Hello blessed child of God, I hope you’ve had a wonderful week in The Lord. Mine was wonderful, thanks to Him.
Have you ever noticed that life is full of projects? We’re constantly dreaming, planning and anticipating, not only for the rest of the hours of our day, but for the next day, the next month, next year etc. Our minds are very good at thinking about the future.
Nevertheless, it’s easy to make plans and to be surprised and disappointed because they didn’t turn out as we had planned for them to be.
It can be extremely frustrating, mostly for us Christians because we are constantly reminded of God’s promises towards us. It’s easy to ask ourselves:
“If God wants me well, if I’m victorious and more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, if I’m called to succeed in whatever I undertake, why has this not worked out?”.
It’s way easier to answer this question with another question:
“Did you consult God about this?”
Proverbs 14:12 ESV
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord , and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 19:21 MSG
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God ’s purpose prevails.
How much headaches and broken hearts would we preserve ourselves from if we first took the time to ask God:
“Should I? Should I not ?”.
1 Samuel 23:1-6 MSG
It was reported to David that the Philistines were raiding Keilah and looting the grain. David went in prayer to God : “Should I go after these Philistines and teach them a lesson?” God said, “Go. Attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” But David’s men said, “We live in fear of our lives right here in Judah. How can you think of going to Keilah in the thick of the Philistines?” So David went back to God in prayer. God said, “Get going. Head for Keilah. I’m placing the Philistines in your hands.” David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He scattered their cattle, beat them decisively, and saved the people of Keilah. After Abiathar took refuge with David, he joined David in the raid on Keilah, bringing the Ephod with him.
2 Samuel 5:19 NIV
so David inquired of the Lord , “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
Every time I read these verses I’m challenged, because David always had God’s direction for whatever specific thing he had to do or not to do. If he had God’s direction, it’s simply because he asked for it.
Matthew 7:7-8 NIV
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What would happen if we asked God to give us His thoughts on what we wanted to do.
In general, even us Christians we fail to do this.
- We choose who we’ll befriend before even asking God what He thinks about it
- We accept to date people whom we’ve never brought in prayer to God to ask for His guidance
- We decide to fall in love with people instead of asking God what He thinks of them and the eventuality of having a relationship with them
- We start praying to get married to people we do not even really know without even asking God if it’s His plan
- We choose our career path without asking God where He would like us to serve
- We choose our spouse without involving God
- We choose to divorce without even consulting God
- We choose to join social groups and organizations without asking God about it
- We decide on where to preach the Gospel without asking God if that’s where He wants us to be
- We go out to evangelize people without consulting God on His timing and on who to speak to
- We choose how to spend our finances without even asking God for His wisdom and insight
Can we say that we’re living our lives on our own?
Should we really be surprised when we end up brokenhearted because a relationship didn’t work out?
Do we really have the right to to blame God when our fiancé (e) leave us at the alter?
Can we really feel angry with God when our ministry isn’t working out or when we’re feeling miserable at our jobs?
Paul experimented this frustration. He was acting on Jesus Christ’s Words and willing to preach The Gospel to all corners of the earth, but he would choose destinations and God’s Holy Spirit would prevent him from going there. He would receive a “No” from God while he wanted to do His will. Why? Because he was trying to do God’s Will without consulting God on how to do it.
Eventually, God would want the Gospel to be preached in Asia, but God’s timing for Paul was in such a way that Paul first had to go to other places where he was needed like Macedonia.
Acts 16:6-10 NIV
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Are there areas of your life now where you’re experiencing frustration and for which God should wonder :
“ Why should this child be surprised since I (God) never asked him/her to do this?”.
- You’re frustrated with a divorce procedure which God never asked you to start
- You’re frustrated with a relationship which keeps distracting you from God which God never authorized you to jump in first of all
- You are miserable at your new job while God never told you to leave the previous one in which you were comfortable
- You are unhappy in a marriage for which you never consulted God
- You have joined a group which is draining your energy and destroying all your moral values and principles about your relationship with God, but you’re sticking to the group while you never ever consulted God before joining
All because you did not consult God.
This isn’t to judge you or to condemn you.
This isn’t even to ask you to quit your job.
This will never be to encourage you to divorce supposedly because you married the “wrong person”. In fact if you’ve married this person, you are already “One” before God. God’s plan for marriage has never been divorce, not even if you married an unbeliever. If this person isn’t dangerous for you and your kids, instead of feeling bitter about your marriage, it is high time to inquire from God and ask Him how you’re going to fix this together, how to pray about it, how to behave in this situation, what to do now.
What is so wonderful with God is that no matter how far away we wandered, He’s always ready to bring us back, and to teach us and instruct us for the better. No matter what type of difficult situation in which you put yourself all by yourself because of your own choices, God can make it turn out for your good. What the devil intended for evil, God can turn it around for His glory and for your good.
He’s still ready to give advice to you and me now.
His Holy Spirit is our Wonderful Counselor and He is with us always to advise us on every area of our life.
Isaiah 9:6 NIV
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The big question is, will we be willing and ready to inquire from Him?
And when we do, will we obey like David did, and go when He asks us to go, stay when He asks us to stay, wait when we asks us to wait, and let go when He asks us to let go?
Will we follow Him and obey Him in the desert even when we don’t understand why we’re leaving or staying, or where we’re heading to?
Exodus 40:36-37 ESV
Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.
Will we joyfully wait when He asks us to wait, or will we get angry with Him when He tells us what He thinks about it.
- Will you accept to wait if God advises you to prolong your engagement season by 1 year?
- Will you accept to quit when God answers and advises you to leave the immoral relationship you’ve been in for years?
- Will you accept to forgive when God will tell you that in order to receive the healing you’ve been looking for you need to forgive the man who abused you?
- Will you accept to tithe first when God tells you to prioritize Him and put Him first by tithing before spending?
- Will you accept to try one more time to save your marriage through prayer, dialogue, forgiveness and counseling when God asks you to?
- Will you accept not to speak to that guy after worship experience and wait for God to be The One to decide if and when that guy will pursue you?
At times you will consult God, and what He’ll ask you to do won’t be what you wanted Him to say. At times what God will tell you will not be that easy to digest and to accept. But if it’s His Will for you, then it’s way better than your will for yourself.
Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
God created you Himself and He knows what is best for you. If He tells you to go for it, go for it, and if He asks you to wait it’s for a reason, and He knows it’s best for you.
When He speaks, just obey. Obedience is a sign of faith, and when you obey God no matter which difficulties come your way, you’ll be at peace because you know you’re exactly where He asked you to be, and He’ll work it out for your good.
“Obedience is my job, the outcome is God’s”
-Pastor Steven Furtick
Take time to consult God. Don’t try to do it own your own. Ask Him, and wait on The Lord. Even if the answer takes some time, wait in silence and get ready to listen because He will answer you and direct you.
Prayer
Father Lord God Almighty, I acknowledge that I directed my life through my own choices in a path that I had planned for my own self and as a result I sinned and went through alot of heartbreak, failure and frustration. As from today, I choose to consult You like David did to take decisions for my life, knowing that Your Will for me will never contradict what is written in Your Word. I choose to wait on You Lord, and to listen. Give me the grace and discipline to obey You even when the answer You give is not the one I expected, in Jesus Christ’s Name, I pray, Amen.
It’s Now Your Turn
What are some of the decisions you have made without consulting God and what outcome did you experience? How do you think it would have turned out if you had consulted God? What are your resolutions after reading this post? Please answer in the comments section.
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Thank you so much for reading
God bless you
Victoria Eyog
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