Guidance

If you are seeking God's will regarding a certain aspect of your life, or searching for His leading in a decision you face, be assured that God has a master plan for you. If you seek Him first before making your plans, instead of leaning on your own understanding, He will meet all your needs and direct your path. Stress occurs when you rely upon your own strength rather than upon God and His Word. When you are anxious, you allow your human nature to persuade you that God is unable to handle the situation. Yet, the Bible instructs you to cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares about you (I Peter 5:7).

• What Scripture Says
• Faith

 

What Scripture Says

"Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, who take counsel, but not of Me; and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin” (Isaiah 30:1).

"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6).

"All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established” (Proverbs 16:2,3).

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts” (Proverbs 21:2).

"The humble (submissive) He guides in justice” (Psalms 25:9a).

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).

Sometimes God speaks to people even though they do not realize it is Him. However, to know the voice of God, you need to be a born-again Christian. The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. They are spiritually-discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Ask God to baptize you in His Holy Spirit which will give you greater discernment. God's Word must always be your authority and first source of guidance. The Bible clearly reveals whether or not your attitudes, thoughts and actions are in accordance with God's will. Any decision or course of action that would be in disagreement with what the Bible teaches is wrong.

If your decision or plan of action agrees with God's Word, ask God to confirm His will for you through one or two other sources such as the Holy Spirit and/or circumstances. According to Scripture, something is established when there are two or more witnesses. This usually means that the Bible and circumstances agree with a course of action and the Spirit bears witness with peace.

If God is saying "no," expect the Holy Spirit to make you feel uneasy or uncertain in your heart. If this is the case, you may feel somewhat fearful about a particular course of action or inaction (Proverbs 16:2; 21:2). Expect God to close or open doors to opportunities as you acknowledge Him. Don't be angry if He shuts a door you wanted open (Proverbs 3:5,6). God is not the author of confusion. If you are experiencing confusion, change or re-evaluate your decision.

God wants you to be free from worry. Anxiety chokes the Word of God and keeps you from maturing in the Lord (Luke 8:14). Your faith and the corresponding strength to face problems are built up by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). If this strength and growing process is cut off because of worry, you become an open target for Satan (1 Peter 5:8).

When you pray, thank and praise God for revealing His will to you. As you do so, expect Him to reveal something that will help you make the correct decision. Expect verification. Look for confirmation of God's will. This may include a word from God from another source, circumstances that bring to pass what was revealed, or Scriptures that confirm God's message.

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Faith

There's hope for each of us with faith,
There's hope for all who trod
Within His light, within His love,
Within the path of God,
For those of us who realize
With both our minds and hearts,
That whatever may befall us,
Whatever life imparts,
We only have to stretch our hand
To Him who dwells up high
And He will give us guidance,
He will show us by and by
That faith and trust will always
Take us through the darkest night,
And prayer that's said in earnest
Will shed the brightest light.

From the book Because I Love You
by Alice Joyce Davidson

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Crossroads is happy to help.  In fact, that's the whole reason we exist as a ministry.  The daily 100 Huntley Street telecast and the 24-hour-a-day Telephone Ministry line are here for the same reason.  You may want to call us as you are reading this: 1-866-273-4444

God loves you and we love you!  Please give us the privilege of doing our best to help more. For further ministry, you may contact the Crossroads Ministry Centre by writing to:

Crossroads Christian Communications Inc.
Attn: National Ministry Centre
PO Box 5100
Burlington, Ontario     L7R 4M2