Guidance

There was a fundamental in the world with the invention of civilian GPS. What many people forget is that GPS was first utilized in the 1970s by the military, and for 30 years GPS was not readily accessible for the public sector. It was not until 2000 that GPS because available for folks like us; then the TOM TOM and Magellan came on the scene and the landscape began to change, and now we have GPS at our fingertips on phones; not need for stand alone units and clunky equipment- its all right here.

Of course, before GPS one was reduced to things like MAPS and ATLASES!! What?!?!?!? Who wants to fool with those ancient things- am I right? With GPS things like N,S,E, W are not useless. No need for road names, or any really knowledge of how roads and landscapes connect- just turn when the little voice tells you too. In fact, it will even tell you what time you will arrive and how many miles you must go, so you can figure out if you will need to stop for fuel. In fact, if you have a gps like the one I use on my phone, it can even tell me about potential threats on my travel like if there is a wreck ahead, or road constructions- it will even tell me if there has been a policeman reported in the area.... amazing, isn’t it?

The problem? Many of us want a GPS God. We want a God that will speak to us audibly like the voice of our GPS. We want a God who will tell us of every pitfall, every problem we will have. We want a God that will tell us the exact time we will arrive, one who relieves us for any need to be aware of the world around us- but that is not Biblical guidance.

The Bible is clear, we need guidance from God.

Prov 14:!2 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

Isa 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Matt 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Because of the effects of sin in my life, I need God to lead me; we were never designed or made to decide our lives and directions on our own. We were made to be in relationship with God and depend on him to lead us and direct us.

When you think about it, we are all allowing something to lead us and influence us as we walk through this life. The question is, what is leading us?

Do you know what one of the most harmful pieces of advice we can give to another human being? It is actually one of the most clique pieces of advice that we can hear- follow your heart. NO! Do not follow your heart! The Bible at the most basic level tells us the exact opposite, it tells us to not trust our hearts. Listen to Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, who can understand it?”

Jesus knew this, and that is why he promised us the Holy Spirit in John 16.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.z 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth,a comes, he will guide you into all the truth.b He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine.c That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

One of the main jobs of the Holy Spirit is to guide us along our paths in life. As a way of combatting the sinfulness in our hearts, God places the the righteous Holy Spirit inside of us to provide the resources we need to walk this life in glory of God.

But notice some of the things this teaching of Jesus tells us about the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

V13 tells us that the H/S will guide us into all truth. Many folks have assumed that this is doctrinal truth- that the HS will lead us to understand the right things about God- and He will, and we need to claim that. But, there is a lot more to this verse than doctrine. There is also a relational aspect to the word Alethia the the apostle uses here. This word we translate as “truth” means “the quality of being upright in word and deed” In other words, truth is not just something we know or believe, truth is a way that we live.

Whenever God leads you, it will always be towards the truth for you life- in other words the best, the most complete, the must Godly path for your life. God does not have any half-hearted or haphazard plans- they are all good and all for our best.

Notice the second thing that John 16 tells us about the guidance of the Holy Spirit- v14 tells us that when the Holy Spirit leads us it will always lead to the glory of God.

This is one of the first questions that I often ask people when they come and talk to me when discerning God’s will. They will say “Jon, I think God is leading me to.... what do you think?” and often my first question is “How is this decision going to bring glory to God?” Because anything that the HS speaks to us and leads us in will always ultimately bring glory to the name of Jesus.

So, if following a path does not glorify God, or even takes away glory from God, it cannot be the path for you to follow. For example, you are offered a new position at work. The pay is better, and the job is better. But, it requires work on Sundays and late evenings- which will pretty much eliminate your attendance at church and any church functions- I would tend to think that this kind of move is taking glory from God.

Let’s look at one more piece of Scripture today. James 1:5-7

James 1:5–7 ESV

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

God is a generous God who will always give us the guidance that we seek. When we ask God for guidance, his answer is never “no.” It may take some time to hear, know, and discern; but he will always answer.

In order to name and understand the challenges related to this, though, let’s think back to the GPS. Many times we are looking for a GPS God- a voice in the sky that will call out defined directions to us- GO LEFT- BEAR RIGHT- POLICE AHEAD!!

But instead, in most cases God operates more like the road maps and atlases of days past. God does call us to be praying attention the world around us. In order to hear the voice of God we are commanded to be in the Scriptures, and involved in the community of faith- because many times these are the places where God speaks the loudest.

When God gives guidance to our lives it is shaped and influenced by the world and context around us- God’s guidance is not an out of body experience, but a experience rooted in our lives and world.

Yes, when we want to hear God speak we need to quiet our hearts and minds and listen with intention and focus- but friends, God never called us to be hermits or withdraw from the world. Instead listen to these Scriptures:

Prov 19:20-21 “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Prov 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Robert Smith wrote in "Doctrine That Dances":

"When I meditated on the word 'Guidance,' I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person, and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw 'G: I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i.' 'God, 'u' and 'i' dance." God, you and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead."