It's A Good Thing, But Is It Your Good Thing?

"Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel.
But the Lord said to my father David, "Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.
Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for my name.'"
1 Kings 8:17-19 (NKJV)

There are many good things we can do, but what if you wanted to do something good, but the end result of that thing was not good?  For example, what if you worked at a company, and you had a specific task to do, but you spent your time helping other employees do their jobs?  You were doing a good thing, but you are not doing your own work.  Or what if you were at the airport, and the security line is very long, so you decide to help the security people screen passengers.  Screening passengers is a good thing, but it is not your thing to do, and you will probably get in trouble for trying to use the security equipment.

God has a plan and a purpose for each person, and He has a plan for the world.  We each have a part to play in God's plan, and we need to be sure that we find and do our part, rather than just doing a good thing and then finding out it was not our good thing to do.  This may seem a bit strange, because we normally think that any good thing we do is good.  But if we just start doing things that are good to do, without checking with God to see if it is our good thing to do, we may end up actually creating more problems than we solve.

In 1 Kings 8, we see the story about David wanting to build a temple for God, which was a good thing.  God even commended David for having that idea, but God also told David it was not his place to build the temple, but his son, Solomon, would build it.  We too can have some good, even godly ideas, but they are not what we should be doing.  We need the wisdom of God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit in everything that we do.  God has a plan, and while we may want to do some good thing, it may not be our good thing to do.  We need to be sure that what we do is the good thing God wants us to do.

Light In The Darkness

"Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."
Psalm 112:4 (NKJV)

We have all been in situations where we did not know what to do.  Whether it was a question about the future, our family, our job, or if it was a question about how to best handle a problem we were dealing with, we have all had that feeling of not knowing what to do.  Just like everyone else, I have been there too, and it is not a nice place to be.  When it seems like we are in the dark, when we do not really know what to do, one thing we can be sure of is that we are not alone.  God knows about our situation, and He wants to help us, and He will.

Our life as a follower of Jesus should be just that, following Jesus.  But what does it mean to follow Jesus and allow God to guide us in our life?  Does following Jesus mean that we always know the way that we are going, or are we walking by faith and following God's direction?  If we are following Jesus, if we are doing the will of God and being led by the Holy Spirit, does that mean we are doing our best to figure things out for ourselves, or are we looking to God, the wisdom of His Word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit to give us the direction and help we need in our life?

Psalm 112:4 talks about light rising up in the darkness for the righteous, but what does that mean?  If we are in some natural darkness, we need some light to see where we can and should go.  If we seem to be in some spiritual darkness, because we do not know where to go, or how to do what we need to do, we can trust God to give us the light, wisdom, and direction that we need.   We have to trust God and get light and understanding from His Word, and by the Holy Spirit, to do what we need to do, and not just try to figure something out on our own.  Even when it seems dark, God will give us light.

Who Directs Your Steps?

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way."
Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)

Have you ever planned to go somewhere, maybe even a place you have been before, but when you think you should be at your destination, you realize that your directions were wrong and you are not where you wanted to be?  You may have had a good idea about where you needed to go, and even a good plan on how to get there, but your directions were based more on what you thought was right than actual, accurate information.  In a situation like this, if we do not check our directions, we can think we are going to the right place, but we will never get there.

We are all going somewhere in our life.  But the question is, what direction are we going and what is setting the course for our life?  There are many reasons people do things, and if we are doing things for the wrong reasons, or even if we have the right reasons but we are going the wrong way, we will end up with problems.  Sometimes Christians are looking for some "new and exciting" doctrine or a "special" meeting to make a difference in their life, but they are looking in the wrong place for what they need.  They are directing their own steps and not allowing God to guide them through His Word and the Holy Spirit.  

Psalm 37:23 talks about God directing our steps, but is it God who is really directing our steps?  Just desiring to go the right direction in life and do the right thing is not enough, we have to be sure that the course we are following is actually going to lead us to where we need to be, and we are not just on a nice path that really leads to nowhere.  If we are the one who is setting our own course in life, then we are not following God's direction and we will not end up where we should be, or where God wants us to be.  We need to allow God to direct our steps. 

