Moving Forward Wisely In Every Area Of Our Lives

In reading Acts 16 (Acts is a book of the Bible that is packed with great wisdom and insight), we see a series of events that take place that leads Paul to understand that God was directing the course before him to Macedonia—this particular story teaches us a great deal about how God guides our lives. God's will about many matters is spelled out clearly in the Bible, but there are also many things for which the Bible gives us no black-and-white answers.

Paul and those following along with him faced this kind of situation as they attempted to go forward in their ministry. The Bible does not spell out for us where to work, to carry the gospel, or to settle down. The Bible provides us with all the criteria for making wise decisions, but the actual choosing is left to us. 

How will we know that today's choice will turn out well tomorrow?

We can't, which is why we are fearful of having to choose, and the anxiety about it all can ultimately steal our joy. However, we have nothing to fear, because as God calls us to make choices and often puts us into situations that require us to do so, He never leaves us to ourselves.

God watches over our steps, and He is doing so even when—especially when—the way before us is unclear.

Paul and his followers wanted to go to Bithynia, but God intervened in their plans: "They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them" (Acts 16:7). 

Discerning God's will in many areas of our lives require us to think.

As we see, Paul and the others weighed a number of factors, and they took into account the work of the Holy Spirit in forbidding them to preach in Asia and enter into Bithynia. Then alongside their understanding of the Spirit's leading, they set Paul's vision about the need in Macedonia. Based on all these factors together, Paul and his followers determined what God was leading them to do. 

Guidance in our lives is always a matter of wisdom more than just a mere feeling. Thus, when we believe the Holy Spirit is leading us to follow a particular course, we are wise to check our understanding against the Bible and the counsel of other trustworthy believers. The Bible is clear that God has promised to guide us and He is a guiding God, which will direct us as we move forward wisely in every area of our lives.

 

A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 

Acts 16:9–12

 

The Puzzle Called Life

At times do you see a box of puzzle pieces just waiting for someone to help you put them together or maybe you have started to put the pieces together? 

I know as a child, I enjoyed putting big puzzles together. Getting started on a 500 or 1000 puzzle was like a treasure hunt of a sorts, but at times it would get very frustrating when it seemed as though a vital piece of the puzzle was missing. When starting all puzzles though it is always best to start with the outer edge and work on it little by little—laying the foundation. Working on the puzzle a little at a time was fun and challenging, without a lot of unneeded pressure.

It is somewhat like the challenge that an artist faces when coming to a blank canvas. What the artist sees is not necessarily what everyone else sees. Here is a story of a man who was working on a master piece from his eyes:

The Big Picture
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A high school hired my friend George, an artist, to repaint the school mascot – a yellow jacket – on a football stadium wall. This was a difficult task because the painting was so large that the painter could only see a small portion of it at a time.

George had to stand a distance away in order to see the whole picture and give directions to another painter. If George's assistant had tried to paint according to his own limited perspective, seeing only a small part of the picture, he could have made a mistake. By following George's directions, however, he helped create an image that delights school sports fans.

Our life with God is something like George's view of the wall. As we face life's challenges, we are not in a position to see the whole picture, neither of the world nor of our own lives. We see only a small portion. If we rely only on our limited perspective, we risk calamity. Instead, we can choose to trust God–the One who sees the whole picture–to direct our efforts. If we do, God can work through us to create something delightful.

Prayer: O God, direct us in living out the beautiful picture you envision, rather than following only our limited vision. Amen.

Just like this painting needed someone to see things from the bigger perspective, so also we need someone to help us put the puzzle together.  And ultimately this is where God and others of importants come in to aid us in putting the pieces together. After working days or sometimes weeks on a puzzle you see how portions of the puzzle are coming together and soon the puzzle would start looking like the picture on the box.  As you might expect, there was always that one piece or two missing, but in due time the pieces would find their way into the puzzle and the master piece would be completed.

God is the same way and He is the One who is holding the key pieces to our puzzle of life. He will put them in place when the timing is right.  Yes, we would love to know where all the missing pieces are, but the time is not right.  Only God knows when the puzzle needs to look like the picture on the box—enjoy the moment as God puts the pieces of your puzzle together!

 

The Lord said, "I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

Habakkuk 1:5

The Faithfulness Of A Prophet

In the reading through the book of Habakkuk, it is encouraging what we read in the first 2 chapters, but even more so in this particular passage: For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay (Habakkuk 2:3). God wants Habakkuk, and those who learn of this vision to see clearly what the important thing to understand is, through a metaphor that can be understood two ways:

1.) Write the message in big bold letters so that someone running by it on a poster could read it clearly.

2.) Write it so that the implications of it are clear, and the resulting actions are obvious.

