Over the last few days we have explored several questions we should ask and answer to position ourselves to receive guidance from God, specifically in areas that are not specifically addressed in Scripture (Where I should live, who I should marry, where should I work or attend school). I hope the first, second and third questions were helpful to you as you seek guidance from our heavenly Father. Here is a fourth and final question that I think is vital if we are going to receive guidance from our heavenly Father:

4. Is God’s will for my life more important than my will for my life? Matthew 26:39-42

Often we go to God for guidance, but when we get an answer we don’t like, we sometimes go for a second opinion or we keep asking, thinking that God will give us an answer that we like. Or, we go in asking God for guidance, hoping he will bless what we have already decided. If we are to receive direction from God, we have to resolve that his will is more important than ours, and we will do what he says.

So, as we pray about where we should live, who we should marry, where we should go to school, and how many kids to have, I believe God answers our prayers for guidance in at least four ways:

1. No way! Your request is not in God’s will (Matthew 26-36-39)
2. Slow Your Roll! Your request is not God’s will at this time. (John 11:3, 6, 14-15, 43-44)
3. Grow Up! Your motives and spiritual condition are wrong (James 4:3)
4. Go Ahead! Your request, timing and spiritual condition are right (Acts 12:5-7, 12-17)

“God, our eyes are on you. We don’t know what to do and where to go. All we know is we will keep our eyes on you through a demonstration of desperation.”

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God is a good father and desires to guide us in every area of our lives, including those areas that are not clearly addressed in scripture (where I should live, who I should marry, where I should I go to school, etc. ). Before our Father guides us, there should be some things that are true of us. Over the last two days I have introduced two questions to position us for God’s guidance. In addition to the first and second question, here is a third question I think is extremely important for us to ask if we are going to receive guidance from God:

3. Have I spent time getting to know His voice?  John 10.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the right voice, over all other competing voices, giving us guidance and clarity in our lives? Jesus says that it is possible for us to pick out his voice amidst all these other competing and confusing voices. The key to recognizing his voice and getting guidance from Him is spending quality time with him in prayer and reading and listening to his words. The more we practice these disciplines, the more we will recognize his voice and follow his guidance.

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If we are going to get guidance from God, we must ask some significant questions about our own lives. Yesterday, I introduced the first question.  Today, I am encouraging a second question I think we need to ask and answer before God gives us guidance in the areas of lives that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture:

2. Am I living a holy and obedient life? Psalm 66:18; 84:11; Ezekiel 20:1ff, 31

God’s moral will is revealed in the Bible through the commandments and other biblical principles: – don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, etc. God’s moral will is connected to his specific guidance for our lives.  So, before we ask God who we should marry, where we should live, and how many children we should have, we should ask the question: Is there sin in our lives that would hinder our ability to talk to God and hear his directions for our lives clearly?

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Making the right decision can be very difficult. It becomes increasingly difficult when you have two or three good options from which to choose. The questions that seemingly cause me the most stresses are the ones where the Bible does not specifically address: Where should I live? What should be my life’s work/career? Who should I marry? How many children should we have? Who should I hire? Should I take the job in Texas or the one in Minnesota? We have a heavenly Father who loves us, knows the future, and desires to give us the best he has for us. But, before we receive guidance from God for our lives, there are some things that should be true of us. Over the next few days, I will be posting a limited list of prerequisites in the form of questions. Here is the first question:

1. Have I chosen to follow Jesus and let him reign in my life? Matthew 6:31-33

God will guide us when we have chosen to submit to the reign and leadership of Jesus. If we have not made the decision to follow him in the most important area, that is, to love him and seek his kingdom values, then why should he give us guidance/direction in other areas in our lives?

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Last weekend’s message was simple but very difficult for me to deliver. Remember the major point from the weekend, as Malachi helped us to Reset Justice?  – “Correcting injustice in the world, begins with God correcting injustice in me. “  It was a heavy message for me to deliver, but God lifted my spirit in an amazing way as someone literally allowed God to immediately deal with the injustice in their own hearts.

After the 11:00 service a man approached me and said he needed to ask me to forgive him. Immediately, I wondered what it could be. He told me that when I was introduced as the candidate for the position of Senior Teaching Pastor, he didn’t vote for me. “I am sure that many people didn’t vote for me.” I opined. So, his comment was no big revelation to me. What he said next was. He said, “You need to know why I didn’t vote for you.” I continued to listen. Because of his experiences in the past, he had developed a spirit of prejudice and racism against black people. In essence, he was saying he didn’t vote for me because I was black. He began to weep and asked me if I would forgive him. I said it wasn’t a problem. He retorted, “Listen! You don’t understand. I really need you to forgive me. I don’t want the junk of prejudice and racism spilling over into my kids’ lives. I didn’t vote for you and I was wrong. God has been and is using your preaching to impact my life.”Wow! To His glory!

I realized what God was doing. This man heard God and was acting on what he heard. I forgave him. We hugged for a good while, weeping in one each other’s arms (Glad we weren’t in the men’s bathroom doing this – Smile! It was a joke). I was moved, humbled, and I rejoiced as I was reminded that God has me in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. God, thank you for using Malachi to help us see that: Correcting injustice in the world really does begin when we let God correct injustice in us. For His glory!

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