2/24/08 PM - God's Pathfinder

GOD'S PATHFINDER - This was part of our Bible Released Time presentation this month, and I decided to share it with the adults tonight.

God's Pathfinder is a list of questions to help find God's will when trying to make a decision. This was developed for SKITuations by Steve and Cora Alley at skits@bigfoot.com.

The key verse is Proverbs 3:5 & 6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on you rown understanding. In all you rways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

List your options: Should I_________________________?

Or should I _____________________ ?

Then, prayerfully ask God to help you answer the following questions:

#1. "God, show me what the Bible says about this." Phillipians 4:8 ' ..."whatever is true, nobel, right, pure, etc..."

#2. "God, show me what honors my family." Ex. 20:12 - "honor your father and mother..."

#3. "God, show me how to be a Christian example to my friends." - Matt. 5:14 "...let you rlight shine before people, that they may see your good deeds, and prise your Father in Heaven."

Ask yourself, if my decision was made public,what would it do to my Christian testimony.

#4. "God, show me which decision will I be glad I made, later." Phil. 4:7 "...and the peace of God will..."

It's easy NOT to think about the long-term consequences of decisions. We are 'immediate-gratification' oriented.

#5. "God, give me wisdom through my Christian friends or counselors." Prov. 15:22 "In the counsel of many, there is wisdom..."

None of us have all wisdom and all the answers. We need each other's input and that of Christian counselors. Someone who will give a good answer, not just the answer we want to hear.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:

#1. Duet. 4:29 - "if you seek the Lord your God with your whole heart, you will find Him. Finding God's will takes seaching and seeking diligently for His wil. Jer. 29:10-13 "...for I have plans for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you...."

#2. You are more likely to find God's unknown will if you are already walking in his known will.

John 7:17 - "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."

If you truly do God's will, you will find out that Jesus' teaching is from God and that Jesus is the Messiah.

#3. Sometimes you won't find clear answers and will have to choose and decide on your own. As we grow and mature, God seems to let us make more decisions on our own.

#4. Sometimes you won't get a clear answer and you get to choose what would make you the happiest and most fulfilled.

#5. Sometimes when you don't get a clear answer, you should wait.

#6. Sometimes you will miss God's will. If you make a wrong choice honestly after seeking His will, it probably won't make that much difference. For example: a self-guided missile - locks on a target but gets off course many times during the trip to the target. It is in a constant state of veering off course, correcting course, getting back on course. It ultimately hits the target but hasn't gotten there in a straight path.

You may miss His will willfully or out of ignorance. Even when we are NOT faithful, He IS faithful.

However, it is VERY important to seek His will in all things with sincerity and diligence.