Have you ever been faced with a decision and you weren't quite sure of what to do? Should I do this? Should I do that? Should I move or not? What about taking that next promotion or job? Everyday were faced with decisions that can change our circumstances and as Christians we want to be in God's will when we take those steps that move us in a new direction.
Sometimes our fear of making the wrong decision prevents us from moving at all and we never really know if we should have pursued or not? We make the decision not to go, not to move, not to take the next challenge because we are not sure of what to do, so we do nothing.
Read Acts 16:6-16:10 (The Holy Spirit prevents Paul from going into Asia to preach the Gospel)
Sometimes to see if you are making the right decision... you need to begin the process. Take the first step of faith and allow God to direct you from there. Look at Paul for example. He sought God's will and direction for his life. He knew he was to take the Gospel to everyone he could so that others had the opportunity to have eternal life. So he planned out a course and went about spreading the good news. It wasn't until he got ready to go into Asia that Holy Spirit prevented him from doing so. So Paul didn't go there. A vision then appeared to Paul during the night and this is when he experienced the call to go to Macedonia. You see Paul could have thought it strange that the Holy Spirit wouldn't let him go preach in Asia, after all they needed to hear the Gospel too didn't they? I'm sure Paul thought it would have been in God's will for him to go there and that's why he thought about going there. But God prevented him from going there and then redirected him.
We'll never have peace about the entire plan or course, rather the peace comes from knowing that if we do go the wrong direction, as long as we are seeking God's will, and listening to His Spirit, then we will be lead through the course and have opportunities to change course as we're lead. Just as Paul did, we need to pray about it, seek direction for the first step, then step out in faith leaving the road Map to God.
Have you ever used a GPS for directions. It gives you precise directions, telling you to turn left or right at the exact moment. And when you don't listen or make a wrong turn, what do you hear? "Recalculating." Don't you think that God can recalculate your every wrong move to get you back on track. Of course he can. So begin the journey and step out in faith instead of fretting over what to do. Seek a closer relationship with God. Pray and seek God's wisdom and guidance and then go in peace as you take that first step. It's when we step out in faith, that we get the directions for the next few steps. God will guide you and redirect you if you're going where He doesn't want you to go. Just be sensitive to those words, "recalculating."
Thank you for the insight and the reminder to "take the next step".
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