How to Know Where to Go
Romans 12:2
Mind Games / Dr. Marty Baker / February 23, 2003
www.stevenscreek.net
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?"
Should I go to college? If the answer is yes, should I go to Georgia, Clemson, Carolina, or Tech?
It would be lot easier if you could simply open the door one evening and be greeted by a chorus of angels chanting, "ASU! ASU! ASU!" Or if you got a special delivery letter from heaven that said, "Dear Beth, go to Lee University. Love, God."
That would make it easy. But it doesn’t often happen that way. Most of the time we research, study, narrow the options, talk it over with trusted friends, pray about it, wait on the Lord, turn in our applications, and then in the end, we make our choice and hope for the best.
Romans 12:2
.... Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I think Paul used the word test so that we would understand that discovering God’s will is not always a simple process. Sometimes it can be quite challenging. In this process, we must come to terms with the fact that God wants you to know His will more than you want to know it.
God can put you exactly where he wants you to be.
He can arrange all the details years in advance.
He can open doors that seem tightly closed.
He can remove any obstacle that stands in your way.
He can take your choices and fit them into his plan so that you end up at the right place at just the right time.
He can even take your mistakes and bring good out of them.
He can take tragedy and use it for your good and his glory.
All he needs is a willing heart. In fact, that is the only thing he requires. He just needs you to cooperate with him. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have to make decisions. But it does take the pressure off, because it means that you can trust God to take your decisions and use them to accomplish his will in your life.
How do you know where to go? Let’s stop and ask for directions. The first place to look is in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. Proverbs is filled with practical insights that are covered in the wisdom of God.
Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Notice the word "determines". This is a very strong word that speaks of God’s control of every detail in the universe. Perhaps you’ve heard it said that "Man proposes, but God disposes." You can make all your plans, in fact you can have your life mapped out step by step, but in the end, God determines every step you take.
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Most of us don’t understand the concept of "casting lots." In the Old Testament, the Jews often used this method to determine God’s will. It sometimes involved using different colored balls or rocks, mixing them together, and then seeing which one fell out of the bag first.
In that sense casting lots is like rolling dice. It appears to be a random act of chance. But God is behind those colored stones. He determines which one falls out of the bag first. This means that there are no "accidents" in life, no "random" events, and no such thing as "luck." Even seemingly meaningless things fit into his plan.
In 1991, Patty and I sold our house in Montclair. We prayed about where we should move. When our search was completed, there were two different houses that would have met the needs of our family at that time. We did not know which one to buy. I kept waiting for God to supernaturally lead us to the right neighborhood, but He did not. The real estate agent finally said, "Today’s the day. I am coming to your house with two separate contracts and you will have to decide which neighborhood that you want to live in." This created a little stress in our lives, but we knew that it was D-day, decision day.
She arrived at our house and we still could not make a decision, so we flipped a coin. Heads for one neighborhood, tales for the other. After that, we singed the contract and moved on. What we did probably was not the most spiritual thing that we’ve ever done, but in retrospect, God protected us.
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
God is strong enough to protect you even when your future is at risk.
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
You can make all the plans you like, but God gets the last word. His purpose always prevails. When God determines to do something, it will happen. You can write it down and take it to the bank. You can make all the speeches you want and announce your long-range plans, your ten-year goals, and your personal objectives, but just remember this. When you are finished, God always gets the last word.
Most of us play mind games when we are trying to figure out God’s will. We develop strategies and use fleeces and flip coins. In the end, you must realize that if you trust God, he will direct your steps.
Proverbs 20:24
A man’s steps are directed by the LORD....
Most of us do not understand where we’ve come from, where we are right now or where we’re going to be tomorrow. Only God can see the big picture of life. Trust him.
Let me wrap up this message by sharing four simple principles that can help you know where to go.
How to Know Where to Go
1. Use common sense and make wise decisions. Use all your intelligence to make wise decisions. Use your head, study the situation, gather the facts, talk to your friends, seek godly counsel, and then give it all to the Lord.
2. Realize that you will seldom have completely certainty.
We want to know every detail before we sign off on it. There are some things that you will not know. I realize decisions that are so important that they can’t be left to chance. As the popular saying goes, "When in doubt, don’t." If you aren’t sure about the new job, don’t take it, don’t make the move, don’t say yes, don’t make any decision with less than total certainty.
But is that good advice? Is it realistic? Is that the way God normally works?
Did Noah know all about the flood? No, but he built the ark anyway.
Did Abraham have a road map? No, but he left Ur of the Chaldees anyway.
Did Moses understand what it meant to lead God’s people out of Egypt? No, but he said yes when the Lord called him.
Did Joshua know how the walls were going to come tumbling down? No, but he marched around Jericho anyway.
Did Gideon fully grasp God’s plan to defeat the Midianites? No, he doubted it from the beginning, but God delivered his people anyway.
We could add a hundred other examples from the Bible! Did the three Hebrew children know how they would be delivered? Was Daniel totally sure the lions would welcome him dropping in on them? Did Peter know he could walk on water?
The answer is always no. The life of faith means living with uncertainty even in the midst of doing God’s will.
3. Be flexible as you trust God with the details.
God wants to guide you. Allow him that opportunity. Guidable people look to God and not to themselves. That is, they understand that after they have done all they can, it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Guidable people always receive guidance from God. Always. Why? Because God always speaks loud enough for a willing ear to hear.
4. Make the best decision and put it in God’s hands.
When the time to decide comes, when you’ve thought about it, prayed about it, talked it over, sought godly counsel, researched your options, looked at the circumstances, searched the Scriptures, and waited on the Lord, when you’ve done everything you know how to do and the moment of truth comes, take a deep breath, close your eyes if you need to, and then just go ahead and make the best decision you can make.
When you’ve done all that you can do, leave it in God’s hand. Remember he’s God and you’re not. His purposes will stand.
Closing Prayer
Some of the inspiration of this message came from the writings of Ray Pritchard at Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, Illinois.
