Many of us have grown to love the theme of God’s guidance. Within Christian community, the teaching on the will of God and how to discover it continues to be one of the most popular subjects. Many of us grew up accustomed with the prayer line, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” At many Christian Conferences the workshop that most people stay in line to sign up for is, “Knowing the Will of God.” My wife Rodica, a 5th Grade Sunday School Teacher recently surveyed her class and was surprised to see that even at this young age the theme of hearing God’s voice topped her students’ preferences!
Indeed, there is a deep thirst within that challenges us to desire and seek a personal, intimate relationship with God. The Bible is filled with examples of regular people like ourselves who experienced a close relationship with the Creator, a relationship that resembles more like a friendship or family tie. This is the reality and the beauty of the one-on-one relationship: God has created us for intimate friendship with Himself – both now and for the eternity ahead. God’s desire for intimacy with His children is well attested in the Scriptures:
“Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.” (Exodus 29:45-46). “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent” (Ex. 33:11). Jesus said to His disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God’.” (Revelation 21:3)
Busting Some Myths Regarding God’s Guidance
Myth 1: God only speaks to and guides the spiritual mature believers
Some Christians think God’s guidance is just for prophets or missionaries or pastors. A story that shows how false this myth is comes from the Old Testament Book of Numbers. There was a prophet named Balaam who was hired by the enemy of Israel, Midian, to curse Israel. Balaam is riding a donkey to go to Midian but God sends an angel to turn Balaam back to Israel. On the road, the donkey sees the angel of God blocking their path. Balaam doesn’t see it. So the donkey turns aside. Balaam beats the donkey to get her back on the road. This happens three times. This is in the Bible, Numbers 22. The donkey is reasoning with Balaam, not just speaking to him. God is speaking through a donkey. God can speak through anybody He chooses. He can speak through a donkey if He wants to. It’s not about spiritual greatness and maturity. God can speak to a little boy, like He did in the case of the young Samuel (1 Samuel 3). It is important to observe that it was a process for Samuel to learn to distinguish God’s voice!
Myth 2: If I’m always obedient to God’s Word, He will guide all my decisions, and I won’t have to make any decisions on my own.
As a parent, would it be a good thing if you would make every decision for a child’s whole life? Would you like it if for your whole child’s life you would say, “Wear these clothes. Take this class. Choose this major. Buy this house. Enter this job. Marry this person.” The normal answer would be NO! Because that would paralyze their development! As a parent, my main goal for my child is that he or she becomes a good and godly person, a person of wisdom and courage and grace and mercy and love and truth. Becoming a good person requires you to think things out, exercise judgment, sometimes make difficult choices in the face of uncertainty, and then take accountability and learn. That process is indispensable for the formation of a human being, and that means that many times in your life when you pray and ask for guidance, God’s response is going to be: “You choose.” Because you’ll never grow if you don’t do that!
Sometimes, the reality is, I don’t really want guidance. What I want is to be spared the anxiety that goes with freedom and choosing and being responsible. Part of God’s will for your life is that you grow into responsible, mature adults. There is no other way to learn except by choosing. When you choose, there is risk involved. With risk, sometimes you’ll experience failure. With failure you’ll feel pain. God does not offer guidance as a method of risk avoidance. God’s guidance is not about you reducing your anxiety in the face of choice. It’s about you becoming the person God intended you to be. That means very often God will say to you: “You choose: be wise, get good counsel, and I’ll be with you guiding through the process.”
Myth 3: God’s will is an inner and subjective card I can use to get my way
Most of us probably heard a story when somebody – could be a guy or a gal – would say to somebody of the opposite gender: “God told me you’re the person I’m meant to marry.” The best response to this is, “You tell God to tell me, and as soon as I hear from Him, I’ll get back to you.” Or you hear that a pastor at a church will leave to go to a larger church with more prestige and a higher salary. But he will never say, “I’m leaving to go to a bigger church with more prestige and a higher salary.” What he’ll say is, “I got … called. I don’t want to go to that bigger church with more prestige and a higher salary. Personally, I’d rather stay here with you, but God called me, so what can I do?”