Just Turn On The Light

"For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life."
Proverbs 6:23 (NKJV)

Imagine being in a dark room, and you need some light.  And imagine you were next to what you knew was a light switch that could turn on the light.  What would you do in this situation?  Would you call out to a friend in another room to come and turn on the light for you?  Would you just give up and sit on the floor thinking that maybe it is better not to be able to see anything, or would you just do the simple thing of turning on the light?  It is hard to imagine that someone would not use the easiest solution and turn on the light with the switch that is already there.

So many people are looking for direction and help in finding the right thing to do, in specific situations and in life in general.  This is one of the biggest areas that people deal with, and it seems to be one of the hardest things for many people to figure out.  Christians want to do God's will, but exactly what is it?  It seems that many people look mainly for some spectacular or supernatural external way to be directed, and there is a place for that, but there is always a place for us to get direction from God's Word and the principles that God has already given us.

As we see in verses like Proverbs 6:23 and Psalm 119:105, God's Word is a lamp, and a light that will give us direction and guidance.  Getting "light" and direction from God can be as simple as the Holy Spirit reminding us of a Scripture, but it can also involve our searching the Scripture to find the guidance we need for our life, and for individual situations.  Sometimes people are looking for a dramatic, external way to "turn on the light" of wisdom and direction, while missing the easy way of just receiving light and direction through God's Word.  The light is there, in God's Word, we just need to "turn it on."

Are Big Steps The Best Steps?

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps."
Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

When you are going somewhere, normally you want to get there sooner rather than later.  But if our goal is simply to get to our destination as soon as possible, we could actually go faster than we should and miss something along the way that could be important.  Or if we are in such a hurry to get to some place, we may accidentally leave something behind and not bring it with us on our journey.  The goal is not really how fast we get somewhere, but to get to where we need to be, with what we need to have when we get there.

Usually, when we have a goal in mind, the thing we obviously want to do is to reach that goal.  But we can make a mistake by just focusing on the goal itself and not on the best way to reach that goal.  We might think that the fastest way is always the best way, but that may not always be true.  We may think that if we can take one big step in the right direction it would be great, but is a big step always the best step to take?  It could be that we are trying to take a bigger step than we should take, or that we are able to take, and that can cause a problem.

Proverbs 16:9 tells us that our heart may plan the way, but God will direct our steps.  Moving in the right direction is more important than the size of the steps we take, or the speed we are going.  It is better to take the steps God directs us to take towards our goals, and in life in general, rather than just trying to take a big step that we may not be ready for; or we could be moving too quickly, and going in the wrong direction, which would be bad.  The steps we take, big or small, and the speed we are moving, are not as important as the direction we are going. 

Where Does The Road Take You?

"Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  This is desert."
Acts 8:26 (NKJV)

There are many places I have traveled to by car in the USA and in Europe.  Sometimes the roads have not been as nice to travel on as they were at other times.  There are places I have traveled to where the roads were not as good as other roads, but while the road was not so good, it did not change the quality of the destination.  There were times that I have traveled to some very nice places, but the road to get to that place was not very nice.  The type of road we are on is not an indication of our destination.

Many Christians have strange ideas about how God leads and directs His people today.  Sometimes we might think that to get to where God wants us to be, the road we need to take to get there will be a perfect road.  But while the road we are on may not seem to be the best, by following God's direction, we will always get to a great destination.  The point is not what the road you are on is like, but what is important is where you are going.  Your road may be small, but the destination can be big. 

In Acts 8, God directed Philip to go on the road that went down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which was desert.  Philip had been preaching in the city of Samaria, and great things were happening, but God led Philip to a place that was a desert for the next step in Philip's ministry.  Philip then met the Ethiopian eunuch, who received salvation before Philip was taken to another place.  God sent Philip to a place that looked bleak, but it led to a man's salvation.  God may lead us in a way that does not seem like the best way to go, but the results are always worth it.

Being Led In The Little Things

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

There are many decisions that we all make every day.  Some decisions we make are big decisions, and some are not.  Deciding what subject to study at a university, what job to take, or the best way and place to educate your children are all big decisions that require some serious thought and may take some time.  But decisions like what color shirt to wear, what to have for breakfast, or what to watch on television are not big decisions, but they are still decisions.  Making the best decision, in every situation, is always a good thing.

