It is this – give total control over to God.
He has it anyway but sometimes we don’t act like it. Instead, we try to do things our way. We don’t rely on the Holy Spirit or anticipate the Spirit is leading us anywhere or empowering us to do much of anything.
When was the last time you were making a decision and instead of deciding, prayed to the Holy Spirit to tell you and guide you into what to do? When have you ever seen church leadership (elders/ministers) do such a thing? It is a rare thing indeed…and that is a shame.
If we are going to have revival, this must take place.
The result is that we get outcomes that are in proportion to our ability rather than God’s ability…which means we aren’t advancing the kingdom to the degree we would or with the power we would if we gave up our desire for control (and the illusion of control) and submitted ourselves to God.
I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. It is essential to us having a revival in our churches. It is going to start with prayer – prayer that God would take control of His churches and His people…prayer of repentance that we have gotten in the way – became too corporate and failed in our mission…and then we step back and watch God step up!
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Amen!
We have what we need to make the right decisions, Matt. And the idea of asking the Holy Spirit to lead us leads to utter chaos. It is about the most subjective way of decision making one can get.
God expects that He is glorified in whatever we do. Guideline #1. Simple.
With these guidelines, decisions are ours to make.
Some questions (examples)
Should I get married? See guideline #1
What job should I get? See guideline #1
Should I go to college? See guideline #1
Should I become a missionary? See guideline #1
Should I spend more time evangelizing? See Guideline #1
Should I move to…? See guideline #1
Should I be a parent? See guideline #1
Should I adopt, foster? See guideline #1
There are difficult decisions in the lives of all of us. Deciding on whether to stay in the country where I grew up, where my children were born or make the move to the US was extremely difficult. But both decisions are led by Guideline #1. For God, it really does not matter, as long as He is glorified through my life, no matter where I spend it.
How do you decide whether the Spirit led me to decide? We see the Spirit leading in Acts – and it lead to proclaiming the message of the Risen Christ – no matter where Paul went (or any of the believers, for that matter).
I know families who “felt led by the Spirit” to move 1000’s of miles into a mission field, only to move back less than a year later, deeply in debt and disillusioned by the experience. So many things they had not anticipated (loneliness, finances, language, lack of other believers etc.).
But they were sure, 100%, that the Spirit led them.
What would help the church today, more than anything else? Be familiar with Guideline #1, and follow it. Make decisions based on the question: Will this glorify God through me?
With my teens, I pose a question: You need a job. There are 2 options. Bartender, and garbage collector. Which do you choose based on the guideline that God be glorified in your life?
Another conversation: Does God want you to get married? Go to College? Stay here, where you grew up? The fun thing? When applying guideline #1 the decision making process becomes easier.
1. The Job: Getting people drunk does not glorify God, so garbage collector is the only option.
2. God leaves that up to me. So, I “pick” the partner that support me in Guideline #1
3. God leaves that up to me, too
4. God leaves that one up to me, as well.
In asking the question, “How do you know that it is God’s will, or Spirit-led?” In other words, what are the metrics you use?
In the process of hiring a new preacher, we were informed that one candidate “felt led by the Spirit” to accept an other offer. Of course, the fact that the decision brought him closer to family had no impact…????? Or the financial offer was better…??? Or the climate was better…??? None of those are wrong reasons (when we look at it from a purely business point of view), and God would not have any issues with using those reasons to decline a job offer. But to claim that “God’s Spirit led me to…” seems a bit much.
80 years ago a small group of Christians banded together and moved to Sierra Leone. They converted less than a dozen people and died in that country. Several decades later a believer from that country saw their graves…realized they had laid down their lives for love of his country and dedicated himself to the mission. 15 years and a million converts later…were those original missionaries mistaken?
Why would they be mistaken, Matt? Being somewhat familiar with the process of missions and decision making, God IS glorified in their lives. They cared enough to follow the Great Commission – even if it led to their deaths. “Early” missionaries into Western Europe (Post WWII) had no idea how much their willingness to go (And saw that as God’s will – for extremely obvious reasons – I mean, there is a command to do such) would impact later generations. Leadership in German congregations for a number of years was because of work Irene Johnson did with German kids.
Missionaries to Belgium were disappointed in lack of growth – but 15 years later, someone found a leaflet left behind in a house they moved in to, and set off a growth spurt.
All these efforts were based on the Biblical principle of sowing… And God giving increase.
No one needs to wonder: Does God want me to go and proclaim the good news of His Kingdom.
Hows, wheres and whens are my legitimate choices…
I completely agree with everything written above by Rudy Childrens Schellekens. When an uninspired individual today asks God to make a decision for them and/or lead them in this or that, said individual would have NO way of knowing whether the “voice” they “heard” (more accurately thought or feeling they had) was from on High and God himself, or their own head. Having a dream or thought or feeling that seems spiritual to them is no proof of direct revelation from the Creator. Countless atheists and even drug addicts have had dreams/thoughts that came true later on (ESP, etc.).
As far as whether anyone should even be praying to the holy spirit, the one thing we all know is that NOBODY ever did that or was told to do that anywhere in Scripture. And for those among us who interpret “the spirit” in Rom. 8:26-27 to be “the 3rd person of the godhead”, would “the holy spirt” help a believer to pray to his own self?! Such an interpretation would have the holy spirit praying to the holy spirit! Which, would be absurd.
I completely agree with everything written above by Rudy Childrens Schellekens. When an uninspired individual today asks God to make a decision for them and/or lead them in this or that, said individual would have NO way of knowing whether the “voice” they “heard” (more accurately the thought or feeling they had) was from on High and God himself, or their own head. Having a dream or thought or feeling that seems spiritual to them is no proof of direct revelation from the Creator. Countless atheists and even drug addicts have had dreams/thoughts that came true later on (ESP, etc.).
As far as whether anyone should even be praying to the holy spirit, the one thing we all know is that NOBODY ever did that or was told to do that anywhere in Scripture. And for those among us who interpret “the spirit” in Rom. 8:26-27 to be “the 3rd person of the godhead”, would “the holy spirt” help a believer to pray to his own self?! Such an interpretation would have the holy spirit praying to the holy spirit! Which would be absurd.