Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
--Psalm 37:4
I’d like to cut through the mystery and confusion about God’s will today and remind you that there are specific ways you can discover God’s will for your life!
If you’re facing a major decision, personal dilemma, or relational challenge… let me share with you a five-point checklist you can use.
First, is what you’re doing or thinking about doing consistent with the Scriptures? God will never ask you to do anything that is inconsistent with what He says in His Word.
Secondly, have you prayed about it faithfully? As today’s verse as says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I believe if you stay in communion and union with Christ in prayer, God will implant in your heart the right desires!
Thirdly, have you sought the wisdom of godly friends and counselors? Proverbs 11:14 tells us that in “an abundance of counselors there is safety.” If you’re facing a big decision in life right now, be sure to seek counsel from godly friends… people who are passionately pursuing Christ and who understand the Scriptures.
Number four, what do the circumstances surrounding your decision look like? Are they lining up with what God wants you to do? Does it look like is opening a door… or is He shutting a door? Pay attention to your circumstances.
And finally, number five, if you’re dealing with a relational challenge… and you’re not sure how or if to respond, what is the most loving thing to do? Sometimes the most loving thing to do is to keep your mouth shut. But sometimes, the most loving thing to do is to stand up and say, “Friend, I love you, but this isn’t right… it doesn’t line up with what God tells us to do in His Word.”
I trust that you will run through this checklist whenever you’re facing a decision or relational challenge. Determine what God wants you to do and then by faith, do it with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!
Determine what God wants you to do and then by faith, do it with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.”
Luke 24:52–53
When the disciples made their way back to Jerusalem after watching Jesus ascend up to Heaven, they were rejoicing. It was not because they were unaware of the trouble they were about to face. The night before the crucifixion Jesus told them that they would face hatred and persecution for His sake. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). Instead they rejoiced because of Jesus.
Robert Murray McCheyne said, “The purest joy in the world is joy in Christ Jesus. When the Spirit is poured down, His people get very near and clear views of the Lord Jesus. They taste that the Lord is gracious. His blood and righteousness appear infinitely perfect, full, and free to their souls. They sit under His shadow with great delight. They rest in the cleft of the rock. They lean on the Beloved. They find infinite strength in Him for the use of their soul—grace for grace—all they can need in any hour of trial and suffering to the very end.”
A Christian’s joy is not the result of circumstances, but a result of the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. And it is that joy that equips and strengthens us to resolve that we will carry on no matter what trials or hardships we may face. As the prophet Nehemiah told those post-exile Jews in Jerusalem, “…the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Remember that when Jesus ascended to Heaven, He left the disciples with an enormous task—to preach the gospel in all the world. Yet, because they had a real relationship with Christ and believed His promises of His power for the task, they could go to their assignment with joy.
Today’s Growth Principle:
When we lose our joy, we lose our strength for the battle.
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