One of the best things about being a Christian is having a living relationship with a God who cares about us and wants what is best for us.  It is good to know that God is aware of what we are facing in life, and that He wants to help us deal with the situations we face and the decisions we need to make.  God has given us His Word, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us live the life that God has planned for us.  God is not just interested in helping us make the big decisions in life, but God even wants to help us with what might seem to us to be the little things.

Some Christians think that God's help is mainly, or only, available to us for the big decisions of life.  Of course, there are many "little decisions" we can make on our own, but God is interested in every decision we have to deal with.  As it says in Romans 8:14, the children of God are to be led by the Spirit of God, in every area of our life.  The good thing is that this is not limited to just the "big" decisions in life.  God loves us and wants the best for us, and He wants to be a part of our decision making process, in both the big and small areas of our life.

Success Comes From Following Directions

"For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."
And they did so, and made them all sit down.
Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.
So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them."
Luke 9:14-17 (NKJV)

Not following directions is something that is fairly common with many people.  Not in the sense that someone will not listen to reason, but very often people will ignore instructions on how to build or operate something that they have purchased, because they believe they already know how to do what needs to be done.  While it is true that sometimes we can figure things out for ourselves, to be sure we successfully do what needs to be done, we should always follow directions.

In Luke 9, we read about the feeding of the 5,000, and we can see that Jesus took what was available, what the disciples had, and Jesus used that to meet the need and feed the people.  We can see that Jesus cared about helping the people, and how the need was met with everyone not only eating but being filled.  But there is something in the story that we may not recognize as one of the keys to a successful outcome; the disciples precisely followed the directions of Jesus.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, as we see in Luke 9, Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups of 50.  But what if they thought they had a better idea and they said that groups of 25 or 30 are fine, would they have been successful?  While there is no way to know for certain, and there are times the direction God gives us may seem unimportant, we do know that to be successful we need to follow the directions that God gives us through His Word and by the Holy Spirit.  We need to listen to God and follow His directions to have success in whatever we do.

Just Like He Said

"saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.
And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"
So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them."
Luke 19:30-32 (NKJV)

It is good when you know someone you can trust, and when they tell you something, you have confidence in what they said being accurate and trustworthy.  But it is unfortunate that there are some people you cannot rely on and you cannot always trust what they say.  If someone you did not trust told you something, you might be hesitant to act on what they said.  But when you really trust someone, and you know you can rely on what they say, then it is easy to do things based on what that person told you.

Luke 19 tells the story of Jesus instructing His disciples to go and get the donkey's colt that He then used to ride into Jerusalem.  What Jesus said was a bit unusual, but the disciples knew that Jesus could be trusted, so they acted on what He said, and everything worked out according to what Jesus had told them.  These verses in Luke 19 are great verses about following God and also how He will provide for us.  We can always trust God's guidance and know for certain that things will work out for us just as He said.

When we follow God's direction, it will always be just as God said it would be.  If God said we need to do something or go somewhere, we can be sure that everything is going to work out for us just the way that God said it would.  For provision in our life, for direction, for healing, and anything else that God has said in His Word, we can always be confident that it will be just as God said it would be.  Whatever God has said is true and reliable, and we can do what He says, knowing that things will always be as He said they would be.

Peace On The Path

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

Normally when you are driving from one place to another, you have an idea of where you are going.  You may have checked a map to see the route you need to take, and you might use some GPS type system to help guide you along your way.  But once you do that, there is no question of if the place you are traveling to exists and, unless something unusual is going on, you would not be concerned if you are going to make it to your destination, because once your course is set you are no longer concerned about the trip, you are just traveling to your destination.

Christians are often not sure what God's will is for their life in general, and sometimes they have specific questions about some certain direction in their life, or how to do something.  That is one part of the process of being led by the Holy Spirit and doing the will of God.  But there is another element in this that many Christians struggle with, and that is having peace on the path they are on in the will of God.  We can have confidence as we trust God to direct us, and we never have to worry that God will let us down as we follow Him. 

