There are those who seemingly receive a special revelation which either modifies or supercedes the Word of God. The Spirit of God will never give any revelation which in any way takes from, adds to, or modifies the written Word of God. Let us be like Paul who said even though an angel should say anything to the contrary, let him be accursed. The Spirit of God will never violate the Word of God. The Word of God stands preeminent as an infallible means of guidance when rightly understood. Another aspect of guidance is the restraint of the Spirit of God. For instance when Paul sought to go into Asia, he was forbidden by the Holy Spirit. And when he wanted to go into Bithynia, “the Spirit suffered them not” or did not permit them. The Spirit restrains or confirms through our being checked in our spirit or by a witness of His peace. The peace of God is one of the forms of guidance restraining us by an inner unrest, uncertainty, or confirming a certain course of action by a witness, satisfaction, or a deep inner rest. The peace of God can be described negatively, positively, experientially, positionally, and judicially. It is not a mere absence of disturbance, but a conscious rest which is independent of circumstances, favorable or unfavorable. Unfavorable circumstances do not necessarily constitute evidence of being out of the will of God. If we think that troubled circumstances constitute evidence of being out of His will then that might result in our moving out from His will. Sometimes we get into trouble not because we disobeyed, but because we obeyed. Sometimes the Lord causes us to walk on troubled waters to teach us to walk on His Word you can ask Peter about that. Unfavorable circumstances do not necessarily constitute evidence of being out of the will of God, but neither do they evidence that we are in the will of God. Do not let circumstances in themselves determine your course of action. Be sure you have the witness of the peace of God so that you know the circumstance is of God. In John 10 Jesus taught in principle, “My sheep know my voice.” Many have often said, “but how do I know it is the voice of the Spirit?” One of the best ways to learn the recognition of His voice is through these sheep. They had learned to recognize His voice through continued association. We often see the statue of Jesus holding the sheep safely around His neck and think what a wonderful Jesus to carry the little sheep because he is tired, well that is not the picture here. The picture is Jesus is providing some divine guidance to this sheep. For those sheep who cannot learn to stay close to the shepard, away from the edges of the flock where the enemy prowls, in a loving matter the shepherd breaks the leg (God’s correction and training is always loving) of the sheep and then hoists the sheep up and around his shoulder and carries the sheep until his leg mends, but what the sheep receives is a good smell of the shepard, the feel of his strong hands, and the sound of his voice. And when the sheep is put down to be on its own the sheep remembers the lesson and stays under the shepherd’s feet. If we are interested in the recognition of His divine guidance we must come to know His voice and see to it that we live and walk in close association with Him. Written by David Stahl