When you talk to God, do you ask him to move Heaven and Earth to meet your need or do you ask for wisdom to be led to your solution? Faith is more internal than external, it’s about trusting God to shape you rather than shaping the world. Faith doesn’t necessarily move God, it’s your response to his love and influence in your heart. Faith is our response to what God has accomplished in Jesus.
God has made you great and precious promises so you would be a partaker of his divine nature What do you do if you aren’t seeing those promises in your life? Especially in the area where you’ve asked God for help?
Is God not responding? Or are you not hearing? (I preached a series called GOD IS NEVER SILENT, it may be helpful to listen to that series.)
I personally don’t look for explanations from God in life’s circumstances. God is not manipulating the world around me to teach me lessons. Jesus simply doesn’t present a version of God that is placing stumbling blocks in our way, hoping we’ll trip and stumble in his direction. God is more mature than that, he communicates with us in a healthy and consistent way. A way in which we can hear and apply for transformation.
Jesus has a few things to say about how God interacts with us…
John 14:17: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you
God lives in you.
John 14:26: But the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you
He speaks to you. He’s a comforter that teaches you and helps you remember those teachings when you need them.
John 16:13 However when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide (show you the way) you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak. 14 He shall glorify Me: for He shall take what is mine, and shall show it unto you. 15 All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
God, who lives in you and is helping you remember what he’s taught you, will show you how to apply those teachings in a way that’s consistent with your identity in Christ.
The word GUIDE means SHOW YOU THE WAY. God is a way maker!! We typically ask God to bring things to us but he’s trying to show you how to get to those things. Things like new jobs, ministry opportunities, the right spouse, a new church, the perfect pair of shoes, the widow that needs help, the right car, a way to fulfill your calling, etc…
God’s spirit in you will glorify Jesus. You know how gangster movies glorify violence, they make it attractive? God will make the way of Jesus attractive in your life. He’ll show you a godly way to meet your needs because Jesus has left you an inheritance and everything you need is in him.
God’s spirit will make the application of Jesus in your life appealing AND practical. The Holy Spirit will show you a way to live out the teachings of Jesus in a way that brings fulfillment for you and makes him look good through you.
BREAD NOT STONES
To make sure we understand how God will lead us, Jesus gives us insight into the kind of God our Father really is…
Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
God will lead you in a way consistent with his nature and character, that of a kind father that wants good things for his kids. So you don’t have to worry about God leading you into destruction and pain for some obscure purpose.
Persecution and suffering may come from the world as you stand up for your faith, but God will not give you cancer if you ask for healing, he will not take away your job if you ask for more money, he won’t take away your marriage if you ask for peace, he won’t give you a stone if you ask for bread.
GIVE IT TO GOD THEN GUARD YOUR HEART
Because God lives in you and he’s showing you how to live successfully by guiding you into truth, as a good father…you can engage in this process.
When the world gives you pain, failure, sickness and disappointment, give it to God THEN guard your heart. Because God isn’t giving you stones and snakes and he’ll lead you into truth, you can rest assured the pain, failure, sickness and disappointment isn’t from him. You can take what the world gives you and turn right around and give it to God.
You could take on the weight of that thing and tuck it away in your heart, or you can guard your heart by choosing NOT to let it define you or rob your peace. You’re going to need your peace to be able to follow God out of the thing the world just handed you.
What does it look like to be led into God’s truth? Great question!!! It looks like righteousness, peace and joy.
When “it” comes, you can rejoice that you are in right standing with God and allow peace to arise from his presence within you. In this peace GOD WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY!! ALWAYS!! GOD WILL ALWAYS SHOW YOU THE WAY!!
MEDITATE
If you need wisdom, ask, he’ll give it to you. In the environment of peace, aware of your identity in him, you WILL hear from him. It might seem like a simple idea, it may seem like your own thought, it may be a booming voice from Heaven (probably not), but he WILL speak.
Your job is to apply that wisdom and take action, no matter how small the prompting, take one step at a time. MOVE!! Go forward!
GIVE IT TO GOD THEN GUARD YOUR HEART