Some Christians can become hypocritical by using this “spiritual” language as they try to make themselves look more spiritual by adding to the normal course of decision-making phrases like, “The Lord called me to … “; “God spoke to me about going there;” “God put this burden on my heart” ; “God showed me this…” This kind of language can impress and often intimidate “regular” Christians. Our God is a guiding God. But of all the facets of the greatness of God, the guidance of God can be the most confusing to people.
Myth 4: There is nothing we can do to be guided by God
The Prophet Elijah was discouraged and needed guidance at one time in his life. The Lord led him to a place alone for 40 days. He was on a mountain, and some spectacular things happened. A great and powerful wind came down, but the text says the Lord was not in the wind. Then a strong earthquake occurred. The Bible says the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a fire came. The text says the Lord was not in the fire. Elijah had to wait and wait and wait, and finally after the fire was a still, small voice. There was the Lord. Not the big, spectacular, dramatic special effects, but a still small voice.
What is my role in finding God’s guidance? Listening. Of course reading Scripture is a primary way we listen to God. The Holy Spirit never leads us in a direction contrary to the teachings of Scripture. When you wonder, “How do I know if a prompting is of God?”, part of what to recognize is that God’s guidance will never be in contradiction to the teaching of Scripture. The promptings of the Spirit are generally in line with the gifts the Spirit gives. If somebody says, “I want to sing in the choir,” but they have a terrible voice, that is probably not the Spirit leading them. The Spirit generally leads people in a direction of servanthood. If you find an idea, and it’s really all about your fulfillment and not about serving, there is good reason to question.
I looked for the Church and I found it in the world,
and I looked for the world and I found it in the Church.
A worldly Church will never win the world.
-Horatius Bonar
The Apostle John (the Apostle of love) discouraged his readers from falling in love with the world when he wrote: “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). John knew that the orderly system of the world is characterized by three forces purposed to entice the appeal of people. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that this world is enticing! It is extreme, fun, crazy, cool, hip and the like. It caters diverse things to diverse cultures. It offers wisdom through its educational institutions; it offers fame and possessions while promising rewards to those who are ambitious and hard-working; it offers fun, satisfaction and temporary pleasures that stimulate our appetites. Furthermore, the world presents a type of image or mold to which people can easily compare and fashion themselves.
Notice what Paul writes in Romans 12 verse 2: “And do not be conformed to this world.” The word “conformed” (Greek soos-khay-mat-id’-zo) means to form according to a pattern or a mold. Consequently Paul is urging believers not to be formed inside the pattern or mold of the world. Furthermore, the word used for world is translated “aion” in Greek, which means an age, as apposed to the more widely used Greek word “Kosmos”, which usually describes the created world. Richard Trench (Author of “Synonyms of the New Testament”) gives a good idea of its meaning: “Aion came to mean all that exists in the world under conditions of time…. Aion includes all the thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, impulses, and aspirations present in the world at any given time, which may be impossible to accurately define but which still constitute a real and effective power—the moral or immoral atmosphere we breathe.”
Christians must accept the fact that the ruler of this world, Satan, has purposely created an atmosphere to dissimilate people from their creator; to make them fit an ungodly mold. May we never forget that his primary target is the Church of Jesus Christ. One of his goals has always been to rob the Church of her unique exclusiveness, by deceitfully selling the ideas of “relativism” (beauty is in the eye of the beholder), “political correctness” (minimizing social/institutional offense), and even “tolerance” (disagreeing but accepting nonetheless). He attempts to pervert the Church and eliminate the dividing line between her and the world. Ultimately he wants to destroy us although his attempts are in vain. Jesus said that the gates of hell would never prevail against the Church. Nonetheless, every believer is required to be sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:7). Solomon wrote: “A wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment” (Ecclesiastes 8:5). In this season of confusion, there is call for discernment and judgment.
“…the ruler of this world, Satan, has purposely created an atmosphere to dissimulate people from their creator; to make them fit an ungodly mold.”
But there are many Christians who don’t know what their responsibilities are according to what is mentioned in Scripture. Some actually believe that a Pacifist position should be taken on issues of judgment and discernment. The liberals and media are pressuring the church to become more “tolerant” (i.e. The Homosexual Marriage issue). It seems as though many believers are confused while waves of doctrinal error are hitting the Church. What is to be done? God’s Word has all the answers.
