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They say "ask and you shall receive" and that if you have an issue, just talk to God. I fully believe that God has my best of interest, and I'm doing my best to follow what I believe he has set out for me.
My question is: How do you know if God is leading you somewhere, or it's just your gut instinct, or what you really want?
How do you push your inner wants aside to try to hear/feel what God wants for you?
I don't think there is only one path that God wants us to follow. It's like the end of the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken:
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
God doesn't push us onto one road or another, or hope we choose one or another. His concern is more of what will we make of our choice--how will we rise above difficulties and how will we show love to others. Will He lead us all the way? Or, will we walk along with Him at our side? Will He carry us from time to time?
We all have Gods word to read and study. He shows us the
Way the truth and the life we shoud live. Get an easy reading bible you can understand
And as you read it, you get to know Him and His ways, start a relationship with Him.
Tell Him you want to know Him. There are lots of prayers in the bible you can pray
That can help you a lot. Read Matt. 6-5-15, Ps.23 Believe in God's word the bible
And you will find your way. Come back here and ask what you need next if need
More help but the word of God has your answers.
Maggie 3
Green Elephant -
I think the bible is really silent on the matter of what my own individual path should be. The bible doesn't tell me which job to take, who I should marry, what kind of car I should drive. Now, you may be able to derive some wisdom about certain decisions from the bible (marrying someone who is of the faith, for example) but ultimately, I don't think God is giving us specific answers to where he is leading us.
I personally struggled for awhile in my walk, trying to interpret all of the events in my life... was I walking in God's will or was I in the center of his will, etc. But I began to understand that the bible is calling us to something more profound. Jesus was asked what must we do that we may work the works of God? His response was that we should love the Lord our God with everything we have (our entire being) and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
In my opinion, too little emphasis is placed upon these ideas and more is placed on what should I be doing. I'm not saying that wondering what it is God may be accomplishing through my life is not an important question to ask. It is. But God is ultimately the one determining the circumstances and events of our lives. If it is his desire to give you or me a good work to do, it will happen. But our goal I think is to learn who God is what kind of person we ought to be; not what kinds of things I should be doing. In other words, I might be always looking to serve God in some meaningful way but suppose I was a real jerk to my wife and kids. Well, I could think that I'm doing a real good job of serving God but I've really failed to do anything of value because I am not loving my family... I'm not loving my neighbor as myself (even though my neighbor is my family).
In summary, I think if we try to understand the wisdom of God in our lives and gain discernment, I believe whatever it is that God desires for you in terms of works, he will bring it to pass. We have a lot of freedom with respect to God to put our hands to many things (morally good things, not evil) and in so doing, we may find what our calling in life is. We don't have to agonize over making the right decision or whether my desire to be a salesman is my will or God's will... just do what is in your heart as long as it does not contradict what is good and right from scripture. God can take care of you and his universe and we are not being asked to get everything right.
There's a lot of freedom in that.
And, if you are a salesman, be the best and most honest salesman that your company has ever seen. That is Gods calling for your life today.Quote:
Originally Posted by jakester
450donn - thanks for your perspective. I'd like to make one challenge to your above quote. I may not be the most honest salesman my company has even seen but if I am trying to be honest because I am committed to honesty as an abiding principle, I think that is truly the will of God. In other words, I am a sinner and I cannot possibly be a sinless and flawless person but I don't think that God is asking me to be one... the cross of Christ is the very symbol of my unworthiness and moral brokenness.Quote:
Originally Posted by 450donn
The reason I am trying to make a distinction is that for a long time I was told that God wants me to be the most honest, moral, and godly person that a stranger has ever met—similar to your above statement. Now, I got real busy trying to be the best Christian any unbeliever had ever met but time and again, I failed. I thought that maybe something was wrong with me... maybe I wasn't a Christian after all. I sure did believe in God and believed that I needed God's mercy but how come I can't seem to live a morally perfect life—after all, I was being told that I need to put foolish sin away for good if I am to be a child of God. But I am no longer convinced that the bible is calling us to absolute moral perfection nor does it promise that being born-again provides such an ability in the life of a believer. I believe the bible's perspective is that where I am genuinely different as person of faith is in my inner man. I am no longer the completely hostile person to God that I once was. My commitments have changed and now I am seeing that pursuing righteousness and goodness is really where it is at. That is how I am no longer a slave to sin but I do struggle with it because I have not yet been glorified.
