The Reward for Surviving Rough Seas

The Reward for Surviving Rough Seas
We are all like sea shells tossed about in rough waters and being re-shaped in wondrous ways. But have you ever contemplated the notion that sea shells have to complete their journey through the rough waters before they get to rest on the shore? Yeah, we are ALL like sea shells and Heaven is The Great Shore.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

What should I do?

Greetings Everybody,
This morning I want to discuss something that is on my heart.  


It has to do with deciding what to do about a situation...judging what is right to do...yes...this is about DISCERNMENT.


Here's the heart of the matter for me right now:
Sometimes I can not tell if God is leading me somewhere or if it is the evil one pretending to be God.


And this makes me second-guess myself sometimes. 


Sometimes I vacillate back and forth...should I do THIS thing or should it be THAT thing.


I pray for guidance and I pray for protection and I earnestly try to willingly & lovingly submit myself to HIS will in my life.


And I must say that MOST of the time I know exactly where I am in respect to His Will.


I know that because the Holy Spirit tweaks my heart a bit when I step out of His Will...and it causes me to want to get back on track.


Also, I know that I am filled with Joy when I am tuned in to what God wants me to do.


But the devil is so very sneaky sometimes.
And there are days when I can not easily discern if something is from God or from the evil one.


Jesus understood exactly how sneaky the devil is...he told his apostles...
" I  am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16


And the Apostle Peter wrote these words that are so very precious me...
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." I Peter 5:6-7


So here I am, trying to make decisions based on what I think GOD wants me to do.
But the evil one keeps putting up roadblocks.
He keeps tossing in bits of Pride and bits of Fear.


And what do we know about both of those things???


"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18


and 


"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." 
Isaiah 41:13


I know both of those scriptures and I claim them.
And I know that the New Testament tells us that we as Christians have the duty to discern wisely and to judge rightly.


"Do you not know that God's people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!  
1 Corinthians 6: 2-3


So here's what I know:
Pride issues are NOT from God.
Fear issues are NOT from God.
Those things are from the evil one.


Therefore, if I work through this thing spiritually and intellectually (yes you CAN do both of those things at once lol)...I find that my confusion is also NOT from God.


In the final analysis, all of my life decisions boil down to a few simple things found in Micah 6:8

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

There's my litmus test.

In all that I am contemplating doing:

Will I be able to
-act justly, 
-love mercy 
-and walk humbly with my God?

If the answer is NO...then I need to stop right there and go no further.

But If the answer is Yes to all 3 things, then I am free to move forward.

After that it is a matter of Faith
And a matter of God opening the doors he wants me to go through or closing them tight.

So there ya have it...
My internal monologue on "Discernment" as it applies to my ongoing life-decisions.

And all of that has lead me to this: Unless God intervenes in some way, it looks like tomorrow I will be applying for a an Administrative position at a Christian school.

And we will see what God has in store for me personally.
And we will see what God has in store for my hubby as well.
And we will see if God wants me to serve him in that capacity.

I am earnestly praying that He open the doors that He wants me to go through and that He close the ones that He does not want me to enter.

Father, Please:
Protect me/us,
Provide for me/us,
Prepare me/us, 
Purpose me/us,
and Position me/us.

In the meantime, and as we wait for His Will to be revealed in this matter...

"...But as for me and my household,we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

In Him
Grace

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