Scriptural Foundation:
John 14:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:27 New King James Version (NKJV)
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Reflection:
My husband use to work a job that had him working all sorts of hours. Fortunately, he has always loved what he did for a living, but long hours day after day was wearisome. The position was an hourly job that had amble opportunity to make a lot of money, the trade off was that he was hardly ever home. Back then he would often say when he got up in the morning to go to work, “there has to be a better way”.
Fast forwarding to present, my husband got promoted to a manager and went back to school and finished his undergraduate degree in hopes to “qualifying” for the director position once his boss retired. Moving up into management meant moving from hourly to salary. The trade off of reclaiming the time with the family was less money and a “fixed” income. His ultimate goal was to get promoted to director and have the best of both worlds; the time and the money in the profession he loved.
When my husband and I got together I was an infant in the Lord. At the time, I sincerely believed if you made “good” plans the Lord would bless them. We both went by the world formula for success – go to school + work really hard at what you do = you will get recognized and rewarded for all your efforts. The Bible says “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Looking back, we never prayed and asked the Lord what we should do. There is no victory outside the total will of God. We set sail in one direction and forgot our compass (the Holy Spirit). We both knew, we were heading in the right direction. We consistently plead the Blood over our lives and do our daily devotionals, but in this specific area of life we decided to be our own guides. Thank the Lord for His mercy, the Word says later on in that same chapter, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” We as Christians are not perfect, but we have the Perfect One living in us. If we pray and seek the Lord for every decision big or small, we will see the difference over the long run. The trajectory of your life and the impact you can make for the Lord depends on this habitual obedience.
Seeking Revelation:
Grab your note book, remember to date the page.
The Old Testament is full of examples of men and women of God, waiting and seeking the Lord prior to making a decision.
Write out your plans that you have for each area of your life – love, family, job, finances, etc. Leave some space in between each area, then ask the Lord to speak to you. He will give you specific guidance. Moving forward, make it a habit to write out potential decisions, walking away and coming back before moving ahead. Remember what is God today will be God tomorrow, the enemy rushes us to get us off course.
Hands up, boots down warriors!