HOW GOD GUIDES HIS PEOPLE THROUGH 5 BASIC PRINCIPLES!
By: Dr. Mike
Principle #1. Be obedient to what is clearly revealed
We must be willing to do his will in those things he has already revealed, if we are to know his will in those things he has not yet made known. God has already made known the greater part of his will for us in the Bible. The Apostle Paul says in (2 Timothy 3:16-17), “Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds”
The Bible is a book of instruction on how he wants his people to live: It speaks of our relationship with God; which leads to a sincere relationship with mankind, our families, bosses, etc. I like what some have labeled the initials of the B.I.B.L.E. [Basic Instructions Before Leaving (Planet) Earth].
All we need do is to read the Bible regularly and prayerfully and seek to obey the things that God teaches us from it. Much of God’s will has already been made plain. Our problem is, WE WON’T FULLY OBEY THAT PART WE ALREADY KNOW!
John Stott, the great European Theologian and Biblical scholar, said it this way: “Generally speaking, it is correct to say that the will of God for the people of God is in the Word of God.”
Principle #2. Much of God’s guidance is trusting Him
In Proverbs Chapter 3:5-6, King Solomon instructs us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” If we exercise trust and acknowledge him in every area of our lives, he promised he would guide us. We don’t have to wonder about it: We know he’s doing it!
Saints, if YOU really think about it, there are very few things any of us can do to please God more than to simply TRUST HIM! Because Hebrews 11:6 states, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” The great late 1800s Scottish Evangelist and Bible Teacher, Oswald Chambers, who wrote the great Christian novel, My Utmost for His Highest, said, “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.”
Therefore, as time passes and we look back, only then will we see He has been guiding us. [Then we can say like the songwriter: “I looked back and wonder, how I made it over!”]
Principle #3. God expects us to use our smarts
In Psalm 32:8-9, God says through the writing of King David, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle.” These animals have to be ‘forced’ by someone to be controlled. But we know in the writings of the New Testament, a lot is said about the use of the mind. For example, in Matthews 22:37, Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
The great Missionary Evangelist Hudson Taylor, who was responsible for the leadership of a 1,000 missionary into the evangelization of China, said, in his younger days he use to hear with clarity from the Lord, but in his later years, he felt that he was in a fog, when it came to hearing from his Lord concerning guidance. Why? Simply because, being as mature as he was in his knowledge of the Bible and the ways of God, the Lord trusted him to make the right decisions. And for us that are mature, maybe that’s what the Lord is saying to US: “I trust YOU to make the right decision, in this situation – therefore, MAKE IT! You have MY wisdom, in terms of how I would handle it!”
Simply stated, He’s saying, “I’ve given YOU WISDOM to make the best decision. Isn’t that better than looking for a SIGN … which can be deceiving?
Principle #4. God only shows us what we need to know
It’s simply because he wants US to trust him!
Remember the story of Peter in Acts 12? In prison, King Herod threating to kill him, like he did James, earlier. Threw him in prison, and during the night, Peter went to sleep: the angel had to ‘smote’ him to wake him up! That’s trust – and YOU know how the story ends – him being delivered out of the prison. Our responsibility is to follow and trust: it’s God’s responsibility to open the various doors of opportunity for us!
Principle #5. Don’t instruct God as to how YOU want be Lead
Saints, how God decides to guide us is his responsibility; our responsibility is simply to trust him.
CONCLUSION
Follow these 4 guidelines for Specific Decisions YOU have to make
- Read what the Bible has to say for guidance on specific issues
- Do I have peace of mind about the decision I’m about to make
- Circumstance YOU find yourself in: Could be a test for His glory
- Seek Godly counsel (wide advise) from others
Pastor John Piper – Theologian and Bible Teacher expressed it.
1) Decree: God sovereignly decrees and designs circumstances so that we end up where he wants us to be even if we don’t have any conscious part in getting there. For example, Paul and Silas found themselves in jail, and the result was the salvation of the jailer and his household (Acts 16:24-34). This was God’s plan, but not Paul’s. God does this often—putting us in places that we did not plan or decide to be.
2) Direction: This is simply what God does for us by giving us the commands and teachings of the Bible. They direct us specifically what to do and what not to do. The Ten Commandments are one example. Don’t steal. Don’t kill. Don’t lie. Or the Sermon on the Mount: Love your enemies. Or the Epistles: Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Put on humility.
3) Discernment: Most of the decisions we make are not spelled out specifically in the Bible. Discernment is how we follow God’s leading through the process of spiritually sensitive application of biblical truth to the particularities of our situation. Romans 12:2 describes this: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” In this case God does not declare a specific word about what to do. But his Spirit shapes the mind and heart through the word and prayer so that we have inclinations toward what would be most glorifying to him and helpful to others.
4) Declaration: This is the least common means of God’s leading. He simply declares to us what we should do. For example, according to Acts 8:26, “An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Arise and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.’” And according to Acts 8:29, “The Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’”