Finished my study this morning but could not get it posted until now.... Best use of a 15 minute break - EVER!! Week 4: Day 3 God knows us... Individually. Personally. He is well aware of our understanding and the depth of revelation Hes given us regarding His will, both general and specific. He knows the sensitivity of our heart, our true desire to know His purposes, and our willingness to follow through on the clarity He gives. ...we can ask Him for clarity in the face of challenge when our request comes from a true sense of faith - a faith that needs only to be strengthened - but not when we have purposely ignored what He has already revealed. - Priscilla Shirer In Judges 6:36-40, Gideon sought confirmation of Gods will by laying down a fleece and asking God first to let there be dew only on the fleece and not on the ground, then again by asking God to let the fleece be dry and dew on the ground. I can understand how Gideon may have thought the first confirmation could have been a naturally occurring incident and would have asked God for a second sign. That is what happens when we put limitations on God. Like Gideon, I am constantly seeking confirmation from God. I believe the main reasons for me are: 1. I doubt myself which makes me doubt that I am hearing from God, 2. I lack the spiritual support I need at home so when I am seeking God about His will - especially in ministry - I am torn between respecting my husband and family and taking care of my own spiritual self and seeking God. In other words, if it was just me, I could leave everything and just follow where He leads with reckless abandon. But since I have a family that neither goes to Church nor has the faith to believe in the goodness and care of God, I struggle with the right thing to do, 3. The main cause of my doubt is my own desire to help and minister to those who are broken and hurting. It is difficult for me to separate my own desires from Gods will. I remember, like Gideon, asking God for confirmation when He first called me. God is so faithful. He didnt just confirm His will for me, He gave me five different confirmations from five separate sources within a 24-hour period. Constantly seeking signs from God can show a lack of faith, but believing in what we cant see is the essence of faith. For me, confirmation born out of caution comes from imperfect faith and concern of how my actions may affect others, while seeking confirmation based on doubt is Ike testing God to see if what He says is true. We have Gods Word and the Holy Spirit living in us to guide us. In John 7:17 Jesus says, If anyone chooses to do Gods will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. When we attempt to know Gods will and do it, we will know that Jesus was telling the truth about Himself. We have two ways to test what we hear: 1) what we hear should agree with, and not contradict, the Word of God and 2) what we hear should point us to God and His will. My prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Show me Your will for my life. Help me to trust You completely with my life, my job and my family. Thank You for Your Word and Your Holy Spirit that help me make the right choices. In Your Name, Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 17:07:42 +0000
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