How do I know that I am making the right decisions? Is it according to the will of God? I have often come across people asking me these questions. As a matter of fact I have asked it myself. To answer it I must first clarify the stand one needs to take to be sure. God when He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt He was guiding them through as a pillar of cloud by day and as a pillar of fire by night.
"And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night" Exodus 13:21
It is amazing when you think how awesome this would have looked. Frankly, one would think how easy the Israelites had it. They had no need to worry about making any decisions since God was right there before them taking them through the wilderness. Believe it, these people still had major problems. Was it because God lead them in a wrong way? Certainly not! there was no problem in the way God led them but rather in the way they heard God. They murmured more than they obeyed. The reason is simple, they did not like what they were asked to do. They did not realize that God was leading them even though they had such a huge thing (the pillar of cloud & fire) right in front of them. People like making there own decisions esp when it comes to their own lives. I believe their trouble was trusting God to lead them through. Their mind was not in agreement with the way God was leading them. Whenever God said something, they think over it and consider whether it is sound advice or not.
If we seek God guidance and leading only to disregard it in case we do not agree, then it is better not to ask it. We either trust Him fully or we do not trust Him at all. Faith is what is required to follow His instructions. Many a times His ways are contradictory to our reasoning but obedience is what He seeks.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55:9
We cannot even begin to fathom His wisdom concerning anything. The greatest products to proceed from the greatest of minds cannot even begin compare to the complexity of a single cell. Therefore, where is the rationality in considering that we know better! Faith is something that begins with the word of God.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom 10:17
To start making the right decisions we need to know what the Lord has said about the subject which we are considering. Which means that knowing the word of God is mandatory. When we face the need to decide, first check with the word of God and see what it has to say. Once we find His counsel then we are left with the decision to obey or not. Obeying His word would need me to acknowledge His word higher than mine. It requires humbleness on my part. It requires me to give Him priority. It requires me to have faith. When Peter saw Jesus walk on the water, he asked Jesus to bid him to come.
"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water and he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus." Mat 14:28-27
Already the sea is boisterous and here Jesus is asking Peter to walk on water. Physical science disproves man's ability to walk on water. Yet, Jesus asks Peter to go against the very laws of nature! When the children of Israel fled Egypt they were being pursued by Pharaoh. They came to a point from where there seemed no escape. The Red Sea lay obstructing them ahead and Pharaoh closing in on them from behind. There was no escape. Moses begins to cry out to God. God' reply was nothing less than madness when rationally thought out.
"But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Exodus 14:16
I wonder what would have I done had I been in Moses's shoes. Moses had two choices: to either surrender to Pharaoh and plead for mercy or to obey God in faith unconditionally. Laying aside his mental faculties, Moses obeyed God and performed a mighty miracle. Miracles happen when we obey God, He can lift us out of seemingly impossible situations.
The secret to making the right call is to know His word, then aligning our will to His word. Obedience to His word is the only way to keep ourselves out of trouble.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105
I encourage you all to take the word of God, which is in the Bible, and make it the standard upon which you decide how you live your life. God Bless you
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