How To Know Where To Go Series

How to Know Where to Go

Romans 12:2

Mind Games / Dr. Marty Baker / February 23, 2003

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Last summer, our family took a vacation that we will always remember. We loaded the van, drove to Atlanta and hopped on a plane and flew into the wild blue yonder. We arrived at our destination safely, rented a car and hit the road to our hotel. We had never been there before so we unfamiliar with the landmarks, but we had our trusty map in our hand. As usual, I am driving and Patty is navigating the map.

We pulled out of the airport onto the highway and ran into our first problem. The road signs were in Spanish. We knew a little Spanish like taco, burrito, guacamole, and chimichanga, but in the Motherland those words did not help get to us to where we wanted to go. Through a little trial and error, we made it to the hotel and had a great time. By the end of the week, we discovered what life was like on the Yucatan Peninsula and that many people there knew a little bit of English like: one dollar, five dollar, ten dollar, and twenty dollar.

Finding directions in a foreign land can be quite challenging. In addition to the road systems and driving habits being unfamiliar, the language barrier can be stressful. You order one thing and end up with something else.

Sometimes life can be that way. You start out with a directional plan in mind and for one reason or another, you find yourself traveling down a road that seems unfamiliar. It is as if you are in a foreign land. After a few bumps in the road, you begin wondering, "Did I make a wrong turn? Am I on the right road? Where am I going?"

Questions like this plague our minds. They cause us to worry and fret. They make us fear the unknown. They make us second-guess our decisions and doubt our direction. How do we know where to go?

Over the last several weeks, we have been in a series called Mind Games. We have attempted to release the power of our minds, rewrite our life’s story, win the battle over confusion and develop a focused mind. Today, we continue the series with "How to Know Where to Go." I believe that God has a plan for your life and you are commissioned to search out His will for your life. This series is based on a single scripture in the New Testament.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Many of us have not connected with God’s will for our lives because we have not invested energy into renewing our minds. We live day to day recycling the same series of events. We get up, go to work, come home, take care of the family and go to bed. Now granted, this is a slice of real life, but I believe that God has more for you than your routine.

We often stay locked into our natural routine because we do not have a sense of the supernatural in our lives. It is important to renew our minds so that you see life the way God sees it.

Have you ever wished you could sit down with God and have a good talk with him about your own life? Have you ever wished you could just look him in the eye say, "Lord, what do you want me to go?" All of us have moments when we want to hear God’s voice or receive some definite sign regarding a relationship, a business decision, a career choice, or a major expenditure.

Our decisions really do matter. We make our decisions and our decisions turn around and make us. We face so many questions:

Should I get married? If the answer is yes, should I marry Ryan or Charlie or should it be Trista or Gwen?

I’ve been offered a new job. It’s a good job. But I’ve got a good job. Should I take the new job? Or should I hold onto what I have?

We have two children. We’re thinking about having a third. Should we have another one? I’ve been where you are. If I had known what the third one was going to be like, I would have had four or five. Several years ago, I spoke at a church where a man had 27 children. He had 18 by his first wife and she passed away and nine by his second wife.

There are many high school seniors who are wrestling with the big question: "What do I do when I graduate next June?"