God’s Direction for My Life

February 12, 2012

QuestionsGod, where do I need to go to college?God, who will I marry?God, which job do You want me to take?God, what is Your direction for my life?God, what is Your will for me?God, what do You want me to do with my life?God, what are You calling me to do?God, send me a sign…We are faced with choices constantly. So how do we make these decisions in a way that honors God?

Agenda• Look at ways people try to figure out

God’s will for their life

• What is God’s will for all of us

• Moving forward with your life

Figuring out God’s will?• The Random Finger Method

– We were taking passages out of context and filling them with meanings God never intended."

• Miraculous Event Method / Striking Coincidence Method

• Casting Lots Method

• Putting Out a Fleece Method– When he needs to know God's will he prays 'God, if you want me to

do such-and-such, show me by doing so-and-so." • Open Door Method

– Whenever God opens a door for you, you should take advantage of it right away

• Still Small Voice Method

God’s will for mankindGod desires for people to be reconciled through the grace of Jesus Christ (John 3:16)

–"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

God desires that we love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22:34-40)

– Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?“ Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.‘ This is the first and greatest commandment.

God desires that we love others like yourself (Matthew 22:34-40)–And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.‘ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Reconciled through the grace of Jesus Christ

Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, healthy or sick, male or female—you were designed to know God in a deep and personal way. You were made to have a relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.How do you start a relationship with God?Realize that you are a sinner. No matter how good a life we try to live, we still fall miserably short of being a good person. That is because we are all sinners. We all fall short of God's desire for us to be holy. The Bible says, "No one is good—not even one" (Romans 3:10 NLT). This is because we can not become who we are supposed to be without Jesus Christ.Recognize that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. The Bible tells us, "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while were still sinners" (Romans 5:8 NLT). This is the Good News, that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place when we least deserved it.Repent of your sin. The Bible tells us, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away" (Acts 3:19 NLT). The word repent means to change our direction in life. Instead of running from God, we can run toward Him.Receive Jesus Christ into your life. Becoming a Christian is not merely believing some creed or going to church on Sunday. It is having Christ Himself take residence in your life and heart. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door [of your life] and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in. . ." (Revelation 3:20 NKJV).

Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul

What is so special about this verse? What is it really telling us and what does it really mean to love God with heart, soul and mind?

•heart expresses our 'emotions', •soul represents our 'will'•mind --- obviously our logical thoughts which takes decision - our 'mind' !!!

God demands of us our whole being in devotion as we approach him. It should be our complete expression of love where our heart, mind and soul are synchronized ...

Faith in Christ Jesus is not a 'blind faith' unlike many other faith systems where we put trust in rituals and traditions without knowing what lies behind and who started them and what is the purpose of what we do. God calls us to know that he is God. We read his word, we are convinced by his reasoning given in his word and then we do believe. God is not a power, he is God who created us in his own image and therefore by our mind we can know him and therefore bow down to his authority and love.

God desires that we love others like yourself

Who are others?We commonly think of neighbors as the people who live near us, but Jesus meant it to include all mankind - even our enemies! Jesus told His famous parable of the Good Samaritan to make it clear that "love your neighbor" means to love all persons, everywhere - not just our friends, allies, countrymen, etc.

What does this mean?•Forgiving nature•Helping others•Treating others like you want to be treated

Moving forward with your life

So how do we make decisions in a way that honors God?

“And here's why: GOD gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He's a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. So now you can pick out what's true and fair, find all the good trails!” Proverbs 2:6-9

These verses tell us a few areas we can develop in our character and our way of thinking that will ultimately help us make right decisions. They are the following:

– being honest– walking with integrity– being just– be faithful to God– In verse 9 we read what will happen: “Then…you will find the right

way to go.”

Moving forward with your life

God’s Direction for My Life is about: – Loving God– Loving others– Understanding that God to developing our character

No matter what circumstances are presented to me

Moving forward with your life

Advice:– Constant communion with God – pray, pray, pray

• Listen to Him• Enjoy His presence

– Read the Bible• Seek Him• Follow in His footsteps

– Rejoice in what you have not what you do not– Understand what you are good at

• Natural Gifts and Talents– Don’t allow “waiting for the perfect answer” to hold you up– Try to find the positive– Enjoy the ride of life

• God will use you where you are at– Seek out wisdom of others

The point of this passage is: sometimes discovering the right way to go will not be based on weighing the options, considering the pros and cons, or coming to the most logical or beneficial solution. Instead, finding the right path will be based on God given favor and wisdom that is granted based on your character and heart for God and others.

So if in the future you want decision making to come naturally and easily, work on your character now. You will see God move in this area of your life. Search out the areas where you aren’t honest, where you don’t treat people as you should, and where you compromise in your relationship with God. Let God change those areas of your life, even if it is a long and difficult battle. At the end, you will look back and as Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’”