Three Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking God’s Will

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Three Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking God’s Will By Rick Warren — Jul 30, 2015 “The steps of a man are established by the Lord …. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” (Psalm 37:23a-24 NASB) You may be at what you think is a dead end in your life. “We’re never going to get out of debt! I’m never going to have a baby. My dream is never going to come true. How is it ever going to work out?” Right now it may look dark and you may feel defeated and it may seem like a mystery to you. But one day you’re going to see in the light of eternity how it all fits together in God’s plan. Until then, there are three errors you need to avoid as you seek God’s will that will help you trust in him, even when you don’t understand. Don’t be fatalistic. The idea of fatalism — that everything that happens is God’s will — leads to self-pity. It causes us to blame God for everything bad in our lives rather than accepting responsibility that we caused the problem. And, fatalism leads to passivity. It makes us think, “I’m waiting on God to bring me a wife” or “I’m waiting on God to get me a job.” God’s saying, “I gave you a brain! I gave you two feet! Get out and do something about it!” Don’t be frustrated. If you try to figure out everything in your life, you’re going to be very frustrated. Sometimes you’re going to do what you think is God’s will, and it’s going to fail. “I thought God was leading me to start this business, but it failed.” What do you do when there are no answers? You keep trusting God, knowing that he’s working on your character through all of your circumstances and that he has good plans for you. Don’t be fearful. What is behind the fear of God’s will? The root problem is that you doubt God’s love. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a). We always get into trouble when we doubt God’s love, because when we don’t trust him, we don’t obey him. Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord …. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand” (NASB). God’s will is an expression of his love. When you don’t understand what God is doing, have patience. God knows what’s best for you. You can’t see the end result, but he can. God’s path may be a path of pain, but all those delays and difficulties and problems are building character in your life. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over How would you respond to the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” What have you been waiting on God to do in or bring into your life? What do you think he wants you to do about it? What do you think this statement means: “God’s will is an expression of his love”? Today’s Scripture “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels...” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NKJV) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Treasures Within You have treasures deep inside of you! As a believer in Jesus, the greatest treasure of all is within you—the Spirit of God. You carry the most valuable treasure in the universe inside of you! He has also deposited many other treasures on the inside of you as well. You may not even see these treasures yet, but God has given you gifts and abilities that are tied to your purpose. He has fully equipped you to succeed in life. What do you need today to move forward? What do you need to break out of your comfort zone? It’s on the inside of you. Proverbs says that understanding is like a well within and the wise person draws it out. Today, draw out those treasures inside of you by speaking words of faith. Connect to the heart of Almighty God. Stir up the gift inside of you by praying in the Spirit and thanking Him in worship. As you seek the Lord and submit yourself to His leading, you will discover the great treasures within! A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for choosing to live inside of me. Show me the treasures You have deposited within me so that I can fulfill Your purpose for me all the days of my life. I love You and bless You today in Jesus’ name. Amen.”