Life is presenting me with some big challenges. Many things seem wrong and out of place and it seems like every week I am presented with a situation that requires me to make some decisions that will alter the course of my life and the lives of others.
A good friend of mine told me to Pray - then tune in to God's frequency and Listen - Once you hear God's voice then it is critical to obey to allow God to lead.
Step 1 - Pray - 1 John 5:14 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
Step 2 - Listen - John 10:27 Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Step 3 - Obey - 2 John 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
Last week on Sunday morning I was praying and asking God for guidance regarding some decisions that I had to make. For me it was critical that it was God leading me because I didn't want to make a humanistic mistake. My heart was to follow God in an extremely difficult and seemingly 'No Win" situation. I prayed for God to speak to me and lead me into the place He wanted me to be.
After praying, I just got ready as normal for a Sunday morning. I got ready to go and went through Starbucks and got me some fuel for the day.
I spent a little time talking to some of my friends and then the service started. There were a few distractions throughout the service but I remembered our pastor saying that Rahab was in the Faith Hall of Fame. Rahab knew that God was great and she had faith in God and trusted Him.
Pretty soon the message was over and there was some music and an alter call. I had been in a seeking God frame of mind all day and I was tuned in to God's frequency. Just about the time the song started, maybe even before it started, God told me "go down front and get someone to pray for you..."
Honestly, I can tell you right now that the first thought through my mind was "... I really don't want to do that...." Almost immediately I recognized that I had heard from God directly and here I was saying "I don't want to do that".... I checked myself very quickly. I have been following God and increasingly dedicating myself to Him and here I was saying that I didn't want to do what God told me to do....
I recognized this and followed God and started walking toward the front. Thankfully, In this small thing I was following God and I had no idea why. I heard God speak and I followed Him. That in and of itself made me have confidence that "hey, I am following God" ... It really pumped me up and let me know that I could do it.
When I got down front I asked the guy to pray for me and he said the prayer. The song was not over yet so I went back to where I had listened to the service near the mixing console.
After the service I talked to a few friends and then went out to my truck. When I got in the truck and headed to find some lunch God very clearly told me what to do regarding the difficult choices I was facing.
Not only did God speak clearly to me, He also told me why I was to go in a certain direction. This was a really new development in my faith walk. God explained it to me. He explained "the why" of following what he told me to do.
Of course this was a tremendous relief regarding the decision. I didn't expect to hear God tell me to go down front at the alter call and get someone to pray for me, but I heard God and did what he asked me to do. I really didn't think anything about it from that point on. It was just cool that I quickly followed God's direction in a seemingly trivial and unimportant event. I may never know how important that step of obedience was, but God knew.
There is no telling what these steps of faith result in for my life. What I do know is that I trust God, I love Him and I keep praying and asking God for guidance. God is sending directions to me and I am not afraid to follow.