As Psalm 119:105 tells us, God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  We can always find the general will of God for our life in God's Word, and the Holy Spirit will also lead us into the will God for our life.  But once we know the direction God wants us to go, we need to stop being anxious about what to do and just do it.  When we know the will of God for our life, we can have peace knowing that God is with us and that He will help us on our way.  God wants us to have peace on our path in life and in doing His will.

Ready, Set, ... Wait

"Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 13:1-2 (NKJV)

When I was involved in running sports in high school, normally, before the race began, we knew about the course we were to run and we did everything that we could to prepare ourselves.  But even after we got ready and lined up at the starting point, we still had to wait for the race to officially begin.  Usually there was some official who would signal the beginning of the race, but until they let us know it was time to start, we were not allowed to begin the race, and if we did, it was called a false start and we had to line up again.

In Acts 13, we see the beginning of the ministry of Barnabas and Paul, who was then known as Saul.  In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."  We can learn several things from this.  We see that there was something that Barnabas and Paul were already called to do, by God, but it was not until this point that the Holy Spirit gave them the go ahead to be separated to the work they were called to.

Barnabas and Paul were already called to do something, but it was not until the Holy Spirit gave them the signal to start that they began.  Sometimes with what God has called us to do, it is a case of, ready, set, ... wait.  Spending time with God, through His Word and in prayer, we learn what to do, when to do it, and how it needs to be done, we don't just decide for ourselves.  Even if we know what to do, without God's timing and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will not have the success we should, and we may not even accomplish what God is calling us to do.

The Right Approach, May Not Be The Direct Approach

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."
Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)

When traveling by airplane, how you land at an airport is determined by several things, including the way the wind is blowing, which actually helps the plane to slow down and land.  An airplane may even travel past the airport it will land at, and then turn around to land into the wind.  If you were a passenger in an airplane, and the plane you were flying on past the airport you were to land at, you might think something was wrong, but the plane is just taking the best route to successfully arrive at its destination.

God knows what is going on in our life right now, what has happened in the past, and what direction we need to go in the future.  In Psalm 32:8, God said that He would teach us the way we should go and that He would guide us.  God has an overall plan for our life, and God will guide us and help us in our everyday life as well.  One thing that I have learned is that sometimes we don't seem to take a direct route in the will of God, but the way we go seems a bit different than what we might have expected.

God may direct us in a way that seems strange to us, but that direction really is the right way in the plan that God has for us.  Sometimes God will direct us to do something, or get involved in a certain thing, because He knows how that experience will help us in the future.  We first of all need to realize that God can and will guide us in life, and we then need to learn to follow His direction, even when it seems to us that the way we take is not the best way to reach our destination.

Avoiding Problems

"Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives."
Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul."
Acts 27:9-11 (NKJV)

No intelligent person would go into a situation that they knew would be harmful to them.  No one would intentionally do something that they knew would result in something bad happening to them.  For example, nobody would purposely invest in something where they would lose all of their money, eat something that would make them sick, or touch something that is so hot it would burn them.  If it was possible, we would all avoid anything that we knew ahead of time would be dangerous or harmful to us, or to someone else we cared about.

The Bible says that believers are led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14), that the Holy Spirit will tell us about things to come (John 16:13), and that God will teach us the way to go and guide us (Psalm 32:8).  We see a good example of this in Acts 27:9-11 where Paul said that he knew that the trip they planned to take was a bad idea.  Paul knew this because he was listening to the direction that God was giving him.  We might think that this is a great story about the Apostle Paul, but God can work the same way in our lives too.

Proverbs 22:3 says, "A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished."  We want to avoid being the simple, foolish person who just keeps moving forward without any wisdom and ends up having problems.  God always knows the best way to go and to do things, and because He loves us, He will help us to avoid problems and difficulties.  We need to be people who follow the wisdom of God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit to live a life free of unnecessary difficulties.

