Directed By God

                                                                                                                     

Aloha Dearest Family,

In all thy ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

My sons and I are really into action movies. Especially the Rambo films (First Blood, First Blood II, ect..). In the last Rambo movie John Rambo is talked into taking some Christian missionaries into the war-torn country of Burma to help the people there. Not long after they get there they run into disaster and are taken hostage by the cruel and brutal militants running much of the country. (If you have not seen the movie, I must warn you that the film has a lot of graphic violence and some scenes are hard to watch. Be warned!) In the end, Rambo does end up coming in and rescuing the surviving missionaries from certain death. The question that some may ask is "Why did such good, committed Christians, willing to help people, find so much trouble? Weren't they doing God's will?" When I saw the film I saw the answer right away. The answer is "God did not send them there!!" They decided on their own to go, expecting God to "rubber stamp" their decision. You may say, "Yeah, but this is just a movie". This is true, but in this film is also a great example of "what not to do". To keep ourselves out of trouble in our lives we need to always follow where God directs us to go. When we do, we will find success and we will be protected. When we do not, disaster is soon to follow and we will fail. When we decide on our own, what is the right way to go, without consulting God, we will always be wrong, 

Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps. (Jeremiah 10:23) This example is also found several times in scripture.

Let us go back to the Kingdom of Judah and learn an interesting story. At this time in Judah's history, the kingdom of Babylon has conquered Judah and many of the citizens there were taken captive and taken to Babylon. Only a remnant of the Judean people remained in the land. The King of Babylon set up his own king to rule over Judah but this new king was quickly assassinated by the people. The remaining Judeans became very afraid that the King of Babylon would now punish them for this crime. This was a very desperate time for Judah. Well, the people decided to ask God's prophet, Jeremiah, to inquire of the Lord what they should do. Should they escape to Egypt for safety, or should they stay where they were? So Jeremiah agreed to ask God for the answer, and the people agreed to do whatever God wanted them to do. When God did tell Jeremiah what they should do the people were not happy. God told Jeremiah that if the people would stay in Judah, He would protect them and that He would cause them to prosper. But if they went to Egypt they would surely die and they would never see Judah again. What do you think the people chose to do? They chose poorly. The people of Judah had already decided in their hearts that they were going to Egypt and they wanted God to "rubber stamp" their decision. Many of the people remaining in Judah at this time departed for Egypt. They would never return. (For a more detailed account, check out Jeremiah 42-43:7) This is another example of "what not to do."

There are also countless examples of men and women following God's direction and finding life changing success. Check out David in II Samuel 5:17-25, or Paul and Barnabas in Acts 16:6-10, or the entire life of Jesus Christ in all four Gospel records. Now, you may ask, how do we find out what God wants us to do? The next part should help.

7 Keys to finding out what God wants us to do.

1. Know that you and God are partners in the work that He is calling you to do and He wants you to always succeed.

2. Remember that you have God's holy spirit inside of you to communicate with you and to help direct your paths.

3. Pray much-Ask God what He wants you to do. Pray that He will open the right doors for you to walk through (and shut the ones you shouldn't walk through).

4. Listen! If you are not sure, keep asking. He shall direct your path. Once He starts directing you-start moving.

5. Make it a habit to read and the study the Bible daily. Many times God will show you through His word.

6. If God shuts the door don't try to open the door with dynamite and walk through anyway. This could lead to disastrous consequences.

7. If God is not directing you to go- DON"T GO! God may want you to stay right where you are at. And just because God leads does not mean that people will follow His direction. Let us get in the habit of going to God first and letting Him direct us where He wants us to go. When we do this we will find great success. (The Word has many, many examples).

A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.  (Proverbs 16:9)

Love Always, Ray