Jesus teaches His followers NOT to Judge others’ imperfections
The Bible teaches us not to judge others, for in doing so we will be judged with the same measure with which we judge others; “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged: and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Matthew 7:1-2). It is clear that Jesus is referring to those who judge the faults of others (see v. 4,5). Jesus may have used this statement as a reproof towards the Pharisees, a group of religious intellectuals, who were severe in judging anyone but themselves. Jesus called this ‘Hypocrisy’. In 1 Corinthians 11:31 Paul explains that if we (Christians) would judge ourselves (our thoughts and actions), we would not be judged.
Jesus cautions His listeners to Beware of False Prophets
While Jesus discouraged his listeners from Judging the faults (and ultimately the motives) of others, He cautioned them to beware of false prophets; “Beware of false prophets (pretended foretellers or religious imposters), who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16). Notice that Jesus describes their appearance, intentions and fruits. Jesus is in fact teaching His congregation how to discern between true and false teachers.
Furthermore, in his first epistle, John instructs believers to “test the spirits”; “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). In this verse, John explains that Christians ought to examine every “current of air” (spirit pronounced “pneo” in Greek, means “breath” or “current” of air) in order to approve or disapprove of its source. The Jews of Berea were careful to ‘search the scriptures’ while Paul and Silas ministered the Word of God in the Jewish Synagogue: “These (Jews) were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). In these last days, it is a good practice for Christians to test the validity of ideas, opinions and messages by searching the Scriptures.
Jesus ‘Cleansed’ the Temple
“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, it is written ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12-13). Evidently, Jesus was quite harsh with those who turned His Father’s house into a marketplace. Are we to stand up for our Savior’s interests in the context of the church and its reputation?
Paul prayed for the Discernment of the Philippians
In Paul’s letter of encouragement to the Philippians, he expresses his deep desire to see them and mentions that he prays for their love to increase: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10). What a wonderful motivation from Paul! His desire for these Christians was that they would be able to exercise discernment so that on the day of Christ (at his coming) they would be without offense. Do we ever think of spiritually discerning right from wrong in light of the day when Christ shall return?
We are living in the days foretold by Jesus Himself, who said that in the last days the love of many would grow cold and that sin would abound (Matthew 24). Our whole world is lying in sin and God’s judgment will righteously be poured out onto the disobedient. Paul told Timothy that in the last days, many would be lovers of themselves, and that they would listen to teachings that tickle their ears. We see these symptoms today. It is imperative that we continue to be prayerful in this time. The Bible says that we are to pray without ceasing. Even in their extreme spiritual poverty, God offers ointment to the Laodicean church. God will reward those who humbly confess their sin and turn to Him in prayer. He will fill their hearts with love for Him and His people. The last day remnant is a discerning, seeing people.
Paul Instructs the Romans to Acquire Discernment by Renewing their Minds
Romans 12:1-2 is quoted often in sermons as well as group discussions, and is a major key in discovering the will of God for our lives. Paul tells the Romans that by presenting themselves before God and His word, their minds will be transformed (metamorphosis) and the will of God shall be clear; in other words, we can discern good choices from bad ones when we are full of God’s word. By reading and memorizing Scripture, we can discern right from wrong; we will be able to detect worldliness. When we are familiar with God’s Word, it is quite easy to combat the philosophy of relative truth and doctrinal error.
2 Timothy 3:16 says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” In addition, Paul teaches Timothy to take heed to doctrine and to give attention to reading.
Psalm 119:105… “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”; Psalm 119:9… “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.”
Conclusion
When we understand the Bible’s teachings, no matter how luring Satan’s mold may be or how confusing his tactics are, we will have the ability to exercise judgement and proper discernment in confusing moments and to prevent an attitude of judgmental thinking towards our neighbours. But we must also pay close attention to what we are taught and continually check for the evidence in Scripture. The Lord is delighted when we stand up for His true values and defend our Faith in Him. Jesus promised to confess before the Father those who confess Him. Finally, our lives should be characterized by a life of prayer coupled with the word of God.