Successful Direction

"Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
And there was great joy in that city.
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."  This is desert."
Acts 8:5, 8, 26 (NKJV)

Usually when we are traveling to some place, we look for the fastest route, which is usually the shortest route.  But often there are other routes that can be taken to get to the same destination. However, sometimes you may not want to take the more direct route, because you want, or need, to see or do something along the way to your destination.  The shortest route may not always be the best route to get you to the place you are going to.

Philip went to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to the people there; his time in Samaria was successful, and there was great joy in the city.  But the next thing we see is that Philip is instructed to take the road the goes from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is a desert area.  If we would look at this like many people do, we might think that Philip was doing something wrong, because he goes from a meeting that touched an entire city into the desert where he meets just one man.

But, while the route that Philip took may seem strange to us, we can't look at this, or any direction we or others have from God, based on what we see and what we know.  There are times that God will lead us in a direction that does not seem to make sense to us, but we must trust God and His leading, because He will always lead us in the best way to go.  To have successful direction, we must follow God's plan to go where He leads us, no matter how it may look to ourselves or to others.

You Can't Figure It Out

"So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey.
Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey."
Numbers 9:21-22 (NKJV)

There are some businesses and government organizations that function as think tanks.  A think tank is defined as a group of people who come together to study a particular thing to provide information, ideas, and advice to others about that topic.  Something similar to this is what people call brain storming, where people discuss something to come up with ideas and solutions concerning that thing.  Think tanks and brainstorming can be very helpful in some, but not all, situations.

The Old Testament gives us examples of how God led His people.  These examples can help us understand how God leads us today by the Holy Spirit.  When Israel traveled to the Promised Land, they had the pillar of cloud in the daytime and the pillar of fire at night.  When the pillar moved, it showed Israel that it was time for them to move, and when the pillar stayed in one place, the people did not move.  No matter when the pillar of cloud moved, Israel had to follow it to be sure they were following God's direction.

Only God knew when the pillar would move.  Israel could have formed a think tank or done some brainstorming to try and figure out why the pillar of cloud moved the way it did, but that would not have worked.  Today, believers sometimes try to figure out what God wants them to do based on their circumstances, by positive and negative aspects of things, or by getting other people's opinions.  We need to allow God to lead and direct us by the Holy Spirit, without trying to reason it out.  We may not always completely understand God's plan, but we certainly won't be able to just figure it out in our mind either.

The Winning Strategy

"You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once.  This you shall do six days.
And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark.  But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat.  And the people shall go up every man straight before him."
Joshua 6:3-5 (NKJV)

Having a good plan is necessary for being successful in things like a business, a military operation, or a personal goal.  But having a good plan is only a part of what is needed.  Along with the right plan, having a good strategy, and then executing the plan according to that strategy is also necessary.  A good plan alone is not enough, because with the wrong strategy a plan may not succeed.  And if no one implements the plan according to the strategy, success is not guaranteed.

When Israel went into the Promised Land, they faced challenges from their enemies.  And in every situation, in every battle, God gave Israel the winning strategy.  What is really interesting to see, is how the strategy that God gave Israel did not always make a lot of sense naturally, like when Israel came to the city of Jericho.  God told Israel to march around the city and blow trumpets, which sounds foolish if you are trying to conquer a city.  But, as Israel followed God's strategy, Jericho was conquered.

In life, we will all deal with challenges.  As Christians, we have a great advantage, because we have the Holy Spirit as our Helper.  The Holy Spirit will guide us and direct us in life, in the big and small decisions we need to make, and He will give us the winning strategy in every situation.  Sometimes the winning strategy may not look reasonable to us, but if we learn to listen to and follow the direction of the Holy Spirit, we will be victorious in every situation.

Observing The Speed Limit

"Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge, and he sins who hastens with his feet."
Proverbs 19:2 (NKJV)

Most of the roads you can drive on will have some speed limit. The speed limit is usually determined by the type of road and where it is.  For example, if you are driving on a highway and you are out in the country somewhere, the speed limit there will be different than if you were driving on a city street.  It is important to know the speed limit for the road you are on, not just to avoid getting a speeding ticket, but because if you are driving too fast, there can be a greater possibility of having a problem.