Another thought to consider with respect to me being the best or most honest person my company has ever seen. I am a work in progress as far as God is concerned. I'm foolish, self-centered, and prideful. I think if we are all honest, this is true for all of us. We're just going to fail morally at times... that is who we are. But as a reformed theologian once said "it is the righteous man who after he has fallen, picks himself up and continues to pursue what is good." 450donn, let me give you my own parable to illustrate my point. Two salesmen in a company go out to visit clients. One is tempted when a customer asks him if his product has a 10 year warrantee (knowing that the product is warranteed for 2 years). "Why yes it is; you can buy an extension of coverage if ten years is not sufficient." The salesman counts on his product that it will never fail so he isn't concerned that there will be a claim. Weeks later the client scans the fine print of the contract and notices the product carries only a 2 year warrantee, is pissed, and contacts the company directly to complain. The boss calls the salesman in to rip him a new one when the salesman quips "boss, that guy was trying to milk us for everything and get this product for nothing. He asked whether or not we could give him a 10 year warrantee and I told him it was only 2 but now is just trying to make me at fault so he can get us to give him another rebate." The boss believes the salesman and gives the customer a rebate just to avoid dealing with him. The following week the salesman promises a 10 year warrantee to another customer who is unsuspecting this time.
The other salesman (Jerry) learns from Joe (salesman 1) that he can get customers to buy their products by promising them a 10 year warrantee. It back fires on him when similarly, the client calls the company to complain, saying he was baited under false pretenses. The boss calls Jerry in to inquire about what happened. Jerry explains that the customer was as huckster who wanted something for nothing and is now trying to make Jerry look bad to get the product for free. This time the boss doesn’t believe this story and tells Jerry he is on probation. The boss also calls Joe in to question him one more time about his similar incident. Joe maintains his innocence and the boss believes him. Jerry also maintains his innocence and the boss also decides to cut him a break. The boss barks at both of them saying “I don’t want to deal with clients like this so start finding better people who are willing to pay top dollar.”
Afterwards, Joe is still out hustling clients but has stepped us his game by doctoring the contract to state that the product carries a ten year warranty but when the customer signs the master and duplicate copies, Joe’s duplicate copy has the 2 year warranty language on it so no one internally ever catches on. Jerry, on the other hand, is asleep one night when the words of Paul ring in his ears “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” He also thinks about the law when it says “do not bear false witness.” He feels remorse for lying to the customer because he deceived the client for his own selfish gain. He is doubly sorry for lying to his boss and for not being honest with him. He is troubled by all of these things and is afraid. Days later he reasons within himself and asks God for forgiveness and decides to tell his boss that he lied to him. He says that he was having a bad month for sales and gave in to the temptation to deceive the customer because he was only concerned for his own commission and not the customer—and asks his boss for forgiveness. The boss does and is perplexed by this because this is the first time anyone has ever admitted to wrongdoing even when he knew many salesmen before were guilty.
To me, the above “parable” is really the Christian life. We are moral dunderheads just like unbelievers but what makes people distinctly different isn’t necessarily the absence of sin in our lives but the presence of humility and tenderheartedness when we are wrong…not always immediately, but eventually.
"Ask and ye shall receive....etc..." is about asking for spiritual wisdom. Seeking and finding is an active pursuit by the individual, not a passive state of receiving information. Seek. :) Seek spiritual wisdom. When we develop spiritual wisdom, we make better decisions in life, are more loving and caring, have real peace, and are a blessing to all. A true representative of Jesus.
Best wishes, :)
Jake,
I totally agree with you, you or I can not become perfection in a lifetime of trying. Jesus was the only perfect human being ever on the earth. And we all know what happened to him! While we strive to be as good as we can we often fall short. When we do make mistakes, and as soon as we understand the wrong that we did, if we go to our knees and seek the face of God, and ask for forgiveness and to give us the strength to confess our mistakes to others, God will forgive and use that as a teaching tool. I was once told by one of my bosses that I would not make a good salesman because I was too honest! I learned a long time ago, it is far easier to tell the truth than to lie to everyone and afterwords try to remember what lie you told to who. In my industry I have never knowingly lied to a customer. Some times I have lost out on work or a future sale because of that. But God honers my truthfulness and has rewarded me later when those same customers recognized my answers for what they were and gave me the business when he could. I personally value my reputation in this industry and still to this day have many clients calling me for advise even though I no longer work for that company.
Did I answer your question in a better light?
Don
Back to the OP's original question.
I really think you have missed the point. When your time here on earth is completed there is NO EARTHLY possessions that you can take with you. And while you are here on earth those possessions that you obtain have a finite life span. If you are waiting for God to supply you with a fancy new house for free and you will not have to work to keep and maintain it, that is not at all what the Bible teaches.
As for seeking what God is telling you, have you tried fasting? How about small groups? I find that God speaks to me the most when I am in the word the most. I do not hear voices like some might claim. When I am reading the word a passage will jump out to me. Sometimes it means nothing at the time, but later in the day it will be driven home to me. Other times God speaks to me through music. A particular song might resonate in my mind. Sometimes it is not for me but for a friend.
I remember the words to a song we used to sing.
Seek yea first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.
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