Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Discerning the will of God. How many decisions both big and small do we wrestle thru trying to discern the will of God. Wanting to make the “right” decision. We are in the present and cannot see the future and must be reliant upon the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. How do we come about this guidance of the Spirit? One thing is for sure and that is the Word of God is the counsel of God and the revelation of God’s will to us. Some decisions become easier in the sense that we already know what we must do, for the scriptures make them plain. Lying, cheating, dishonesty, adultery, fornication, drunkenness and so on; we know the will of God about those things. That is not the question. But even though we may know what we ought to do, because the Bible instructs us, it still can be difficult to do what is right. Many times we do fall short of what we ought to do. But we DO know what the will of God is, we just find it challenging to do it. That is not what I am addressing here (that’s another devo). There are other decisions, that the scriptures do not speak directly about our circumstances. How are we to decide? First, we seek after God. Putting ourselves before Him to hear what the Spirit is saying. Searching the scriptures that are relevant to our heart condition. There is no getting away from the fact that if we are to learn the will of God for these pressing decisions, we must be willing to put the time into seeking after Him.
George Muller would say that nine tenths of discerning God’s will is being able to lay down our own will first. Easier said then done. We need God’s help to do even that. We are incapable of seeking after God or coming to know His will without the aid of the Spirit; which is the supply of God’s grace to us.
Godly counsel is also an indispensable aid in the process of making a wise decision. But so often we as men do not ask other brothers in the Lord their thoughts or insights into our circumstances. This is a resource that can be utilized more for all our benefits. Proverbs 15:22 - Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Having done all these things, we ultimately have to have faith in God’s faithfulness to keep the promises He made to guide us. We must choose to believe God will guide us in the decisions we make as we have sought earnestly for His counsel. Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation (NLT) - Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Another important part of making wise decisions is the light that God has given to us in our understanding. He is expecting us to make these decisions in the light and knowledge that He has taught us already. We have to trust that when we have gone thru the process of seeking after His counsel, searching the scriptures, trusting God for His promises; when the moment to decide is there, we can then rely upon the light God gives us in the understanding of our minds. In Psalm 32 there is this beautiful picture of the promise of God’s guidance in verse 8 Psalm 32:8 (NKJV) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. And then God further emphasizes that we are to apply the use of our understanding by drawing near to Him in our hearts and trusting that the best thing we know to do will be what we know to do. Verse 9- Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Lastly it is never to be forgotten, that God may impart visions, dreams, or more direct impressions thru prayer or a prophetic word to aid in your decision. But if the Lord should choose to not give any of these aids; we can trust in the process that we have come to the best decision. Ultimately, we cannot see the future, so we will always be walking by faith in God and not be sight. Relying upon God’s faithfulness to guide us, as He has promised.
Have a great week my brothers,
Bruce