Recognising leading (2)

Recap

Many times in our lives we find ourselves in positions and situations that require guidance, we are surrounded strongly by the desire we have, that which we want to accomplish, which aren’t neccessarily bad desires.

Many times, what we seek are legitimate, and it is important to know that they are, but sometimes, they blind us, and remove our sight from something even more.

Should we leave life to a chance?

The answer is no; The bible actually prrsent to us, how to go through life with it’s proper and correct lens.

James, tells us this;

James 4:13–16 NKJV

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

What we ought to say is “if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that”.

If the Lord’s wills, we shall live and do this or that.

My boasting — “I will do this or that”

Proper vocabulary — “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that”

Now, if we read this as though God is to be tagged along with my plans and my desires, then, we miss the point, this is a redirection of how to see life itself.

It is God’s plan not my plan, it is God’s will, not my will. Often, we think we know best for our lives.

Let us study Saul

1 Samuel 13:7–12 NKJV

7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. 11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

Notice something going on here, “he felt compelled”. Sometimes, we have such strong feelings, as though if it doesn’t go our way right now, then it is done.

How many times have you felt compelled? That is, if we don’t do this right away, then, I will be less happy, I won’t be fulfilled in life.

Think about it, HOW MANY TIMES, HAVE YOU HAD DESIRES THAT STAND DIRECTLY IN CONTRAST TO GOD’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE, BUT YOU HAVE HELD ON TO YOUR PLAN? How many times have you felt compelled?

Let us look at Saul again;

1Samuel 15:13-23;

Look at verse 22-23; 1Samuel 15:22-23

1 Samuel 15:22–23 LEB

22 Then Samuel said, “Is there as much delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices as there is in obeying Yahweh? Look! To obey is better than sacrifice; to give heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination; arrogance is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has rejected you from being king!”

Meaning, the fact that THEY BROUGHT BACK THE PRODUCE FOR SACRIFICE MEANT NOTHING LIKE OBEDIENCE.

It is possible to succeed in disobedience, and it will look like success. It is possible to ignore that which is God’s plan for our lives and we assume we have done the will of God.

Disobedience, can often be successful. at least from the standpoint of our eyes. Hence, it is not “success” in our eyes that determines a man has done the will of God, the question is, “Is it obedience?”

Leading available

Often than not, it is not that leading is absent to us, in fact, we are told over and over again, that leading is present with us, always.

Psalm 23:1–5 NKJV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

When examined, the Lord leading and shepherding, was expected and anticipated by David.

He said, your rod and your staff, they comfort me! Why do they comfort?

The rod was used to fight off predators and wild animals, hence, offering comfort to the sheep, also, for stubborn sheep that are wandering off, it is thrown to get their attention (not beat them), and the staff with it’s hook, is used mainly to guide the sheep, to nudge them on the correct path.

So, leading is very much always available to us. We trust the good shepherd to always guide us.

Psalm 37:23 NKJV

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

Look at that, we can therefore say, “my steps are ordered by the LORD”

Psalm 32:7–8 LEB

7 You are my hiding place; from trouble you preserve me. With cries of deliverance you surround me. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go. I will advise you with my eye upon you.

Over and over again, you find this constant assurance of God leading his people. If it is readily available then, why does it seem strange to us sometimes?

verse 9 is quite interesting;

Psalm 32:9 NKJV

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.

Notice the promise of God to always lead and the possibility of man not to even follow. It has to be a heart that listens, not one that insists.

It also means that divine leading is not mechanical, God won’t force a man into his own leading. God doesn’t want to control us like horse or like the mule, which have no understanding.

Hence, leading seem strange sometimes, because we are insisting on our will.

Now, how do I recognize leading?

Guidance is not second guessing, leading, divine direction or guidiance, is definite. You can be certain about it, and why is that? It is because leading is primarily around God’s plan.

Genesis 12:1–3 NKJV

1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Now, pay attention to this text, “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you”.

Leading was surrounding divine plan for man! and this is important for us to know, for us to recognise also, and God’s plan is already revealed.

the phrase “in you” meant, “in your descendant” / “in your descendants”.

Look at Israel;

Exodus 13:21 NKJV

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.

The question is, what were they journeying toward? They were going to be through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

So, divine leading, is actually not a strange thing, it is rooted in God’s plan.

Hence, we begin with the known, in recognizing leading…

What has God explicitly made known to us in his plan for all of us? To have his earth filled with his glory.

The known sometimes, doesn’t begin with a voice to you and I, it starts with what God’s word has taught us.

Let me show you about this;

Psalm 78:5–8 NKJV

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children; 6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, 7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments; 8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

You will find something quite profound here, they should make them known to their children. If the current generation are to walk in the law of God, to follow God’s voice and ways, they are to look back to look forward.

We begin with the known. Now the main question is, is it okay to make plans?

Man & Decisions

It is okay to make plans. It is okay to make decisions. Scripture does not condemn planning; what it warns against is presumption — planning apart from God. We are called to be thoughtful and intentional, but always open-handed, knowing that the final direction belongs to the Lord.

Let us consider some things and then we will come back to Abraham and see this clearly there;

Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

What you have to know is that my planning must remain open-ended, and should not be contradicting that which you know God has asked you to do or what God has led you to do.

This is actually what James was teaching like we have been seeing, James was saying, the problem is man has made his plans that which must be; James said, No, we ought to say, if the Lord wills. That is, as against my very plan, can that which is God’s will superceed my will?

What God is against is not my planning, it is an uncontrolled desire, that is “my way or no way”

Look at Isaac;

Genesis 26:1–2 NKJV

1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. 2 Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

Now, God rightly re-ordered Isaac, “do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you”.

Notice, the plans were there, he made some plans to go down to Egypt for a while, returned also back to Canaan later, for Isaac it was the opposite, God clearly re-ordered his plan.

Hence, this is what our attitude should be like;

Are we keeping our plans open-ended? Isaac couldn’t have seen success in Gerar, he saw dry lands, no water, nothing. But he listened to God.

Conclusions

What plans are you making that seems to be the only success story you can see, yet, it is directly contradicting to what God had shown you, or what is directly not his will for you and I?

Are you like Isaac, keeping your plans open-ended? Allowed for re-directions within God’s plan? Or are you like those James spoke about, that boast in their arrogance? Will you be like Saul, compelled to do that which is not God’s plan?

Let me help you with something;

You can’t see beyond the now, but God can always be trusted. Let him direct the cause of your life.

Let us look at a text of the bible;

Jeremiah 10:23 NKJV

23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

For example, one of the things you will find that is common (we can edit this out) is people thinking life success is only when they leave where they are, when they in their own wisdom do things that is contrary to God’s plan for their lives, no, like, marrying to stay in a country, fraud to survive, cheating the system, etc. You miss the point greatly, your happy life is in that you do the will of God.

Remember, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Make plans, but keep them open-ended, if the Lord wills, we will do that which is his will.