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In my previous post, I began exploring this very common question: How can I find the will of God?  In that post, we saw that the foundational components for decision making as a Christian are the Word of God and prayer.  I cannot emphasize enough how important those two aspects are. They are two primary ways that God reveals His will to us.  However, are there other aspects of Christian decision making?  After we are in the Word and on our knees in prayer, is there something else that God could possibly use to reveal His will to us?   I believe the answer to this question is “yes” and I want to look at three examples from scripture.

First, there are many examples in the Bible of God using circumstances to reveal His will.  One example of that is in the opening verses of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah…

“The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile. They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down.” When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:1–4, HCSB)

When Nehemiah heard about the condition of Jerusalem, God used those circumstances to call him to action.  Recently, I listened to a podcast interview with John Croyle, the founder of the Big Oak ranches for abandoned and abused children, and he recounted how God put the vision of those ranches on his heart.  God used circumstances to speak to John at many points along the way.  Years ago, I heard the late Dr. Adrian Rogers say, “Most decision making is simply gathering facts.”  I believe Dr. Rogers was speaking to this very principle.  Don’t overlook the fact that God is at work in your circumstances and He seems to often use circumstances to speak to His people.

Second, the Bible also encourages us to seek Godly counsel from mentors and friends…

“Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22, HCSB)

It is not wrong to seek advice from others you respect who walk with the Lord and have demonstrated spiritual wisdom in their lives.  Ultimately, you have to get alone before the Lord and make the decision, but Godly counsel can be invaluable.  Over the years, I have seen consulting with Godly friends and mentors confirm how I felt God leading me, and I have also had instances where they brought up insight and issues that had never crossed my mind.

Finally, I believe God also communicates His will through a Godly desire that He has placed in our hearts.  As we are faithful to Him, then we begin to have a desire to do what God desires…

“Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” (Psalm 37:3–4, HCSB)

Many Christians assume that God’s will is the opposite of what they really want to do.  That is a bad assumption – if you are walking with the Lord!   Psalm 37 teaches us that God births in our heart the desire to do what pleases Him as we are faithful to Him.

Once again, I want to stress the absolute importance of time alone with the Lord in prayer and with an open Bible.  Once you consider these three aspects that I have discussed in this post, then you once again seek God in prayer.  He might speak to you very clearly in a moment in time, or He may simply give you a growing peace that a certain decision is right. Don’t ever forget that God wants you to know His will. He wants to speak to you, so that you can obey him. Once you have peace that a certain course of action is God’s will, then it’s time to step out on faith and obey. Charles Stanley has blessed many people with his simple philosophy of Christian living…

“Obey God and leave the consequences up to Him!”

Over the years, most pastors will tell you that there are a handful of questions that come up over and over again – no matter what size church you serve and no matter what type of community you serve in. One of the most common goes something like this, “Pastor, how do I find God’s will for my life?”  Most of the time there is some impending decision that prompts this question. Occasionally, it will be a feeling of “spinning my wheels” or frustration with the status quo.  No matter what prompts the question, it’s a good question. How do Christians find the will of God in their life?  Are there Biblical principles for making decisions?  In this post and the next one, I will share how I answer this question when it comes my way and how I attempt to make decisions in my own personal life and ministry.

First, answer the question, “Does the Word of God provide instruction?”   If we really believe that the Word of God is actually totally true and inerrant (and I steadfastly believe that), then it only makes sense to begin there in all decision making.  Certainly, the primary reason that the Lord gave us the Bible is for our salvation (John 20:31), but we also have God’s Word for spiritual growth and guidance in life…

“How I love Your instruction! It is my meditation all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers because Your decrees are my meditation. I understand more than the elders because I obey Your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow Your word. I have not turned from Your judgments, for You Yourself have instructed me. How sweet Your word is to my taste— sweeter than honey in my mouth. I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:97–105, HCSB)

There are many issues which the Bible speaks to directly.  For instance, one Christian might be struggling with whether or not to marry a person who is not a believer.  Scripture is very clear that Christians should only marry other believers. Another Christian might wonder if viewing pornography is actually wrong – given its acceptance in today’s culture.  Scripture is clear that all sexual activity outside the marriage relationship between husband and wife is sin. Jesus himself said that if you look at another person with lust, then you are guilty of adultery of the heart.  So, those issues are quickly settled with an honest look at the Word of God.  If the Word of God speaks to an issue directly, the decision is made.  It’s just time to obey at that point.  One reason that many Christians today are running into so many problems is because they no longer want to let scripture be authoritative for their individual lives.

