Our choices affect us at the moment we make them, as well as for the rest of our life. We can make quick, impulsive decisions based on what we deem is best for the moment, or we can consult a multitude of counselors to obtain their help in order to see things from all sides before we make our choice (Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 20:18; Luke 14:31). Some people, who are afraid to make a decision, drown in the facts they discover from their research and analysis; they take so long to make a decision that they end up missing the deadline or failing to make a choice at all. We all have our favorite way to make up our mind.
Even as Christians we use these various techniques to make
choices. We short-circuit our self when we do this, however, because we fail to
follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We prefer to make up our own mind and we
hedge all of our bets with self-effort. We do this by souping up our devotion,
revving up our church attendance, rising two hours early to spend more time in
Bible study and praying for three hours instead of two. All of this extra
effort is in the hopes of getting God on our side. We end up spinning our
wheels for nothing and we lose the race anyway. What we learn in the long run
is that God’s ways are higher than our ways.
We follow Jesus’ example as we pray, “Lord, not my will,
but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). As we submit our will to God, we
make all of our decisions in harmony with His will. He leads us by His firm
peace that settles over our spirit. God also uses His Word, His Spirit and His
Son within us to lead us through our day. Pray before you ever get out of bed
and discover what God wants you to do first and how to do it. Once you
accomplish that service, pray about His will for your next activity. He may
even interrupt you in the middle of some chore and redirect you to do something
else before you go back to that first activity.
When we consult the Lord, He conducts the symphony of our
life to produce a beautiful concert for His glory. The will of God is not some
unfathomable mystery, nor is it so difficult that it cannot be determined. God
reveals His will to us one moment at a time throughout the day. God’s Spirit
within us puts us in the right place at the right time to perform His will with
all of the resources we need to succeed for His glory. The Spirit will never
lead us to do anything contrary to the Word of God. He removes the phobic and
neurotic tendencies in all of us and gives us His faith and peace in exchange.
Prayer:
Father God, our adventures with You begin with each new
day. We may fail today, but tomorrow is another chance to follow the leading of
Your Spirit moment by moment. Teach us not to rely on our human understanding
when we make our choices. Lead us by Your Spirit in the way that we should go (Proverbs
3:5-6). Help us to focus more on making a difference in Your kingdom than on
building our own kingdom in the earth.
Thought for the Day:
As we follow the direction of God’s Spirit
throughout the day, we have confidence that He will use us according to His
will and purpose.