Although there is really nothing like a posted speed limit in the Bible, we do have some wisdom and guidance from God's Word that should govern how we do things in our life.  Some people think that they just need to find out what God wants to do, and then they should just go "full speed ahead", no matter what.  While this may be the case in some instances, it is also wise to take the time to listen to how God will guide us to carry out His will, and to put into specific practice the general will of God that we find in the Bible.

If we have an idea, even from God's Word, and we don't follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in applying that to our lives, we can be in a hurry and do something we should not have done.  Even though God's will never changes, how it works in our life and how we apply godly principles can be different from one situation to another.  Don't get into a rush to do something just because it is a good thing to do, take the time to listen and be led by the Holy Spirit, and obey the "speed limit' that He gives you.

Finding The Way

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."
Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)

Recently I took a trip, and I knew the way to go, but I was delayed because a car had broken down in the road.  A few hours later, I almost got lost because a road was closed, and no alternative route was given.  You might be thinking, "Well, why didn't you just use a map or an app to give you directions?", and that is a good question, but I had already done that.  The problem was that the broken-down car and the construction were not yet in the map system that I was using, so it could not help me find my way.

Very often, when people think about God giving them direction and guidance, they think of big things like finding the right job, knowing who they should marry, or becoming a pastor or a missionary, and these are all areas where we definitely want to have God's guidance.  However, as we are living our life, we don't want to just check in with God and get His direction when there is some big question, God wants to guide us in every area of our life.  And God wants to help us as we go and guide us all along the way.

God will give us direction through His Word and by the Holy Spirit, and as we move forward, doing what we know to do, God will guide us along the way.  We need to continually be listening to God because He not only knows the big steps we need to take, but every little step as well.  There are things along our way in life that we don't see ahead of time and we are not aware of that God will help us deal with.  As we live our life, we need to trust God to guide us, in every area and with all the details necessary to find our way.

A Way In The Will Of God

"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you."
Romans 1:9-10 (NKJV)

In the past, explorers would go out to find a way to get to a certain place.  People like Lewis and Clark had an idea of where they wanted to go, but they were not exactly sure how to get there.  These different explorers were determined to reach their goal, and while they may have had some general idea of how to get there, usually it was through a process of searching that they finally found the route they were looking for to get to where they wanted to go.

The Apostle Paul traveled to many different places and preached the Gospel to many different people.  Paul knew that it was God's will for him to preach the Gospel, that was God's general will for Paul and all of us as well.  Rome was one of the places that Paul wanted to go to, and he shared that desire when he wrote his letter to the people of Rome.  The phrase Paul used when he talked about this is very important, he wanted to "find a way in the will of God" to go to those people. 

Paul knew the general will of God, but Paul still needed to know how and when to do it.  This can happen for us too, how do we do what we know to do?  We need to find a way in the will of God.  First, we have to know God's will.  Then we can start to explore ways and methods of carrying out God's will by talking to God in prayer and considering the options we have in our life to do what we know we need to do.  As we take steps in the general will of God, we will find a way in the will of God to do what God has called us to do.

Take That Step

"So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"  Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
Acts 9:6 (NKJV)

Most people like to have things figured out in advance.  Some people are more spontaneous than others and are willing to take a step without knowing what the next one might be, but almost everyone likes to have a plan where they know what is going to happen next and what needs to be done to be successful.  For many of us, the more information and details we have, the more willing we are to do what we need to do.  But whether we know one step, two steps, or three steps we need to take, we still need to take the first step.

Paul, who was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, did great things for God once he met Jesus.  Many people admire the Apostle Paul and desire to do great things for God like he did, but they don't know where to start.  The good thing is, that anything we do for God starts with the first step.  And, we can learn a great lesson from the life of Paul, we need to take the step we know to take, no matter how many steps after that we may or may not know about.

In Acts 6, we see that Paul wanted to know what God wanted him to do, and all Paul got was a first step.  What if Paul had not taken that first step, would he have ever known the next step and done the things God wanted him to do?  What if Paul had said he was going to wait until God gave him some more information before moving?  If that was the case, Paul would never have moved.  We need to be like Paul and take the step we have now.  As we do, God will give us more steps, and lead us step by step into His wonderful plan for our life!