We must always take things to the Lord in prayer. Especially regarding important decisions when we do not know what to do.
A lot of the time our own intelligence just will not suffice. True wisdom comes from union with God. God makes us wise and complete.
God knows what we need and He WANTS us to ask Him!! He will bring forth the answer. Then we will need to receive it.
The Lord will not mock, taunt, ridicule or reproach us when we go to Him for wisdom. He gives liberally. It will be clear and sincere. It will be easy to understand. It will make perfect sense!
The Lord will not disapprove of us for asking. He will not laugh at me for asking. He will not humiliate me for asking either. Remember, He wants me to ask!
He will give me the answer. However, I need to ask in faith, nothing doubting.
Once I have heard from God, I must CONTINUE on believing that I have and not waver concerning what to do. I must have confidence in making decisions.
The waves of doubt will keep knocking you over if you let them, or if you continue to let them. We will often become agitated or confused when we become doubt minded. Not approaching God when you know you need to can cause depression, or you might sense a lack of direction. Once you have seen the problem and now you realize you have to make a decision, and even when you know the right one, doubt will cause you to think, "Did God really say?"
This is one of the devil's favourite lines. This is the one he used on Eve in the garden. It actually caused her to make the WRONG decision! Doubt can exhaust you, because it flings you around. The devil gets to throw you around in the ring, as you wrestle with him (See Ephesians 6).
The devil will beat us up. So, as you can see, doubt will give the devil a foothold. It gives him permission to beat us up if we follow its path (or rather, if we stay at it's doorstep, or it's intersection). We don't really get anywhere when we doubt do we? Doubt will thump us with repeated blows. It can be agonizing to hang around with doubt, or let doubt hang around with you!!
The double minded man in unstable. He is unable to settle down in his mind. He is unable to conduct his life in faith!! An unstable person cannot stand. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand!! (Find scripture).
Someone who is unstable will often go the wrong way (or no way at all - he can't make up his mind remember!) Or, he will often make a decision but keep on doubting it. Therefore, he will not gain any confidence in what he does, or for that matter, who he is. He will not learn how to make bold decisions for God, or in life, and will not learn to take risks when he needs to.
An unstable man is unable to continue on in his journey with God in an ACTIVE AND UPRIGHT POSITION! That is why doubt always accompanies unbelief!! They have so much in common! The double-minded man cannot therefore, conceive and set down in any worthwhile purpose in faith. Instability will hinder your progress with God. It will hinder the progress of your faith walk.
Doubt robs you of your faith, and confidence! So, stop letting Satan use doubt to push you around. Step out in faith, even if you make a mistake, trust that the Lord will re-direct you if you do! Believe that you HAVE heard from God, you will never learn to hear his voice in your decisions if you do not step out once in a while.
"And having done all that the crisis demands, STAND FIRMLY IN YOUR PLACE... " See Ephesians 6, Amplified Bible Version.
LEARN TO BELIEVE IN YOUR OWN DECISIONS. IF YOU ASK THE LORD FOR WISDOM, HE HAS GIVEN YOU THE ANSWER
Mark 11:24: 24 Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (KJV)
James 1:8 (GW) A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can't make up his mind about anything.
James 1:8 (KJV) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:8 (MsgB) adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
“Faith is constancy in believing God”
Unstable implies an incapacity for remaining in a fixed position or steady course, and applies esp., to a lack of emotional balance*. (This was a dictionary meaning, cant remember which one, think it was Encyclopedia Britt anica)
* The devil will use the emotions (or lack of them) to try and convince you that you have or are going to make a wrong decision, thus keeping you in a double-minded condition.
Continue to believe, no matter what doubt says, Amen
Lord, Help us to believe and not to doubt, Lord help our unbelief. Lord we believe and receive your wisdom, you have given it to us in our spirits, by the Holy Spirit. We ask and believe that you have already given us the answers we need to make wise choices in life.
Thank you Jesus for hearing our prayers, in accordance with your will, you desire to give us wisdom, so we receive it,
In Your precious name, amen.
The devil has been using both against me, especially recently. I forgot to pray before my driving lesson and found that I've been depending on my own strength. I end up feeling frustrated and anxious, wondering whether I will get my licence by the time of the test in July.
I've been looking back a lot on the past recently too.. Regret this choice, regret that action etc.. Suddenly felt very stupid (i've always thought of myself as a wise decision maker). like the major decisions like, choosing to go EM2, River Valley, poly, not getting a degree, getting hooked up with the wrong guy, refusing to learn swimming and cycling when I was younger.. etc. Yet at the back of my mind something tells me I shouldn't look back in regret - but to take it as a lesson for my life ahead. Have you ever experienced, while thinking about the past, another voice tells you not to, at the same time? Like really simultaneous.
I'm feeling a lot of things now, but I can't seem to put them down in words, neither can I comprehend it.. I just feel.. heavy.
I have thought through before quite many times why I refused to get a degree, but there are even more times I wonder why and I regret. When I hear my sec sch friends go for overseas exchange with their Uni, when they go for long holidays during their school break, and I find myself doing OT, wondering when can I ever take a 1-week leave... you know how that feels?
Relating it to yesterday's sermon on What to do with Dissatisfaction, haha indeed I am dissatisfied with the way things are now. I have been tempted to join the paper chase and the rat race, but somewhere inside me I know that's not my purpose in life, I certainly don't want to look back at my life when I reach 50, wondering what the heck have I been doing. Gee, I don't want to win a Long Service Award in a company!
And so I have made up my mind to do something about it, it's now just a matter of when.
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