There is no need for us to argue one way or the other, because of the point of both is this—Make sure you understand. In other words God is saying if you don't get anything at all up to this point, be sure to get this. Make it so that you understand, and make it plain for others to understand, this truth needs to be it needs to travel and it needs to be transmissible.

As a prophet, Habakkuk was obligated to preserve and deliver God's message to the people as a source of hope—the message was to be conspicuously displayed. Not only that, the message had a lasting relevance and thus had to be preserved.

Although, a period of time would occur before its fulfillment, all were to know that it would come about at God's appointed time. And if we back up and read Habakkuk 1:1-17, we see how it leads up to and supports Habakkuk 2:3, in regards to waiting on God's appointed time.

Though Habakkuk poised many questions, he does not show evident signs of doubt in God, but instead decides to WAIT for God. In complete obedience (See Habakkuk 1:5) he chooses to trust God, humble himself, and wait. Habakkuk does not opt to do this from a confused skepticism, but more so from the firm conviction that God does not change and will carry out His plan. 

So, even though Habakkuk has questions, we see that he continues in integrity as a true prophet of faith. His questions do not lead him to give up on God or to question what he already knows to be true of God, but instead the questions lead him to wait until God makes it plain.

Habakkuk in a sense has come before God to humble himself under His hand, and wait for Him to make Himself plain—he comes in faith—as we should all do in every part of our lives. And sometimes our waits maybe be short or long, but whatever the case is, we have to learn to be FAITHFUL not matter what!

 

Having Confidence In Faith

Confidence is a function of the mind.

It has to do with how we feel about things and is based upon the general patterns of thought or mental grid that occupies the cortex of the brain. As a feeling or emotion, it is the result of energy impulses, not from God, but generated by the data on the cortex of the brain.

Thus, feelings of confidence will be based on past experiences and the characteristics provided through heredity. Those who have inherited tendencies toward anxiety or have had bad experiences will have a problem with confidence. For example, if one has been severely frightened in childhood by a dog they will have a good deal of difficulty being confident around dogs. Those who have had social problems will have difficulty with confidence in themselves or others, but this has nothing to do with the energy of God or faith as a result of it that is a constant flow in our spirits.

Similarly confidence may be affected by physiological problems.

Chemical imbalance accounts for much in the way of anxiety. When there is a deficiency in the endocrine glands—such as thyroid, adrenal, and gonads—it will result in an inadequate supply of the chemicals we call hormones, which maintain emotional balance. In times of stress, for example, the adrenal glands secrete adrenalin which stimulates the flow of blood and oxygen to the affected areas. Deficiency of adrenalin can result in depression and anxiety (as well as a host of other things). Such depression and anxiety will result in a lack of confidence. This, again, has nothing to do with faith as it pertains to the energy of God within our spirits.

Furthermore, confidence may be affected in many temporary ways by special circumstances, such as physical disorders or personal devastating experiences. Many of these experiences evolve doubts, which are of themselves only temporary uncertainties of the mind and do not reflect the condition of the spirit. Paul speaks of his own weaknesses in the flesh—"For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears" (2 Corinthians 7:5).

Paul had no confidence in his flesh and he did not see his weaknesses in the flesh as a lack of faith, but rather as a source of humility and an instrument to keep him continually relying upon God. It was to him a part of the continuing earthly frustration. Such frustration caused him to cry out in anguish, "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24). Paul, by his own confession, was weak and frustrated and wretched, but that did not affect the strength of his inner spirit; which, he said, "was renewed day by day." He had no confidence in his flesh, but was never waning in his faith.

At the end of his life, Paul made his ultimate declaration—"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He had nothing to say about the numerous churches he had established or souls he had helped. He merely kept on, fighting the battle, and keeping the faith. At the end of his life he had come to no personal position of confidence in his flesh, as we might be after a lifetime of arduous and unstinting service.

The ultimate concept here is that there is a distinction between faith and confidence. Faith, as a gift of God, is an energy process flowing from God through our spirits, enabling us to interact with Him in fellowship and communication. Confidence is a process of the natural mind, accumulating the data of experience together with the predispositions of heredity and reacting to impulses in a proscribed behavior pattern. In other words, we respond to experiences emotionally, based on our given personality traits. Thus, confidence is a feeling very much affected by human personality. Faith is beyond feeling and is a constant part of the new-born spirit nature that we have from God.

For we are [they]… which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 

Philippians 3:3

Authentic Companionship

This is found with someone who accepts us as we are.

A sure sign of such a companionship is when we feel willingness, even a desire, to risk disclosing our true self. 

Stressful transitions, times of profound grief and loss, moments when we must release some anxiety or fear, accomplishments, joys,  desires, dreams, and hopes we long to express that cannot yet be voiced in public—these are the moments when nothing is as comforting as a companion with whom we can be completely transparent.

 

Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit."

2 Kings 2:9