This principle is also true in a positive sense as well. Scripture is clear that we are to be witnesses for Christ and “make disciples of all nations.”  Scripture is clear that we are to pray consistently.  Scripture is clear that we are to train up leaders in the church.  Scripture is clear in how we are to treat our spouse. Again, the issue is really how we act on these truths in our context of life, not whether or not we should do them.  If we are honest, many (yes, even most) of us know far more of these scriptures than we are consistently acting on.  If God’s Word says to do it, then it’s God’s will that we do it.

In addition, there will also be times that the Lord speaks to us through the Word. If you consistently read the Bible, you will find that there will be times that certain verses seem to leap off the page and speak to just what you are struggling with at the time.  Too many Christians open their Bibles to find one verse that gives them permission to do what they have decided to do already.  That’s totally backwards. Open the Bible consistently every day of your life and as you do that the Lord will use it to guide you in your decisions day by day. It’s amazing how often you will just happen to be reading at a place in the scripture that particularly applies to this moment in your life. That’s not coincidence. It is the Holy Spirit of God using the Word of God in your life.

After a look into the Word, then it’s time to get on your knees in prayer. Certainly, if you have read this far, you are not surprised that this is one of the principles.  However, let’s not let familiarity prevent us from asking the hard question:  Do I really pray about decisions I have to make?   It’s been my experience that more Christians “believe in prayer” than actually pray.  The Lord Jesus had an important decision to make:  choosing the twelve. So, how did Jesus respond?

“During those days He went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God. When daylight came, He summoned His disciples, and He chose 12 of them—He also named them apostles:” (Luke 6:12–13, HCSB)

The only time scripture records that Jesus spent all night in prayer is before he chose the twelve.  I could fill an entire blog post with verse after verse of examples of Jesus himself praying on all types of occasions.  If our Savior himself needed to pray and seek the Father, how much more do we need to follow that example?

So, when struggling to find the will of God, the first two places every Christian should go is to their Bible and on their knees in prayer. Certainly, this idea is not original and new.  It’s just foundational.  The Word of God and prayer are foundational to all decision making in the Christian life. Very often, these two great spiritual resources are the only resources we need to make decisions.  God often speaks clearly through the Word and prayer. Start there.

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”” (Isaiah 6:8, NKJV)

One of my favorite Old Testament passages is the prophet Isaiah’s vision of the Lord high and lifted up in Isaiah 6.  After the death of King Uzziah, Isaiah sees the Lord high and lifted up on his throne.  His first response is contrition because he recognized he was a sinner standing before a Holy God.  After the Lord assures him that his sin is forgiven and his iniquity is taken away (the foundation of all service to God), the Lord asks Isaiah a question: “Who shall I send?  Who will go?”  Isaiah’s response is so challenging for us all: “Here am I. Send me!”

I have no idea where it came from, but somehow the idea has become embedded in American Christianity that missionaries, evangelists, and pastors are those who are sent.  Certainly, part of those particular callings involves being sent by the Lord to the places He leads us to serve.  However, I believe that scripture teaches that every Christian is sent out by the Lord. He has a plan and a purpose for every one of His children.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10, NKJV)

God’s plan for every Christian is that we walk in the good works that He has prepared for us to do. Think about that. In a very real sense, every Christian is sent. We are sent out into the world to do the good works that He has prepared for us and thereby bring glory to Him.  That’s why I say every Christian should “live sent”, meaning that we should view our everyday lives as opportunities to do good work for our Savior.  This Monday, why don’t you pray and ask the Lord to show you where and how you can bring glory to Him in even the most trivial tasks of life?  Live sent.

As nearly every community in America grows more diverse, it becomes increasingly important to get comfortable sharing Christ with people of another faith or no faith at all.  For those of us who grew up in the Bible belt, that can be a daunting task. Some time back, I shared a message with our high schoolers on this subject. Here are the highlights of it. May we all share Christ with someone this week!

“How Do I Witness to a World that Believes Everything?”

Acts 17:16-31

Years ago, I became concerned about a friend of mine because I knew his family didn’t go to church and I was afraid that he was not a Christian. One day I talked to him about it. Do you know what he said?  “I don’t believe all that stuff.”  “How do you know the Bible is really true?”  “How do you know that your religion is the right one?”  “I just take some of your religion and some of another religion and make my own religion.” AND I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO SAY!

That conversation with my friend was my first experience with a world that believes everything. I have had many since. Have you noticed that more and more people say things just like my friend said?  How would you respond if you had someone say to you, “I don’t believe the Bible. I believe the Book of Mormon.”How can we tell the world if the world doesn’t believe?  The world does believe. It just believes all kind of stuff – mostly the wrong stuff.

