It is time for me to finish the series on Making Wise Decisions. I encourage you to read the earlier entries where I discussed why our decisions matter and wrong attitudes that can keep us from making the correct decision.
These last articles will focus on five questions; five ways that God speaks to His children. There may be other questions, but I consider these the most significant.
Question 1: What is God saying through the Bible?
When making a decision, we should always ask, “What commandments or principles of the Bible do I need to apply? What has God already said?”
The Psalmist put it this way:
Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
-Psalm 119:33-35 (NLT)
I believe it was Josh McDowell who said that 95% of God’s will for our lives is already spelled out in the Bible. If we simply obey and apply God’s commandments and principles, we already know we are following His will. If we disobey His word, we can be sure we are not following Him. It’s just that simple.
We should not ask God to speak to us on a matter in which He has already spoken. Do not ask for His will in a matter if He has already spelled it out in “black and white” in His word. For example, I do not need to pray about whether or not to steal something—it is already spelled out in the Ten Commandments. That is a very simple example, but I think you get the point. God will never tell us to do anything which contradicts His word.
We should also ask, “What is God saying to me now through His word?”
Not only has God spoken through His word, but He continually speaks through His word. The writer of Hebrews describes God’s word as a living, dynamic force:
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
-Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
AW Tozer expressed it this way:
“If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing, it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God.” AW Tozer, The Pursuit of God
As the Book of Hebrews explains, God’s word is “alive and powerful.” He will speak to us through His word if we will take time every day to read it. Usually it works like this: we read God’s word and a verse or passage really “stands out” in our mind. It could be a promise (or example, or command, etc) that God reminds us of through His word.
Do you want to know God’s will for your life? Start by studying and applying His word to your life. The more you know the Bible, the better you will understand God’s will. The Bible is here for a reason.
I want to restate something that I said earlier: God will never lead us to do something that contradicts his word. The Bible is the only 100% reliable guide for knowing God’s will–no exceptions. Any plan, advice or feeling which leads you to contradict God’s word is NOT from God.