There are times when I am unsure. Am I doing the wise thing? Is this what God wants me to do or is this something I want to do (could both of these be true?)? I think it is very dangerous to assume that everything you want to do is from God (Proverbs 14:12). But how do you know?
When I am presented with an opportunity or need I try to distinguish if it is good stuff, God stuff, or goofy stuff. However, putting things in their proper category is more difficult than you might think. I don't think it's far off to assume that you are committed to something this week that is straight up goofy. Meaning, this commitment is taking you away from the very thing that God saved you for. However, we stay attached to it because we feel we need to.
One way I try to distinguish between the good, the God, and the goofy is to apply these actions steps:
1. Be completely honest with God in prayer. I have found that if I journal my prayer I stay on track and tend to be more open in what I'm concerned with. (this would be the Now... portion of our prayer time).
2. I review the scriptures that I have recently read to see what God might be saying to me. (this would be the How? portion of our prayer time). When I say "review the scriptures" here's what I mean. As I'm reading my Bible I highlight the scriptures that speak directly to a situation I'm going through or a scripture that I need to apply to my life. I often journal about these as I read them. By doing this I'm able to go back and see what God has been saying to me.
3. I meet with the wise counsel in my life. I share with them what's going on and the scriptures that seem to be speaking the most to me. I then ask them to share with me what they think the Lord is saying based on the scriptures they are reminded of.
By applying these three steps I set myself up for more God stuff. I hope this will be a help to you along your spiritual journey.
Today's Reading:
Proverbs chapter 29
Have a God stuff kind of day,
Pastor Matt