By sis bala samson
WHICH WAY TO GO AND WHERE TO GO???
These teachings would sure transform your thinking and life! Meticulously read the entire 4 part teachings for better and crystal clear understanding:
The storm that is created because of a wrong move or decision will leave behind a trail of destruction ! This message comes with a caveat to be extremely careful in all that you do and decide as a Christian! I have given below first the brief guidelines followed by explanations through the life of saints like Ezra and Jacob, please read them carefully and be blessed!
Important Guidelines for making hard decisions in your life!
Your decision must always line up with His Word!
When you obey & follow Him meticulously, He’ll never steer you wrong!
1) Fast and pray for a period of time – do not hastily rush to make decisions but place the matter at the feet of the Lord to guide you. You can fast and pray for a set period of time, may be 3 days or one week and read His Word meticulously. You don’t have to frantically run hither and thither, handover the situation to God. Psalm 46:20 “Be still, and know that He is God…!”
2) Prepare your heart to obey God: God cannot speak to a rebellious person, hence humble yourself to accept whatever He tells you. Read:
• James 4:13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";
• whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
• Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."
• But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
3) Faithfully trust Him to guide you: God would never leave you when you depend on Him wholeheartedly, be sure of His guidance and protection, read:
• Isaiah 41: 13 “For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'
• " Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you," says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
4) Honesty and truth: Let your plans be rooted in integrity and truth, avoid every form of evil. God would never stand by you if you are planning a shady deal! Inept and dubious dealings will lead you down the path of destruction. Be warned! The Bible says, Proverbs 3:7”Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.”
5) Decision based on Word rather than world: Psalm 119:102”Your word
is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Do not be swayed by the
opinion of others, strongly follow the instructions of godly people and their
counseling.
6) Outward appearance is deceptive, trust His ways: Do not be allured by
outward glamour or pomp of a place or person and be deceived like Lot who
went to Sodom and was destroyed. Stay where God tells you to stay and not
where you feel would be comfortable.
7) Write down the pros and cons of your decision on a paper very clearly
and see if it is in line with His Word. Is it for prosperity or spirituality???
Would you grow in the Lord through this decision? Would your children
be in the path of God this way? Would you have godly fellowship
through your decision?
8) Decisions should be made to please God: God would be pleased when
Obey Him. Hosea 6:6 “ For the Lord desires ……….knowledge of
God more than burnt offerings.”
Which way to go?
Ezra 8:21 “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.”
There are million decisions that we have to take in our life. “Is this the right job for me?”, “Is this necessary for our family?” “Is this college going to take me where I want to go?” “Do I really want to remarry?” “Should I really take on this new challenge?” “Should I venture into this new business?” “Should I retire now?” “Do I really want to take this gamble with my life’s savings?” “Is this the church God wants me to be a part of?” “Should I go and speak to my boss about this issue?” How do we take the right decisions without goofing up?
Ask Him for guidance and then unleash it! You see, in each of these challenging situations and countless others, what we are looking for is some measure of success, some confirmation from God that what we are doing is right. We all want success. It is not my purpose this morning to berate you over the amount of time you spend in prayer. However, I would venture to say that most of us do not spend much time pouring our hearts out to God in fervent, heartfelt prayers for divine intervention. How many agree?
There are young people who regularly attend church, read the Bible and pray, yet these same people do not wait on God to make some important decisions in their life. Are you listening? They do not believe that God appreciates those who wait upon Him. They do not believe that what has been destined for them no man can snatch and no devil can snatch!! Read this sentence again and again so that it percolates into your system. Hallelujah! Job understood this in his life when he says, Job 42:2" I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” That’s a superb statement! Many Christians go by feelings, situations and emotions, they would say, “I think he is the right person”, “my pet dog died today so I don’t feel comfortable to go ahead with this proposal” or “my visa got processed so I think it is God’s will for me to go abroad.” Don’t fall for such silly feelings! Grow up!
Wesley L Duewel said, “Do not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose that dreams, voices, visions, or impressions are revelations from God. They may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the devil. Therefore, do not believe every spirit but try the spirits to see whether they are from God.”
In the above text we read about Ezra, who having received his commission from the king, had the great responsibility on his shoulder to take the Israelites to Jerusalem, now that the temple there is finished. They had to cross enemy territories, hence Ezra proclaimed a fast ‘to seek of God the right way.’ God wonderfully guides Ezra and the team. Look, let us commit all our concerns about ourselves, our families, and our lives to God, and allow Him to guide us.
The world’s perspective is not our perspective. Paul warns us not to be conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2) Did you get that? We need to weigh our decisions according to the Word of God!