  If you want to be a witness……

1)             Be informed about the diversity of our world  (v. 16-20)

Did you notice v. 16?  It says that the city was given over to idols.  Let me read you a description of this…

Athens was filled with examples of artistic beauty, particularly its statues of the Greek gods and the architectural magnificence of its temples. Paul, however, was deeply troubled by the idolatry that the art represented

Some of Athens’s most prominent features were its numerous pagan temples. The great temple to Athena (the Parthenon), the Erechtheion (dedicated to multiple deities), and the temple to the goddess Roma and the emperor Augustus stood atop the acropolis overlooking the city. Many other pagan sacred sites have also been found, confirming Petronius’s satirical assertion that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens.

From the ESV Study Bible Commentary on the verse

It was easier to find a god than a man. THAT is religious diversity, my friends. That is the world that Paul was speaking to.  Like Paul, we live in a world today that has increasing ethnic and religious diversity…

• More and more people do not believe (other religions/no religion)

Let me share with you two important numbers that you need to know:

A.)       The number of people in America who identify themselves with religions other than Christianity and Judaism has DOUBLED in the last 20 years (Since I graduated from high school)

B)        The number of people in America who tell surveyors that they have no religion at all has DOUBLED in the last 20 years.

• More and more people have never heard

I could tell you about whole countries in our world where very few if any people have ever heard the gospel. However, did you know that there is a growing number of people right here in Alabama who have never heard the gospel?  Just the other day, I talked with a man who lived within a couple of miles of our church, but who had never heard about Jesus and the cross. If you don’t remember anything else I have shared, don’t forget this:  DON’T ASSUME ANYONE HAS HEARD THE GOSPEL.  Make sure by sharing it with them.

2)         Find a way to connect where they are        (v. 22-23)

You don’t get anywhere by just condemning people. I once knew of a young man who attempted to witness to a non-believer that he had met while in college. The conversation started out this way:  “How does it feel to be going to hell?”  Now the person who did that – they had their theology correct. If the person did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were on their way to hell.  However,  he approached it all wrong. You can go about the right thing the wrong way. The Apostle Paul does a good job in these verses of connecting where the people were. Start out with where they are in their understanding.

3)         Focus on Creation   (v. 24)

Why is it important to go back to creation?  Because anybody with any sense knows that this world did not get here by accident. There are truly not many people who believe that this planet and the people on it just happened by chance. Not many at all.  Most people believe that there is a creator because they inherently know that all of those could not have just happened by accident. How does this help us tell the world?   I once witnessed to a young man who told me that he was agnostic, but I took him back to creation and he believed that there had to be a creator.  “Wouldn’t it make sense for that creator to reveal Himself?”   That led me to Jesus and the Bible.

 

4)         Focus on God’s authority  (v. 25-26, 30-31)

Do you know why some people just cannot open their mind up to anything but the idea of evolution and the fact that there is no God?  Because to believe there is a God in Heaven who made the world would mean that there must be some rules in this universe.

5)         Focus on the Resurrection of Christ (v. 31)

6)         Always share Hope   (v. 30)

“…should repent” They have an opportunity to believe

Always remember….

 

·      Be unashamed            (v. 22)

·      Expect opposition        (v. 32a)

·      Be confident in the Gospel’s power  (v. 32b)

Don’t shy away from sharing with someone of another faith or no faith. God will use you to build bridges into their life and, if you approach them respectfully, you will gain a hearing for the gospel of Christ!

One of my favorite “less well known” Christians in the New Testament is Barnabas. He is rightly known as the great encourager. In Acts 11, word reaches the mother church in Jerusalem about what God is doing in the church at Antioch.  The leaders of the Jerusalem church decide to send Barnabas to Antioch in order to get a first hand report.  The verse below describes what Barnabas did when he arrived…

“Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;” (Acts 11:23, NASB95)

Yes, Barnabas was truly a “son of encouragement” to many believers. However, what really stands out to me about Barnabas is how he is described in the very next verse…

“for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.” (Acts 11:24, NASB95)

The reason Barnabas was able to be such an encourager is because he was that kind of man. The truth is that everyone who is in leadership leads from who they are, not their position on an organizational chart.  People don’t follow positions; they follow people. Barnabas was the type of leader that people followed because he was an Acts 11:24 man.

Occasionally, someone will ask me how they can pray for me.  Pray that I will always be an Acts 11:24 man.