Do you feel you always know exactly what God wants you to do in every situation?
If so, I wish you would tell me how you do it, because I often have to really work at it.
I believe God is sovereign, and I trust him to know what is best for me in the long-term, eternal scheme of things. I just wish sometimes that it was easier to know which way I should go.
Below, I will continue the list of examples I started in Part 1 of this STEPS Journey Blog article about some of the ways this journey has worked out in my life …
Finding Our Way
The Situation: Our teenage son wanted to go away to school, but I was scared of what would happen based on the past. I sensed that God was telling me that we should support him, but that would mean really “letting go.”
- What Happened: I prayed over and over to know the right answer. Most of my feelings and all of my logic said “no,”, but it seemed that God was telling me “yes.” So, we let go.
- Related Article: “Surrender is a Choice”
The Situation: For years, I greatly enjoyed drinking alcohol. Then, I started having misgivings that my social drinking habits had gone too far. Eventually, I got the feeling that God wanted me to stop.
- What Happened: Even though it was hard, there really wasn’t a choice left open to me. I could quit drinking, or I could keep doing something in direct disobedience of what God wanted me to do. I had to stop.
- Related Article: “Is It Okay to Drink?”
The Situation: When you love someone who has an addiction problem, there are some very tough choices you have to make.
- What Happened: I got a great deal of professional and spiritual advice to know where the boundaries should be. And the answer on what to do seemed to vary by situation. At times, it seemed best to do nothing, since the circumstances were out of my control. At other times, I had to make some of the toughest choices of my life, and do something!
- Related Article: “Serenity to Accept, Courage to Change”
The Situation: I felt led to write a book, even though it would take years of effort.
- What Happened: I checked out other books, did research, and talked to people. Along the way, I kept feeling called to do it. So, I started, and kept working on it one step at a time until the book was done five years later.
- Related Article: “How To Find Your Life Calling”
What’s Really Important
I don’t think there is only “one way” or even a “right way” to follow God’s will.
Basically, it comes down to a matter of the heart. Are we willing to make choices in life with our primary consideration being to do what God wants us to do?
It’s not so much our destination in life that matters. And the critical success factor is not whether we always come up with the right answer or not. It comes down to something else:
- It’s the desire: Do we have the faith and obedience to do things God’s way?
- It’s the process: Do we do our best to try to follow God each and every day?
- It’s transformation: Do we allow God to shape us into the person he wants us to be?
In the big scheme of things, perhaps the real issue is not WHAT we choose, but HOW we go about choosing. If we get that right, we will head in the right direction.
Question: What is one part of your life where you would like to understand God’s will?
Action: Think of three things you can do to better discern God’s direction in that area.
Photo by vwynx 
Photo by frankieleon Photo by Art4TheGlryOfGod
